Today I turned 40 years old with a bottle of champagne and my family on a summit overlooking the North Cascades. We kicked off the weekend on the Pacific Crest Trail at Harts Pass near Canada. The PCT was the first “big girl” trail I hiked after moving to Seattle in 2013. Spending time in complete silence (for hours) was a first for me. It truly changed my life. When I finally grew comfortable paying attention without immediately reacting, I was really able to listen and see life around me in a way I never had before. If someone asks what really led to the end of my career, it was an internal shift I have a hard time describing but ultimately resembles self-awareness, and it probably began on the PCT. I met several through hikers this weekend who started at the Mexico border and were almost done. I asked what they planned to do after such an accomplishment. “Go home and get back to work,” most said. At first it seems anticlimactic but I remember Trent Peterson, a young man whose story I told years ago, as he rode wild mustangs along the PCT. He used to say that the PCT is just a trail, what matters is that we slow down, pay attention and see clearly whatever path we’re on. I looked up a quote from that report to share with you all.
“This isn't to advocate for the PCT. The PCT is just a trail. Get out of the rat race and slow down. Pay attention to the little things, not just the big things, because it's the whole picture we need to be aware of," he said.
Sassy has made it to the ripe age of three decades and double-same-digits! In this video, you’ll see a picture of the two of us in Florida when she was a few weeks old and I was 11 (that really dates me). The other picture under it was taken in Seattle in 2015 after we moved there. Now we are back in Florida celebrating 2 coast-to-coast moves and 33 years together. There will never be another Sassy and anything I’d write would fail to describe the treasure she has been for me and now our family. She is the kind of horse who can babysit your kids, take you on a relaxing trail ride, listen quietly to your prayers and make you laugh with an array of silly antics. She is like your favorite pair of socks and your best camping buddy combined. We are so grateful we got another year - and of course she has been enjoying plenty of apples with her carrot cake! If you want to live to a ripe old age too, go celebrate Sassy’s birthday by treating yourself to some fermented cod liver/butter ...
We drew blood from Maisy our mini Jersey/Dexter cross and it’s en route to the lab! We are running a pregnancy test to see if the artificial insemination we did in January was successful. This is our second attempt. The first did not take. Maisy is a little older (she’s 4 and I didn’t know most people breed them for the first time by 18 months) so I’m way behind the curve but up for the challenge! If the test comes back negative, we will likely try putting her with a bull. Maisy will be our first family milk cow (God willing) and we have put SO much work into her. My best advice for someone looking to do this: buy “Ole Bessie”, a tried and true milk cow that’s had several successful pregnancies and has been milked several hundred times (if not several thousand times) - so that you’re not both “newbies”. The learning curve is steep! If you’re a new or expecting mom - or just someone who is trying to add the unmatched benefits of organ meat to your diet - check out ...
Our neighborhood has been busy organizing opposition to a cell tower on one side - and an asphalt plant on the other! We are a rural community that enjoys wildlife, dark starry skies, clean air and water, and quiet. The two proposed projects have really stirred the pot here. I am leading the opposition to the cell tower and Alan Ivory is leading the asphalt plant protest. We sure will need help detoxing if these projects are built - so I will be ordering plenty of cod liver/butter oil from Green Pasture! Use promo code "ALISON" for 10% off at check out.
GREEN PASTURE PRODUCTS:
https://www.greenpasture.org/
SIGN THE ASPHALT PLANT PETITION:
https://www.change.org/p/stop-zoning-change-from-general-neighborhood-commercial-to-industrial
The sneaky truth about pesticides. - YouTube
I do consider hydrophonic products as real food. And I do support telling people how their food was made.
Anyone who wants to avoid hydrophonic. Should accept that you will not have certain food in your region. Because most US regions do not support the natural growth of many products.
