ABOUT US

Welcome to my site.

I grew up around ponies, horses, getting to walk in the woods and enjoy the trips to the mountains at times. I love Nature, animals, mountains and the woods with creeks and streams. I enjoy watching the hawks fly, listening to the crickets at night when I can. Music is a pond with the bullfrogs at night while the crickets chirp, or the swaying of the trees before a storm and the sweet smell of the rain. I used to climb trees, play in the mud and leaves, ride the horses/ ponies or paint them as well as mountains, woods and barns. I enjoyed painting on canvas with oils, acrylics and working with pastels. My favorite times were when I lived as a child near the foothills of the Talladega National Forest in the Friendship area of Oxford, Alabama. I lived with my family near the woods and would ride the ponies in there and with the neighbors we would ride and hide underneath the kudzu. At times I would just take a walk, sit, listen, explore and stay the day just to myself watching and feeling the earth under my feet as I loved being barefoot most of the time. I remember having a poster above my bed of a modern day farm setting with the animals in their lots and pastures and a farmer with a tractor and a small garden with butterflies, bees and other bugs and rabbits near the vegetables and fruit. Little did I know where I would be today with the events of my growing up, but here I am, learning a little more each day about how I can walk softer and try to do better as I learn to be more sustainable in my food and my animals, as well as the land I am living on. Learning more and more each day as to why I need to change and help others by sharing along the way. I think well of the passing on the knowledge and the showing to others, sharing to each other what we learn to better our way of living.

FOOD IS LIFE. A BASIC NECCESSITY WE ALL NEED TO SURVIVE AS WE ALL UNDERSTAND

What I have learned these last few years about how our food is grown opened my eyes to what is a scary situation that everyone who cares about this earth and their families should know about. But people have no clue, or don't want to know. It requires change and some work learning what to do about things... It requires an awakening and that awakening is scary as I mentioned. IT IS TO ME, so much I am trying to change. I am willing to talk to others who want to know and share Ideas on how to live more sustainable. Many today think just because they can run down to the grocery that the food they buy is organic because it is labeled with an organic label or that that tomato was picked even that day or so in the middle of winter. I am learning what GROWS IN WHAT SEASON. I am learning that we can eat fresher most year round. OUR ANCESTORS DID. Some still do. I like Hot Water and sometimes eat out BUT the quick fixes and fast foods and some of The Modern Conveniences of this Country has somewhat weakened most people's independence because for now they can have it ALL whenever they want it because of what ever. BUT things are changing. I am learning about things for hopefully not only my survival, my children's children and yours as well. Our children are our future. They are what this country will depend on as everyone knows this. They will be our caretakers, leaders, and so on. What I am learning is to farm / homestead what term you wish to call it. I am learning how to do better. IT IS A LOT OF WORK I WILL TELL YOU THAT. I have been selling extra produce, herbs, flowers, eggs, animals such as chickens at times as well as on occasion rabbits and [milk] goats. I make soap now from my milk and have been learning to make cheese and will learn more. It amazes me of how many people are not connected to LIFE. They live in a concrete world with electronics. Nothing wrong with it in moderation where you are in Control, but people can be addicted to it. MOST People don't stop and smell the flowers or know what it is like to have raised and KEPT a puppy, which became a dog, until it died. This world is in trouble and we need to stop and look and listen, and do our part as we share this planet. WE also share Responsibility too.

Farming is full of challenges, the time, energy, effort, disappointments, the commitments, care, planning, research, knowing your soil, improving your land. It is a math, science and English equation of life, the trials, errors, sacrifices, struggles, losses, the rewards, watching LIFE GROW, the peace and harmony that you get when it all comes together. At times all of this can be overwhelming, but also Satisfying especially when you know you played a hard Small part of what this rhythm of life can produce on this planet with care and trying to give Creation a time to do her thing with help from The Creator above. Giving this planet time, she can heal herself from the disruptions of being sick and can become healthy and she can produce and care FOR ALL if given the chance. We need to do our part. WE NEED more SMALL farmers.

WHY? Better stewardship and growing practices and because of More population, small farms produce food on a more local basis which have more time to care for the land in which they grow so they are more aware of a smaller piece of the land versus hundreds or thousands of acres. As a renter or a homeowner you know your dwelling in which you live, your yard or street or community for that matter. You know the good, the bad, and the uglies as well as the positive things around you because it is personal and you are involved in it day to day. Another reason why.

I have read recently in bulletin for farmers and ranchers this last Dec. 2009, a passage by our state commissioner of agriculture who stated in an article, "Today less than 1% of our population works in agriculture and only one in six Americans live in rural areas. America's farmers and ranchers are proud to play their role in raising food for our tables. In Alabama, the agriculture industry employs 10% of our population." This is just one of the reasons why I am trying to step up to the plate and do a part to help myself and my neighbors who want some of the bounty.

I have been a member of ASAN [Alabama Sustainable Agricultural Network www.asanonline.org ] now going on 5 years. With the help of other farmers in a farmer to farmer program I have been mentored. Even farmers not a member of ASAN have helped me learn and shared with me and I with them on other matters. I have had the privilege to have attended 4 conferences at SSAWG.org [Southern Sustainable Ag. Working Group]. I have attended workshops around the state some through the Extension Services and I have learned things through other sites some of which I have listed on the Links page. I am a member of ADGA [American Dairy Goat Association ADGA.org ] I have also been growing my produce, herbs and flowers now for a few years Certified Naturally Grown and listed with www.LocalHavest.org.

I am a single mother of 4 children, 3 who still live with me. My children and I and a few others chipped in. I live on 3 acres that we have cleaned up, cleared off, built shelters , outbuildings, fenced, crossed fenced, tilled, double dug, irrigated and watched my land change. I have learned where it floods and am learning what can grow there. I am learning what makes my animals Happiest too. I call "Playing in the dirt" and "raising critters" sometimes fun. It is a job. A FULL time job. Learning how to grow things without chemicals, synthetic fertilizers, and without synthetic pesticides and herbicides. In this way I am helping be a better steward to my place on which I am living and sharing with the plants, bees, butterflies and animals. It takes one step at a time, one day at a time. I am a single mother with limited resources, limited skills and knowledge but I am willing to make a change in my life to better my children's future and yours. YOU CAN MAKE A CHANGE TOO, IF you want to.

We have participated in going to a few schools now in what I call Farm to School Visit [show and tell]. We take animals and plants to share and talk and interact with the kids so they can have a moment in time to see a goat, a chicken, a rabbit, to smell a sprig of peppermint or see different varieties of vegetables and fruits. It has been a lot of fun. I enjoy hearing and speaking with the children. Besides this, we have participated in a farmers market for a few years. Come out or contact me if you wish to know more about me.

For closing I would like to thank Mrs. Dorothy Buenos Aires for her wonderful help in constructing this website for me. She has done an awesome job and I really appreciate her work that she has done. If you need help with a website she will do one for you and you will be pleased. I would also like to thank her and a friend of mine for many years named Lara Fox for taking some of the pictures of my animals and farm for me. I hope you enjoy viewing the others as I took them too. I want to thank my mentors in goats and rabbits which are Terry V., Jana H., Raelena L., and Barbara C in Oklahoma. My goat herd that I have now was started with the help of Ted H., Linda G., Mr. Clayton G., and Shane H. in Alabama.

My farming/ gardening mentors have been Simon, Roxanna, Bill, Chip, Dove and Russell, Karen, help from Gus, Jean M. and Carol, and those whom I do not know who help in making trips to the conferences by SSAWG. I want to thank My Children, my mother and family very much. I encourage everyone to if you can not grow your food, farm or homestead then support a local farmer in your area. I thank You also for taking the time to read my words, my 2 cents. Maybe I will meet some of you somewhere down the road, perhaps not but at least I have spoken my 2 cents and maybe you can ponder over what I have said and make changes yourself to better things in your world, for yourself, your family, your environment, your community. Thank you. LaVona Mickler, 7 Paths Farm.