Lessons From a Life in Transition
A "Choose-Your-Own-Adventure" blog-post...
“What do you have for veggies right now?” the local asks, unaware of recent events at Runamuk.
Shame creeps up my neck and I apologize with embarrassment, “We’re in transition this season, I’m afraid. We’ve barely been able to grow anything even for ourselves.”
“Not to mention the problem with the deer…” I thought to myself.
A promise to put them on my list for the lamb harvest this fall appeases the customer, but a voice in my head begs the question, “What kind of farmer are you if you don’t have any fresh vegetables?”
Welcome to the latest Updates From the Farm! If you are new here, I invite you to check out my About page to learn what this is, who I am and why I am doing this. Or just dive right in! At “Runamuk Acres” you’ll find the recantings of one lady-farmer and tree-hugging activist from the western mountains of Maine. #foodieswanted
A CHOOSE-YOUR-OWN-ADVENTURE POST!
NOTE: There was a lot I wanted to share, so I’m trying something a little different this week with a “choose-your-own-adventure” style blog-post! I’ve included links for you to be able to skip over parts you don’t care to read, and also—if you click on some of the images you’ll be taken on a brief side-quest to read a related short-story!
IN THIS POST
Recap
We're in Transition
The Conundrum
Talking About Farm-Finances
It’s Not Nothing
The Curse of Ambition
The Pantry Project
Community Updates
Lessons From a Life in Transition
Recap
Firstly—I’ve had some success on Notes this week and gained a good many new subscribers. To each of you, I’d like to say welcome and thank you for following along with the story of this lady-farmer.
This is the story of my farm—the Runamuk Acres Conservation Farm in Maine—and also the story of this farmish life I love. To catch you up, click here to see a recap of my last 15 years in farming…
We’re in Transition
Looking at the raised bed and the stubble of beet-green stems, I remind myself, “We’re in transition.”
“I feel like we need to put that on the list for next year,” BraeTek says.
“What’s that?” I asked, still glowering at the stubble.
Just a few days prior the beet greens were finally reaching a harvestable size, all lush and succulent. Ripe.
“The deer!” BraeTek gestures emphatically to the garden.
Our neighborhood deer have not only cleaned out the patch of beet greens, but the zucchini and squash plants, the snap pea vines, and the lower leaves of an ever increasing number of my beautiful volunteer sunflowers.
Not to mention the ongoing damage to numerous fruit trees in my burgeoning orchard…
“We need to make investments in more equipment,” I told him wearily. “And right now I’m not even sure if the mortgage is getting paid next week.”
The Conundrum
Like most small farms, Runamuk requires a second income to support itself and make ends meet. Yet, as a single lady I am faced with a conundrum:
If I leave the farm to work, I’m sacrificing the very thing I’m working for: the farm.
Since giving up farming is obviously not going to happen—believe me, I’ve tried—that leaves only one possible solution: Find a way to generate income from home to support my farmish ambitions.
Thus, I am now hustling to build myself up as a freelance writer and storyteller for the agricultural and environmental sector. It’s a hard go, I know—but I’ve had some recent developments that give me hope.
Talking About Farm-Finances
Conventional wisdom dictates “you should have 6 months’ worth of income saved up before you make the leap into freelancing.” However, I can’t help but wonder how many are actually able to do so.
Living at—and often below—the poverty level my whole life, I've never been able to save more than a few weeks' worth of funds and even then only in the best of times.
Yet, I’ve never let it stop me.
Against all odds I bought a farm with NO money, and 7 years later I am still here.
It’s Not Nothing
It’s not that there’s nothing in the garden.
We had a very bountiful harvest of snap peas in June. I’ve got onions, carrots and salad turnips underway, with broccoli, cabbage and kale starts ready to go in for a fall crop. Compared to years past, however, I’m only using a fraction of the garden and—as I’ve mentioned—the deer have made themselves quite at home.
“To be fair, this raised bed is like a dining table offering an all-you-can-eat buffet at the perfect height for the deer.” I said ruefully.
The raised bed in question stands 3-feet tall.
“And if I had proper fencing in place none of this would be a problem. The deer are only doing what comes naturally.”
“Yeah, but it still sucks.” the 18 year-old lamented.
The Curse of Ambition
Forever cursed with an omnipresent sense of ambition, when I took the job at school last fall I thought for sure I'd be able to do it all. My work in the kitchen had me clocking out by 1:30 most days, which seemed manageable enough.
Yet, when the opportunity arose to serve as school garden coach for the same kids I was feeding twice a day, there was no way I could pass that up.
Between the two—along with the demands of maintaining my flock of sheep—there wasn’t enough left of me to give the Runamuk garden the time and attention it requires.
Then, when things eventually fell apart and I gave up my position in the school kitchen, I decided to lean into this notion of transition. Now, I am not only restructuring my life to earn my income from home, I’m restructuring my farm to create systems that work better for it’s farmers, too.
The Pantry Project
Food storage has long been one of the major obstacles I’ve faced in my farming operation. You can grow all the food you want, but if you have no way to hold that food until it can be sold, you're left watching weeks of careful cultivation turn to compost in a matter of days.
Therefore, converting one of our former guest rooms into a pantry has been a top priority during this season of transition at Runamuk.
Community Updates
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
➡️This week’s issue of the Eco-Farm Strategies newsletter focused on the science backing ecological agriculture. Click to read: “4 Billion Years of R&D: The Science Behind Nature’s Farming Advantage”.
THROWBACK
➡️In honor of National Farmers’ Market Week (August 3-9), I’d like to re-share this piece: “Things Your Farmers Secretly Wish You Knew”.
RECOMMENDED READING
➡️This piece from
Lessons From a Life in Transition
Peering through the binoculars, I survey the farm outside. From my bedroom window on the second floor at the back of the farmhouse I have a view of the garden and the entire field.
“This is my new thing,” I tell BraeTek. “Every night I come up here and look for the deer.”
He laughs, “What d’you think you’re going to do if you see them?”
“I dunno,” I say. “I haven’t gotten that far.”
Formerly our second guest room, moving my bedroom to the back of the house is another of our big changes this year. Since we’re no longer offering farmstays or keeping a housemate, I can put these spare rooms to other uses.
Having moved my sleeping quarters around quite a bit these last 7 years, it’s a good feeling to finally have a designated space of my own. And I love that it affords me such a view of the farm.
Sure, finances are scary right now, but when I first bought the farm I didn’t even own a bed for myself. I slept on the couch.
And when I eventually managed to buy a mattress, I used it to set up my first guest room to generate an income for the farm. I continued sleeping on the couch until a friend gave me a hand-me-down bed some months later.
Imagine my incredulity when one guest had the audacity to complain about that brand new mattress while I slept on the couch at the other end of the house!
But I digress—the point is that things are always changing.
A farm is an ever-evolving entity and should grow with its farmer. This season of transition is necessary—both for me and for Runamuk.
Honestly, it’s been a nice break. I’ve been pushing so hard for so long and, as much as I love what I do, I can’t deny that I’m not a little weary.
So I am accepting this change of pace—this shift in of focus of a life in transition—with gratitude. I’ll make use of this season to get my ducks in a row, and come back next year with a banger of a garden.
No matter how you subscribe, I thank you for reading.
Sending love and good juju to you and yours.
Your friendly neighborhood farmer,
Sam
ONE LAST THING…
Here are 3 ways I can help…
Homestead or Garden Consultations — Locals can hire me to help them with their homestead or gardens, while paid subscribers receive a free consultation via Zoom or Google Meet when they upgrade their subscription to the Runamuk blog.
Hire me to write for you — Studies show that brands and non-profits using effective storytelling see higher conversion rates, attracting new customers and retaining more donors. Your story matters, so why not hire an experienced storyteller to share it?
- — For homesteaders and farmers wanting to put ecological agriculture into practice, my newsletter can help you forge a new way forward. Subscribe for free to receive weekly trainings, notification of funding resources and fresh inspiration.
HOW DID I DO?
Thank you for following along with the story of this lady-farmer! It is truly a privilege to live this life serving my family and community, and protecting wildlife through agricultural conservation. If you found this valuable, please consider Restacking so more people can see it!
I *love* your new format! So much fun for my ADHD brain to explore all the rabbit holes. I was one of those Choose Your Own Adventure readers that had to read every choice and follow every branch of the storyline until I had read all of the endings.
Orange plastic snow/safety fencing is like a deer shield. Even keeps out woodchucks. The deer munch on the groundfall apples right next to the garden and leave my veggies alone inside the fence.