Our Little Idea

Life's calling sometimes arises in the strangest and most unexpected ways. So it is with this idea my wife was hit with for an organic farm.

Neither her nor I have any background in farming or gardening in any way. In fact, until about 3 months ago, we had lived all of our married life in urban areas, Oklahoma City and Kansas City. But in December, we moved back to rural Kansas, where I grew up. This move coincided with Arianna discovering her calling for nutrition and organic gardening. We wanted the ability to control our own food source and what we put in our bodies. We wanted to grow produce and buy local natural organic goods. We wanted to practice sustainability and respect for the Earth. Not ones for subtlety or small ideas, we thought, why not start a farm?

Fortune smiled on us again, as a friend of ours, upon hearing about our ideas, approached us with an offer to let us use the acre she lived on to start an organic farm. The land has been mostly unused for the past decade or so, and we couldn't have asked for a better situation. Cathy is also passionate about organic farming and has become a full partner in making this happen.

This blog will be a place for us to share stories, plans, ideas, pictures, everything we do with our little corner of the Earth. Most of all, we want to inspire and teach others about the joys of organic gardening and farming, and we want to help others start their own, in the hopes of transforming the food landscape of America, which has become dangerously large and unhealthy. Nutrition and poor eating are the major causes behind the poor health epidemic in our country, and getting back to basics can help people live fuller, happier lives. We hope to be on the forefront of this effort.

Just a little about us. I'm Justin, a graduate of Oklahoma City University with a degree in Political Science. By day, I'm Executive Director of the Sedgwick County Democratic Party, and I am in the process of starting Methodist candidacy and seminary. I love reading, writing, and spending time with my wife and our 1-year old Julian Christopher.

Arianna, my wife, is a former religion major and Youth Director, who has discovered a passion for organic gardening and nutrition. Its her goal to make people's lives better through what they put into their bodies, and this whole grand scheme is her brainchild. She is the driving force, and she will be sharing on here soon how she came up with the idea and what she wants to get from it.

Cathy is our friend who put up the land for this. She is full-time nurse at a senior care center in a small Kansas town, and is in general a wonderful, happy, generous person. She doesn't know it, but she holds Ari and I accountable to making this happen, and she provides the constant optimism and can-do spirit an undertaking like this needs.

Of course, there are many others who will be joining us in our adventure. As we go forward, we will share their stories, and maybe they will even share with its here.

I hope you will regularly keep up with us here. We love feedback, comments, ideas, questions, offers of advice or help, or anything you have to contribute. Just keep it positive, PG, and on topic. Thanks for the support!