how to become a barn mate.

ok, not just any barn mate, my barn mate! 

step 1. look at the photos below & notice if your heart starts beating a little faster
step 2. read about who you'd be living with and the type of person we're looking for
step 3. learn about more tidbits about life at the farm
step 4. fill out a questionnaire
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step 1. look at the photos below & notice if your heart starts beating a little faster
it's a pretty big space that we call the suite. there are two separate rooms connected by a door. we've turned it into a bedroom and living area, but you should feel free to reimagine it and make it your home. (plus, if you need a furnished place...then even better because it's already furnished.) 

amenities include: 2 rooms (each 10x20), private bath with shower stall, washer & dryer, utilities included, access to beautiful garden, only 5 miles from stanford campus.

there's a door that leads directly to the back garden.
shared kitchen (it's separate from the suite, and you get to it by walking through the main barn area)

step 2. read about who you'd be living with and who we're looking for

who we are:

• one family (mom, dad, son-10yo, daughter-5yo)
• one gal (working professional)
• a mini farm (we call it the garden street farm)
• ~8 feral cats
• 12 chickens (11 hens and one lucky rooster)

who i am:

you can read through my blog and get a pretty good sense of me. but the headline is that i'm a fun, 20-something, quirky+particular, active, creative free spirit. i have about 16 bedside books that wait patiently for me to finish them and am curious about everything. i'm a designer at a non-profit by day, a photographer most of the time, and an adventurer at all times.

who you are:

• interested in living in a spiritual community
• is a gal herself (that means, women only)
• likes being around young children (10 and 5 years old)
• enjoys fruit (apricots, plums, cherries, blueberries, rasberries, apples), vegetables, plants, cats, chickens (13), bees, and a prolific garden
• wants to get involved in gardening and farm maintenance
• doesn't mind fresh eggs
• can go with the flow
• lives an active and healthy lifestyle (don't mind the lucky charms cereal box in the earlier photo. oops. how'd that get there?!)
• emotionally stable, honest, able to communicate clearly, keep things real
• okay sharing a kitchen/dining area
• able to pay $1200/month $900/month new amount!
• looking for a longer-term, stable housing situation. (i.e. we're not looking for someone who's in transition.) we'd love for you to become a part of our lives, and for us to become a part of your life. 

step 3. read more snippets about life at the farm
here, here, & here. and this is how i felt when i first moved in. 

step 4. fill out a questionnaire

look forward to hearing from you. we can't wait to find an awesome new barn/community mate!

the farm | these days...

the sunflowers are racing the barn to see who can touch the clouds first.
the blueberries are bubbling.
the new lavender whisper secrets in the breeze.
the path engulfs. 
&
i find myself celebrating my fourth summer here on the farm. i have had the immense privilege to witness exquisite beauty and growth, both around and inside each of us here.

 

random | wishing.

it always looks better from the other side.

the farm | roasted

sprinkled some olive oil and salt over the farm fresh cauliflower and roasted them into these delicious morsels. and when i say roasted, what i mean is that it was in the oven for about 24 minutes at 450 degrees sizzling next to some carrots, cut lengthwise. 

the farm | cauli's growing!

ok, the cauliflower's getting bigger and it's truly adorable! can't wait for them to get huge so i can roast them. yum.

this is the one i posted about last time, but look what's happened to it in just a week or so. :(

the farm | winter bed

so a few months ago, i had a certain craving for cauliflower.

instead of going to the grocery store to buy it, i went to a nursery and picked up a few seedlings. they went straight into my winter bed along with two varieties of kale. i'm very proud to say that i've successfully grown cauliflower for the first time! and by "i," i mean...the soil, sun, water, and automatic drip system.


my craving's not quite the same after all this time, but i couldn't help but notice my tummy rumble a bit after i saw this recipe. imagine the mash being purple! yum...

the farm | chicken chicken!

did you know that we have 13 chickens now? one rooster and a dozen hens. (lucky guy.) i've noticed that there's been a shift in the female demeanor since the guy came around. it seems there's an increase in both submissiveness and aggression. funny how a boy can shake things up!

the last two images are of romeo, the rooster. he's not only the solo male, he's also the smallest breed. he's a silver seabright bantum, meaning he's a dwarf. romeo (aka: rainbow, the name we called him before we realized he was male) used to sleep in my hand when he was just a tiny chick. take a look:

signs of spring.

the palette.

simply exquisite.

hulo.

"oh hulo." he said with his english accent. 
wasn't expecting to find him in the carton, when i went to fry an egg for breakfast. 

home.

noticed the light. 

a collection.

grateful for the chickens, and what they are capable of birthing. 
it's remarkable that they produce an egg every day! 

giving voice to...

chickens.

yep.

i shot them,

and decorated them by giving them a white stroke and fancy little shadow.

and look what we've got here. 

meet, the garden street farm ladies.

pal-ing around and providing farm fresh eggs every day.

peter & nance would be happy to know these are happy chickens, with good friends.

these are to help me (and guests) keep track of who's who, and who's laying what.

guess which one is my favorite.

the person who guesses correctly wins some tbd deliciousness.

all around me...

...i see new life.

i snuck outside between the torrents of rain this weekend.

and all i could see was new life everywhere. the garden is simply stunning right now. if you are local or in town for a visit, please come by. it won't take your breath away...it might breathe life into you.

what a delicate reach!

cherry blossoms.

i can't wait to sink my teeth into a sun ripened apricot this summer. they're unbelievably tasty & meaty.

the fuyu persimmon tree seems like it's made it's home.

coming in for an asparakiss.

the plum trees are prolific.

o, just lookin.