Share, Follow and Reap the Benefits

 Tortuga Thursday

In 2012, on the plains of Northern Arizona, two families joined forces and began the trials and tribulations of building a small family farm with nothing in the bank but love.

Each year has been an adventure since our two small family units came together to try farming...on a shoestring. It hasn't been easy, but it's been rewarding. In my author bio I have a line that says:

Together, we’ve embraced an age-old lifestyle that has been mostly lost in the United States - multiple generations living under one roof, who share the workload, follow their individual dreams and reap the benefits of combined talents.

I thought about those combined talents today while popping apart garlic to plant. By the way, we should be all done by Sunday! Yay! 

Since farming takes up a great deal of time on Tortuga Flats Farm, Lance's ability to grow comes to mind first. Is it possible for a human to be simpatico with vegetables? It does seem he has an innate sense of what that little seed needs from the moment he chooses to plant it. And since we operate with few resources, he's creative in how we accomplish our farming.

If Lance can grow it, Christie can cook it. But Christie is more than a good cook. She juggles finances and

balances some of the moodier members of our household (like me). She's a ray of sunshine on tired, gray days.

Frank is the other good cook. I for one am glad there are two people who like to cook under one roof since I don't really enjoy it. He's also our jack of all trades. We all turn to him when something won't work. He takes the lead in business matters, although we all have input. He might not like to hear it, but in some cases he's our wise elder.

I join Christie in the juggling of finances. I'm also a doer. Or so I see myself. If I notice something needs to be done, I tackle it. I like to work in the field with Lance, keep the outside of the house neat and kill weeds.

Oh, I can't forget Sadi. She's the entertainment on a daily basis. She's the future and the culmination of all our love.

That covers only how we maintain our mutual needs. We each have our own side projects and activities. It's crazy busy most of the year but we somehow find the time to meet the needs of the group and ourselves. It ebbs and flows.

Winter allows each of us to stretch our individual wings...just in the nick of time!