Wes Temby Tumbles

So this is me taking time to make time. I’ll start with RDNA. RDNA was awesome, and it was an amazing 9 month journey. For those of you that are unaware, RDNA is a program put forth by the Regenerative Design Institute, and is an acronym for what we studied: Regenerative Design and Nature Awareness. Think permaculture and wilderness studies in one program. I began that journey in September of 2010, a full year ago. I graduated in May, which already seems like a lifetime. In the months between I ended up doing and learning quite a bit. We made musical instruments, we planted food, we discussed governance, we tracked animals, and that’s not even half of it! Along the way I made some awesome friends, learned a lot about others and myself, and managed to sleep outside under the stars more or less three times a week. Most of my time was spent near Bolinas, but I also managed to travel up to Occidental, and down to the Santa Cruz mountains. Not a bad deal.

During RDNA I managed to land an internship at a great organization that promotes local organic agriculture, Marin Organic. Marin Organic was founded in 2001, as an association of local farmers, food artisans, consumers, and concerned individuals. Our mission is to get locally produced organic food to tables in Marin County. I started out in the business development side of the operation, crafting grants and soliciting support from our local business community. Along the way I also dabbled in some marketing efforts, and really got to know the entire operation in and out (more or less). As fate would have it, one of the employees at Marin Organic was having to leave his position (and the area). Having been in the office so much I knew a little of what he did, and I was interested in picking up where he was leaving off. So, I applied for his job, had to wade through a few weeks of not knowing if I got it, and now I’m a paid employee of Marin Organic! My job is building bridges between our farmers in Marin, and the people that they feed. What this comes down to is driving out to the local farms, picking up food and delivering that food to schools, businesses, community centers, etc. all over Marin. All the while I am interacting with both sides of the food cycle: producers and consumers. On some level I am the face of Marin Organic, at least as far as some of our clients are concerned. The guy who had the job before me was outstanding in his duties, and I have some big shoes to fill. I am confident, however, and so far I think I’ve done OK (I’ve been on the job for a week now!). Going forward, check out my adventures here: http://marinorganic.blogspot.com/

As the Marin Organic gig was getting worked out I also began farming at a nearby farm, Tara Firma Farms. Tara Firma is, as Star Route Farms’ Warren Weber puts it, a new outfit, and one that has a noble mission. They want to become a training center (of sorts) for would-be farmers. In the mean time they are running a community supported agriculture (CSA) program, and hosting community events on the property. I primarily work with the turkeys and chickens, but as it is a working farm I often times have the opportunity to get my hands dirty with other tasks as they arise (and they always arise). So basically, now I find myself working at a local organic farm, and also working at a local non-profit that supports organic agriculture in my county. Talk about full-circle! Needless to say, I no longer have weekends, nor late nights. I keep farmer hours, which means I’m typically in bed by 9:30, and up by 5ish in the morning. This coming from the guy that used to fill his time with late night horror movies and cooking binges! I still cook and watch bad horror movies, but now it’s during the daylight hours.

So that’s basically where I’m at: I farm, I work for a non-profit that supports farms, and I try to get my school work for Gaia University done in the mean time (I feel like I am failing in that last one). Today is Saturday, the one day a week that I have allocated to myself for rest (very biblical, I know). It happens to coincide with the Montana Griz football game schedule, which was no accident. So I’m signing off now, but I’ll try to make a point of blogging here on Saturdays, and possibly at the Marin Organic blog during the week.