Barn Aid

We've been getting ready for Barn Aid this week.  Cleaning and making Marie's urban farm in Balch Springs ready for a party.  In the process of moving and storing frostcloth we even found a black widow spider the size of a marble...Marie with her soft heart lovingly carried it into the woods to protect it from the sole of my boot.



The reason for Barn Aid

I am humbled that she would work as hard as she has to raise funds for my organization, Feed Texas First.  Marie shares my passion for creating a secure food supply here in north Texas.  That doesn't mean that food is available at the grocery store...it means food is grown here, processed here, and purchased here.  That's where the "First" in our name comes from - we want it to be eaten here rather than be shipped all over the country. 

My sister Sue and I came up with Feed Texas First in reponse to her experiences starting a U-Pick blackberry farm.  She and I both learn with our hands - reading a book is not enough, and since we learn by doing, we felt that there were probably loads of other people who felt the same.  Besides, it's difficult to start and complete a new project on your own.  Much more fun to do it in a group and spread the labor around.  I like to think of it as a barn raising.  The Amish have the right idea. 

Part of our plan for this organization was networking.  People know so many things (that you don't know they know) and when you get a number of them together, they seem to answer each other's questions.  "I've done that - it's easy!  You just...."  You can fill in the blanks.  We are creating a network of people in north Texas that are ready to help with the next project...and learn in the process.  Thank you Marie - for helping make this possible!