World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms has connected with Leafhopper Farm! We’ve just hosted our first WWOOFers, Julia and Paul from England. These two wonderful people have been traveling in The Americas for half a year now and began their farm work in earnest when they landed on the east coast a few months back. Now veteran workers on several farms, they came to Leafhopper Farm for some experience with holistic animal systems and an introduction to permaculture.
The work has been fun, and very important in forwarding the vision of this farm. Form gate hanging to cistern set up, these two friendly people have put focus on projects and come through with flying colors. They have also gotten a chance to explore a little more of what Washington State has to offer, with fishing in local lakes, and elk tracking at the foot of The Cascades. There is a great balance between work and play, allowing for critical projects to be completed within a few hours with many helping hands.
A special shout out to these two adventuresome people for showing up, folding in, and helping the farm create a welcoming space for its WWOOFer community. They adjusted some of the comforts in the Mongolian Ger where they live, building shelves and suggesting better lighting. They have also been understanding of the cultural differences between Great Briton and The US. They reflected on the difficulty in finding affordable land in England, which brought home the message about how priceless our own lands here in America really are. We sometimes forget how much space is available to us here, as opposed to The British Isles, where most land in privately owned and not farmed because of a need to develop and create housing on a cramped island.
Here in Washington there is an analogue climate with England, and lots of familiar plants to help bridge our different places of origin. A shared love of travel has also helped bring our experiences together. We all see the need to explore our world, taking note of all kinds of places and people, as well as how others live in a changing world. It is so great to have their perspective in the day to day runnings of Leafhopper Farm, and to share this wonderful place and all its bounty.
Cheers to Julia and Paul!
EEC Forest Stewardship 