I have been asked to do a TED-like talk for the Women Who Rock Conference in Novi on August 13th.  I asked my coach Noam Kostucki to help me prepare for this presentation as he has done a TED Talk and has helped others prepare for theirs.  During our coaching session he incorporated how to tell a story for myself, Parul Agrawal, and Sarah Masque.  My need was obvious.  I have to tell a story in 18 minutes, so he started explaining the best way to tell a story to help me outline my talk.  Who is the hero? Who is the enemy?  What is the problem?  How can I solve that problem?

Next he helped Parul think about how to tell a story with her juicing workshops. He asked the same questions:  Who is the hero? Who is the enemy?  What is the problem?  How can I solve that problem?  Sarah was working on her website store and Noam had her think about the story she wanted to tell with her products.  All three scenarios are perfect opportunities to tell a story that will engage our audiences/customers and get them emotionally involved.   It was fun and exciting to rethink the way I can tell a story during my presentations, workshops and farm tours.  How can Stone Coop Farm advertise our products and special events using a story?  Who is our hero?  Who is our enemy?  What is the problem?  How can we solve that problem? 

​Recommended Viewing:  Some of the kids that help at Stone Coop did a great job on our most recent YouTube video – Picking Berries at the Farm.  After all the time they spent picking and eating them, they are the experts!  Check out their harvest stories. 

Did you know that we are sponsoring two amazing farmers to complete the Organic Farmer Training Program at Michigan State?  Why is this important to us?  According to the 2014 USDA census, more than half of all US farmers will retire in less than 10 years.  Of the 2.1 million farms in the US only 14,000 are certified organic (less than 1%).  In Michigan we only have 332.  In Livingston County, I only know of 4 farms that are certified organic.  There is a great need for a new crop of farmers who are passionate about growing healthy and chemical free food.
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In 2015 we raised funds to put Nick Iafano through the Organic Farmer Training Program.  His farming endeavors this year have been mushrooms, cut flowers, tomatoes, melons and much more. 

We need to raise $5000 for Antonio Cosme and Daniel Moffatt.  Our New Farm Fundraiser is on Saturday, August 27th.  Their stories about why they want to be farmers are on our website under Support & Scholarships.  Details about the fundraiser are on our Special Events page.  You can also buy tickets for the Farm to Table Dinner at our Farm Store.

​One of my happiness goals was a big adventure.  Well, my husband and I are on a road trip to Wyoming and Colorado and will be joined by our sons in a couple days.  It has been wonderful to drive through Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Iowa so far.  The corn fields are huge and in perfect rows.  Iowa is a lot hillier than I thought it would be. 
 
The tough part is separating from our jobs.  I did pretty well in that I only took a couple calls and texts first thing this morning.  Unfortunately my husband is a contractor and he ended up trying to resolve major problems with a subcontractor all day long.  He has promised to not answer his phone this weekend.  So now is my chance to do the same.  I am going to enjoy my time off and not keep up with email or answer calls unless one of my employees calls.  I know they will only call if they truly need an answer that only I can give.  So blog this week is short and I may not do another one until I get back.  My other happiness goals are to delegate, relax and take care of myself.  It’s time to play!!!

We just got a new sign for the farm.  I put it right next to the road so folks can see it as they drive by.  I also put the USDA logo on it to help people realize that we are certified organic and that we have a market at the farm on Wednesday nights.  There are sign regulations in our township so our largest signs are on our property behind the road easement the county requires.  These new signs are small and not permanent so they are OK for us to use and they don’t block your view as you leave the farm driveway.

​About 30 minutes after installing the sign up front, I started to see signs of a thunderstorm moving quickly towards us:  dark clouds rolling in, strong winds, a significant temperature drop, and the smell of rain.  I stood and watched it move towards us, the clouds swirling around on both sides as the rain started to pummel the ground.  

After 15 minutes it blew over and left brilliant sunshine.

It all made me think about signs and how they are interpreted by our senses.
 
One thing I want to do more of is listen to the signs my own body is giving me and learn to interpret them.  Some I have mastered.  Such as, if I am cranky, I probably haven’t eaten in a while (my family definitely knows this).  If I have halos around my eyes, or feel light headed, I need water.  These have become obvious to me.  I want to become more in tune and more accepting to take action when my body starts showing me signs.  The “EFT Manual”, by Dawson Church, is intriguing.  Maybe part of my heel pain is associated with my lifestyle or stress level.   I know the amount of time on my feet is a definite cause, but what if there are other signs of things happening in my life that I haven’t associated as possibly contributing to my heel pain?   
 
Recommended Listening:  One of my A3 coaches, Sandra Malhotra, has a radio program called Generation Regeneration Wholistic Radio.  Here is her interview with Dawson Church about his book “The EFT Manual”.

​Did You Know that our plants can give us signs?  If a tomato or pepper has a black or tan spot on the bottom, called blossom end rot, it means the plant is not getting enough calcium.  Most soils have enough calcium.  It is typically caused by fluctuations in water or not enough water.  Without the right amount water, the plants cannot pull the calcium they need from the soil.

​What is considered traditional medicine these days includes a visit to the doctor that is included in your insurance plan and some pharmaceuticals to take away the pain.  I believe in growing healthy food without chemicals and I try to heal my body the same way. 

​As a specialty crop grower (small fruits and vegetables) I do a lot of manual labor and spend A LOT of time on my feet.  The last 2 years I have ended up with Plantar Fasciitis by November.  My feet are tired from spending 6 days a week, 6 to 10 hours on my feet.  Mid December through the end of January is our slowest time and I get a chance to slow down and sit more and my feet get to heal.  Well this winter, my left foot never got better.  The last few weeks the heel pain has gotten intense and by the end of the day I am limping.  I finally decided to get help.  

​Some folks have suggested I see my doctor for a cortisone shot.  I don’t want to go that route.  I know there are alternative healing methods that are successful. One of my A3 entrepreneurs, Lisa Ponichter, from Awakening Movements suggested a foot splint at night while I sleep and it has definitely made it easier to get out of bed in the morning. 
 
Yesterday I saw Ann Harmon to get one of her energy/ frequency/sound treatment things she does and I could feel the influx of good things happening. She suggested I do muscle testing before I bought any supplements to see if my body needed them and showed me how to do it.
 
Today I visited Lori Kleeba at Heel-N-Soles for a massage and she worked on the knots all over my legs with a hot rock tapping technique to help relax the tight muscles.  I will be seeing her again next week to continue releasing all these knots.
 
I then went to Natural View Market for some supplements to help with the healing process and I wasn’t sure what to take.  I decided to try to do the muscle testing that Ann had suggested on my normal vitamins and the new supplements. Stephanie, who works there, saw what I was trying to do.  She suggested I first make sure my polarity was aligned then helped me figure out my body’s positive and negative response.  She then started putting vitamins and other supplements in my hands so I could test each one.  I found out some of the vitamins I have been taking my body doesn’t want and Stephanie helped me find ones that my body needs.
 
I came home to start writing my blog and knew I wanted to do something about healing.  I decided to start reading my Abundance Cubed book for July, “The EFT Manual” by Dawson Church.  How funny life is!  The tapping method she explains is something Ann Harmon has been using on me during our visits, so although I had no idea what EFT meant (Emotional Freedom Techniques), I was already experiencing it!!!  I am looking forward to learning much more about the practice and then trying it on myself.
 
It is so wonderful to be surrounded by holistic practitioners and people that believe in healing the body through its innate ability to heal itself!

Did you know that you may have plants in your garden that have healing properties?
10 Healing Plants You Can Find in Your Garden

The leaves of the narrow or broad leaf plantain, shredded or chewed, are a traditional treatment for insect and animal bites.

​Recommended Viewing:  We just had an aerial video done by Keith Famie, from Visionalist this week.  Welcome to Stone Coop Farm from the sky!