Winter on Full Circle Family Farm NC

Beside the out-door kitchen there is a flowering fruit tree called the Japanese Plum (ume) Tree. On warmer sunny days the Russian bees from Full Circle Family Farm are heard buzzing around the tiny pink flowers. They love it! The Une tree is very popular in Japan, where is can also been seen in winter with pink flowers covered with frost and iscles. Ume is a species of fruit-bearing tree in the genus Prunus, which is often called a ume but is actually more closely related to the apricot. When the friut is ripened the plums are made into Umeboshi a type of tsukemono, or traditional Japanese pickled food. Umeboshi is literally "dried ume" are pickled ume fruits.

Cover crops on the vegetable beds are of rye, clover and peas. Freezing temperatures can occure as low as -4C will kill these crops so they can be dug back into the beds in the spring before transplanting the plants that have been started in the green house. The garlic was planted in the fall and are already growing in the straw-covered beds. The garlic has been in the ground since fall and have been covered up with straw.


In the green house there are lettuse, cabbages, leeks and brussel spouts, collards.






The tea plant does not lose it's leaves and remains green all winter.

The red and white corn fields are bedded down with straw and green cover crops. The harvested corn was milled into grits and corn meal.

A lemon tree is growing in the living-quarters green house. These organic lemons take a year to develop and ripen. It can flower anytime of year and is now in full bloom.

The remaining summer vegetables are still in the plastic cover. In the new green house that is built on the south side of the barn is full of healthy lettuse, collards and leeks. They will be ready for harvest in the spring.


The ginger was dug up, stored in pails of soil and brought into the green house that is in the family home. Their tops will die off and the ginger roots will then be taken out of the soil and washed off to be used.

Even if the leaves have fallen from the trees, the hemlock, rhododendron and bamboo are still green. It is so nice to see green all winter,. The snow has not come yet this winter, but when it does it will not last long.

January 1, 2012 New Years Day

Woke up this morning to 9C in the RV and 1C outside, clear skies and a colourful sunrise. Randal & I have been here since November 15^th on Full Circle Trail Family Farm near Black Mountain, North Carolina. We have been enjoying our first time living in the Open Range Travel Trailer in warmer climates and helping out on the farm. It was a high of 14C in the afternoon. I wore light shirt and jacket.

It was dark when we wake up in the morning at 6:00am. Randal is always out of bed first to dress and go outside to start the generator to re-change the RV battery and so we can get on the computers. It is much lighter outside than we can see, as the windows are tinted, making it seem darker outside. He turns up the thermostat to 68F to started the propane furnace to make it fell comfortable.

At 7:300am we see Leon walk by swinging a pail in his hand. He has been to feed the chickens. He has already milked the goats and is back at 10 to 7 to ring the Zen bells for mediation. The Zendo is just a few feet from our RV so it is easy for me to get there. We meditate for 40 minutes every day. There are five participants every morning who partakes in meditation.

During my meditation I am learning to focus on the present. I mentally think of the an affirmation from Louise Hay Book "You Can heal Your Life", In the infinity of life where I am, all is prefect, whole and complete. I recognize my body as a good friend. Each cell in my body has Divine Intelligence. I listen to what it tells me, and know that its advice is valid. I am always safe, and Divinely protected and guided. I choose to be healthy and free. All is well in my whole" . Forty minutes of meditation seams to have flown by when Leon rings the chimes to end the mornings session.
Geni wanted some pictures taken of her and I meditating in the Zendo, so Randal took them. She is going to sent them to her teacher in Japan.

Randal & I walked with Geni and Kayla on "Hidden Valley Trail" from Leon and Geni's property to Earthaven passed by the pig yard , along leave-covered trails, crossing over Taylor Creek bridges,and over a few fallen trees. Randal has captured some awesome picture of the area. The dogs, Soxs and Leila, follow us, going at their own pace. Today Sox reached her nose into the pig yard, through an electric fence and received a shock. That sent her quickly back to house. She was not going to finish this walk. It will interesting to see if she will come with us again along this path!

Today at 12:30pm we walked over a tall ridge to Sally and Randy's place for a New Years get-together of games, drinks and food, (black-eyed peas and collards); a tradition of the USA News Year celebrations. There were at least 60 adults and children there enjoying renewing acquaintances and conversation. I met more people who live in the neighbourhood of Eearthaven and Rosie Branch. We were there for 2 hours and than walked back home going along the Rosie Branch Creek into Earthaven arriving back at the RV at 4:30pm Kayla walked in bare feet. Her feet most be very tough!

Geni accompanied Carol, a former resident of Earthaven back with us and then she walked back with there to Sally and Randy's, making her walk of the day double. She did not get back until 10 to 7pm, just in time to meditate with me until 7:45pm.

Kayla came to the RV to watch a movie. She enjoys that and is now feeling comfortable to join us in movie watching.

Before going to bed at 8:30pm I played my usual game of Spider Solitaire.