Lucky Duck Farm...it is not a matter of if, but when...and when is soon...

I love how these sunflowers seem to be standing guard out at Spirit Reins, just waiting for Lucky Duck Farm to show its beautiful self.

So it seems, since my last post was in July, that my life has gotten in the way of my dream or something like that. I have had too much time to spend on the farm plan, so it has been on hold, or maybe I should say, I have taken a few steps back to re-evaluate my plan. This is good because going blindly forward without real direction or a good farm business plan, would not have been good.

So when it came down to starting to actually spend money doing things to get set up, I realized quickly I needed to slow down the process a bit and put things in perspective. Although, there is a huge part of me that wanted to plant SOMETHING in October, it just was and is not time for that YET.

Lucky Duck Farm lives inside my heart and, at times, takes over my thoughts, however, I have a whole lot of other things going on around me that have needed attention. So it is a matter of WHEN - not IF, for Lucky Duck.

I hope to have a rough plan in place January 2011 and will begin the real process of planning out not only the farm itself, but the "business" of the farm...what will we be doing here, in the big picture.

"Teach. Grow. Give." I believe says it all.

And, of course, "We will blow your farmin' mind" because that will look awesome on a t-shirt and afterall, we have to have a cool t-shirt.

Stay tuned for more info in the coming months...keep Lucky Duck Farm in your heart and mind you will be hearing much more about us soon.

Peace, love & light,
Tammy Stanley
head Lucky Duck
{Lucky Duck Farm}

So many {questions} & a few {answers}

After weeks of waiting we finally have our soil report back from the lab. The overall result is good, the organic matter is our soil is very high and my farmer mentor says that is very good! We do need to add some things into the soil, however, overall I think we are in great shape.

After many days of rain, I made a trip out to the farm Monday July 5th with Alissa and Ella and my friend Diene aka Lucky Duck's Chicken Lady, who currently has a chicken coop being built at her house...chickens coming soon.

It was so cool as we entered Spirit Reins ranch, home of Lucky Duck Farm, and have some of the horses greet us, Ella loved it! They came right up to Alissa's car and Ella got to pet them, it was perfect! They are such curious animals, it is going to be fun to finally get to spend some time getting to know them and make sure they understand we are very respectful of their home. I am thinking we should grow some carrots just for them and have a part of the farm they can come and visit and get a treat.

Our first task was to get the depth of the beautiful pond/tank that we will be pumping water out of to irrigate our gardens. I had taken one of our kayaks out to go out and drop a fishing line with a weight to the bottom, however, before I had a chance to put the kayak in the water we had a volunteer who offered to go in and swim to the bottom and tell us the depth. Little did any of us know he would get NAKED and jump in. Good thing Ella was occupied on the other side of my truck and only saw him IN the water. We kindly provided him with a towel when he got out, of course, the funny thing about that is all I had was a Hello Kitty towel...this is a true story...I could not make this shit up...seriously...this is him putting his clothes back on. Thank you for the measurements, even though, I did go out in my kayak and measure, his were accurate, showing me that, on the farm, there are always going to be many ways to accomplish a task...gotta love it!!!

The next task was to measure and define the boundaries of the farm and determine exactly how much land we will be farming. Diene and I walked off the area with a tape measure and some surveys flags...it was so much fun and felt really good to be "staking" claim on the land that is now called Lucky Duck Farm...this is now very real...my dream lives and my vision is becoming more and more clear. We spent several hours walking around and taking it all in. The shade of the pecan tree was an amazing respite from the sun...that tree is so perfectly suited for a treehouse that will be a place we can get out of the sun and take a little rest.

We are researching and really thinking through what our next steps will be. Now that we know more about our soil, we are on to thinking of exactly how to set up our irrigation system. I have been researching solar water pumps and will now have to consult with an irrigation specialist. I am clear that we cannot plant one seed until we know exactly how we will water our crops. It is a puzzle I am, with lots of help, starting to slowly and methodically FIND and put the pieces together. I am trying to just enjoy this journey I am on and know that the next steps are being revealed to me and I need to continue to follow my heart and my gut as I move forward.

Lucky Duck Farm is real and my heart is so happy...My name is Tammy Stanley and I am starting an organic farm...stay tuned...

Tammy
{Lucky Duck Farm}
We will blow your farmin' mind!

Getting to Know & {Love} Our Soil

Soil samples taken from Lucky Duck Farm are currently drying out at my studio. The soil was actually moist when I bagged it and the instructions I was given called for letting it dry, NOT in the sun or heat, so it is drying in my studio in a box. I will send it in the next few days to the testing lab.

I never thought playing int he dirt could be so exciting and mystical...What the hell is in that soil?!? We're about to find out!

Need your soil tested? Check these guys out http://www.texasplantandsoillab.com/

Tammy

{Lucky Duck Farm}

We will blow your farmin' mind!

Lucky Duck Farm finds its home at Spirit Reins

It is so amazing to me how everything in the universe is so connected, and how all the things, big and little, I have experienced in my life have brought me to this very moment in time to be doing exactly what I am doing...starting from a dream, Lucky Duck Farm.

Yesterday my sidekick in this organic farm project, Sara aka Chief {which is what she has decided will be her "farm name"} drove out to Liberty Hill to meet with my friend Rhonda who owns Spirit Reins ranch and has graciously offered us the opportunity to start Lucky Duck Farm on her ranch. Our goal was to choose the actual plot that will be Lucky Duck Farm and take some soil samples to be sent off to a lab in Edinburg, Tx to get to know our soil, what's in it and more importantly what is not in it that we may need to add. Carol Ann of Boggy Creek Farm told me how very important it is, especially if I want to be a true organic farmer, to know my soil and love my soil..."take care of the soil and it will take care of the plants." I was listening Carol Ann, and still am.

Spirit Reins ranch is such a beautiful place and in my dreams I have known the spot I would choose if I was given the choice, not thinking that would be the case. However, once we arrived we were given the chance to just go ride around and look and CHOOSE our spot. we jumped in the "ranch mobile" ( I call it that because I have no idea what it is actually called) I am not sure at that point what I was most excited about doing...choosing the farm location or driving that thing...I think they both made me so happy I was not even sure I could contain myself and I actually think Sara and I were giggling all the way out to the back pond - which is the spot I have been dreaming about. We got out began to just walk around the area over to the pond and then back through the open part of this pasture to where the soil begins to get more fertile and things are growing like crazy and standing there very tall and proud is a huge pecan tree. As we walked and got more excited I looked over to that tree, not yet knowing it was a pecan tree and said...we need to build a tree house type structure in and around that beautiful tree...then we both really got excited and giggly again...yes, giggly...I am telling you the happiness I felt being out there was something I have not felt in a long time and I am pretty sure Sara felt the same, although she does have a new boyfriend...however, that is happiness on a different level. It was good and we both needed that moment and I so look forward to many more happy moments at Lucky Duck Farm...because it is going to be amazing.

Long story short, Rhonda came back out with us and told us we could have that spot and had a few suggestions about taking out some cedars and a few other things. Other than that, Rhonda is letting us do our thing, for which I am eternally grateful and this will come full circle for her and her ranch. My vision is to only enhance and make more beautiful the area on her ranch that will be home to Lucky Duck Farm. It will be as beautiful to the eye as it will be to the heart with it's mission to teach and grow and give. I have been wanting to paint again...this time it will just be painting with plants and soil and a treehouse and walkways and a meditation garden...and whatever else becomes clearer in our vision.

Sara used her enormous "guns" to dig a few holes to take soil samples and then we took some photos. I really wanted to be able to leave something there, hang a sign or something...however, being there was enough. Two of the horses came down to drink out of the pond while we were taking photos and we approached them and petted one of them...it is a cool moment as if they were welcoming us.

There are many questions that seem to be popping up every day. We do not know the answers right now, and are only focusing on what is right in front of us. There are many people who expressed an interest in helping in various ways. We will now begin to process of defining what will be our next steps and enlisting help from those we want to share this journey with...not all who offer help will be helpful and it will be necessary to keep negativity out of this project and certainly away from the actual farm. That will be part of my duties as "Head Lucky Duck"...bring it.

And so, now that Lucky Duck Farm has found its home at Spirit Reins...the true journey begins...stay tuned.

Tammy Stanley
{Lucky Duck Farm}
We will blow your farmin' mind!

I am such a Lucky Duck...

My name is Tammy Stanley and I own a graphic design studio in Austin, Texas - Moonfish Studio http://www.moonfishstudio.com/. I started the studio in 1997 and have enjoyed the challenges and successes of starting and running a design studio. I have two art degrees from the Art Institute of Dallas and one day had a dream of owning my own studio and after working at several agencies and studios in Dallas I decided it was time and made the leap. It has been good to me and I feel both grateful and lucky to have made it through the years.

A few years ago I began to feel a little burned out and frustrated being in front of a computer all day squeezing out creativity on command, which is really what graphic designers do at this point. The industry is completely digital, unless you are an illustrator and even then you must be able to convert your art into digital form...that is just how it is. I slowly began to put together a resume and look around for what jobs are out there for someone with my experience. Unfortunately a "job" would mean a "boss" and somehow that just never seemed like a good idea - I have problems with authority figures, this is why I started the studio to begin with - I got mad at my boss and quit.

Ok, I know you are wondering where is the "farm" part of this story...I am getting there...you need a bit of background to paint the whole picture and to pull you into to actually wating to follow this blog.

So on the morning of November 6th, 2008 I got a call that my dad had had a stroke and it was bad. I drove from Austin to Dallas and when I arrived he was already brain dead and on life support. We took him off life support November 7th and he passed away with us by his side. This changed me deeply in ways I was not even aware at the time. We had his funeral and I came home and tried to go back to life as I knew it before getting that call. At times it felt like I was getting back on track but my heart was just not in it. My creativity was not there and I was struggling to keep the studio going and to just keep my head above water emotionally. My partner Alissa and daughter Ella needed me and I was so caught up in my own grief I was struggling with everything. I began to see a counselor and that certainly helped and I began to realize I needed to make some change, especially when it came to my work. I just did not have it in me to take any risks, to make any big changes and I think I was just frozen in my fear hanging on. Eventually things began to even out and I began to feel better and begin to plug back in to my life at home, with friends and at the studio. It was better, however, something was still missing.

I want to also say that I believe my dad had a stroke from stress, the stress that his business put on him. Stress that I feel could have been avoided. I feel that stress took him from us too soon. I am a lot like my dad, and in so many ways that is good, and in someways it is not. I do not want to continue running the studio because it is all I know or because it is safe or because I do not know what I would do or I am too scared to make a bold change. I feel everything has it's time and then you have to let go. I am 45 years young and I have a lot of life ahead of me and I intend to live it to the fullest, to take care of myself and stay healthy and active and happy and pursue my passions and have my vocation feed my soul as my studio once did.

In March of 2010 my partner and I watched the movie Food Inc. prior to that had watch Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution. Leading us to really think about where our food comes from and what is in the food we eat. We are already hyper aware because our daughter is allergic to red dye and we have removed all food dye from our home and diets. After watching Food Inc. we did not eat meat for over a month, not to be vegetarian but to just see how it would feel...and now we want to eat only "happy meat", which is harder to do that you think. "Happy meat" would be humanely raised, grass feed beef, free range chicken, etc. So our awareness of organic produce and preservative free foods was taken to a whole new level.

Here comes the "farm" part...

In the beginning of May 2010 I had a dream that I had a farm called Lucky Duck Farm. In my dream, there were no details, just the name and the feeling that I owned it and a glimpse of crops and a field...no animals...no barn...just a name and an idea. This is where the journey begins...

My first thought was "What, ME, have a farm?" I have no farming in my family, no knowledge of farming or gardening for that matter, all though I have a grown a few tomatoes in my time, but it has been a while. Being the artist/designer that I am I thought...I love the name Lucky Duck Farm and I could design a really cool logo for that and a sign and we could have cool t-shirts and hats, now that would be cool and I would LOVE to play in the dirt and grow stuff for a living. Be out everyday at a farm, maybe have some animals and grow some produce and sell it or give it away....the ideas began to flood my brain. My Daughter Ella and I went to visit my mom at her lakehouse a few days later and I decided to tell my mom about my dream and I said to her..."You know, I had this dream and WHY NOT have a farm?" I could learn organic farming, I started my studio not really knowing what I was doing and I had a vision and made it happen...I could do that again. I think I sent my friends Sara and Diene a text about the dream. I came home and actually talked to Diene at length about the dream and about her garden and her farming experience because I knew she had some and I knew she wants to have chickens. I also talked to Sara about my idea only to find out she used to work on farms and actually ran a 300 acre ranch with livestock. I think I was a little afraid to talk to my partner Alissa, who I thought might think I was crazy. Of course, she did not and actually bought me a few books that day about gardening and farm life. Then I really began to start talking to people about it and saying, "Hey, I think I am going to start an organic farm." The more I talked the more it began to be me saying "I AM starting an organic farm and it is called Lucky Duck Farm."

The following week I decided to call my friend Rhonda who owns a ranch called Spirit Reins in Liberty Hill, Texas. They do Equine Assisted Psychotherapy with kids in the foster care system and other at risk youth. I have known Rhonda for a few years and I have been volunteering for them providing graphic design and website maintenance through my studio and actually showing up at the ranch every once and awhile although it has been way too long. I knew Rhonda had quit her job at Dell to start the ranch and wanted to talk to her about that transition. When I told her on the phone that I was going to start an organic farm she immediately asked me "Where?" to which I replied "I have no idea...but somewhere." to which she said "Why don't you do it here?" to which I replied "I don't know, why don't I?" We met the next week and Rhonda offered me an opportunity to come and start "Lucky Duck Farm" on her ranch. She is an amazing woman with a hugely generous heart who I admire and respect deeply. I have watched her and her ranch grow and change in the last few years and the work they do with the kids has a huge ripple out in to the world - I love that and feel so incredibly blessed, grateful and "lucky" to have her giving me this opportunity to pursue my dream of "Lucky Duck Farm". From the moment she made me that offer, in my heart I knew, there is no turning back, this is happening and it is going to be amazing.

So that is what is happening, in the month since my dream of Lucky Duck Farm, I have been volunteering at various farms and have spent time with a wonderful woman who owns a very cool organic farm here in Austin and she is helping me with advice on how to start and what things really are important, like knowing your soil. Also, another amazing woman in my life has offered me the land on her ranch to start my idea and see where it goes. At this point the sky's limit and beyond...I have so many people who are offering help and support and resources are literally coming at me from every direction and it has been an amazing journey already. We are in the process of choosing the exact location of the farm so we can test the soil and begin preparing it for whatever we will grow. And by the way, I have no idea what that will be, we will look at what can be planted whenever it is we are at that point. I want to be clear that, for now, my vision is not to LIVE on a farm, but to have an organic farm, so that is where we will begin. (For all of you who have already told me I do not wake up early enough in the morning to be a farmer...this will be farming Tammy-style...we may farm mid morning, who knows...and the morning routine will change come August when Ella as to be at school at 7:45 anyway)

I have asked various people close to me to be involved and am in the process finding out what experiences they can share with me and how they would like to be involved. Lucky Duck Farm is not employing anyone at this point, however, my goal is to one day have this be my vocation. For now, I will continue to run my graphic design studio, although, I will be moving my office into our home at the end of August. This decision was made before I had my farm dream, however, I am smart enough to know it is all connected.

Alissa has helped me do a visioning exercise that I want to do with my farm "crew" and I think we will do that in the next few weeks. Sara and I have been brainstorming ideas of how to create something really unique...farm "Tammy-style"...or what I refer to as the "un-farm". I am not even sure I know what that means but I like it. One of Sara's ideas was to have a field of Topsy Turvy tomato plants, you know the upside down, As Seen on TV, planters...I love it! And I decided we should research them. Next thing I know Alissa brings home the strawberry Topsy Turvy and after learning it is too late to plant starwberries in it I planted various varities of peppers and it is currently hanging in my backyard, along with three tomato plants I planted that the deer keep eating. I just need to grow something here until I can get out and plant something at Lucky Duck Farm.

So here the journey begins and I truly feel like such a "Lucky Duck" to have this opportunity and this vision and then to have so many people around me wanting to help and be part of it really touches my heart and I know that this farm will feed my soul and the souls of those who are a part of it with me and those whose paths lead them out to the farm. I am so excited to beginning this journey, stay tuned because it will be a wild ride!

PS: And yes, for those of you who know me, I will be riding around on my mountain bike checking on the crops or animals or whatever it is we have at Lucky Duck Farm! YeeHaw!!!

Tammy Stanley
{Lucky Duck Farm}
"We will blow your farmin' mind!"

Thank you to the following people who are helping me clarify the vision and keep the dream alive and kicking...

My mom {who wants her farm name to be "Farmer's Mother"...so cute..and who also, without fail, supports me no matter it is I am doing, whether she agrees or thinks it is wise, I know she will give me her honest opinion and no matter what I decide, she loves me anyway...I have also seen a spark in her eye when we talk "farm" and it touches my heart to see that in her again}

My dad {who is no longer here with us in body, he is most certainly around in spirit...his life taught me to work hard and dream BIG, never give up or give in and fight for what you want, regardless of what others think...I know if he were here, he may think this is one "crazy as shit" idea, however, I also know how proud of me he would be to see me going for it and at the end of the day, he would support me and probably tell a whole bunch of strangers stories about the farm...he loved to tell stories and I know there will be some good ones coming soon...I love and miss you Dad...I feel you with me and I am going to need some strength to pull this off, bring it on...}

My partner Alissa {who is helping me figure out what the "vision" is and listens to all my farm and farming stories and is buying me the coolest books and magazines to keep the dream alive and seems to spark new ideas about it everyday...and inspires me with her own life and helps me know I can do anything}

My daughter Ella {whose excitement about Lucky Duck Farm is contagious and her "entries" into my farm journal are awesome}

My friend Sara {who has been there for me in some of my darkest moments in the last several years and I love her for that...she never judges and only inspires more creative thought and ideas, like, "Hey we could have a whole field of Topsy Turvy tomatoes growing upside down!"...she also makes me laugh my ass off and that is what we will be doing and the farm, while we are working}

My friend Diene {who knows this farming world and knows the realities, which I do not like to think about, but need to...and who REALLY wants to have chickens and build a "chicken tractor"...chickens coming soon, I can feel it - Diene just go get some chickens...we'll move 'em to the farm later}

My friend Rhonda www.spiritreins.org {whose amazingly generous heart is allowing this dream to really happen NOW...and I think will be involved in more ways than she knows, although I am very clear that this rancher girl does not need one more thing on her list of things to do other than run Spirit Reins}

My friend David www.tipsytexan.com {who knows the farmer's market world and who has been good friend for years now and so it seems to all be coming full circle...I am not even sure what all he will help with, but I know it will be BIG}

My new friend Carol Ann at Boggy Creek Farms http://www.boggycreekfarm.com/ {whose willingness to open her farm and home to me really touched my heart and whose guidance in this process is and will be so important...I have to get to know my soil and she is helping}