I certainly did not want to experience the same kind of heartbreak that had caused my brother to flee in despair . Every time that I accomplished something significant , such as rebuilding the bridge , or shoring up the fences , I felt good about both the land and myself .
Years went by and I still found myself living on the old farmstead and growing a modest-sized garden with the help of a neighbor . I did this in order to keep open a certain energetic passageway to a hugely potent and ensouled , recent past that made me feel very much alive . I was also motivated by the prospect of being able to eat the kinds of foods that I like in addition to being able to gift items of real significance to other people such as freshly picked fruits and vegetables .
At a community meeting that I attended one day in 2015 , however , I came into contact with Rocío , a
Top : Neighbor boys come help to clear the land ; above the three Alcantar sisters lovingly bring the land back to life .
woman who had immigrated from Mexico a few years before . She was looking to lease a parcel of arable land in which to grow food for the regional farmers ’ market . I invited her to come over and see what was left of the farm . Astute as she was , she quickly took stock of the water situation and realized that the water from the irrigation canal that runs through the heart of the property was extremely reliable and easy to access . It didn ’ t take long for us to reach an accord in which she committed to planting one half of the large field which was all that she could handle . The remaining half would lie fallow for a while longer because it would require an enormous amount of work on the part of many people to prepare it properly for cultivation .
As a fulltime farmer , Rocío achieved marvels during the first few years of working the land . Her farming style was similar to what ours had been but was even more meticulous . For one , she irrigated more frequently than we ever did . She also did a much better job of suppressing the weeds and optimizing the yield without the use of chemicals . For another , she cared for each of her hundreds or perhaps thousands of plants as if they were her own children . I once heard her say , “ Only those who adore the Earth are willing to work at the level of rigor that I work ”. I was thoroughly convinced that she did adore the Earth just seeing her work hour after hour in a state of absolute peace and equilibrium as if she were a monk at prayer .
Occasionally , her two sisters , Estela and Liliana , would come over to help her with the tremendous amount of work that she had bargained for . It was on such occasions , that Rocío would plead with them to formally adopt the remaining section of land and put it under cultivation . For years they consistently said “ no ” because they still considered that the farm was in relative disarray . After a few more years ’ worth of improvements though , the two sisters finally succumbed . One day they came asking Rocío to let them in on our agreement . Without hesitation , we drew up another contract and signed them up before they could change their minds . And so , it was in this most gentle and gradual manner spearheaded by three powerful and visionary women , that the entire arable piece of land on our family farm finally came back to life after many years of neglect .
The process of reconditioning the land was not an easy one . Many were the days we spent pulling out the unwanted Siberian elm trees , gathering and disposing
16 plenty I autumn harvest 2022