Greetings from Winter’s Peak
Potter’s Farm is covered in snow, and lots of it. The old-timers are saying they’ve not seen this much snow, this early, ever. Our caretakers are working overtime to keep literal feet of snow off the roofs, and pathways cleared. The Kiva Dreaming Ceremony took place in early January where much beauty was created outdoors. Thanks to the ceremony’s guardians for playing with the ice, snow, and fire (candles).
In this issue, we explore some “what ifs” and invite you to dream a little dream with us about the future of Potter’s Farm.
We’ve been asking you, members of the One Heart Circle, to step up and commit to a 3-year term as a Board Member. We are down to five board members (with one departing this spring, and one birthing a child). This is NOT a sustainable structure to make decisions for all who grace this land. The Potter’s Farm bylaws state we need 8-11 Board members. The CIrcle of Law from the Delicate Lodge works when we have at least eight members.
Is the One Heart Circle ready to release our stewardship of this land? Are we ready to open our Board to local Bayfield County members?
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The elder woman walked down the drive, remembering the days gone by when she came to this place on her spiritual journey. The tall tree canopy shaded her in its burst of leaves. The spring ephemerals on each side pressed in closer. No one had mowed, plants were sprouting out of the clay driveway. Very little traffic traveled this drive anymore. The chirping birds gathered in their migratory clans, others prepared their nests. Insects emerged from the bark of many trees and plants.
Down the road was the old farmhouse, now in disrepair. As she walked closer, she saw paint peeling on the siding. Walking through tall grasses, she saw that some animals broke through windows to make new homes for themselves. The metal roof was still intact, and she recalled how it was once a shelter for women’s, corporate and yoga retreats, dreaming playshops, urban youth gatherings, self-discovery gatherings, and sleeping quarters for those attending seasonal ceremonies.
Far to her left, were the remains of a yurt collapsed into a cement basement. After the roof deteriorated, the frame and sides followed.
The barn, too, was in disrepair as the roof had fallen in after too many winters of heavy snows with no one to care for it.
She walked to the west of the yurt, remembering a pathway that led to a sundance arbor. The path was gone, with saplings growing, filling in the spaces the people once walked. The arbor structure, too, had succumbed to neglect. The forest reached across the red packed sand, once drummed by thousands of sundance footsteps. In the center, though, stood a forked grandmother birch tree.
The elder drew a deep breath. The forest bathing her lungs in memory. Standing silently, she heard the drum, the singing, the gathering of the People. And then it was silent again.
“Gramma, Gramma, wake up!” The young woman never knew when her grandmother would draw her last breath. She was scared because she loved her so much, and yet she knew Gramma’s days left on this earth were numbered.
“Wh…aaat? Oh my child,” her crinkled face surrounded eyes that lit up like a thousand stars. I was having a dream.
“Was it a bad dream?” The young woman drew in closer. “I heard you saying No! No! No! in your sleep.”
“Dreams are funny that way. I don’t consider a dream that might seem scary as bad. Rather, they are dreams to wake me up to the present moment.”
“What was it about, Gramma?”
“It was about a place I once dearly loved. With people who helped me grow. I haven’t been there in years. Yet in the dream, people were no longer part of it. Where had they gone? Had they fallen asleep again?”
“What do you mean: ‘fallen asleep again’?”
“It was a term used with our people. To be awake meant living each moment, consciously. But more than that…it was about caring for a land that cared for us in ceremony. I took you there when you were a young girl.”
“I remember!”
If you’ve read this far, we want to thank ALL of you who have supported the farm in 2022 and all the years before. Whether you’ve been a sustaining member, a monetary or service/goods donor, a Board member, showed up for Love the Farm, or you’ve hosted or attended one of our events, we send the biggest thank you ever. Your giveaway is appreciated.
But take note. It’s not just the “Board” that appreciates your support. It’s the land, the buildings and the opportunity it affords for people to enjoy this place many of us call home. -
Years ago, the Board of Potter’s Farm asked people for monthly donations to help sustain the monthly and annual bills incurred just to keep the place running. Between these monthly donations, programming, and the benefit of having caretakers on the land, we’re able to pay the bills.
Our current programming and donations, however, are not able to ‘keep up with’ the costs to repair and improve the structures, maintaining a longer than ½ mile driveway, and rising inflationary costs.
We are refinancing the Farm’s current loan to $35,000 to pay for road repair and update some structures. This means we continue with a monthly mortgage payment.
The good news is here’s what we accomplished in 2022:
Hired our caretakers Clara and Taylor
Brought in new programming, new facilitators
Applied for a short-term rental permit from Bayfield County and received approval from the Town of Washburn to rent out the farmhouse via AirBnB to help with sustainable income
Placed a new culvert in the road near the caretaker’s drive entrance with road repair
Paid for two more culverts that will be part of more drive repair in 2023
Got a great price on a used zero-turn lawn mower
Purchased flatbed trailer (for a car to tow) for hauling garbage/recycling and other uses
Electrical in barn brought up to code; new fixtures installed
New outer door installed at dining room
Completion of WiFi mesh system throughout buildings and common outdoor areas
Addition of Queen-size bed in one of the bedrooms
Exterior finish of front door portico
Door installed in back of Ice House
Trail improvement
Clearing trees from meadow
Placing new boulders around the fire rings at the Medicine Wheel and People’s Fire
Exploring costs for much needed yurt siding replacement
We would like the opportunity to explore creating a year-round venue.
How do you envision Potter’s Farm will look in 10 years? 20 years? The current Board cannot dream this alone. We want to include more people in the OHC in decisions that are made and we need people to step up. Please consider being of service.
For more information, contact president Lauranne Bailey
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We just learned that as of 2/20/23, the Amazon Smile program will be discontinued.
If you have been one of the Amazon Smile participants-thank you! Please consider becoming a monthly Sustainer to help us fill the gap.
It takes a village to manifest a dream. What is your dream for Potter’s Farm?
Questions, comments, concerns? Contact Us!
In Service to You,
The Board Members of Potter’s Farm
Lauranne Bailey, president
Heather Pippin, vice-president
Bob Bowman, treasurer
Raven Bailey, secretary
Members at Large:
Nora Knapik