By Tom Read
We're off on a new land-based adventure called Slow Farm, which also happens to be our home. So we'll see you sometime in the near future. Bye, for now!
I started this journal six years ago to provide readers a sense of our lives on Texada Island. Aside from occasional opinionated forays into local and global politics, I feel that I’ve mostly accomplished that purpose. Thus, regular readers may have noticed an inward-facing trend in recent journal topics, with more entries focused on our lives at Slow Farm and less coverage of the wider Texada community.
I may not be writing about the community quite as much as before, but the realities of our community have a direct impact on our lives. One reality, for example, is that the real estate market on Texada has drastically contracted since the fall of 2006. Linda and I have watched our joint livelihood as realtors gradually fade away, so we’ve decided to embark on a new approach to economic survival that fits with our way of life on the island.
As you might surmise from the many Journal entries on gardening and livestock raising during the past few years, we have a strong interest in micro-farming. So we’re giving it a try. I’ll take the lead “in the field” while Linda looks after administration and marketing. We’re also looking forward to working with a lively group of younger partners who share our passion for local, sustainable agriculture.
Given our new direction, there doesn’t seem much need to continue writing Tom’s Texada Journal. But we are interested in documenting our experiences in growing Slow Farm. Linda will take the lead in that effort, which we’ll launch online in the next few months. I’m not sure yet what this new entity will be called, but it will probably have the words “Slow Farm” in the title.
Before saying goodbye to TTJ, I’d like to thank those readers who took the time to provide feedback from time to time. I’m also grateful to David Parkinson for giving me the opportunity to cross-post at Slow Coast. It’s been a great pleasure, and your comments and support have been much appreciated. Thanks, and ‘bye for now!
