Laughing Buck Farm
  • About
    • Newsletter Subscription
    • Contact / Directions
    • Who We Are
    • Meet Our Teachers
    • Testimonials
    • Featured
    • Videos, Photos, Newsletters
    • Special Payment Page
  • Programs & Events
    • FAQ
    • 2023 Summer Schedule and Upcoming Events
    • Special Camps
    • Farm School >
      • Farm School Registration
    • Horse and Pony Lessons >
      • LBF Lesson Payment Page
      • LBF Equestrian Club
    • Therapeutic Riding Program
    • Farm Tours
    • Swordplay
  • Farm Life
    • Barn Rules
    • Horses >
      • Horse Boarding
    • Garden >
      • 2023 Garden Internship
    • Chickens
    • Goats
    • Pigs
    • Bees
  • Blog
  • Farm Products for Sale
    • Pork Payment Page
  • Forms

Meet our fabulous summer guest blogger,  Dawn Renée Markley Webster!

7/1/2017

2 Comments

 
Salutations!

It’s so nice to meet you. Let me introduce myself…My name is Dawn Renée Markley Webster a.k.a. Miss Dawn and I’m pleased to announce that I will be one of Laughing Buck Farm’s guest bloggers for the summer!

When I was approached by Rosemary to write for their family’s farming web site community, I was taken by surprise with a variety of emotions that eluded me for a moment. We just stared at each other for a brief second. “Me?” She then presented me with that engaging and gorgeous ray-of-sunshine smile that everyone who knows her has experienced…the one that immediately makes your heart melt with the realization that this woman has already welcomed you into her family’s realm. It’s that smile of reassurance that you’re already a member of ‘the hood’, The Farmhood! I returned a knowing grin which sealed the deal. It was clear. “Hello?! Why haven’t I written about the farm before?” Of course. The farm’s essence is ingrained in our family’s history. It is now in our DNA, regardless of where we go and how long between visits. It stays with us, the embodiment of what she represents. If you’ve been there, you have her in your veins too. If you haven’t yet experienced the farm’s loveliness, you will soon understand as you hear the rooster crow and you begin to pull out of the driveway.

Picture
We’ve been friends for almost 10 years now. Sometimes the memories on this farm feel like they just happened yesterday while other days I get melancholy remembering the history of events that have taken place between our families. Our history began with only about a year after they moved into this quaint community of FoCo. I had recently adopted 2 munchkins from Haiti and needed to resolve a way to integrate them socially with a gentle openness without overwhelming our new family’s nest with the chaos of the outside world. It was as if the universe heard my inner wishes of inclusiveness and presented us with the Jedel-Graff family! We created a preschool cooperative together, became one of the first chicken (Marigold, Iris) cooperative members in 2008, pulled weeds/planted seeds in the original garden and made paper bag bumble bee puppets for the ‘trial-run’ experiment of having a farm class for kids. Then came the day that their family decided to take their homestead to the next level of making it an official community biz and the collaborative process of finding a name that fit the essence of the farm began…
Picture
For Mother’s Day years ago, all I wanted was a pygmy goat. Yep! I’ve dreamt of having one ever since I was a little kid. The pet farm they used to have at our San Diego zoo was my favorite and I’d giggle when the goats tried to eat my shirt, my paper map and nibble on my arm while my sister screamed as they walked towards her! Well, leave it to Miss Rosemary, the ultimate conversationalist and listener of all things that are dear to others — she offered a stall to house my mini dream — we drove to another farm 45 minutes away to adopt Rocket, Laughing Buck Farm’s mascot of fun, the quirky lawn ornament that everyone wants in their backyard to play with.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Throughout the years, as time has passed, there have been joyous blessings of the heart and also the breaking of our hearts. We’ve witnessed the beginnings of seedlings in all forms. Whether it be the green shoots of a stalk in the garden, the birth of kittens from the resident cat, newborn kids of the furry and human kind or nailing the first piece of lumber into the chicken coop…we have been able to reap the harvest of bounty that we’ve received in eating that vegetable, naming that resident cat Violet after a special stuffed animal, watching the toddlers grow into beloved beings and held the precious chicks that eventually grew up to lay gorgeous eggs for us to nourish our bodies with each day. We’ve de-feathered roosters for soup stock, buried sweet little goats that never opened their eyes, cried over lost precious felines that were named, eaten the best bacon we’ve ever had that gifted their lives by loved pigs, scooped poop and endured muscles barely able to move from loading hay bales.
Picture
Picture
Picture
This farm has taught our family how to love, mourn, sweat and savor the simple beauties of life. Isabelle Rossellini puts into words the epitome of what Laughing Buck Farm symbolizes and what their family encapsulates so eloquently, “Adoption carries the added dimension of connection not only to your own tribe but beyond, widening the scope of what constitutes love, ties, and family. It is the larger embrace. “  ~ Isabella Rossellini

Blessings. Freedom. Family. Love. Beauty.
You’ll find it all here @ Laughing Buck Farm.

Savor It,
~ Dawn Renée



Dawn Renée Markley-Webster writes about the savory and sweet spices of life by finding beauty amidst the chaos of our world. She's a visionary of Possibility. Seeing challenges as opportunities to discover strengths, she seeks resources for turning yearnings into realities. Dawn is a soul whisperer who engages in listening to the voices of our hearts, encouraging us to nourish our souls with enriching bites of whatever makes us sigh blissfully or squeal with excitement. Reclaim what brings you contentment. A mother of 3 who's passions run deep for community, cooking, culture, teaching and rhythm making. You can follow along in her meanderings, where she dwells and within her own abode by going to:
Picture

www.sassafraselements.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sassafraselements/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sassafraselements/
Pinterest:  https://www.pinterest.com/sassafraselemen/
2 Comments

Cheers to growing and expanding!

6/23/2017

1 Comment

 
 We are trying something new on the farm this year. We know that Laughing Buck Farm is a place of connection, with the animals as we learn to nurture and tend to the pigs, chickens, goats, horses, the bees and the plants in the garden. It's a place of calm and peace as we slow down and notice what is happening throughout the seasons and as we follow the life cycle of the plants in the garden from seed to harvest. It's a place of joy and activity as we work on real jobs and tasks around the farm like cleaning stalls, unloading feed for the animals, milking the goats, grazing the animals, digging trenches and doing what needs to be done.  It's a place of community, where we learn together and grow friendships, showing the same kindness to each other as we do the the animals and the land.   So what's new?  We want to open the farm to kids of ALL abilities and have partnered with Leah, an Occupational Therapist from Poudre School District, some amazing Instructional Paras, and a couple of young adults who have an interest in working with children with special needs.  We will try our first Integrated Camp this summer and hopefully build on the program from there. Here's what we are creating in August:
 
“My Senses and Me, On the Farm”
When: August  8-9th, 2017,  9:30-12:30
Ages: 5-12

Our integrated farm experience aims to help children develop and improve their social-emotional skills, independent living skills, and sensory regulation skills by learning through a sensory-rich environment where kids can experience the sights, sounds, smells, feel, and work of farm life!  Children will be able to explore the many wonders of farm life. Whether taking care of the animals by engaging in heavy work opportunities, exploring the garden to make a healthy snack, climbing the hay bales or swinging on the tire swing in the play barn, children will learn responsibility for other living things and work on engaging with others  or trying something new for the first time.

And here's a hello from  Leah, the OT who is heading up the class. The other teachers will be Dawn, Kate and yours truly, FarmHer Rosemary.
Picture
Hi there!
I'm Farmer Leah! I'm very excited to be joining Laughing Buck Farm's first ever Integrated farm camp this summer. I get to combine several of my passions: animals, children, and teaching in a natural setting. I grew up on a dairy farm in central Wisconsin where I grew up climbing around our hay barn, taming cattle for the local fair shows, and befriending loads of farm cats. I aspire to have a farm someday where my own children can do this and more!
When I'm not planning for farm camp, I work as a school based occupational therapist and my job is very rewarding. I love building connections with my students, their families and get to help shape their success as a student and beyond. I look forward to meeting the farmers very soon!  ~Leah


Would you like to learn more about our other teachers?  You can read more here:
http://www.laughingbuckfarm.com/meet-our-teachers.html

We have room for a couple more farmers in our integrated camp so email me if you think this could be a good fit for your child. More information and registration here.
http://www.laughingbuckfarm.com/summer-schedule-and-upcoming-events.html

I am always amazed at how much the farm teaches me me.  At first it was about irrigation, pasture management, weed control,  beekeeping, gardening... then running a horse lesson and boarding business, then creating programs for children. And now I'm excited to build on my teaching background as we grow our program and  try out new ways of teaching and learning for the beautiful range of learners out there.   Cheers to lifelong learning!
FarmHer Rosemary
1 Comment

Welcome Sarah, new garden manager

3/6/2017

2 Comments

 
Picture
Sarah has been involved in Laughing Buck Farm for years, starting when her girls were attending Farm School and she was a co-teacher.  She's had some cool adventures and I'm glad she's back in Colorado and has found her way back to the farm.  Can't wait to see what 2017  holds for our new garden team.  Welcome, Sarah! 

From Sarah:
"Being able to plant a seed, care for it, and watch it grow into something that can nourish my family has to be one of the most satisfying experiences. (It is similar to parenthood, although perhaps slightly more predictable!) My early professional and educational background was early child development, Early Intervention and family support. I have always loved working with children. I am inspired by their passion, creativity, hope, and confidence. Since first becoming a mother eight years ago, I have been pursuing the wisdom and wonder of medicinal herbs. And now, as a family herbalist, I am passionate about connecting people with plants. 
A garden is such a beautiful metaphor for children, and bringing the two together is a magical combination. I have grown food and herbs in home and community gardens, and I am so happy to be growing at Laughing Buck Farm in 2017 (pun intended)."

You can find out about Sarah's Herbal CSA, Bhoomi's Basket, at
http://birthplaylove.com/bhoomis-basket-an-herbal-csa/ 
and check out her nature-inspired children's magazine at www.dandelionwishesmag.com

You can read about all of the teachers of Laughing Buck Farm here: 

http://www.laughingbuckfarm.com/meet-our-teachers.html



2 Comments

    Farm Happenings!

    You might find news of staff and critters,  tasty recipes, outdoor teaching tips, cool quotes, gardening ideas, and  a window into life here at Laughing Buck Farm.   ~FarmHer Rosemary

    Archives

    September 2019
    August 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    August 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    November 2016

    Categories

    All
    4H
    Bio
    Creating
    Event
    Farm
    Farm Life
    Farm School
    Garden
    Goat
    Goat Yoga
    Horses
    Integrated Classes
    Kids
    Pig
    Spring
    Staff
    Vet

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly