On Mother’s Day, 2024, my husband planted 1-2 acres of wild flowers as a gift. Nary a one grew until this year. When nothing grows and you are a “farmer” – well, that’s not good. Our seed rep reminded us that we are playing the long game and that it may take a year or two. So, we waited and hoped. And, low and behold, this year, we have a bumper crop of wildflowers that will reseed themselves and come back for years to come.
This one act of service by my husband is now a gift to everyone who drives by – even the farmers who farm traditionally. It is a gift to bees and will be a gift to the fruit and nut trees that need pollinating. I think this is how gifts are meant to be given – freely, with no strings attached.
For your consideration: Consider planting native plants in your yard or garden. Lawns with grass lack environmental sustainability. The synthetic sprays used to keep them pest-free harm human and environmental health, just like they do in agriculture. A recent article found that living within 1 mile of golf courses was associated with 126% increased odds of developing Parkinson’s Disease (Krzyzanowski, B. et al., 2025) compared with those living 6 miles or further away. The need for change isn’t just in my backyard – it’s in yours too.
Nature isn’t meant to be separate from human life. We are meant to support each other. Love and support the land that supports you.
In early April, our horses finally arrived at the farm – two Paso Finos named Serafina and Sonny. We had to really work to get the pasture ready for them. Here’s how it’s been going. . .
Situation 1: Upon arrival, we realized that one of our horses has asthma issues related to smoke exposure. Friends, it’s burning season in Kansas. This means that many farmers who enrolled in CRP with the federal government, are burning their fields to help keep invasive trees and weeds at bay. It’s good for the ground when done at appropriate intervals, but bad for lungs and allergies, including our horse.
Having a horse with an inflamed airway is not fun. She takes medication every day – well she does if she eats it. This week, she needed to have her temperature taken so I learned how to take rectal temps on a horse – by taking one. That was not in my 100 year life plan. I could see my mom as if she was there with me saying . . . “Jesus, LaVerene, just get out of the way.” So I harnessed her strength, wisdom, and get it done attitude, and mustered enough courage to take the temp.
Situation 2: This year we had a stable built so that we have a place to keep the horses during blizzards, etc. This week we tried to put the horses in there to help minimize smoke exposure for Serafina. Well, we caught Sonny (4 year old gelding) first and I took him in. Serafina got upset about it, which she clearly communicated to Sonny. Sonny got stressed and then proceeded to kick his stall door down. He then sprinted out of the barn, and across the property until he found Serafina and the greenest grass on our 80 acres to eat. True story. Lesson learned. They travel from pasture to barn together from now on. . .We will all, horses included, be having therapy at a later date!
Ongoing Situation: Water. . . Luckily, in our pasture, we paid to have a well dug so our horses are okay. However, part of our decision to move here was based upon our approval to receive water from a local rural water district. For the last several months, that has proved very difficult. Presently, the water we have access to most of the day drips slowly from the faucet. Their contract says that we must pay the bill, even if we don’t use the water. What if we can’t use the water?
Check out the video below to see how bad it is. This is actual video footage with the faucet fully turned on. I didn’t realize how bad infrastructure in rural America was until moving here. Friends, it’s bad. Since I didn’t know – I’m guessing many others don’t know so I’m taking some time to help people be informed.
Now for the why: Well, here is a video of why we keep going. Look at this sunset and watch Sonny run down the fence line in the prairie. There is something undeniably beautiful about a Paso Fino horse on the prairie, grazing on tall grass. We get glimpses of this kind of reward daily, despite the turmoil.
Seeing the horses in a 15 acre native grass pasture reminds me of what it must have been like before this land was colonized and horses and bison roamed free. I can see a snippet of what my Kickapoo ancestor, Cloud Black Thunder saw. I can also see what my great great immigrant grandparents took. It’s an interesting position to find oneself in – holding space for such duality.
Our farm is counter-cultural in our endeavors – putting land back to native grass and actively building wildlife habitat. Anyone with financial swagger would say we are nuts. This is a poor investment according to people who value capitalism. The investment is (I hope and think) a different kind of reward. In truth, when I see nature return, most of the time I weep at its beauty.
For far too long, we as a country have sacrificed the permanent on the altar of the immediate. This has put us all, whether we admit it or not, in a very precarious position environmentally. We, at The Old Wasmer Place, are planning for long periods of drought and extreme weather to the best of our abilities. It seems that water scarcity is becoming a bigger problem everyday.
As my favorite bluegrass band, Balsam Range sings. . .”I guess we’ll all drink money when the well runs dry.”
This year has been quite the adventure. Oh, the things we have done and learned. We have received many lessons that we didn’t want. We listened to the lessons and they offered us clues to the imbalances present on our farm. One of these lessons involved owls and mice.
Blessedly, we have owls. The barred owl pictured in the photo sits on a cage that protects a pecan tree in our lower orchard. The problem is that the current mice (and unfortunately pack rat supply) outnumber the owls’ appetites. We learned this when someone came by to work on a piece of equipment and a mouse ran across his feet.
First we got mouse repellent to solve this problem. We bought the non-toxic kind but it repels mice, people, etc. It just stinks.
Then, I remembered owl houses. So, I got online and purchased some. We purchased ours from the Barn Owl Box Company. I chose not to get wooden boxes because I read that they can easily be taken over by bees. Today the first owl box was installed. This future owl residence is specifically designed to attract barn owls. In the picture you can see the owl box from the inside of the barn. On the outside of the barn, there is a small hole where the owl can enter. I also purchased some screech owl houses which you can apparently use in gardens in more populated areas.
I hope we have a barn owl family take up residence here in our barn for many years to come. Owls are magnificent managers of rodent population. And, there is no poison involved. I hope our land will feed them well.
Stay tuned to see who wins. . .owls vs mice 2025. In the meantime, support owls. They are stunning creatures and magnificent hunters!
I have spent most of my adult life working as a physical therapist. During my time as a PT, I have been able to incorporate yoga and meditation into my clinical practice. If you know me, you know that I often say that yoga and meditation saved my life. From these practices I grew to know Love – the kind of Love that holds us in a place of acceptance. This Love continues to make me a better human when I choose to listen to it.
This all being said, the school of hard knocks has been one of my educators. I spent most of my life running from love. I’ve made loads of mistakes, been ungrateful, treated land and people (albeit most of the time unknowingly) poorly.
So, before we go any further, if you’re still reading, I’d like to ask you to take a moment to deeply acknowledge and offer gratitude to the land that supports us now. Take a moment to rest your feet on the ground. Notice how your feet rest upon the ground and how the ground gently supports them. Then perhaps notice that you are breathing. Notice your in breath and out breath. May we offer heartfelt gratitude to the land that supports and nourishes our body. May we recognize our connection to Her through our breath. May we engage in behaviors that support Her well-being.
