just got back from a trip to Oregon, from the 8th Annual Organic Seed Growers Conference.

today’s seed stories are tomorrow’s heirloom histories.
that’s what running through my mind.

that’s what stands out most to me about this past week.
we’re the People of the Pinch
we’re sharing stories. and skills. and seeds.
and this is how the seed is spreading
this is how we’re encouraging abundance. resilience.
and adding sand to our hourglasses

what an amazing weekend with some pretty fabulous seed savers.
500+ seed savers
so many of my mentors, heroes, seedy rockstars.
friends from the Rocky Mountain Alliance (whom welcomed me into their fold and filled me with love & inspiration)
50+ Canadians who travelled so far, on a shitty dollar, just to learn and share.
so much love for Bauta Family Initiative on Canadian Seed Security who helped get us there.
whom share our stories. and bring us together.
can’t wait to see what we can all grow this season!

This canadian girl was pretty darn happy to see flowers in bloom, in February!

here’s some stream of consciousness thoughts that i wrote in a long-day travelling/ amazing experience haze sprinkled with photos from my time in Oregon.

the seeds and the knowledge swapped this weekend will reverberate this season.
this year. this life.

to say my mind is full would be an understatement.

to say my heart is full would be an understatement

there’s something about seed savers. about seed saving.

it’s a common bond. more than a hobby, usually bridging on or full on diving into obsession. seed saving comes from the heart, from our cultures, from the family. it’s a value system. a way of life. a creed even.

they feeds us. nurture us. nourish us.

they are the very essence of life. without them we couldn’t eat. couldn’t survive.
certainly couldn’t thrive

seeds are something you can fight for by gardening and feeding yourself.

they’re soil resistance. social resistance.
and it feels damn good to grow and save them.
they’re what the plant wants to do. we just get to steward and keep them. share them.
encourage them.

there are so many things running through my mind.

the incredible people i got to hang with. to rub shoulders with. to eat. chat. fidget in chairs alongside. share the most incredible homestead i’ve ever visited.
to learn from.

reunited with some of the amazing folks from Rocky Mountain Seed Alliance Seed Savers Teachers Training

lost faith in myself. knew i have so much to learn.

realized how much i know. what i have to share.
gained faith in humanity.

swapped seeds in a room so full of beautiful seeds. so full of people. so full of potential.
that room could save the world. feed the world.
at the very least change the world.

#seedstories.

that’s what stood out the most for me. the stories being told. right now.
the hands those seeds are being swapped between.
the breeding. the growing. adaptation. resilience.
we’re all doing that with the seeds.
they’re changing us. we’re changing them.
if we do it right, let it happen. it’s a symbiotic relationship.

today’s seed stories are tomorrow’s heirloom histories.
they’re how the seeds are spreading.
across inconsequential borders. through regions. and areas. neighbourhoods. families. communities.
bring us all closer through our uniqueness. our diversity.

today’s seed stories are tomorrow’s heirloom histories.
they’re how the seed is spreading.
We’re the people of the Pinch. that’s what Bill McDorman says.
and I’m honoured to be amongst this crew.
this is how the diversity grows. spreads. multiplies.
seeds are one of the few organisms that self-replicates
that radiate life. and positivity as they go.

this is how we create time in our hour glass.

the more the merrier.

today’s seed stories are tomorrow’s heirloom histories.

think about how far those seeds from the 8th annual Organic Seed Growers Conference spread. thing about the hands they’ll touch along the way. new soils and new homes. brought with thousands of years of history. planted with re-newed hope, new skills learned, shared experiences new people met.

planted with the story about that time you went to Corvallis Oregon for a weekend and swapped seeds with some of the most amazing seed savers of our time. at least in this part of the world. people who’s farms you’ve only read and dreamt about. people who you admire and respect. and feel honoured to be a part of these stories emerging.

i watched so many of these stories being told, written, born. this weekend.
like watching history unfold in a time when desperately need change.
we need the past. these seeds are the future.

through these hands they will pass.

today’s seed stories are tomorrow’s heirloom histories.

view over rocky mountains leaving Oregon