New chapters and adventures abound.

New beginnings and new chapters are starting for so many, including us. We have been blessed with so much of what many would call the American dream. We have so many family and friends with graduating children, and so many embarking on new adventures. It's such an amazing time of year for so many.

There are graduations happening all over the country this month. Some have plans of going to college, going to work, or even going into family businesses. As each of the graduates takes the next couple months adjusting to life after high school, there is so much to learn. Keep in mind that learning never ends. Each and every day is a new opportunity to learn and grow. It's important to further your education, but also learn to manage your finances and make decisions that you won't be embarrassed by in 20 years. The biggest advice I have for all the new graduates, ALWAYS be true to yourself. Don't follow the crowds if it goes against your beliefs, morals and values.

For our little family, our new adventure began in November 2011. Our little Hayfield was a new adventure for me, and a dream for my hubby. This was a big step for me and a step that seemed to make sense. As someone who didn't grow up on a farm, and had really only been around horses and chickens for any length of time, jumping into cows, and pigs too was an adjustment. However, as I said above, every single day is an opportunity to learn something new! I take these opportunities and grow from them too. We have 3 big gardens and have taken our property to a completely chemical free environment. We have even jumped into the DIY of home ownership. While I have had many experiences in building and remodeling, my hubby hasn't. So we really do work well together in our strengths and weaknesses. We just have several differing opinions that do tend to cause some heated conversations until we both calm down and think logically!

Our little piece of heaven is constantly ablaze with activity, and if anyone would drive by they'd be thinking we were crazy. Our landscape makes changes in short amounts of time. It's amazing what you can accomplish with determination, and not dealing with contractor schedules. We aren't perfect, but our trials, errors and accomplishments give us not only learning experiences but also such pride in what we do accomplish.

Our gardens are a new experiment this year as I have jumped into my heritage planting and companion planting. We have always gardened as the fields are farmed. Marking rows, using a garden planter, following spacing and depth charts. This year, after spending a year learning from fellow Native Americans, and some online education, I decided to try the 3 Sisters method of Corn, Pole Beans, and Squash planting. By Native thought, as I am told, these are the 3 main crops needed to live. Planted together, the corn grows tall, the beans climb the corn as a natural trellis, also giving the corn substance against winds, and the squash is a ground vine that spreads and keeps the moisture in the ground to provide to all three plants. The beans and squash also add nitrogen back into the soil which in turn is used by the corn as a nutrient to produce. It's a win-win as I see it. Companion planting isn't much different than the 3-sisters version, only it allows utilization of less space, more vegetables, and adding nutrients back into the soils all while providing families the produce they want and need.

For example, planting your potatoes with bush beans, tomatoes with peppers, basil, chives, or cilantro. Planting corn with sunflowers. All these companion plants allow benefits to each other. It's a great benefit all the way around!

It's such an amazing time. Wishing all the graduates the best of luck. Happy planting and Spring!