2022-04-01
So Many Blessings

SO MANY BLESSINGS

Even though, yesterday proved to be more of a mountain than a molehill, upon reflection it’s been a week overflowing with blessings.

It began Sunday when Chelenzo finally got to chill for a few hours on the slopes of Santa Fe, while the kids participated in some community service as part of their 4-H weekend workshop. Our couple-time-alone was incredibly redeeming and rejuvenating.

Throughout the week I experienced nothing but good vibes being generated by all the great things happening and the harmonious hard work we have going on here at Hacienda Dominguez & Chelenzo Farms.

Early on in the week, I was pleased to find out that both Milo and Olivia are now members of the United States Chess Federation with assigned membership numbers, so that they may be ranked nationally. Their first tournament will be this Saturday in Santa Fe.

That said, throughout the week I was feeling a bit stressed out because there was a lot to be done, the foremost and most daunting task being applying for the Healthy Soil Program Grant from the New Mexico Department of Agriculture. It’s a highly competitive grant that awards up to $22k for individual applicants. We’ve been prepping for weeks, eagerly awaiting the application to open.

Although the application opened March 18, after ten days of fully believing I was going to finally start filling out the grant application - it never happened. Instead, one thing after another coalesced into a steady stream of distractions.

Thus, this past Wednesday I decided that I was going to start no matter what and that I would burn the midnight oil as long as I had to, until I felt I had completed a good portion of the application.

Thus, that day, when I walked into the kitchen at 5:00 or so and saw that Enzo and Maddy were already prepping dinner without prompting, I was so elated I almost wanted to cry.

Normally, I’ll try to cook dinner Tuesday-Friday, so having a task taken from my plate, without having to ask was an incredible relief and a sign that things are going well at the homestead.

Likewise, our new Assistant Farm Manager, Nina, recently arrived and she has quickly taken charge at the helm and is now steering us on a rightful course. Make sure you check out her profile under the La Familia section at haciendadominguez.com.

In addition, we acquired a dozen new chicks, began getting our first duck eggs, received our inaugural rave reviews from Airbnb and VRBO renters, and we capped this productive week by being interviewed and taping a commercial today for the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools (publiccharters.org).

One of the more exciting highlights of the week for me included the planting of 26 agave plants around our new swim pond.

Agave is an integral part of our company logo because it represents our aspirations to establish ourselves as an enterprise for innovative agriculture and education about sustainability, organic farming and land conservation.

With Agave, cacti and other succulents, we are planning to restore our land and ecosystems with ditch-and-berm systems supported with Agave planting (sistemas zanja-bordo) that have been used for centuries in Mexico.

Moreover, ultimately we’re hoping to cultivate and harvest the plant for food, beverages, fiber and fermented animal feed.

Hence, despite the stress, overall things are progressing delightfully well at our burgeoning hacienda and farm, and I am wholly grateful to have so many blessings.