I am filled with deep gratitude and even a bit of awe sitting at the airport gate waiting to board the plane after 3 beautiful days in North Dakota. I had departed Cleveland to fulfill my role as the keynote speaker for a conference and return home having experienced so much more than that! Filled with memories of special people, gardens, plants and land I feel compelled to share this experience on the page. If you have never been to ND, you might want to add it to your bucket list. The photos are posted on my personal Facebook page where you can delight in the visual beauty of this experience in the album titled North Dakota Horticulture Society.
https://www.facebook.com/betsy.muller/media_set?set=a.10151729787871544.1073741829.832366543&type=3
My fondest reflections are included in the paragraphs below.
I was greeted upon arrival in Minot, ND with A big hug from LaDonna Ballantyne as I entered the terminal at Minot International Airport. I soon learned that LaDonna was a Reiki Master and someone who certainly knew and appreciated the power of what I was planning to share with the North Dakota Horticultural society. She would be my chauffer for the entire visit. We had many hearty laughs and deep conversations throughout my visit. I found a soul connection that will remain a dear friend.
LaDonna started my visit with a breathtaking drive to Tracie Thompson’s farm in Antler. I was welcomed to the farm by the entire Thompson family (including her in-laws Donna and Gabe who live on the adjoining property). This land has a stillness and sweetness that touches the soul. I feel very much at home here and suspect there may have been a previous incarnation lived nearby. I begin to wonder if this trip was divinely engineered.
I soon develop a deep admiration for Tracie’s skills as a businesswoman, gardener and highly creative person. Evidence of her artistic abilities can be observed throughout the property. She is skilled as a vegetable grower, landscape designer and perennial gardener. She has an eye for beauty.
The sweet Thompson cousins ages 6 + allowed me to take a group photo on the steps with Border collie Peach. Tracie’s daughter Jamie (about 8-9 years old) is a strong little lady who loves horses and rodeo. Once I began conversing with her and the other kids, they bubbled with excitement as they told me all sorts of things about the horses, working a lasso and riding bikes. The cousins live in Minot and enjoy coming to the farm.
I marvel at how much grandmother Donna Thompson accomplishes as a gardener of 80+ years old. She looks far younger and is so pleasant to be around. Donna is a mentor and role model for that entire family. It is evident that she and her husband Gabe are highly respected in the professional horticulture circles as well. She reminds me immediately of the late and very dear Quailcrest Farm matriarch Libby Bruch. I learned that Donna was once the lone teacher at the historic schoolhouse. Can you imagine being the only adult at a school during a time when there wasn’t even a phone in the building? That probably prepared her for just about anything.
Early in my visit I recognize that the rich black soil puts our Cleveland clay to shame. No wonder there is abundant farming here.
The love of rocks abounds. Tracie and Donna’s gardens are filled with interesting rocks found there as well as crystals and stones brought in from afar. They both agree that stones carry and transmit energy as well as beauty. Many of the rocks are pink granite and are so large they were moved there by tractor. (I even asked if aliens might have been involved – ha ha!) More beautiful rocks appear in gardens throughout the conference, but nothing to outshine the stones on the Thompson properties.
The drive to Bottineau where the conference would take place on Friday and Saturday showcases the vast expanses of farmland. We pass grazing cattle, hay fields, oil wells, missile silos and abundant wild sunflowers growing along the road. The bright yellow canola fields are most stunning in the late afternoon sun against the blue of the sky. The locals all agree that canola fields create an enormous stink when harvested. I would argue that the view they create, as well as canola oil produced is well worth the stench.
It is hard to imagine that this part of ND experiences extreme temperatures of 30 degrees below zero during the winter. My visit was filled with sunny days and comfortable temperatures reaching mid 70’s. The sky was a brilliant shade of robin egg blue and filled with delicious cloud formations. I found myself mesmerized by the sky rather than the plant life many times throughout our garden tours.
The conference itself was well organized and drew participants from every corner of the state. Women were the majority, although a dozen or so men were also enrolled. I was the opening conference speaker, which was an honor and would also give the opening speech on open day 2of the conference. My opening presentation went well and the feedback was positive. Many participants purchased my book. As a newcomer to a group where most had attended annually, speaking allowed me to introduce myself as a kindred spirit and plant enthusiast. My presentation on day two was more casual and involved tapping demonstration as well as a visit from Saint Hildegard. Remaining part of the entire conference allowed mixing and mingling with new friends throughout meals, workshops and garden tours (including a tour of the Bottineau College campus gardens). I loved learning about my fellow participant’s interests, experiences and garden ideas.
I was especially impressed to learn about Aquaponics, the science of raising fish in sustainable combination with hydroponic gardening. The waste from raising fish is recycled to serve as fertilizer and moisture for the plants, providing quite an efficient system. We learned the basics in the classroom, and then visited Ken Knudsen’s home to see his system for raising Tilapia along with herbs, strawberries, tomatoes, squash and more. The planet needs more of this and it makes such good sense for health too. Some day we might all grow our own vegetables and raise fish within our homes. It doesn’t take that much space!
As the conference ends my heart overflows with appreciation for even more kindness that comes my way. Tracie and LaDonna have prepared a special garden tote (made my LaDonna) filled with their handy-work including jewelry, a garden mobile and a matching garden apron. Tracie’s sister in law Kim pulls me aside and presents me with a powerful crystal from the Black Hills of South Dakota wrapped in wire as a special gift. I am wearing it proudly as I write this.
After the conference ended, I rode back to Antler with LaDonna, as we followed Tracie’s SUV along the seemingly endless straight road and flat landscape. Eventually we turn onto gravel roads. From there we drive to Minot so I can spend my final night near the airport to facilitate my 5am flight back to Cleveland. We are punchy-tired-happy sharing dinner together at Applebee’s before we say our goodbyes at the hotel. LaDonna’s husband Larry joins us for dinner too and it doesn’t take long to conclude he’s a gem.
There are no accidents that people are brought together for a reason. Tracie may have been the woman who hired me to speak; however somewhere along the way we became sisters. LaDonna too is someone I felt an immediate and deep connection to. I have invited them to join me at the ACEP conference in 2014 and have faith that it just might happen. Maybe they’ll even come out for an Indigo Connection retreat. Wouldn’t that be awesome?
The possibility of serving other horticulture audiences in meetings across the US and beyond is exciting to me. Teaching plant lovers to nurture themselves as well as they nurture their gardens is something I do well and have fun doing. Thank you to God for opening this new realization and for showing me how much fun finding a perfect niche for my gifts through service. I wish each person who reads this a similar opportunity to experience this kind of alignment of work and joy.
