Welcome to Ceridwen Farms and the Farmtographer blog! This is our first ever post and hopefully our introduction to the world. We’re a small farm in Bellingham, Washington run by me “Ben”, my wife Rachael, and our four junior associates Herman, Rosey, Atlas, and Sam. The idea behind starting this blog was to get the name of our farm out in the Eather, but what it quickly morphed into was a space for me to share my love of photography, our little farm, my family, our four dogs, and the great outdoors as a whole. Through this blog I hope to be able to share our farms rise from home garden and dream, to a thriving business. And during this process if I can share my photographs, some art, some stories, and some of the great people we encounter, and the experiences we have on this journey, I want to do that too!
Ceridwen Farms
Our little five-acre farm here in Bellingham, Washington is lovingly named Ceridwen Farms. The farms name’s sake, Ceridwen is the Welsh Celtic goddess of rebirth, transformation, and inspiration. Ceridwen is the keeper of the cauldron of inspiration (Awen) and believed to be the muse for artists and bards. She can brew life-altering potions, to change her form, and to inspire knowledge and beauty in others. In some telling’s of her legend, she is the goddess of creation and inspiration. She felt like the perfect representation of our little farm. Awen is always present here, in our herbs and flowers and in the few potions we make. There is constant inspiration to create. And while she may inspire me to sing like a bard, she has yet to inspire anyone to want to hear my tone-deaf musical stylings.
So, who are we?
We of course, have the whole “about” page, but really, it’s a formality and this blog isn’t meant to be formal. This is a space for me to be as scatter brained as I am in real life! This blog is my brainchild, my bad idea, my space to say all the things my wife is tired of hearing. She’ll probably have some things to say as well, but they’ll likely be a bit more concise.
Ben
I grew up in south Louisiana and Mississippi. I spent the first 22 years of my life trying to figure out who I was. And by that, I mean I did a little bit of everything, while doing absolutely nothing. I drifted through school, bounced around jobs, and generally enjoyed all the things that life could give. I went to college, and culinary school; I was a stockboy, pool boy, farmer, rancher, plant worker, waiter, cook, cruise ship employee, door to door salesman, and more! Then I made an accidental, life changing phone call to the Navy recruiter. The next thing I know I’m freezing my ass off in January going through bootcamp in Illinois. It turned out to be a truly life changing mistake, I spent 22 years serving in the Navy. I met some amazing people, including my beautiful wife, Rachael. The Navy I guess, made me smarter; I finally graduated college and I even got my master’s degree. I’ve now retired from the Navy and I’m returning to my roots, getting my hands in the dirt. I’ve also had the privilege, she made me say that, of being married to my beautiful wife Rachael for 22 years. I wouldn’t tell her, but she’s kind of the brains and voice of reason in this operation. As for me, I’m a dreamer, an idea guy, and at times not entirely grounded.
Rachael
As for Rachael, she grew up in Ohio. She made the mistake of going out on the town in Chicago and buying into a young Sailors BS! She was also smart enough to graduate college the first time. She’s been a nurse for 22 years and has done far more to help humanity than I could even dream of. She’s also probably the real heart of the operation too. She likes to put off a hard exterior. But really, she’s all mushy with a heart of gold. She would give the shirt off her back to anyone who needed it. Rachael came into this endeavor kicking and screaming, but she agreed to give me a chance to shoot myself in the foot. She’s always supportive, but, as the voice of reason she still thinks I’m nuts!
Ceridwen Farms Staff
Rounding out our team are the four, four-legged moochers! Herman is the old man, he’s pushing 13, we adopted him from a little girl while living in South Carolina. He’s a cantankerous old man who likes things the way they are. He joined the family while I was still on active duty and had the misfortune of moving all over the country. It’s probably the reason anytime storage boxes start coming out, he thinks he’s got to move again. Next is Rosey, she’s the boss. She and Rachael are often at odds since they’re the only two women in the house and have very similar personalities! Rosey and her brother Atlas “we’ll get to him in a minute”, were adopted here in Washington. They’ve been with us for just over a year now. Atlas is more like me, doesn’t get too worked up about anything, he just goes with the flow, and can usually be found at my side. Those guys are both approaching five and have really settled into life here on the farm. The last member of our family is Sam. our big dumb baby! The farms intern, who’s still learning, but full of energy. He’s a funny dude, but such a puppy! that’s our family in a brief nutshell. I could go into more detail, but then what am I’m going to muse about in the months and years ahead.
What are we about?
That probably is the question, what is the Farmtographer blog about? Well, even though it’s not the best way to start, I don’t know! There is an idea, but there isn’t some grand theme and plan to make a bunch of money off sponsorships. Our hope is that you can learn something. Even if it’s only from my poor decisions or mistakes. Photography is something I really enjoy, I’m by no means a professional. I just have a love of trying to capture the beauty I see in our wonderful world. I hope to share some of my photography, a lot of it of our farm, hence the Farmtographer name. I’ll also be sharing plenty about our little farm as it grows. Both what I’m doing around here and just the beauty of the plant and animal life here on the farm. I’ll probably share some art that we find interesting or compelling. Even if it’s not a critics choice or something that’s the toast of New York or LA. I’ll probably also be talking about the people in my life, my mentors, and other people who shaped me or are still helping shape me. I might share a video sometime, but I’m a pretty poor filmmaker, and a worse actor than I am a singer!
What Ceridwen Farms is not about
What we won’t be talking about here is politics, religion, and other hot topics of the day. Why? Well, while I LOVE those topics in my personal life and love to stir up a good stink. I think there are enough talking heads on every side of those topics to more than melt your mind! I want this to be a happy place for both you and me and those topics rarely induce calm and relaxation. So, I’ll be doing my best to keep it light with a bit of sarcasm.
In closing
Again, welcome to Ceridwen Farms and the Farmtographer blog. We hope you read this and maybe find us interesting enough to share and follow. You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, and coming soon Online.