Published in About Me Stories·PinnedAbout Me — Andrew GaertnerI write to hold up a mirror to myself. I write to reveal who I am, to the world and mostly to myself. Who am I? How do I fit in? What is my great work? These are the questions that I seek answers to in this mirror. My surface…About Me4 min read
Published in Alternative Perspectives·1 day agoMy Potentially Racist, Sexist, and Very White Dance HobbyAnd why I keep doing it. I am a Morris dancer and I love it even though it can easily be problematic. Morris dancing has the potential to be racist and sexist, and it runs the danger of being co-opted by white nationalists, especially in Britain. These all might seem…Morris Dancing16 min read
Published in Farm Friday·5 days agoFarm Friday, June 24th, 2022Happy Birthday, Mom! This week my mom, Kathleen Myers has a birthday! Yay! Precious (our llama who has been having trouble standing up) had a good week. She is getting into the groove of knowing when we are about to try to lift her up to standing, which we do…Photography4 min read
Jun 19The Worst Summer Meal of My LifeA cautionary tale that might take the fun out of fungus It is a splash of bright orange in the middle of a dark summer forest. We have turned the corner of the trail and a beam of sunlight enters the forest in front of us, illuminating an oak stump…Foraging6 min read
Published in Farm Friday·Jun 18Farm Friday, June 17th, 2022Planting, planting, graduation, planting, weeding Busy week. It is hard to see our beloved llama not be able to get up on her own. She knows that when people are coming that we will help her stand up, so as we get close, she starts to try to stand up…Farming4 min read
Published in Fuck Capitalism·Jun 15Please Don’t Call it the Irish Potato FamineTubers didn’t cause it, it was a genocide — Where are my people of Irish ancestry in the USA? If you believe the statistics, we are everywhere. Over 31 million people in the United States claim Irish heritage, which is second only to German heritage. I claim both, as do many others in Wisconsin, where we might celebrate St…Famine10 min read
Published in Farm Friday·Jun 11Farm Friday, June 10th, 2022In which Precious the llama stands up unexpectedly — This week was the last week of the school year for the students who go to the school that owns the farm where I live and work. We had a group of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders out for three days of activities. It was a bittersweet time because their…Llamas4 min read
Published in Farm Friday·Jun 3Farm Friday, June 3rd, 2022A tribute to our llama, Precious. Plus a dragon story. — This has been a hard week for Precious and for us all on the farm. Starting May 16th, she hasn’t stood up on her own. On that day, when she fell in the pasture, we were able to stand her up and walk her to a pen in the barn…Llamas4 min read
Published in Farm Friday·May 26Farm Friday, May 27th, 2022A stinking pile of poop. And more! — My goal is to give you an occasional photo journal from our farm, which is an educational farm that is part of a Montessori school. We have 160 acres in northwest Wisconsin. Enjoy! All photos are from my phone. Our llama…Photography4 min read
May 23We Don’t Talk About Whiteness. No, No, No.Fighting the fog of confusion around race In a recent essay, Laura M. Quainoo asked white people to respond to her directly about why we stay silent on the topic of race in the USA. She is genuinely curious. I took her up on her offer and tried to respond…White Privilege8 min read