A Grandfather’s Love

Asher likes alpacas.

That sounds like the title of a children’s book. It might as well be. Asher is 2 1/2 years old, and my wife and I care for him full-time. He really does like to look at alpacas. Fortunately, there is a farm close to us that raises several of the animals. The place is called the Eco-Justice Center and it has an interesting history.

On Thursday evening, my wife and I took Asher to the farm. Asher knew we were going to visit the alpacas because he could see the farm’s windmill from far off. The people there were hosting a fundraising event called “Pacas & Pints.” As we live in Wisconsin, almost every community activity seems to involve craft beer. In this case, beer from the Littleport Brewery was available (an IPA or an amber ale).

The folks at the Eco-Justice Center had cleared out an area in an open field to serve as a makeshift parking lot. A guy with an orange flag guided us to a parking space in the grass. He welcomed us to the farm, and we told him that we were familiar with the place. We had been in attendance at the ceremony when the center was dedicated and blessed by Bishop Sklba.

The man smiled and said, “Get out of here! Really? That had to be back in 2004. I’ve only known about this farm since 2019.”

The Eco-Justice Center was founded by members of the Dominican Sisters. They have a mother house in Racine nearby. The center was originally a family farm that was dangerously close to becoming a subdivision. The religious sisters bought the land with the intention of maintaining it as a farm and using the site to teach about environmentalism. They put great emphasis on caring for the earth. Some of the nuns were already elderly back then when they started the project. The phrase “elderly nuns” is kind of redundant in our day and age. There are very few younger sisters. However, these women were, and some still are, remarkably active. They accomplished what they set out to do. I admire them all.

Karin and I took Asher across the creek to the admissions booth. It was $30 a person to get in. They didn’t charge the little guy. Once again, we told the women there that we had been involved with the center over the years. It felt a bit awkward, because the people we had known weren’t there anymore, and the people we met were all new to us. We would ask: “Do you remember Sister Janet?” and the person would answer, “Oh yeah, she doesn’t live in the farmhouse here anymore, but she still comes to the farm now and then.”

Karin and I were, and are, friends with Sister Janet. She and the other sisters rebuilt and expanded the old farmhouse, and gradually made a lot of other improvements. They raise chickens and goats, in addition to the alpaca herd. On the center’s website, they state that: “Renewable energy features include solar hot water, solar electric, geothermal heating and cooling, and wind electric from our 10Kw wind turbine. Currently, 50% of our electrical use is generated from solar panels and wind turbines.” These ladies have been busy.

Most of the work on the farm has been done by volunteers. I was involved with that effort for many years. In a way that was unintended. I used to work as a supervisor at a trucking company. Corporate headquarters insisted that each facility do an annual volunteer event to support the local community. My boss at the time identified me as the company bleeding heart liberal/social activist and assigned me the task of organizing this volunteer work. He made it clear to me that the company would provide no funding for the event, nor would it supply insurance protection for the participants.

My initial reaction to this situation was not positive. I basically said, using corporate jargon, “Fuck all you guys! I’ll just do whatever I want to do!”

My boss agreed to that. “Just get it done.”

That’s when I got to know Sister Janet. She was the organizer. She had an encyclopedic knowledge of everyone in Racine County who could help her to keep the farm running. I was added to her mental Rolodex. We worked out a schedule where I would round up some folks from my workplace to help out at the Eco-Justice Center one Saturday per year. she would come up with a list of suitable tasks. Management at my company encouraged/coerced people to show up as volunteers. It was actually a good time for most of the attendees. The farm has a good energy, and we got a lot done in a short period of time. It’s hard for me to remember now, but I think we helped at the center for a decade or so.

The farm is currently run by a nonprofit that is affiliated with the Dominican Sisters. The members of the nonprofit are mostly young women. These women love the farm and the animals there. They are following in the footsteps of the older sisters, their spiritual mentors. I doubt that many of these young women will take religious vows, but they are on a good path.

Going back to Pacas & Pints, Karin and I each scored a beer. They gave it to us in a glass with the image of an alpaca on it. Then we went to the food booth. They had sandwiches from Dragonpit BBQ. That stuff rocked. I bought a brisket sandwich. The meat had a subtle smoky flavor and was soft as butter. Asher ran off while were ordering our food. We had to chase him over to the goat corral. I think it’s easier to corral a goat than it is to keep track of a toddler.

There was a guitarist playing on the porch of the farmhouse. People were listening to him while they waited for the guided tour of the alpacas. He played a passable rendition of “Stockholm” by Jason Isbell. That’s kind of an obscure song. He also did a couple of old Steely Dan tracks.

We didn’t get to finish eating when the tour began. We took the food home. A woman showed us the animals and explained their behavior. Asher was interested. A guy from the local newspaper was snapping photos. He went around and asked people their names after he took their pictures. He took a shot of Karin and Asher feeding an alpaca. I bet Asher gets in the paper.

After the tour, Asher was tired. We wandered around the farm for a while. He was fascinated by the black cat who seems to be everywhere at once. Asher went to bed shortly after we got home. So, did I.

This morning I took Asher back to the Eco-Justice Center. We watched the alpacas munching grass in the pasture. Asher found the black cat. 

___________________________

Frank (Francis) Pauc is a graduate of West Point, Class of 1980. He completed the Military Intelligence Basic Course at Fort Huachuca and then went to Flight School at Fort Rucker. Frank was stationed with the 3rd Armor Division in West Germany at Fliegerhorst Airfield from December 1981 to January 1985. He flew Hueys and Black Hawks and was next assigned to the 7th Infantry Division at Fort Ord, CA. He got the hell out of the Army in August 1986.

As the Voice of the Veteran Community, The Havok Journal seeks to publish a variety of perspectives on a number of sensitive subjects. Unless specifically noted otherwise, nothing we publish is an official point of view of The Havok Journal or any part of the U.S. government.