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In July of 1981, Farmer Al, known as Al Courchesne back then, fell asleep behind the wheel of his car and hit a telephone pole. What followed was what would become the building blocks of what has made him “Farmer Al” and brought Frog Hollow Farm to what it is today, in April of 2013.
Al was a runner. A good one. He went to the University of California at Berkeley on a full track scholarship. He was a member of the Mile Relay Team which won both the NCAA championship and the PAC – 8 conference championship in 1964. They set a University of California at Berkeley record. (still 9th in the school records). As I said, Al was a runner. A good one.
Throughout his adult life Al continued to run for pleasure. That night in July of 1981 Al lost his ability to run – at least with his legs. He would learn to run with his mind and his soul as his battle to heal from the accident that would continue for 2 years. Through track Al had learned to push his body and mind in a way that those who have never competed on that level can’t comprehend. When you think you can’t take one more breath or your lungs will explode, you do anyway. You push for excellence. It’s in this mental state where the “art of healing” has its roots. When you overcome pain and discomfort and get to a place in your mind where peace prevails, healing, on many levels, begins. You know you can and will survive, and be better and stronger for it.
The process of Al’s recovery would take him to places none of us want to imagine. His left leg, the one injured most severely in the car accident, would develop an infection of the bone: osteomyelitis (http://www.osteomyelitis.com). This would be a battle to save his leg – one he would win, eventually. Brilliant minds and skilled surgeons would take muscles from other places on his body and create a blood supply that would facilitate the healing of his badly damaged limb. Again, Al’s ability to push his body and his mind, skills he learned running on the track, would be his foundation for healing and recovery.
Home from the hospital after a lengthy recovery process brought him to what was then Brentwood Farm. Al’s therapy became walking through the orchards, on a walker at first then crutches, talking to his trees, pushing through the pain and learning how to manage his injured body and his new state of being. Consider what it must feel like to have been an athlete who moved through life without effort…graceful and elegant…now he’s faced with discomfort and awkwardness. And again, his training and life conditioning steps in and supports him in his healing process. As Al heals and begins this new phase of his life, his view of how to farm takes a subtle yet significant shift; nothing seems impossible.
As the farm grows, so do the challenges he faces as a young and inexperienced farmer. Al, faced with crop disease, pressure from governing agencies telling him what he can and can’t sell, lack of knowledge of pruning, soil and weather conditions, you name it. Again, Al turns to his training. He pushes himself, he learns from farmers who have been farming in Brentwood for years, he doesn’t listen when told he can’t do something, he pushes harder and begins another transformation; Al Courchesne the runner, becomes Farmer Al, the “Grower” of legendary fruit. Then, Brentwood Farm becomes Frog Hollow Farm, where magic is possible and in fact, happens every day.
Why am I telling you, our CSA members, this? Because it helps you know who Farmer Al was, who he is, and what he faces…again. Al has had a reemergence of the osteomyelitis and will face surgery, possibly multiple surgeries, again. I felt in important to share this story with you, Farmer Al’s story, first because I believe that when the collective energy of many wishing one well, amazing things are possible; magical things. And second, I want you all to know what a powerfully strong man and human being you have as your farmer. He will win this battle again with the grace and elegance of a world class athlete. He brings with his every step on the soil we call Frog Hollow Farm his gift of creating excellence, of reaching for the highest branch and producing for each of you the best tasting fruit imaginable.
