Carlea Farms

05/10/2020

Happy Mother’s Day to all of our loyal mother customers and followers! We celebrated a milestone Thursday when..

CARL WALKED 16 FEET WITH A WALKER DURING PT!

Words are inadequate.

Our peonies peaked about 3 weeks ago. We hated not to be able to share them with you all this year but can share these pictures that I snapped.

Love and Peace ~ Leah

04/03/2020

In my last post, I told you all about how my (our) friend, Sarah Lawhon, has been working with Carl since he came home. With PT being put on hold indefinitely, Sarah has stepped up her game in royal fashion. She decided that Carl was GOING to have a standing frame so she started searching for patterns online. At this point I should explain that standing is crucial to walking as it sends the message to the brain that the body is poised for walking and thus stimulates muscle/nerve conversation, helps the heart pump blood which promotes circulation and prevents blood clots.

I think she told me that she searched for a “poor man’s standing frame” and SHAZAM ⚡️she got a hit! She sent Carl a screenshot and so it began. A conversation about materials with his friend, Dean Mullis of Laughing Owl Farm Jenifer Korndoerfer Mullis, forwarded him the picture and a few hours later, a basic standing frame appeared at our house. Next step was for Sarah to add her touch with materials we had at the house plus a swimming noodle and voila a STANDING CARL!

He is so determined to walk and farm again and I think I may have spurned a little more determination when I cursed the cultivating tractor while making potato beds then threatened to get rid of it. 🤬🚜😬🏃🧑‍🌾

We are so grateful for our friends and rural ingenuity. Joel Salatin once said, “sometimes good enough is perfect.”

Love and Peace ~ Leah Porch Wagner

03/31/2020

https://www.yadkinriverkeeper.org/news/2020/3/29/yadkin-riverkeeper-launches-sustainable-farms-initiative

Support your local farmer ❤️

One of the compelling story lines emerging in response to the Covid-19 pandemic is the importance of local farms and access to locally produced food. Did you know that there are more than 1,000 farms in the Yadkin River watershed that market their products directly to consumers, generating nearly $6

03/21/2020

Carl continues to make phenomenal progress. His Physical Therapist, Thomas Azalone, at Northeast Rehab Gateway believes in Carl and is pushing him....hard. For those of you who don’t know, Carl is a former long distance runner, a long distance bicyclist and triathlete. He says that Thomas has redefined, “HARD”. He has been going to PT twice a week for 1-1/2 hours each time. When not going to PT, my friend, Sarah Lawhon, is his drill sergeant.

I got lucky when I was able to snare her to sit with my good friend and mentor from NCDOT, Robert Thompson. We became friends almost instantly. Robert passed away December 8th while Carl was in rehab. Carl came home December 20th and Sarah has been helping him since that day. She came to our house in her pj’s because his catheter malfunctioned; she MAKES HIM WORK. She stretches him and drives him to appointments so I don’t have to miss work and bought my Valentine from Carl because it was raining too hard to get him out of the car. To say that she is anything but wonderful would be a gross understatement.

I have to give you this background information so that you can watch this brief video and know that Thomas and Sarah have and continue to be instrumental in Carl’s recovery. He’s getting there. Yesterday he was “behind the wheel” of his Ranger for the first time since November. He is on his way to walking, it will be a while but he is on his way.

Oh and the video is so short because he took off so quickly. 🤣

Love and Peace ~ Leah

03/11/2020

Follow-up pictures to my post about Jennie’s trip to Oregon and her training hike because I am not proficient with Social Media. 🙄

02/17/2020

Long overdue update: Carl is working really hard and making fabulous progress towards his goal of walking; however he is months away from reaching that goal. He is taking this year off from Market but he is determined to be back in full force by next Spring and who knows, it could be sooner. (We may even try to bring peonies one or two Saturday’s in April/May if Mother Nature smiles down upon us fairly and we can get it all worked out.)

Please continue to keep us in your prayers and please please keep sending positive thoughts and communication in whatever form you like. Positivity is a HUGE part of his recovery.

Love and Peace ~ Leah

12/22/2019

FINALLY HOME!!!!!!!!!There are no words to express our joy. ❤️

12/10/2019

So this happened today......with assistance but 😃 ❤️

12/01/2019

Thanksgiving was not at all what we had envisioned but we were together and that is truly what is important. Carl continues to make progress....slowly; but as Laura McLeod reminded me, " progress is progress, no matter how slow." Discharge date is tentatively this Friday, December 6th. Your continued positive energy/thoughts and prayers are very much appreciated as we learn to navigate through Carl's recovery and his journey to walk again.

Love and Peace ~ Carl, Leah , Chet & Jennie.

11/21/2019

A special request and quick update:

Tomorrow is Carl's bday so any bday wishes would be appreciated.

He is making great progress; his therapy is intense and he is quite tired by the time I get there. He called just as I was getting home and told me he had been wheeling the halls in his wheelchair so his fire is coming back!

We so appreciate you all! ~ Leah