We (Michael Levatino and Audrey Blecha) met in Boulder, Colorado, in the late 90's while both working at the Boulder Book Store.  After leaving the bookstore, Audrey took a job as a high school English teacher and Michael went to work for W.W. Norton, an employee-owned publishing house based in New York City. 

We moved to Oakland, California, together during the height of the dot-com boom for Michael's job with Norton.  We worked and played in the Pacific Northwest for three years before deciding to accept another change of venue to Virginia, again because of an employment offer from Norton.  That's when we stumbled upon a 23-acre piece of land with a small house near Charlottesville, Virginia.  Neither of us had any experience on a farm, but we took the plunge and were married soon after. 

Audrey quit teaching and dedicated herself to the farm in 2007 and we now operate Ted's Last Stand Farm and Gardens (find out how the name came about in the Story of Ted below). Michael has maintained his full-time job at Norton while farming on the side.  We sell fresh cut flowers, eggs, honey, vegetables and hand-made jewelry and crafts at the Charlottesville City Market on Saturdays from April through October.  We also attend two other markets in the area less regularly. 

This year, we're publishing our first book, The Joy of Hobby Farming, which chronicles our experiences at Ted's and provides step-by-step, practical advice on how to operate a small farm without working yourself to death or going broke.  We hope you'll buy it and it will inspire you to add farming (whether in your backyard or in a field) to your lifestyle.  If everyone's a farmer, we can go a long way toward living in a more healthy, just and sustainable world.