Here We Go Again.....

Are you ready?  Get bundled up.  Dust off the sled! (Sleds are not just for kids!)

On all the surrounding farms, the sound of chainsaws is echoing off the hillsides.  I count at least three, and we'll add ours to the mix shortly as everyone's firewood piles have dwindled precipitously and we're once again looking at lots of SNOW.

We've closed the door to the chicken run and the chickens are snugged in with feed and water, but wondering where their sunrise went. 

We've moved the cows into the close-by pasture and made a covered pile of handy hay bales at the gate. 

We're looking at the possibility of a two-dog night, here, just off the one-lane road, and the weather forecast out of NOAA Weather in Roanoke, gives us "in-the-pink" status...and that ain't good! 

They're calling for four to eight inches of the white stuff on frozen ground.  That means it starts to stick with the first flake.  Temperatures are once again plummeting and there's more to come. 

I'm going with homemade chicken soup tonight using last night's leftovers with a jar of last year's tomatoes added for good measure.  We renewed our library books by phone yesterday, so we're all set in that department.  We have oil lamps to read by should the power fail.  With the woodpile replenished, we can sit snug as two bugs in a rug,  and let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!

Have a lovely weekend, everyone!

Back to the (Future) Land

Did I sound preachy yesterday and the day before? Oh, I hope not!


Maybe it’s my age, but I no longer have many wants. I look around the house and yard, here, just off the one-lane road, and see clothing I no longer wear; items of one kind or another we no longer use or need. So, I’m talking to myself, truly! I believe this is partially what spring cleaning is all about! It’s time for me to send this unused and unwanted “stuff” on to its “second time around” owner. I’m guilty of not doing the same thing I’m advocating: if I am not using it, I need to pass it on (providing it’s fit to use!)


Neither was I advocating ditching a job in favor of taking a fling at self-sufficiency, but rather suggesting we all are exploring continually where we would like to be.

If, on the other hand, one were to find themselves in a situation where an outside job was reduced or eliminated quite suddenly, (not uncommon nowadays) with few prospects for changing the situation any time soon-- maybe it puts a different light on the quest for self-sufficiency. I’ve wondered if the current state of affairs economically in this country wouldn’t spark another so-called “back-to-the-land” movement similar to what we had in the late 1960’s and early ‘70’s. Curiosity led me to Wikipedia and sure enough, there are indications that people are, indeed, once again exploring rural living.  Throughout history, it seems there have been various “back-to-the-land “movements” stretching back to just before the fall of the Roman Empire. These have occurred largely because urban circumstances became intolerable, and people, trying to survive, envisioned a better life for themselves in the hinterlands outside  urbania.


Several have sprouted up in America: people homesteaded during The Great Depression; and, after World War II Veterans returning home sought a “meaningful” life and there was a strong interest in moving to rural circumstances. You might enjoy a book that was well known to me as a child since I lived in the Pacific Northwest, called The Egg and I by Betty McDonald. It’s a hilarious account of going back to the land in the 1940’s. Eventually it became a movie, starring Fred McMurray and Claudette Colbert.


One of the most significant things about the movement of the 60’s and 70’s was the size of it. It was also interesting to me to know that the movement was fueled by “rampant consumerism.”  I was  also surprised to discover that there is now an antonym to Consumerism—a “movement” if you will, called Enoughism.


I found both historical accounts fascinating and was somewhat nostalgic thinking back to my dog-earred copies of the Whole Earth Catalog and Mother Earth News (for whom I wrote a couple of articles.) There are many links in both Wiki entries that are just fun to follow out. Do take the time to browse it. Perhaps most significant is the overview of who “succeeded” at being a back-to-the-lander and the three most critical needs in order to do so. I’ll leave that up to you to discover.

The prospect of finding a small piece of ground for a garden, a milk cow, some chickens-- becomes very attractive, especially to supplement a pared-down income. Remember the old phrase, “I am not my job?” The implication is that you have an identity beyond what you do to earn a few dollars with the idea being that the job may take less of one’s soul to accomplish it, with something left over for tending to the chores and joys at home.


Those who would choose such a route probably won’t ever get to the point of flying off to Alaska in a red float plane to watch jumping whales “anytime you and Susie decide you want to,” but given the right attitude, they’ll probably enjoy life every bit as much if not more.


Have fun with exploring!

Built (Not) to Last

Tools are the absolute cornerstone for a life of self-sufficiency.  Good tools. Dependable tools. 

Thomas's comment yesterday morning on my post (How Much Is Enough?) made me think
 about the piece I put together last weekend for the blog, to publish sometime this week.  I had planned to post it on Thursday, but I just can't hold my blogger-tongue that long.  So, I'll post my back-to-the-land piece after this one.

It's not news, is it, that it's hard to buy "quality" these days.  Hard to find it.  No matter what price you're willing to pay for things, they fall apart prematurely.  They don't work like they're supposed to.  Around the house and outside, I see literally hundreds of small examples that all add up.  It used to be that when you paid a "good" price--a "fair" one--you got "what you paid for." 

Not anymore.

From clothing to tools, to small appliances to furniture, Made in China is emblematic of poor quality and shoddy workmanship.  Here are some examples:

The lining material in the rain suits we purchased from Columbia Sportswear --supposedly a good brand--(Made in China) separated from the rain shell material; the suspenders MM decided to buy (Made in China) had only one snap; the socks I bought--6 pair at a time--(Made in China) disintegrated within about three months; the boots I bought from Southern States (Made in China) have cracked where my foot bends and now leak (so in order to extend their use, I am using plastic grocery bags on my feet inside the boot to keep them dry through the rest of this winter, after which time I will be glad to discard them, but my defiance is manifest in those plastic bags!); I could fill this entire blog with similar failures; everywhere I look, things Made in China are simply junk (and I don't mean sailing ships).  The discard pile of should-have-worked stuff, grows, out here on the one-lane road, in the landfill, and on Main Street.

And don't you just love seeing "Made in China" stamped on everything you buy?  It's difficult to find ANYTHING ANYMORE that is Made in the USA.  It used to be a point of pride!  US quality.  Did you know that the Chinese SAVE 50% of their income?  Americans recently hiked their savings rate to 5%!

Thomas mentioned the real cost, the carbon footprint, of this kind of  "planned obsolescence."  The size of the carbon footprint balloons when we consider shipment from China to here.  We used to have a sewing factory here, about 6 miles away in Thomas's neck of the woods.  Many women (and they were mainly women, with families) in this region worked there for modest wages that supplemented family income.  Sears had a drapery-making facility not far from here that employed a good compliment of people. 

Not anymore.   

Companies save paying taxes by going overseas.  OSHA doesn't exist in China.  EPA doesn't exist in China. 

Did you know--when last I checked-- that 100% of the Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) sold in this country comes from China?  Anybody check China's health inspection process recently? How about honey from China?  Check out the labels in the grocery store on honey.  Where does it come from?  You'll be surprised.  I remember a few months back, (and this could be apochryphal, of course) it was learned that some enterprising merchant over in the Far East was using the exhaust from motor vehicles to dry tea, blowing it across the tea as it lay on a concrete floor!

Aren't you tired of this?  I know I am.  The following suggestion will do nothing to reduce that carbon footprint, but I am desperate.  I've decided to ALWAYS RETURN UNSATISFACTORY PRODUCTS to the point of purchase.  I want to be a problem to that retailer who sold it to me, and I want to be a problem to the Chinese (because it's bound to be Made in China).  If we don't take the time to return these items to the point of purchase, retailers "get away" with dumping shoddy merchandise on us, fully expecting us NOT to BOTHER returning it, and to accept it because we shrug our shoulders, hunker down, declare we don't have time to "fool with it" and continue to be abused with poor quality stuff.  Nope. 

Not anymore.

When a tool breaks out here JOTOLR, we're up a creek without a paddle.  It's absolutely vital to have dependable tools that hold together and perform as promised. And I respect your inquiry into what our ancestors might have done, Thomas; (It's valid and a good way to measure worth.) But I also shudder at the prospect of not having a dependable chain saw! (Our dear old Stihl 064 has been running since 1979!  German engineering!

The promise of quality and continuing service used to be implied. It was a contract of trust between the merchant and the buyer.  For a reasonable length of time, the tool would not fail.  Yes, I do recall my father jokingly referring to Sears, Roebuck (as it was then known) as Swear and Sendback, but by and large Sears and most other merchants then stood behind their labels and even felt BAD about selling something shoddy!  They had a conscience.

Not anymore.

Caveat emptore. That's "buyer beware," but what can you do? There are few choices so being aware doesn't get you anything! 

What I suggest is a lot of trouble.  In fact it's a huge nuisance.  You need to return things.  It's a nuisance largely because others are doing the same thing and the return lines are growing longer!  It's time-consuming, so bring along a good book and a folding chair.  I think you'll be noticed.  It's our only recourse as far as I know. When you don't bother, you're allowing yourself, and others, to be a victim.  If you simply throw the item out and buy a replacement without returning the defective one, you're doubling China's take.

There is no consumer protection agency. 

Not anymore. 

So, what do we have left? 

Ourselves.

                                              Let me know what you think!

Commentors and Their Blogs

Good morning!  It seems we are back to snow and cold all the way through Sunday out here just off the one-lane road.  Oh, well.....better days are coming.  Meanwhile concentrate on the color yellow to remind us that there is life beyond winter and enjoy the brief episodes of sunshine as they flit through.

You know, I just realized there's nothing stopping me from doing several posts in one day.  Now isn't that amazing!  I've got lots on my mind this morning, but I'll do it in several shorter posts so you don't all drown in text.  Forgive me, folks...I guess I am first and foremost a writer/photographer.  

So Topic Number One (and this will be the longest):  Commentors.  You have all offered so much wisdom and I thank you!!  We ARE connected and in sharing, we indeed build something beyond ourselves.  I am gradually learning the language, the mechanics and the etiquette of blogging, albeit slowly.  In that regard, I've learned that reciprocity is key.  In that vein, here is a sampling from recent comments:

Debbi, thank you for your insightful comments yesterday.  And yes, healthcare for all must be considered priority in our country.  Take a look at Debbi's blog.  She has a bright and snappy style that will wake you up and get you going, on physical fitness, running, sometimes knitting (she is an incredibly wonderful knitter) and right now, has taken a foray into weight training.  Check out her blog at http://www.knitrunrepeat.blogspot.com/ This morning she has a link to a New York Times article on how weight training improves brain function in "older" (ahem) women.  (Wonder if 40-pound hay bales can be substituted for dumbells..?) The article is well worth a read.  Debbi always has some great comments and a breezy approach that will entertain and educate.

Ruta, thank you for yesterday's exploration of saving money, shopping wisely, and enjoying it all!  Great comment.  My new blog-friend in North Devon UK is a gardener extraordinaire and an outdoor enthusiast, as well. You simply do not want to miss her pictures displaying her photographic artwork featuring her beachcombing and long walks along the Devon shore (and oh-so-pretty shells and geologic formations that will grab your attention.  Makes me long for those tidepools of my youth!) as well as the beauty of her gardens (don't miss the "Pond" post from a couple of days ago.  Ruta takes a look at her world and shares it with us at http://www.newsfromnorthdevon.blogspot.com/

If you haven't taken a keystroke stroll over to Old Otter Holler Farm, this is not to be missed at http://www.oohf.typepad.com/  Thomas has a lot to show you!  His topics are varied as he takes a very analytic but artistic approach to living self-sufficiently and working the land.   His book list, which I am just beginning to tackle, offers tons of wisdom we can all use.  Yesterday he posted a piece on trees, complete with a face!  His way with words is easy on the heart and mind, and the results of his relationship with his piece of the world --Old Otter Holler Farm--is a feast for the eyes.

Now, let's hope my "linking" skills are improving on Blogger, so that colors are displayed to denote a link.  I have been trying to get 'er done, everyone...but without success! Your patience with my learning curve is greatly appreciated! 

I am loving the exchange of information and ideas here.  Doesn't it delight you that we have this kind of outreach power?  We ARE all in this together!  And I don't feel as though we are simply preaching to the choir, either.  All of you reassure me that some of us, at least, are on the right track as we reach out to one another and share. And, I was so "cold-footed" about beginning this blog! Thank you again for being a part of it.  Others out there who have not joined in the discussion, feel free to do so.  We've got lots more to come!

Lastly, one of the things I'm gradually doing is to pay attention to other's blog lists and taking the time to follow them out.  So please continue to add to your blog list as you discover other sources.  In that regard, MM has been subscribing to an interesting blog for quite awhile (I didn't know it!  We each have our own computer with different choices about what we follow online)  that I will mention here.  It's called Steadfast Finances, located at http://www.steadfastfinances.com/  Sounds a little stiff, doesn't it. But it's not, and it's along the lines of frugality and thriftiness. You might want to check it out at least once.

How Much is Enough?

WARNING- TWBAR:  translated "this will be a rant."  Not a big one.  Just a small one. From time to time, I ask your indulgence while I take out a topic and chew on it publicly.  There are just some things that need to be addressed.  For sticking with me, I'll reward you at the end with a single photo that reminds us why we're here--(thank you Boeing for stealing that phrase).  

So, while I'm getting the soapbox out and dusted off, check out one of my favorite blogs, At Home With the Farmer's Wife.  She has a wonderful "take" on the same theme today, but in a totally different way.  You'll love it--guys, too. Trust me.

And here's a takeaway maxim while I'm getting set up:

Use it up

Wear it out

Make it do

Or do without.

Ready?

Let's face it.  We like our stuff.  Stuff and more stuff creates a type of dependency.  In the last couple of decades, shopping went from necessity-based to entertainment (as my mother predicted).  Think for a moment how television, for example, creates the many desires you never knew you had!  All those kitchen tools and foodie things you now just have to have, sporting vacations landing the big one, the lifestyle you aspire to but will probably never attain, consequently you spend your whole life being unhappy...the list goes on!

Maybe it's a senior thing, but when I go into Walmart--even with a specific item or even a list of needed--and I do mean "needed"-- purchases, I am immediately confronted by what seems to be a blinding wall of fluorescent lights, waving signs of specials, television monitors blabbing on about other "specials"...bright colors, lots more people than I'm used to seeing at one time (coming in off the mountain's one-lane road!), and I not only lose my train of thought, but I have trouble remembering at the moment what was on my list and why I even came in, in the first place!  I want to turn right around, walk back out and stay out!  It's as if I've been assaulted. But, it's what "they" have designed.

My solution?  Bury my checkbook deeeeep, grip my list and stare at it until I can re-focus and get past the wall of distractions, question the need for all my intended purchases again, go get them off the shelf --if I'm not led astray by other mind-grabbers on the way, and then get out as fast as I can.

We've all seen countless numbers of broken (or not) and discarded plastic toys strewn about yards as we drive past peoples' homes; the landfill is overwhelmed with them.  Actually, West Virginia is pretty good about recycling other people's unwanted items.  In fact, there used to be a snarky joke going around that went something like this:  "Why do West Virginians use only clear plastic trash bags?  Answer:  So they can window shop more easily.  To which I say, give us a round of applause. 

But I wonder how many people do shop at the secondhand store, not just for kids' things, but for everyone's things.  Do we give things away that we aren't using?  I received TWO LOVELY hand-knitted, wool sweaters recently from a dear friend who had worn them at one time or another, but could no longer use them.  Believe me when I say they delight me far more than any store-bought new ones ever could!

Do we question what things are needs--real needs-- and what things are merely spontaneous desires that may not have even been in our mind prior to walking through the store's doors?  Impulse buying is a killer of bank accounts.

New York Times columnist, Nicholas Kristof  had an Op-Ed piece last Sunday entitled, "What Could You Live Without?"  It's well worth a read.  Like all good columnists, it gets us thinking.

American consumers have been called "the engine of the world's economy."  It's my belief that we're the "suckers" of the world's economy.  We're the dumb ones that buy, buy, buy!  (Incidentally, I love the Snob Specialists, Nieman Marcus's nickname:  "Needless Markup.")

I don't know about you, but I believe it's time for us to start putting those resources we're giving to China, to work for ourselves, here at home.  Right here...in our own homes. For that to happen, maybe we need to think about circumventing, or ignoring, the heavy-handed drumbeats for rampant consumerism. We don't need all this stuff.  We could probably go years without importing much of anything, before it got to the point of needing.

MM and I just finished watching an old PBS series called Civilization which we found at the library.  The final episode was entitled Heroic Materialism.  Sadly, Lord Kenneth Clark, the producer and narrator of the 13-episode series concluded that today, having gone through religion, nature and now, "heroic materialism" as a focus for living, we haven't yet discovered some other meaningful philosophy to guide our human endeavors. 

Maybe we need to be thinking seriously --not just tokenism--about simplifying, about sustainability, re-using, wearing things out instead of adding to the landfill; not having to have "new," making do with new-to-you.
  
So we've come full circle:  producing your own food is really no different from working at a day job of some kind and we need to decide how much we really need.  Yes, we all proably need some kind of income that the farm won't provide, but by reducing our wants, concentrating on our needs, and living close to the earth, we begin to take control of what often seems an out-of-control life.  

Duane Elgin (Voluntary Simplicity) sums it up: 

"To build a sustainable future will require dramatic changes in the overall levels and patterns of consumption in developed nations.  To change consumption levels and patterns will require a new consciousness and a new consensus among millions of persons--and this will require dramatic changes in the consumerist messages we give ourselves through the mass media, particuarly television."

We can't keep on destroying.  Isn't it time to begin building a sustainable and peaceful future?  Please give me your however-many sense-worth thoughts.  I'd love to hear from you...

Tomorrow...Back to the (Future) Land...

Sucker Holes

In Alaska, where MM and I spent three years teaching school in Native villages, even Anchorage's Chamber of Commerce recognizes the term "sucker hole."  It's the preferred way to spot a tourist.

A sucker hole is when a tiny, almost invisible patch of blue sky (on an otherwise "dismal" landscape) cons tourists into shedding their raingear, as they await the bright prospects implied.  Unfortunately, they are usually premature--if not completely wrong-- in their quest for sun, and find themselves scrambling for that raingear again, as the sneaky deluge descends.

As for MM and me this morning....I guess you would say we're rather like the tourists, so hungry for sunny weather we are.   We took the bait and went outside to feed the animals without raingear, just tempting the weather god to zap us, and guess what....?  That patch of blue sky and fluffy clouds?  It was a sucker hole.

By the way, Hydaburg Alaska, one of the villages where we taught gets somewhere around 155 inches of rain a year.  That's why it's called a "rainforest."

But It Ties You Down...The Cow -- Part 3

Owning a cow is a responsibility (duh!) that one doesn't take on lightly.  As James Herriot of All Creatures Great and Small fame used to say, "You must attend."

But turning things upside down a bit (in the event someone is trying to justify cow ownership), chances are that if you have a job, you're already "tied down."  Just as you regularly show up for work, we, too, take our self-sufficiency "job" seriously out here just off the one-lane road.  We show up for work. 

Yes, it's a job, albeit a lovely one.  But the point is, it's no more "tied down" than having a regular job where you have to drive to somewhere and show up at certain hours, put in your allotted time (for someone else) and work your personal needs and desires around that job. In fact, you probably have a little more control with a cow than you do with an outside job.   Am I being myopic, here?  Tell me if I'm wrong, now...

Mind you, this doesn't address an individual's need for income.  And, Commentor Ruta is right: it's tough, if not impossible, to make a "living" farming in this day and age.  On the other hand, if we take a long look at our real "needs" versus our wants, there's a possibility we can reduce those wants and needs somewhat so that less income would be required. We're not talking austerity, here, either.  Commentor Debbi provided a quote that seems appropriate here:  "Wealth consists not in having great possessions but in having few wants."

Annual vacations with a cow are simply a matter of timing.  Cow gets bred to calve when you'll be home.  Vacation when the cow dries up just prior to having her next calf.  Or put the calf on her full time if the situation at the moment isn't ideal for milking.  Perhaps you'd want to consider milking only once a day at a time that's convenient and give the calf the rest.  Of course, it must be the same time each day, and that means rain or shine. 

And, by all means, buy a cow suited to your needs. If you're going to put the calf on full time, you don't want a cow that would normally give you 3 gallons of milk in the morning and 3 gallons again at night. The calf simply will not be able to consume it all, and you'll wind up with a cow that has a spoiled udder.  You have a choice of breeds to suit your needs, so look for a breed that gives a modest quantity of milk rather than be overwhelmed with what to do with a huge quantity.  Feeding grain, too, pushes the cow toward heavier (and less healthful) milk production.  It's up to the farmer to manage the cow.  But...as I mentioned a blogpost or two back, MM and I don't really want to go anywhere or be anywhere else, so vacations for us are not an issue.

For exploring the pros and cons and basic cow husbandry get a copy of Dirk van Loon's book, The Family Cow, available at Amazon online. (at least here in the U. S.--for my over-the-pond readers, please let me know which large bookseller you prefer as a reasonably priced source). This book is a complete primer on family cow management, and it's not only practical, but very "honest."

Finally, if you've not read it, you might want to find yourself a copy of Duane Elgin's book Voluntary Simplicity.  You can buy it from Amazon for as little as one cent.  (that doesn't include shipping nor does the price reflect the value of the book!)  Published originally in 1981 and sub-titled "Toward a way of life that is outwardly simple, inwardly rich," Elgin has a knack for going right to the nub: 

We each know where our lives are unnecessarily complicated.  We are all painfully aware of the clutter and pretense that weigh upon us and make our passage through the world more cumbersome and awkward.  To live more simply is to unburden ourselves--to live more lightly, cleanly, aerodynamically.  It is to establish a more direct, unpretentious and unencumbered relationship with all aspects of our lives:  the things that we consume, the work that we do, our relationship with others, our connections with nature and the cosmos and more.

More on simplifying tomorrow..How Much Is Enough?