Healthy soil and sustainable growing

[Liz <liz@allslash.org>]

At 10:12 PM 10/12/2007, you wrote:

> But in general IMHO the writer exaggerated, romaticicized and idealized the
> back to the land movement. Few had such noble motives. Far too many just
> used the fancy talk to hide the fact they were lazy, unskilled, soft, and
> aimless. And by now they're retired or about to find out what they said
> about the system is true.

That was my impression as well. I kept seeing, "But it was so 
haaard!" and wondering what their problem was with that. It looked to 
me as though what was really difficult for them was letting go of the 
consumer culture they claimed to despise so much. I know people who 
are living off the land now, and yes, it's hard. They've had to just 
let go of much of what they thought was essential. They had to learn 
to appreciate what they had, not resent what they didn't have. It has 
been a life-changing experience internally as much as externally, and 
not everyone can do it. The people who can't do it aren't going to 
make it through the bad times to come.

But this isn't anything new. My English grandparents emigrated to 
Canada in 1902 as part of the Barr Colony in western Canada. Most of 
the emigres had no idea what it meant to work the land--they were 
enticed by offers of free land and an easy life on the Canadian 
prairie where soil was rich and anything would grow. Many of them 
brought fine furniture and wardrobes of expensive clothing with them, 
even grand pianos. Some of them managed to survive the trek across 
thousands of miles of unsettled country pulling covered wagons with 
ox teams. Some fewer of them survived the first winter, living in sod 
houses or tents. Many of them went back to England or to more 
civilised parts of Canada. But the ones who stayed and survived 
founded a quickly thriving town, and then a city, Lloydminster.

It is harder now to make it on the land, but not because the work 
itself is harder than it used to be. It's because people's wants are 
bigger than they used to be. But yes, we have to do it anyway.

Liz in SW VA
http://life-as-a-spectator-sport.com