Phrases like this make my neck hair stand on end. I understand that part of
what many of us are trying to do is create, encourage, etc. self-sustaining
systems, but if we're really going to be integral components of these
systems we're going to have to work. Especially if you're starting with a
clean (or in our case cracked) palate.
I've seen the "intervenor becomes the recliner" sentiment pop up
occasionally on this and other lists and I'm always left wondering a) if
people new to Pc realize what they're getting themselves into when they
start down this path, b) what kind of attrition there is because folks got
into it thinking they'd be able to plant a couple trees then spend their
lives lying in a shaded hammock and c) if the lack of realization and rate
of attrition is avoidable by being more honest about the commitments (time,
labor, money) involved in establishing goals & objectives, then doing the
work to get there.
Clearing brush and planting trees is work. Double-digging is work. Hoeing
dirt mulch in a dryland garden is work. Designing a forest garden is work.
Installing irrigation is work. Caring for livestock is work. Harvesting is
work. Processing and preserving is work. Home-schooling children is work.
Participating in a (good) PDC is probably work.
I'm not at all implying that it's drudgery. I work my tail off and then I
rest and then I go back to work (sadly, the rest periods are longer than
they were 20 years ago, but that's life). And I love what I do because I'm
working toward something I feel is worth working toward. But a month's
holiday?! That's hilarious.
Mitch Triplett
Tri-Pearl Family Forest
Member - CCFFA/OSWA & OTFS
Associate Member - FSC
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