So I've been thinking more about havikng a farm and it is sounding better and better. I don't know if it is the romanticism of just sitting and thinking (I like planning sometimes more than doing), but I really feel good about this decision.
Today I look like a nurse - I've got white tennis shoes & crisp white(ish) pants.
I think what is most appealing to me about farming is the work involved. I really like to be doing things. I've developed a regular schedule for myself where I get up early, do a few personal bits, and then set myself to cleaning the house. It is good early morning reflection time, and it is very special and private. In the morning, I feel alone with my thoughts, and am not busied with worrying about other people's concerns.
I spend more time worrying about what others think than I should.
The morning is untainted with such things. A new canvas. A new and completely unique day, made to order. I feel productive and good, and I sleep better that night after I've had a good productive day.
The idea of a system of chores appeals to the organizer in me. I am happy to say that the gifts that I have been given and developed feel right at home with this idea of a farm.
One of my most cherished childhood memories occured during a summer when I was enrolled at the Aullwood Audubon Center Summer program in Dayton (Ohio). The Center has acres and acres of woods and a farm. One summer, when I was maybe 10 or 11, we were working at the farm and made lunch together. We had egg salad, cornbread, and butter. I remember collecting the eggs, getting the vegetables from the garden, grinding the corn and churning the butter (not in a big old buttern churn - which is what I know you're thinking - but with a hand blender!). It was really satisfying.
Even today, Aullwood is one of my favorite spaces.
Another thing I am looking forward to is being close to nature - my mother and grandmother made certain that we had a connection to and appreciation for the natural world. My grandmother and grandfather transformed the two acres on which they built their house into an oasis of forest. Gramma's house is always a magical place because she makes it so - she loves her land and the proof of her love is the upkeep of her space. This is a really formative lesson that I've gleaned.
Oh good heavens, I could write for hours about this.
But I won't!
Yet another thing I am looking forward to is building our house! But that is another entry for another day! =)
love to you all,
~liz
Posted by lizington at October 21, 2004 03:37 PMI don't care if it happened. That's disgusting and horrible...even to read...ewwwww!
Posted by: Mara at October 31, 2004 02:15 AMI think the King of Town would like Aullwood a lot, because he likes butter.
Coincidentally I have not-so-great-yet-strangely-endearing memories of a nature preserve called ATwood. Atwood is a natural area with trails and stuff near Rockford, I went in the winter with kids from my school. The one thing they really drilled into our heads there was that food waste was evil. After meals, any food that was left on someone's plate and not eaten was weighed before it was thrown away. The staff kept a running chart of how many ounces of food waste each school had accumulated. Of course since we were like 9 or 10 year old we actually cared, and when one of our classmates ruined our perfect zero by not finishing a bowl of cereal which he claimed was making him sick (he later barfed) we were utterly humiliated. I still remember lowering my head in shame as the mushy cereal and milk were poured, ever so slowly, into the measuring bowl and weighed.
And if you think that's crazy, get this (BTW, it's really gross. Consider yourself warned) : The insane staff people actually thought this kid made himself throw up to prove that the cereal was bad, and so they scooped up his vomit and weighed that in the measuring bowl too and added it to our total.
Now I know what you're thinking: "They didn't really go that far, they wouldn't do that, it didn't happen!" Well, to quote the scariest childeren's story I've ever read, "Maybe it did, maybe it didn't."
If I'm still a wanderer when ya'll decide to build your house, give me a call and I'll help you. Farms, sustainable housing...I'm drooling. Have you looked into earthships/not being connected to the circuit?
How can I satisfy my desire to be with and connected to people, but also live simple and free in nature? We need Alex to help us build a commune in the country!
Dream come true.
Posted by: J at October 24, 2004 10:31 PMLizzy,
Okay, I have been obsessed with building a home for quite some time. For a sobering view of building a house check out.
http://www.livemodern.com/Members/SaraSage/blog
The architect basically made it easy for these people to build a modern, funky house from a factory and plop it on their plot of land. This blog shows how the owneres went about finding and financing land (and a home), and their hunt for an architect.
I myself have forced this other poor architect to basically design our dream for free. You can check the progress here.
It looks cool and is small and simple:
http://fabprefab.com/ipw-web/bulletin/bb/viewtopic.php?t=227
Mara also said to remind you to check out this site:
http://www.healthechange.com/Superpowers
It tells the story of a day in the life of average superheroes.
I am sitting here licking the dregs of Dove Dark chocolates out of a nice cup of Chai Mara made. What a wonderful evening...
Anyway, I'll post more when I get a coherent stream of thought.
Posted by: Mark Fojas at October 23, 2004 11:24 AM