The Way it Goes
Off and on I have delved deep into practice, into doing … no more than that, into really living my practice. I have lived on many acres of land, living a fairly simple lifestyle and also living off the land to a certain extent. I was also having a go at traditional lifestyles as well, doing it the old way.
I carried water up a mountain side everyday (sometimes twice or thrice) so I could cook, clean and drink. I learned the value, the sacredness, of every single drop. There are few things in the world that can teach you to truly understand that water is indeed the lifeblood of the Earth (and everything that lives on and within Her) than being a small, barefoot woman, thirsty to the point of parched, dragging 30 pounds of water up a rocky mountain side under a blazing summer Sun.
I dragged (and later carried as I grew stronger) hay bales about the place to feed horses and livestock. I wishpered prayers to Epona everyday … and more as I tried to tend a wound on a half-gentled young filly.
I spent many long nights up to my elbows in blood and birthing… Continue reading
Ahhh, Yes.
I am going back to school in the spring to start my path to owning a kennel or doggy day care or animal hospice. This last year living in the city with Bren has been a big change from the previous few years living on the farm and working with animals and in rescue. I was digging through old emails looking for something else when I found an email in which I described what it is like to be on a homestead, caring for animals who often had been abused.
It’s a 24-hour job, you have to get up at night or at sunrise or both.
It doesn’t matter if it rains or is 40 below; you still have to do the rounds.
It’s the fact that you can’t just take off camping on the weekend spontaneously, you have to find someone to watch the dogs and trust me, its easier to find a babysitter than a farm sitter.
Its being woken up by barking dogs every morning.
Its skipping meals to make the time to feed animals.
Its blisters and calluses and dirt under the fingernails.
It’s dashing out of the shower to check on barking dogs, every time… Continue reading
The Price of Food
Costs come down when people buy from small & organic farms and not buy food produced by feedlots. So that the small & organic farms can makes ends meet without having to jack up prices.
Costs come down when people support local or nearby farms and not food transported from foreign countries.
Costs come down when people eat food that is seasonal and not demand to have pineapple in February.
Costs come down when people learn to cook for themselves from scratch in large batches and to preserve and store food.
Costs come down when people grow vegetable gardens in their yards and not monoculture grass lawns. When they grow fruit trees in yards and parks and not imported ornamental species of trees that produce no edible fruit or nuts.
Costs come down when people eat at home and not at restaurants.
Costs come down when the government supports farmers and not large scale corporations, packing plants and fucking McDonalds.
Costs come down when people realize they don’t need super-sized meals in order to eat well. Portions eaten today by folks in Western society are double the size they were even 50 years ago.
Costs come down when people don’t… Continue reading
To Fly By Night
Hoofprints in the Wildwood
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