Guest Post by Hardscrabble Farmer
Spent my entire Sunday moving big bales for the cattle this winter. Spent all of last week putting a new steel roof on a 100′ long barn. Gardened, read books, kept date night with my wife on Saturday night in our kitchen, shelled enough peas to last through till next year, sold some piglets, helped some local millennials with their new farm stand venture, cleaned totes, scraped and repainted the front of the milk house, cut hay with scythe for the chickens for winter, slaughtered and processed 100 meat birds for the freezer, made coffee from the beans our family sent from Hawaii, repaired a piece of equipment, york raked a neighbor’s driveway, weeded, planted second crop of greens, slept. My total work hours last week (if you include shelling peas on the bed @10pm work) was just over 75. My body is stiff when I wake up, my arms are sore most of the time I’m not moving but I can say the following-
We spent $0 on healthcare. We spent $0 on electricity. We spent $0 on groceries- that’s a lie, my wife bought Italian ices for us yesterday as a treat, I think she took $6 out of my wallet. All week I enjoyed myself, improved our homestead, had a great date with my wife that lasted until we went to bed, spoke with old friends on the phone Sunday evening, helped neighbors and acquaintances locally, fed ourselves delicious meals, provided for our Winter, earned enough off farm doing something I enjoy to pay six months worth of property taxes, composted waste, put up animal fodder, repaired our own property and belongings, built soils and created an environment where one of our customers who was leaving the state for good had to stop by and see it “one more time so I never forget”.
I know that most people do not want to labor physically, would prefer to watch some TV, enjoy sports more than gardening, care about the car they drive or shopping for a new handbag/suit/plasma screen. I understand the excitement of urban living and having a choice of a thousand restaurants to choose from at a moment’s notice. We became aware of all the things that Jim has written about in his articles almost a decade ago and sat ourselves down to discuss, for quite some time and with deep deliberation, what we wanted from our lives. I didn’t want to spend the best years of my life away from the people I loved the most for 50 or more hours a week just to earn the kind of income it took to pay for all the things I couldn’t get to because I was off at a job- our food, our energy, our children’s education, someone to mow the lawn or fix the sink or paint the fence.
We decided that it was worth trading our established life with all of its conveniences and ease for one that was deliberately ours, one where we called our own shots, planned for our own future, filled our own days and years with the kinds of tasks and activities that best benefited us as a family. We’ve grown healthier by far, more confident, more resilient, closer and more loving, open to others and willing to help those who need it. We’re less dependent on others for the kinds of things most people can do for themselves but do not. We do not fear the future whatever may happen, but look forward to whatever it brings. Our children are growing into solid, honorable and decent human beings who we enjoy immensely. Our marriage is rock solid, our health superb and our spiritual outlook positive.
All of this has come about not because we are exceptional, but because we were intentional. A lot of people point to the troubles of our time, the falsehoods that define us, the decay and corruption that attend the decline and say “but what can I do about it?”
There is nothing you can do about it. What you can do is change yourself. Change your frame, expand your vision, take the actions required to make you and your family into high functioning husbands and wives and fathers and mothers. Be a good neighbor, do for yourselves, think further out than payday, expect nothing from anyone and be grateful when you get it. Feed yourself from your own labor, lay up stores for the day when there is no plenty, pay attention to the beauty in each moment, every experience, do your best even when no one will ever see it, stay positive, be honest but not cruel, avoid being drawn into the drama of things that have nothing to do with you and create a peaceful environment wherever you happen to be.
It is your life, not theirs. What you do with it is your choice and how you live it determines who you are.
Let your life be the beginning of the revolution.
HF ,tell.about your spiritual outlook as you put it .What is it.? What religion? Is there an after life in your spiritual perspective?Spirituality is subjective . Can mean anything.
“I wanted to change the world. But I have found that the only thing one can be sure of changing is oneself.”
Aldous Huxley
How did I know this’d be its own post? Great musings, Hardscrabble!
All right, okay, I’m going to be the one who just says it. Its a beautiful post that basically is impractical for that vast majority – as in 99.99% of people reading it. Its a goal….that’s both a destination and a journey, I get that. But when America has awoken from its suburban dream late in the perils of the ponzi that now reels from the late stage effects of government power, taxation, inflation, soaring land costs, and more, and just so little left over at the end of the week depending on your situation……with all due respect, truly, sometimes I just think Hardscrabble – your writing for Hallmark.
That said, for me, I’ve made a lot of changes – nothing near what you’ve got going on, but many. So I don’t mean to criticize, so maybe do you have a thought on a practical approach to step 1? That, I can use – because chucking it all and taking the family out to our new run down farm and getting to work is all I can envision, but would like to do more. For the life of me I just can’t see it. I’d just like to know your approach to an approach, that doesn’t involve wisdom, self reflection, and such.
In my business, they’re starting to drop – anyone who comes to town to ‘open shop’ is going to (and gets) slaughtered. But that same person looks what others have done and says, ‘why not me?’. Maybe that’s a better way of saying what I mean, maybe not. Thanks for any thoughts!
Excellent advice, HSF. We can only really control ourselves in the grand scheme of things. Your conscious choice with your wife to redefine what the “American Dream” is for your family sounds like a success thus far.
The key lesson I took away from your post was your deliberations with your wife to come to a consensus on how you wanted to raise your family. I haven’t really taken the time to do that with my wife. I guess I’m guilty of going through the motions for the most part. Shame on me…and thanks for helping me to recognize a different approach.
HSF – I’m curious if you and/or your wife grew up on a farm and already had the skills needed to be successful in starting your own homestead or if you were a suburbanite who threw caution to the wind and figured it out as you went along.
Revolution, Evolution or Revolutionary Evolution?
http://bit.ly/1E8YheY
Good one. Nice article.
We have done something similar in about the same time frame, but on a smaller scale. 30 meat birds instead of 100, no more animals (sheep) due to cougar predation, etc. As a past-life carpenter, etc I have been able to do all of our own work as well as helping my son re-build his house. We have a small income coming in so the preps are mostly what we eat, but we do shop a bit. However, property is always in production to give surplus away to family and neighbours. For example, I planted 140 hills of spuds this year. If everything goes to hell it could be a main staple with elk and salmon, etc, but in past years we simply give a lot away. Right now if I have another grilled zuchinni I am going to revolt and start an uprising. Although, I did dice one up for the potatoe salad last night. The salad was made with our own potatoes, eggs, additions, etc. Spices and mayo were store bought. I grilled one of our chickens.
The one thing that is wonderful about this kind of life is a sense of security. I had some very tough years starting out with my family. because of that, nowadays, I always have 5 years + worth of wood stored in sheds, and full freezers. When I get teased by friends I just smile and tell them I have a ‘wood sickness’ and might have to go for counseling.
As for scale, and this is for non-farmers or folks with small plots of land like backyards, rabbits are easy to raise and love to chew on anything green. They taste wonderful and are easy to process. I no longer raise them but I have in the past and would do so again if times were harder. Instead, we prefer layers and meat birds. You don’t have to raise the rabbits in shitty little pens, either. I used to have a moveable one for some, much like a chicken tractor. However, it did have a stucco wire bottom so they couldn’t break out. I did this on 1/2 acre in town. I also had a dozen layers and a big garden, lots of fruit trees and berries.
There are lots of options to be more self-sufficient and those options are only limited by imagination and attitude.
regards
@Tommy
I feel your frustration/cynicism. I know the life that HSF’s and his family have created with vision, determination and great personal investment is not something I can replicate under any circumstances. I’m too old, too single, too poor, the kids are mostly grown and on their own and the day job is decent.
That said I have found some wisdom in the “Collapse Now and Avoid the Rush” mindset of the ArchDruid’s blog and several of his books.
http://thearchdruidreport.blogspot.com/
Between the across-the-board inflation forcing my life style choices ever more downward just to keep the basics rolling through and a realization that Rome didn’t decline in a day – I have begun my own slow, collapsing with intention. Identifying my needless wants and my wanted needs. If TPTB have decided to strip-mine America and take us all down a few rungs there is nothing I can do about it.
I regret not waking up sooner – I would certainly have counseled my kids differently – but they’re young and optimistic and perhaps things will go slow enough for the aware to plan accordingly.
My two cents.
“It is your life, not theirs. What you do with it is your choice and how you live it determines who you are.” HSF
“HF ,tell.about your spiritual outlook as you put it .What is it.? What religion? Is there an after life in your spiritual perspective?Spirituality is subjective . Can mean anything.” bb
There is more truth in the first sentence than the mind-numbed automatons currently inhabiting America realize. It is your choice.
Religions are constructs of men. Many people beating the “spirituality” drum have never lived like humans. How HSF lives his life tells me all I need to know about his spirituality. I go to church every time I step out of the front door and see the beauty of the Creation and try, in my own miniscule way, to reconcile my existence with it. Think big, take small steps, work hard and leave things better than you found them. And be grateful.
Another fine post, HSF.
Some people take an idea, or writings and take it literal.
HSF is not saying to abandon your lifestyle and embrace his. HSF did not wake up one day and announce, we are going to live on a farm and everyone should be like me, anymore than Llpoh woke up and announced, we are moving to the land down under and everyone should be like me.
HSF ended this account of his choices with:
It is your life, not theirs. What you do with it is your choice and how you live it determines who you are.
Let your life be the beginning of the revolution.
Cue Sammy singing;
Whether I’m right or whether I’m wrong
Whether I find a place in this world or never belong
I gotta be me, I’ve gotta be me
What else can I be but what I am
I want to live, not merely survive
And I won’t give up this dream
Of life that keeps me alive
I gotta be me, I gotta be me….
One day Sammy was taking a piss in a urinal, Dean walked up next to him, glanced over and asked, “Sammy how did your dick get so big?”
Sammy replied, ” I slap it against the bedpost three times, then I get a great piece of ass.”
That night Dean walked into his dark bedroom, slapped his dick against the bedpost three times and his wife whispered, “Sammy, is that you?”
Lots of new commenters . That makes this site even better.
HSF,
Excellent essay on a typical week during the summer months on a working farm. While Nick and I aren’t to that point yet, we are beginning to learn the difference between a job well done and a job that is just done. Our hay is not yet baled, but a local farmer is baling it for us on the halves, since we haven’t decided on a tractor yet, having so much work to do here on the log home and garden plots first.
What we have learned, or mayhap I should say what I have learned, is that our lifestyle choices are so very threatening to others in our periphery who do not understand what we have chosen to do with out retirement funds and years that it is best to just keep them in the dark. Family has grown hostile to us because we no longer play the nicey nice games they like to play concerning behavior of cousins, nieces or nephews that is not appropriate for our chosen lifestyle. We work and we feed ourselves. We do not see any reason to donate or “gift” to thieves, drug addicts or lazy self-serving leeches just because they happen to be offspring of people in our bloodlines.
Our son has worked hard to be where he is now and there is no reason he should give a shit that the cousin who molested small children years ago and was jailed for a decade needs money for a lawyer now that he is facing felony charges again.
The revolution is ongoing, folks. Either you see it and do your part to protect your souls (and I’m sorry but asking HSF about his religion or spirituality after reading several of his beautifully constructed essays seems rather trite to me, but that is just my opinion and I’ve got a right to it until it is official that I can no longer have one.)
Molon Labe, everyone. And I’m not just talking about weapons. We are fighting for our very right to BE.
Thank you
Best to INHERIT some land! Or else you’ll be in DEBT to bankers for possibly your entire life, while you toil “for yourself”…
I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms.
Henry David Thoreau, Walden: Or, Life in the Woods
Faux , so I guess it’s ok to worship piss ants as long as it makes you happy?How HF lives tells you all you need to know about his spirituality ? Really ? What is it then?
Think big ,take small steps , work hard ,leave things better and be grateful.
Tells me nothing about what you or HF believe. Tell me your core doctrines of what you believe or what you profess to believe is Damn nonsense.You might as well be worshipping a boiled egg.
Beeb: try this as a “core doctrine”: “If an ordinary man, when he is about to die, could only see the five elements of consciousness as void; the four physical elements as not constituting an “I”; the real Mind as formless and neither coming nor going; his nature as something neither commencing at his birth nor perishing at his death, but as whole and motionless in its very depths; his Mind and environmental objects as one—if he could really accomplish this, he would receive Enlightenment in a flash. He would no longer be entangled by the Triple World; he would be a World-Transcendor. He would be without even the faintest tendency towards rebirth. If he should behold the glorious sight of all the Buddhas coming to welcome him, surrounded by every kind of gorgeous manifestation, he would feel no desire to approach them. If he should behold all sorts of horrific forms surrounding him, he would experience no terror. He would just be himself, oblivious of conceptual thought and one with the Absolute. He would have attained the state of unconditioned being. This, then, is the fundamental principle.” (Huang Po)
“Worship” isn’t a sine qua non for spirituality.
bb Don’t make ridiculous assumptions. Piss ant worshipers are rarely happy.
The “core doctrines” you request are really quite evident in how a person chooses to use the time given him by the Creator. It is not by trying to convince people that your belief system is somehow superior to theirs. One can tell by your pugnacious attitude that you might be in that category. I have no desire to have a pissing contest with you and I stand by what I said. There is no need for me to examine the “core doctrines” of an individual if I can see the result of his life’s work before me. Don’t get hung up on the contrived B.S. spewed by the moneyvangelists.
Oh, and do not ever follow a boiled egg worshiper up a flight of stairs.
Mongolia , this sounds like some sort of Hinduism or did you take a lot of drugs during the
60s ?Not sure what to make of you Mongolia . You seem like a real smart guy on some issues but then you drift off into fantasy land .I still think you have potential so I’ll be reading what you post.Your kinda like Stucky in that way.I always read what he writes.
@Montefrio… have you decided about my proposal to claim kinship of some sort… I’ll take a kindly distant uncle at this point. Your outlook on life is very appealing.
I also complained about the attempt to label HSF by religion or denomination… called it trite. Why didn’t I get hateful snide remarks from the self righteous bystander along with Faux (waving to Faux…)?
Maggie , because you’re a woman so I don’t usually waste my time .Women should have never been given the right to vote. You are reason for this Damn welfare state.Now bug off.
Well, Beeb, actually it’s Ch’an Buddhism (aka Zen), the Mind Only School. Worthy of study.
As for drugs back in the 60s: what makes you think I’ve stopped? (sarc)
Thanks for the compliment and please do keep reading. What I quoted above ain’t fantasy-land (“the most wonderful land of them all!”) stuff, bro’; it goes back way beyond the monotheistic religions and is reflected in the way HSF (and I for that matter) lives his life as he so well describes in his essay.
Believe whatever elevates your spirit and brings meaning to your life.
@Maggie
Wasn’t aware of your kinship proposal, but I’ll gladly be your distant uncle. Thanks! Your comment above indicates we do indeed share a similar outlook on a number of things. Happily, my family is far from hostile, so welcome aboard!
It’s a pretty story. A perfect attempt at being prepared, living a life you can be proud of, even loving thy neighbor. I hate to be Mr. Negative or the group downer. But when shtf nothing will matter, best laid plans will dissolve, relationships will deteriorate, and what’s coming has no plan.
If you have never lived within a war zone,…nothing will prepare you. Moral law may even get you killed, you will have to make choices in seconds, and some will be good and some will be bad. You will have to live with that. You may be forced to eat things you would never consider food. You may even be put into a situation where you will have to choose between eating someone, shooting yourself, or dying slowly of malnutrition.
These are realities unknown to the spoiled Western World, realities which may soon come true. You better face the worst in your mind now. This is the true nature of financial collapse, lawlessness, social unrest, revolution. Carnage beyond scope. Sadness without measure. Loss unable to be voiced. A world filled with terror.
The worst part is the douche bags that create chaos will sip cognac and smoke cigars, laugh and tell jokes, while others die from their own creation.
James in NY , very realistic .I have read about the Financial collapses/ civil wars in other countries and it is scary. All the rules change and it becomes a dog eat dog world very fast.I prep ,plan and prepare but it may not be enough. Good luck.
Apologies to Admin in advance for an over-long comment….
Dear @bb – – and I am not being sarcastic with “Dear” –
You are one of God’s Creation and therefore deserve the respect due that status.
You seem to have a problem with HSF posts of late. Today’s complaint(s) appear to revolve around whether HSF has the “right” spirituality. As you wish to somehow establish yourself as an arbiter of Christianity, I must make note of a few things that you perhaps missed in reading your Bible.
I am not going to get into the protracted debate over which translation of same best suits your purpose, I will simply say the following.
1. “By their fruits you shall know them…” Google it and pick “your” favorite version to see what that means. Either HSF is showing those fruits or not. The internet is hard to validate in many ways but HSF has an established location for his business.
2. “all people are acceptable to Him” Google that and repeat as per step 1.
3. The “Two Great Commandments”. Same as for step 2. Kinda builds on point 2 as well.
4. “redeem the time” Same as for step 3. It would appear that HSF is acting accordingly.
For extra fun (and edification) go ahead and see how well Jesus thought of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. (Of whom, I would note, you are doing a fine imitation.)
HSF might not be the upright, hard-working and far-sighted person his writings indicate.
On the other hand, you may not be the self-righteous dick that your writings portray. But, please – – PLEASE – – stop giving Christians a bad name by your lack of adherence to the Master’s teachings..
Thanks in advance,
DaP
BTW, I seem to remember that you bristle at the “Perfessor” moniker as me being removed the pressures of “real world” stuff. Nope – – that name is a joke that stuck because people find it faster to consult me than Google on a lot of topics. I’m in the middle of my 5th business renovation/makeover/startup in the last 20 years. Just today I was sweating cash flow and business re-design for when interest rates rise. In between going on my third year of yard conversion to permaculture, putting away the last of the season’s cherries and getting ready for the canning and/or fermenting of the next wave of garden produce.
After the crash that shows this system to get an evil fraud, we should elect an Amish guy as President. We may all have to relearn the shit we should’ve never forgotten, especially how to grow our own food, like the people in the 1st Great Depression.
DaP – you lost me at “You are one of God’s Creation and therefore deserve the respect due that status.”
Great post Hardscrabble. Eloquent.
Professor , I just ask HF what he meant by spirituality . That’s all.What he believes and why.Simple .You obviously seem to be annoyed at my asking. So i’ll ask you .What are your beliefs and why.Be specific . Core doctrines. Then I will judge you.(Not condemn ) but judge.
Go for it professor .
One last question , If you so good at business why do you have to keep doing it.?
Lipoh ,why are you so ill at white people . You were born in white country , you got a white education at an ivy league school , you travel the world in machines the white man designed and built , you have been given every affirmative action benefit known to mankind. You marry a white woman and retire in a 90%white country but you still piss and moan . You ungrateful little turd .Good grief .
@bb –
Okay, so I have now established that you are either a troll or unable/unwilling to read for content. The fact that you skate away from your edgy responses to Faux, Montefrio and Maggie shows a lack of personal responsibility for owning your stated opinions.
My core concepts? Look at the references that I gave you and add two more for your research: “Sermon on the Mount” and “Judge not, lest you be judged…” There are my core concepts. Hard this isn’t.
Your question: “One last question , If you so good at business why do you have to keep doing it.?”
I don’t have to. I actually prize my time doing my own shtick in growing food and traveling in the off-season.
But people make me an offer to come in and help fix their business based upon my success elsewhere. I am not a “consultant” but a temporary executive. My freelance position is to make myself redundant as soon as possible. Some assignments take a few months, others, years.
They get results, I get a certain amount of cash along with freedom of personal time as long as my on-deck tasks aren”t time-sensitive. Win-win.
@llpoh –
“DaP – you lost me at “You are one of God’s Creation and therefore deserve the respect due that status.””
I have a simple rule. I will not, under any circumstance, abuse anything that came naturally into existence by biological or geological paths. (I have been know to abuse a computer, printer or processing line now and then.)
bb, for the moment, I regard as biological in origin. But, as you can tell, I am having suspicions that he may just be an algorithmic troll. There’s just too much there that is easily script-derived with good software and the right processing horsepower.
From here on out, I’ll just give him a miss.
DaP
Irish, I liked your question, since you didn’t get a quick answer, I’ll give it a shot. Experience is secondary, what I think is most important is what I call the farmer gene. It’s not necessarily related to farming. It’s the ability to notice everything, and process it intuitively. HSF has it, he wrote a story about a calf, he knew it was doomed, looked fine to most people
Really good mechanics have it. Llpoh has it, don’t know if he’s ever grown a radish, but if he does, he’ll quickly become excellent. Our host, the admin has it, he’s taken some heat the past few days about his analysis, the ability to take hussman and abreviate him is great stuff. In other words, can you pick out important, and block out everything else?
The other key thing to farming is knowing it’s not a 9 to 5. Some days you have to stay till it’s done. Period. I have guys that have worked for me more than 20 years, they know every aspect of what we do, they run everything with minimal input from me. But when we have a freeze warning, I do the cold protecting. It sucks, cold and wet and allnight, but I don’t trust anybody else. Too much on the line. The farmers life.
DaP – I have a simple rule, too. If a poster is a moron, I abuse shit out of him/her.
I bet my rule is way more fun than yours.
Star – we shall see! I have big plans for growing food. Thanks for the kind words. I am grumpy today, and they helped.
Professor , give me a miss .Since we’re talking Christianity the Sermon on the mount and judge and you will be judged are not doctrines you idiot.
Trinity , the virgin birth , the crucifixion , resurrection , second coming et.
You obviously have no idea what you believe and why.
Now go play on your monkey bars.
Lipoh , you can.pretend to ignore me but I know better.
You guys need to go to night school to understand my buddy bb.
A certain church lady from SNL told me that this troll is SATAN.
Everytime I read a column from HSF, it reminds me of the old TV series The Waltons. Goodnight Johnboy.
I’m impressed! DaP recognized the assclown in bb straight away! It’s not a troll though. His dumbassery is real. He even has his own Insane Assclown Posse that defends him and doubles down on his brand of stupid when you point it out.
I’m with llpoh though……….just abuse the shit out of them. Like he said, it’s way more fun.
Careful with abusing the computers and printers though…….they contain rare earths of geologic origin.
Maggie, are you and your husband still keeping the tax assessor up nights?
I believe I’d move your gate as close to the main road as possible (as far from your home as possible) and then string some lengths of clear, mono filament fishing line across the remainder of the drive leading up the house. Put it at various heights……6 inches above the ground, throat level etc and set up a game camera at each location to record the fruits of this effort.
starfcker,
Thanks for your responses. I get what you’re saying — focus on the important details and block out the noise to address the core issue at hand. Identifying what’s actually important and what is just noise is the key skill, which like anything else worth while, takes some time to develop and master. I was just curious if HSF got a head start developing those skills as a child on a farm or if he grew up in a completely different environment and decided to give farming a go. His posts make the farming life seem fulfilling and frankly idyllic, but I’ve seen working farms and I know the time and effort involved is significant.
IS ,you love me and you know it.
El Coyote , King Solomon said acquiring knowledge increases sorrow.
HSF, my husband and I look at out new lawn, nursing our sore and aching shoulders and backs from laying the sod all weekend and realize that the time we spent putting that grass in place was well spent. Yes, we know it will brown and be ugly before the summer is out, but as long as we get it “rooted” in place, the spring will bring back the beauty of the grass on our previously bare expanse in front of our home.
Our neighbors have three baby goats they are willing to part with for a price and my Pyrenese are very gentle in the pen with their goats, so I am happy to realize that my dream of providing my big white pets with honest labor is soon going to become real. My other neighbor (and when I say “neighbor” I am talking half mile to miles away) provisioned me with eggs, his hens slowing down but not stopping in this heat, and told me that he has counted two dozen roosters out of his spring hatching that need to be slaughtered and canned by me in the coming weeks. The neighbor to the east has finally retired and built their home into the hillside, choosing a lovely blue color for the siding and shed, contrasting with the dark green of our Ozark haven nicely.
We sat together on our front porch watching the lightning last evening, thinking that if someone had told us that all our plans to do this would actually become reality five years ago with all of the troubles and complications we faced, we would have never believed it possible. Yet, here are we.
I told him a summary of your lovely essay here and now I have to thank you. Our Date Night is to be Friday nights because Nick likes one television show available via our antenna: Svengoolie’s presentation of old horror flicks on Saturday at 9 p.m. I sometimes watch that with him, but more often than not, get bored. We were not allowed to watch the old horror movies when I was a kid. My mother’s Baptist upbringing made her suspicious of anything that might be glorifying the devil and my father’s former POW status made him dislike television period.
@Maggie
You don’t like horror movies? Well, I suppose that’s justified given that we all seem to have been added as extras to the horror reality show that is society today.
HSF- great essay; Thoreau lives on in your words, better still in the life you and your family are living. Admin, thanks for giving space to this gentleman to inform those who will listen.
@ Uncle Monty… I just was not introduced to them in my early years, so the fondness my husband feels for the silly costumes and dramatic twists and turns of the werewolf and vampire genre of the 1970s do not entertain me generally. Now, if being riffed by the MST 3K team, that is a different story!