Fire Update

All is well.  That's the simplest thing I can say.  We've all adjusted reasonably to having basically no electricity.  My sweetie rerouted some wiring to allow the generator to directly power the house, but, since it is noisy and guzzles gasoline, we don't like to run it except to power the glow plug on our stove. While we bake we do all of our baking, charging of rechargeable stuff, and movie watching. The rest of the time we do all of the wonderful things we do without electricity,

The Truth Is

Hello there.

It's been a while again.

Sorry 'bout that.

Don't worry, I haven't been angry, or depressed, or stressed out.  Quite the contrary, really.  I seem to have stumbled upon a period

Mindful Monday

How can we have something better

if we do not imagine it?

How can we imagine it if we do not hope for it?

How can we hope for it

if we do not attempt to realize it?

Wendell Berry

Writer and Region

in

What Are People For?

The Root of the Matter

It's been a long summer . . . but I didn't need to tell you that.

An unprecedented quantity of produce has passed through my kitchen and been processed into sauces, jams, pickles, purees, relishes, frozen foods, pastes, dried vegetables, wine, and medicines. All of this in spite of a number of crop failures. 

And we’re not finished yet.  As a matter of fact the bulk of our most important crops are just beginning to flow in. 

Getting to Know You

We're spending an awful lot of time in the garden these days, but I guess you've guessed that already.  One of the pleasantest parts of the gardening day is the very beginning.  Whether we arrive by bicycle or truck, the first and foremost chore is roving the potato patch.  It reminds me of my days at the great Mammoth Cave when  in between tour after tour, I could sneak off to "rove trails", which basically meant getting paid to go hiking (picking up bits of trash along the way, answering visitors' questions, and reporting stuff that needed to be done.)  It's a way of getting to know the garden and of helping it help itself.

Mindful Monday

I could cry for the time I've wasted,

But that's a waste of time and tears.

Willie Nelson

There's Nothing I Can Do About It Now

With a Little Help

For a long time here at the Tweedledee, we've been loners.  Part of this tendency certainly arose from a feeling that we did not belong here, but I think the larger part was born from a need to prove that we could be totally independent and still succeed.  We have gotten a lot accomplished during our time of isolation, but, at the same time, it has been a lonely accomplishment.

A year and a half ago we vowed to come out of isolation. WOW!!!  What a difference it has made.  We have new friends.  And through both the inspiration and the assistance of those wonderful folks we are advancing by leaps and bounds.  We have also been strengthening the ties between ourselves and our neighbors, and in that strengthening we have realized a generosity we had never acknowledged.