I’m preparing to leave the farm…
Living in an isolated rural area while trying to pursue a modern occupation (as a corporate architect) is hard. So I’m going to come down from the mountain. I am going in the opposite direction of Lao Tsu but perhaps I have learned some of the same lessons including:
- At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want.
- He who does not trust enough, will not be trusted.
- If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.
- He who knows that enough is enough will always have enough.
- Anticipate the difficult by managing the easy.
tomato tao
Ways that I have changed, lessons I have learned are:
- I am both more gentle and more brutal (as opposed to the requisite mediocrity that prevails in the modern world)
- I can only do so much navel gazing; the heart of living is action/interaction. This is perhaps the lesson to be gleaned from the tragic tale of Christopher McCandless the true-life protagonist of the book/movie “Into the Wild“
- If I can learn how to be a small time farmer/rancher, anyone can (however, see below)
- You can’t do it alone. Good neighbors have helped me every step of the way. With gardening and livestock management, sharing knowledge and tasks is essential
- I am not the only one finding spirituality in these mountains, there is a major buddhist retreat/temple just up the road from me ( http://www.shambhalamountain.org/)
“The [connected] man goes through his life without any one preconceived course of action or any taboo. He merely decides for the moment what is the right thing to do.” –Li Chi
In preparation for renting the property, I have to take care of a few things including:
- Silencing my rooster. Poor guy. I hate having to do this. They all seem to know when it’s their turn. EC, normally combative, just stood by me as I crouched down to his level. No fighting, just acceptance. It was quick. The hens will stay with the renters.
- The horses should still be grazing on the pasture. I would to love to see them there when I return.
- I will find homes for my goats. Since most of them are does, they should live long lives as mothers. However, Iam concerned about my castrated male, Mr. Squarehead. I did recommend him as a pet to my rancher friends but he may not be so lucky. What a great goat with a fantastic disposition. I’ll miss you Square (photo below center with Snowflake-left and Ellie May-right when kids)
Those are some adorable goats, not like this guy below:
Some additional random thoughts
- I’ve rediscovered cumin (an underrated spice)
- My pumpkins and potatoes are thriving. The chickens will dig up some of the potatoes if the renters are not careful though.
- I found out the answer to a long wondered question. When is it more economical to drive with your windows down and when should you use air conditioning? Answer: Use air-conditioning at 50 miles per hour or faster. At speeds slower than 50mph you can use wind conditioning because the air drag is minimal. (source: Mythbusters show)
- The sound of wind through Aspens sounds like running water
Thanks for reading… have a wonderful day!
