One of the things I have retained from the "normal" world is the habit of keeping Sunday light on work. I really do feel the need to recharge the batteries at least once a week. So I do the chores then try and do something relaxing such as reading or just sitting and watching the critters. I don't really have any favorite authors. It's all grist to this mill. I am not that into great literature. My reading is generally fluff stuff. Tales of improbable high adventure or grisly crime scenes determined to hide their secrets.
I rarely read about "real people" but I have just finished "Take Big Bites" by Linda Ellerbee, a former CNN anchor and a person I think I would like as a friend. She has traveled a lot and enjoys good food - what's not to like? The book is basically a memoir, giving glimpses into her life and relating her visits to far flung places, giving recipes that she particularly enjoyed in those areas. I found it hard to put the book down. And I will try some of the recipes. I might even post some.
I have never understood travelers that go thousands of miles to a foreign country, then are disappointed when it isn't just like home. My parents are like that. They visit Spain fairly frequently and are bitterly disappointed if the hotel doesn't have roast beef and mashed potatoes.
When Ken and I visited Spain we searched out the small tapas bars, and the restaurants that served local produce and local recipes. My most memorable meal ever was at a tiny (three tables) restaurant that was a half mile hike up a steep hill but had the most spectacular view of the town and the sea from the tiny balcony that was the "dining room". We had a simple salad which was unceremoniously whisked away when the paella was ready - you don't wait around keeping it warm. This was followed by a goat cheese and sugar confection served with oranges soaked in liqueur. We drank local wine and afterwards were invited to join the owner and his family in their home (behind the restaurant) for brandy. I have eaten at some great restaurants in Paris and London, but this is the one I remember...
I think these expectations run through our lives. When I decided I wanted to homestead, I searched out people who were doing it. I needed to know how it was actually achieved not how someone sitting in an office in New York thinks it might be done. I have read prodigiously about most aspects of homesteading - but the books I read are the "Been there, done that" type. I came to it with more or less down to earth expectations, and a knowledge of my own limitations and weaknesses. I was prepared for the hard work, the dirt under my manicured fingernails. I was prepared for - and enjoy - the roosters crowing at 3 am, the dogs barking if there is something around that shouldn't be.
I wasn't prepared for losing animals because I didn't know enough to save them. I wasn't prepared for the down and dirty fight with Mother Nature to drag a few pitiful vegetables out of the ground when she had sent rain to drown them and then drought to scorch them. But I am trying. I am learning more about the animals I care for and about. I am starting over with a new garden, and tell myself that this time it will be better because I am better prepared.
I really wasn't prepared for the MacMansions a couple of miles down the road where every inch of the 5 acres is perfect lawn. People who want to be "in the country" and then want to turn it into a sprawling rural city. A couple of days ago one of the "Lords of the Mansion" complained to another neighbor about their roosters... I am glad there is no chance of anyone building any closer to me than the houses that are already there and that we are surrounded by Corps of Engineer land. Some people should just stay home, and should choose their home in a place that meets their comfort level instead of being disappointed when they find that other places are not what they expected.
I rarely read about "real people" but I have just finished "Take Big Bites" by Linda Ellerbee, a former CNN anchor and a person I think I would like as a friend. She has traveled a lot and enjoys good food - what's not to like? The book is basically a memoir, giving glimpses into her life and relating her visits to far flung places, giving recipes that she particularly enjoyed in those areas. I found it hard to put the book down. And I will try some of the recipes. I might even post some.
I have never understood travelers that go thousands of miles to a foreign country, then are disappointed when it isn't just like home. My parents are like that. They visit Spain fairly frequently and are bitterly disappointed if the hotel doesn't have roast beef and mashed potatoes.
When Ken and I visited Spain we searched out the small tapas bars, and the restaurants that served local produce and local recipes. My most memorable meal ever was at a tiny (three tables) restaurant that was a half mile hike up a steep hill but had the most spectacular view of the town and the sea from the tiny balcony that was the "dining room". We had a simple salad which was unceremoniously whisked away when the paella was ready - you don't wait around keeping it warm. This was followed by a goat cheese and sugar confection served with oranges soaked in liqueur. We drank local wine and afterwards were invited to join the owner and his family in their home (behind the restaurant) for brandy. I have eaten at some great restaurants in Paris and London, but this is the one I remember...
I think these expectations run through our lives. When I decided I wanted to homestead, I searched out people who were doing it. I needed to know how it was actually achieved not how someone sitting in an office in New York thinks it might be done. I have read prodigiously about most aspects of homesteading - but the books I read are the "Been there, done that" type. I came to it with more or less down to earth expectations, and a knowledge of my own limitations and weaknesses. I was prepared for the hard work, the dirt under my manicured fingernails. I was prepared for - and enjoy - the roosters crowing at 3 am, the dogs barking if there is something around that shouldn't be.
I wasn't prepared for losing animals because I didn't know enough to save them. I wasn't prepared for the down and dirty fight with Mother Nature to drag a few pitiful vegetables out of the ground when she had sent rain to drown them and then drought to scorch them. But I am trying. I am learning more about the animals I care for and about. I am starting over with a new garden, and tell myself that this time it will be better because I am better prepared.
I really wasn't prepared for the MacMansions a couple of miles down the road where every inch of the 5 acres is perfect lawn. People who want to be "in the country" and then want to turn it into a sprawling rural city. A couple of days ago one of the "Lords of the Mansion" complained to another neighbor about their roosters... I am glad there is no chance of anyone building any closer to me than the houses that are already there and that we are surrounded by Corps of Engineer land. Some people should just stay home, and should choose their home in a place that meets their comfort level instead of being disappointed when they find that other places are not what they expected.
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