Not political. As some of you may have noticed from various diaries and comments I’ve made here and on dKos, my husband, Sam, and I have been going thru a stressful period. Sam works for a large IT services provider and in November he learned that his current contract was set to expire and that he would be laid off at the end of March. That deadline got extended to May 9th. Starting in January, he applied for other positions within his company, most of them clustered around the DC area, and we waited anxiously to see if he would get a new contract. We put a rental property in Macon, GA, and our house in Roswell, GA up for sale so that we would be liquid, debt-free and ready to re-locate wherever.
Behind it all, we are hoping to change our lifestyle: we want a small organic farm that can contribute to our own self-sufficiency and develop into an income-earning venture by the time Sam retires in 8 years. We believe that the rising cost of gas and oil are going to usher in a re-birth of small farms using time-tested, pre-oil-dependence methods. And, even if we are wrong about that, we’ll still have a good life, living in harmony with Mother Earth.
I cannot convey in words how distressing the past four and a half months have been. We made numerous trips up to DC for face-to-face interviews and searches for affordable farming land. The cost of real estate in Northern Virginia is so outrageous that we were confronted with the possibility of only being able to afford a few acres of land and living in a travel trailer. It was a grim prospect but, fortunately, none of those job opportunities worked out. In all cases, they hired someone less experienced and, frankly, cheaper than Sam.
Then, two weeks ago Sam noticed a contract opening in Lynchburg, VA and applied for it. At first, I was nervous; the only thing I knew about Lynchburg was that Jerry Falwell lives there. A lot of the real estate agents have crosses and fishes artfully interwoven with their logos. Ugh!
But, the more I researched the place, the more excited I became. It’s beautiful country, snug against the Blue Ridge Mountains. Instead of clearing land and building a house, I found small, established farms for sale for under $150K. There are already a few organic farmers in the area just to confirm that our goals can be realized. I looked up the ’04 election results and was surprised to discover that Kerry only lost by 5% so this is pure purple territory and our votes could make a real difference.
The days clicked by and the tension grew so thick in our house that Sam and I had trouble even looking at each other. Suddenly, SUDDENLY, over the last 10 ten days everything has come together. The house in Macon is set to close on Monday. We got our first offer on this house on Friday. And Sam got the job in Lynchburg! Woo Hoo! We’re moving in three weeks!
We’re currently investigating a 30 acre farm for sale 20 miles south of Sam’s job. Somehow I don’t think there’ll be broadband in the neighborhood and I might have to drive up to a McDonald’s in Lynchburg to access a WiFi hotspot on my laptop. Oh, blog withdrawal is going to be horrible! But, hey, there’ll be garden plots to till, baby chicks to keep warm and sunsets behind the Blue Ridge Mountains to cleanse my angst-ridden soul.
Now, for some fun: Sam is crazy about getting a flock of Araucanas, a.k.a, Easter Egg Chickens. Native to Chile, these birds lay eggs with shells in a range of colors from pale green to turquoise blue. Sam thinks everyone will want green eggs with their ham. LOL! So I ask you… Would you buy blue eggs?
Read this all the way thru to the poll.
I’m not sure about green ones, though.
Good luck with your new venture!
On the outside, I guess it would be OK.
I’m glad you’ll be able to settle for a new life.
I would gladly buy blue eggs, but you’d have to ship them to France!
It’s turquoise eggs!
Just right for this New Mexico boy.
I read with interest your diary and I just want to share my experience in the desire for an organic garden.
My husband and I were very interested in organics in the 70’s when we married, we studied all the back to the landers info at that time, and learned how to do everything, from tanning hides, to building a log cabin and most of all ‘organic gardening.’
Since we did not have the means to move to a new area with lots of land, we started a project in our own small backyard to see if we could survive off what we grew. I eventually wrote it all up and submitted to Mother Earth News contest on survival and called it ‘Survival in the City.’
We did it, we were able to survive entirely on what we grew, canned and preserved in an area about 30′ by 30′ and including a chicken pen to supply us with protein. We purchased about 10 or so chickens and they kept us with an abundance of eggs, about 10 a day as most chickens will lay one a day. We checked out all the varities of chickens available, but settled on Rhode Island Reds, I think it was, as they seemed to be the biggest producers of eggs as well as good for eating. The eating part was a problem though, we did execute one chicken,(my husband grew up on a farm and knew how to do it) but none of us could eat the chicken, we knew it too well, so we gave that up and settled for eggs.
Our garden was entirely organic (we both took courses) and produced beyond our greatest expectations. We also came up with some unique ways to grow plants up instead of out, such a squash.
Another trick too is to plant beans with corn so the beans will use the corn stalk as ladders and plus help the corn with nitrogen fixing, which is part of companion planting.
Last year I updated my organic gardening book to bring it current, in any easy to read and use format. If you would like a copy, email me and I will send you one as I have several.
Good luck to you on finding the property of your dreams.
You and your husband sound like me and mine. Sam grew up on a small farm. I learned and practiced organic gardening at Findhorn in Scotland and even took a course from the late, great John Seymour. His “The Complete Book of Self-Sufficiency” is like my Bible.
A decade ago I had a half acre vegetable garden and was able to provide enough for four people with tons left-over for co-workers and neighbors. The past four years we’ve been in a cluster house with a tiny back yard but I still harvested bushels of lettuces and spinach, collards and yep, I supported my squash and zuchs growing up the fence with slings cut from old knee-hi stockings.
All of my training and experience has been focused on maximum yield from minimum acreage. So, the prospect of having 30 acres kinda makes me dizzy.
I can’t believe you mentioned Findhorn, If it is the same place I think, we studied this back in the 70’s, ‘pioneers in organic gardening’ I recall.
Well I guess you won’t need my gardening book if you studied there.
My gardens have over the years been downsized to now a very tiny area, but I compensate by using many containers. There are a lot of ways to maximize utility of a space and in my search for my book I ran across many great ideas many of which can be adapted to apartment roofs, small patios, community gardens, etc. Many ideas for poorer areas to grow and supplement their meager incomes and increased joy from the growing of food.
I think it would be so nice to have a weekly gardening corner on this site, what do you think?
Yes 30 acres for growing would be daunting to me as well, but would wish for if I could have anything I wanted. My dream was and is to live in a greenhouse.
Yep, it’s THAT Findhorn. It started in a trailer park where Peter and Eileen Caddy and their friend (oldtimer’s moment — can’t remember her name) needed to grow food and prayed to nature spirits to help them. By the time I arrived back in 1984, the foundation owned the trailer park, an hotel, a farm and a couple of islands off the coast. It’s a multi-million dollar spiritual enterprise now with global sister sites. They started out quite overtly pagan but now it’s heavily New Age Christian.
Living there was an incredible experience. I thought all the talk of nature spirits was metaphorical until the morning three of them flitted into my trailer to demand that I water the flowers outside. I literally fell out of bed from the shock!
from what I can remember Findhorn is one of the hot spots for metaphysical activities as is Mt. Shasta here in Cal. So you actually saw the ‘spirits’ or faeries.’ That must have been quite an experience.
Boy does this take me back in years, the whole experience of the 70’s for me was wrapped around this type of thing along with the organic gardening and back to the landers. I had a book about the place that was eventually lost.
How many on this site (oldtimers) can remember how we felt then about this planet(and in particular global warming) and what we thought was going to happen, and lo and behold it has all come true. We could not stop it.
We could not even get powers that be to pay attention to gas problems and develop alternate sources of energy. But then thanks be to God that we did learn organic gardening and the importance of it.
I didn’t see Tinkerbell altho I can understand why people would project that image on the phenomena. I saw flashing, multi-colored scintillas of light that emitted high-pitched whistles and chirps that translated into words in my mind. Were they thought forms created by a couple hundred people meditating on Christ-consciousness six times a day? Are they electromagnetic emissions from a power point in the Earth? Hell, I don’t know. But, the flower bed was dry so they expressed a true need and I filled it for them. That’s the way we ought to live with nature, listening and feeling and doing our part.
I’ve done some funny things to try to attract nature devas to my gardens here in the US but so far no luck. I think the phenomena does require being on or near a “power node”.
Although, rather than an “oldtimer,” I prefer to think of myself as a fine vintage wine slowly turning to vinegar.
đ
They are great egg layers, and all our friends loved them too! We have Blue Cochins and Buff Brahmas now (my boys got to pick the chicks last time), but the araucanas are still my favorite.
Your new life sounds wonderful.
Congratulations! So nice to see a happy story of things working out well for good people. You really made my day. Good luck to you and yours with your new life.
congrats, and best wishes, your dreams have come true. ; )
Well, not quite yet. There’s still a ton of work to do before I get to sigh with contentment. We just got some jpg’s showing the interior of the farmhouse and the term “fixer-upper” does not begin to communicate what a filthy hovel it is. The land is mainly pasture and wheat fields. No orchard yet. No greenhouse yet. No vegetable beds yet. And, most important, no soil test yet. If previous owners used DDT then, we’ll have to keep looking. We’re praying they were Amish like some of the other farmers in the area.
It seems the only real problem is the question of DDT. The rest, well that’s just work, and that’s why they call a real farm, a “Working Farm” It takes a lot of work, but the rewards are great.
It will only take a quick test for the soil, the good part is that the land is clear to start with.
I just purchased some that had to be cleared, which I’ve been doing for the past 3 weeks, and now another several weeks of cutting roots. Also, you have a house to start with, I will be building, a little at a time, as can be afforded.
So all in all, your in pretty good shape, if the test proves out. It will be a labor of love.
That area is a good area, and I’m sure you’ll find most of your neighbors a great help. Good luck.
Someone recommended using cola ( any brand ) as a pesticide. Thirty acres would be a lot of cola….. not really organic or self sustaining but still beats the chemical alternatives if in a pinch.
I’ve never heard of the cola thing, but hey, it might work fine, but your right, that would be expensive. Hmm, must be the acids in it that would be for the insects?
Here, I’m planting Night Blooming Jasmine for the mosquito control, along with some Mint, it really helps with some of those pesky biters. I’m leaning more towards plant species for insect deterent.
ooooooooo Lovely! The aroma of those two mingling upon a gentle breeze during a hot summer night, swinging on the ole porch swing talking in bits with good friends after a fine home spun meal…..pure heaven on earth
Amen, and use a lil’ of that mint, in a “Julep” ; )
Goats. My father-in-law raises goats on his small farm. There’s actually a good market for it in Northern Virginia. Just an idea I hope helps. Best of luck with it.
Thanks for the suggestion. If we end up buying land that isn’t pasture or cropland, the first thing we’ll do is put out goats to clear it for us. In the Central Virginia area where we will be there is already an organic goat farm that sells milk and cheese so we won’t want to compete with them. But, we might have a goat or two for ourselves.
My father in law doesn’t raise dairy goats. He raises them for meat. Many in Northern Virginia like to eat goat (Arab and Caribbean communities in particular).
Congratulations on the job for Sam, both houses selling and then being able to find an area you want to live in AND can afford!
When we moved to Oregon in 1967, my parents started organic gardening and shopped at the local co-op for bulk foods. Mom made our bread, mayonannaise, canned fruit, veggies and frozen jam. (And no, they weren’t hippy types – my dad worked for the government.)
Mom and Dad are now in their mid-70’s, very active and healthy. I can only believe it’s because of the organic garden they started in the 60’s. I’m finally buying a house and have started my own plot in the backyard for tomatoes and peas. I can’t imagine taking on 30 acres..yikes!
Best of luck to you and Sam – and thank you for the good news!
What an exciting, wonderful venture for you and your husband! As timing would have it, my husband and I were just talking about this very subject last night, and how we all need to start learning more about self-sufficiency in gardening, trade skills and bartering. (We’re fortunate to be among a circle of friends who choose to barter our trades rather than exchanging cash in many of our transactions.) I’ll be interested to hear how things advance for you. In reference to the poll, I don’t think either color would be a problem for me.
Oh yeah. . .and while I appreciate how busy you must be (and will continue to be!), I’ve been anxiously awaiting your story about the night with Jim Morrison. (But I’d settle for acid and the Dead. đ
I wish you and your husband the best of everything – how truly exciting!
You surprise me! When I dropped that line about Morrison and the Dead, I really expected someone to ask for those stories but when no one did I thought everyone must have thought I was joking. The Morrison story is really kinda long and very ironic but I’m not sure it’s appropriate for a political blog. If just one more person says, “Yes, please diary this,” I’ll do it; it’s already written — all I’d have to do is find it on my hard drive, copy and paste. Still, I’d like to be sure there’s an interest before cluttering up the diary list with my personal recollection of worshiping a sex-god. The story is XXX-rated, by the way.
The Dead: I knew one of the organizers of the First and Second Atlanta Pop Festivals which were actually held in middle Georgia. As I result I ended up behind the scenes at both events. To promote the first one — and convince Atlanta area folks to drive south into redneck territory — they staged a free concert in Piedmont Park with Chicago opening and the Dead closing. That might seem a weird mix but it worked excellently.
The Dead arrived in a big ass truck with all their equipment and hangers-on. I had already read Tom Wolfe’s “Electric Kool-aid Acid Test” so being introduced to Mountain Girl and Osley was really cool. Osley was wearing his trademark orange coveralls and pressed a tab of Orange Sunshine into my palm while shaking my hand. I swallowed that bad boy on the spot so he gave me a couple more tabs for future use.
Then, Jerry Garcia passed me a pipe full of sweet hashish, almost as good as what I’d tasted in Morocco. Everyone was standing around inside the truck, passing around the pipe and a bottle of cheap wine. There wasn’t much talk between coughing, giggling and guffawing about nothing in particular.
When the Chicago set started up, we all jumped down from the truck and rushed to the side of the stage. Chicago’s horn section was kick ass and the beat was chronic. We grouped into a chorus line with our arms around each others shoulders and waists and started step dancing like a premonition of “Riverdance.”
People joined our line on both sides and, like a wave thru the crowd, that line spiraled around the center stage. Chicago got to look down on a audience joined into a jumping, jiving labyrinth of communal ecstasy. Afterwards, the lead guy (forgot his name) said that was the biggest performance rush of his life.
The Dead jumped onto the stage as soon as Chicago was done. Without a break in the flow, the audience held onto each other, stayed joined hip to hip, swaying and swooning.
It’s hard to describe the atmosphere of intense, total, unconditional love and trust. None of us were cynical then. We still believed we could change the world into a blissed-out hippie commune. It was hedonism to the max — Joy as a political tool.
we want to hear the Morrison story!
What a great story to start my (soon to be stressful) day! I loved the vicarious experience. I intended to ask you about the stories when you originally posted your bio – but I must’ve been distracted by something shiny. Last week I went back to that thread, because I wanted to put someone in context – to get a better understanding of their posts. And while I was there, I ran across your comments again, and figured I’d jump on the opportunity while this diary was still up.
I completely understand the atmosphere you described -I’ve had similar experiences on a much smaller scale, and something like that can’t be fully appreciated unless you were there. (Granted, the sunshine, hash and microdot always enhanced the joyous occasion.)
Your story reminded me of my feelings that kids today are overly sheltered. I read Electric Koolaid Acid Test in my teens (along with other masterpieces like The Happy Hooker, which I hid under my mattress :-). It seems that books like that would never make it into the hands of today’s teens.
Thanks again for taking the time to post this. (And I look forward to your firsthand account of the Lizard King)
Do tell, spill da beans! Pretty please!
Yes, I’d like to see the Jim Morrison story, too, please.
The prefered color of eggs does have a country basis. In th UK brown eggs have traditionally been seen as better than white, to the extent that is it quite difficult to buy white eggs laid in Britain. In other parts of the world (including the USA I believe) white eggs are favored.
You may also like to know that at least one big UK supermaket, Tescos, sells boxes of blue and green hen’s eggs as a novelty item. As a disgression, do any breeds produce red eggs? If so, you could do a line of “Freedom Eggs” with the blue, “Italian” with the green with the alternative of “St Patrick’s” if the brown were orangey.
Welcome to what I assume is Bedford County!
I’m going to give you a little info on your new home, and you’re gonna be surprised in a good way.
First, Lynchburg is run and controlled by Jerry Falwell and his types and Liberty University is a major draw there, which is his college for religious students. I’m sure you’ll enjoy a few Vines games if you like collegiate athletics.
It’s a conservative but growing city and has all the modern “things” Americans like, such as a big Wal-Mart, a mall, Applebee’s etc. It has a lot of restrictive laws such as no skateboarding so most of the youth there are disgruntled but there’s not much urban violence.
Down the road apiece is the town Bedford, VA which is literally the most patriotic town in America. I recommend the 4th of July down there, or just drive through. The highest percentage of citizens who gave their life in WW2 came from there, hence the name. It’s a wonderful little town with that “old town” feeling, small shops and neighbors knowing neighbors. It’s way less intense in the Jerry Falwell conservative model but still conservative in the way small towns often are.
Now, here’s what you DON’T see. The woods and mountains around this area are slap full of hippies, left wingers, communes, Communists, cultists and other independent thinkers.
I happen to have an extremely close relationship with a group of Sufi Muslims who live just south of Bedford in the forest down there, and they all are vegetarian and eat nothing but the organics. When your farm is up and ready I’m sure they’ll be calling for your produce.
Virginia is a strange state and not easily quantifiable as purely “Southern” or purely “conservative”. As u noted, there are a lot of “blue” voters out there. I think there are more than 100 intentional communities in the center and SW area of the state alone. If you don’t know they are there, you might not even know they exist, but there’s a lot of ’em out there.
So, good luck with the farming! I think you probably have a gorgeous piece of land and I envy you much because it’s a beautiful country around there.
BTW if you want a real nice experience, head on down to Roanoke and go to the central market area. It’s almost like Europe how it’s car-free and full of nice small shops and coffee places, etc. Roanoke is also MUCH more liberal and you can meet plenty of lefties down there. A good friend of mine runs the “Seeds of Light” shop down there, which I recommend visiting if u feel like u need some lefty moral support đ
Oh, I almost forgot. Lynchburg has a wonderful street music festival sometime in the summer, playing rock and blues and all kinds of things for free. Be sure to check it out!
Pax
Thanks, soj. Bedford county is indeed where I would prefer to be. The 30 acre farm is all the way down in Pittsylvania. We’re still looking for land closer to Sam’s job and I really hope we end up there.
It is so strange to be moving somewhere I’ve never actually been. I’ve certainly driven the Blue Ridge and looked down on these towns but I’ve yet to place an actual foot inside of Lynchburg or Bedford. We’re going up there next weekend.
Everything I know about Central Virginia I’ve learned on the internet — including looking for land! I start with a MLS# and an address then progress to searching topo maps and sat photos to determine the lay of the land, the availability of water, how much has been cleared, how much is woodland. I’ve googled the hell out of the place looking for other organic farmers in the area, for farmer’s markets and livestock sales. Along the way, I’ve bookmarked some of those alternative folk and already emailed them a virtual hand of friendship.
A lot of my anxiety about moving into Falwell territory was relieved by discovering a large Celtic Grove in operation there. And this site: http://www.retroweb.com/lynchburg/attractions/main.html really eased my concerns. I mean, any place that has a First Church of Star Trek can’t be all bad. đ
And, every day since I found it I click onto this page http://www.bedfordva.gov/webcam.shtml just to look at the weather and the pickup trucks driving thru. After spending the last 10 years in the conjested suburbs of Atlanta I’m really looking forward to being an old hippie in the hinterlands.
for all you have been through and now your happy ending. Much blessings on your adventure ahead.
May I recommend “Noah’s Garden” if you have not already read it.
Here’s wishing you lots of red wigglers.
In addition to the blue eggs, see if you can get the wonderful Cherimoya fruit up here in the states from Chile. Some of the best ice cream I ever had was of the Cherimoya flavor when in Santiago.
To Celebrate your new homestead here is a golden moldy.
“Spanish Pipedream”
© John Prine
She was a level-headed dancer on the road to alcohol
And I was just a soldier on my way to Montreal
Well she pressed her chest against me
About the time the juke box broke
Yeah, she gave me a peck on the back of the neck
And these are the words she spoke
Chorus:
Blow up your TV throw away your paper
Go to the country, build you a home
Plant a little garden, eat a lot of peaches
Try an find Jesus on your own
Well, I sat there at the table and I acted real naive
For I knew that topless lady had something up her sleeve
Well, she danced around the bar room and she did the hoochy-coo
Yeah she sang her song all night long, tellin’ me what to do
Repeat chorus:
Well, I was young and hungry and about to leave that place
When just as I was leavin’, well she looked me in the face
I said “You must know the answer.”
“She said, “No but I’ll give it a try.”
And to this very day we’ve been livin’ our way
And here is the reason why
We blew up our TV threw away our paper
Went to the country, built us a home
Had a lot of children, fed ’em on peaches
They all found Jesus on their own
well welcome to VA when you get here, hopefully before our election for Governor in Nov. We can always use more progressives in VA.
And if the drive is not too long you can drive to NoVA and sell your eggs at our farmers markets here in Fairfax that do a boooming business every Saturday.
How wonderful for you and Sam! Your new life sounds like it’s going to be terrific. Please keep us updated on the farm search. And I would most definitely buy blue eggs, and green ones, and any other color you could come up with!
Please diary your Lizard King encounter when you can. I’d love to read it, especially if it’s XXX-rated. LOL! đ
I’ve been worried about you. The other day I even took the time to check out your postings, and became especially concerned when I saw that you hadn’t written since March 31. Welcome back!
Hey Anomalous! {waves}
I’m sorry – I didn’t mean to worry you! I’ve been really busy at work lately, which is kind of unusual for me. LOL! I’m taking some extended breaks today. I need ’em, I’m tired. Thank you for thinking of me, and I promise not to worry you like that again!