Lynda, over at Cortina Creek Farms (their farm is in California), wrote a post advising "Folks...Ya Need To Plant A Garden".
It's worth a read to get her up close and personal perspective on how the drought is impacting their farm. And the business of farming. Lynda's family can weather this storm. But some younger farmers won't.
When you're young, anything is possible. The world is your oyster and you can usually bounce back from hard times.
As you get older though, you start to think a bit more defensively. Time is not on your side. Emergency funds, retirement savings, health insurance...SM and I choose to have these systems in place.
We're both in decent health (for now).
We both have an income stream (for now).
But we both recognize that all this can change in a heartbeat.
So we exercise to stay healthy.
We've invested in a garden to provide us with some home grown fruit and veg.
We're looking at our house and yard and making improvement decisions based on what our world will be like in 10-20 years.
Taking trees down. Lower maintenance landscaping.
Replacing the wood deck with Trex or something like it.
Railings for the steps? Wider steps?
The master shower stall needs replaced. Should we consider a walk-in shower?
They do say that the best defense is a good offense.
| IN a field one summer’s day a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart’s content. An Ant passed by, bearing along with great toil an ear of corn he was taking to the nest. | 1 | |
| “Why not come and chat with me,” said the Grasshopper, “instead of toiling and moiling in that way?” | 2 | |
| “I am helping to lay up food for the winter,” said the Ant, “and recommend you to do the same.” | 3 | |
“Why bother about winter?” said the Grasshopper; “we have got plenty of food at present.” But the Ant went on its way and continued its toil. When the winter came the Grasshopper had no food, and found itself dying of hunger, while it saw the ants distributing every day corn and grain from the stores they had collected in the summer. Then the Grasshopper knew:
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Sage advice. Even if folks decide not to grow their own food (although it's a worthwhile endeavor), they can choose to purchase produce from small, local farmers. We found our farmer through Craig's List and the best part is that it's all pesticide-free for the same price that non-organics cost us in the grocery store. We can feed each other, if we just make the effort.
ReplyDeleteYou're so smart for taking measures now while you're both healthy and working. ;0)
Such a good, sensible, responsible(!) way of thinking! So many folks these days have been lulled into thinking they don't have to take care of themselves in any way, size, shape or form. Arrrrgh! How frustrating. That way of thinking and acting is not what made our country great. If I'm thinking pessimistically, I could say that kind of attitude is what is causing most of societies problems. On the optimistic side (yeah, let's choose that!), good folks like you and SM (and more and more others) are stepping up to the plate and taking charge of their lives. In big and small ways. 'Tisn't always the easy way, but the right way. (Soap box now pushed back under the bed.)
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