Here you go mom. I did a day in the life of...just for you.
6:00 Make coffee, check email and weather
6:30 Devotions
7:00 Get dressed and eat breakfast
7:15 Gather up tools
7:30 Leave for field
7:45 Take care of Flint and Bandit
8:00 Use tractor to move mulch to field until
10:15 Coffee break, blog entry
11:00 Load truck with mulch to take home, weed larkspur, take a walk-through of field
1:00 Drop tools off at Mom and Dads, head home
1:15 Lunch break with Jeff
2:15 Unload mulch, straighten house
3:30 Read
4:00 Talk with Jeff
4:30 Head to field
4:45 Take bush-hog off of tractor, load truck with mulch, plant zinnias, bachelor buttons, and dill in field, overwhelm myself with how much I still need to do
6:00 Take care of Flint and Bandit, move cows
6:15 Head home
6:30 Unload mulch, talk with Jeff
7:00 Shower
7:15 Check email
7:30 Clean up kitchen, start pervil for later day
8:15 Help Jeff with dinner
8:45 Dinner and Netflix
10:30 Bed...ahhhhhh
6:00-
Just kidding :) I won't put you through it again.
Now it's your turn ;)
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Southwest Virginia is saddened
Southwest Virginia has changed so much. What used to be a rural area is, it seems, moving to some sort of suburbia. I am saddened and frustrated by this change. An area that used to be full of beautiful farmland is now full of houses, stores, and partially filled developments. (What is called "Exit 7" was once a beautiful farm and is now Lowes, WalMart, and Sam's Club and doesn't even resemble what it once was.) Developers and out-of-towners are the only ones able to afford the land and now we have house farms and bloated property values. Out-of-towners want the conviences of city life but the "idea" of living in the country so now we are ending up with some kind of sprawling suburbia....minus the city.
But why has this area become this way? I can't blame people for wanting to move here...it is one of the most beautiful areas in the country(IMO). I cannot tell you where people are finding the work and especially how they are finding the work to support the standard of living they are living.
The only reason for this sad change is people are moving here from areas in which they were able to make their fortune, buying or building houses, and raising the price of living for the everyone. The last 5 years or so the price of real estate has become, well, unreal. (Jeff and I hard a terrible time finding something we could afford but were lucky enough to find a fairly priced home from church members.)
Now , I dare say, locals cannot even afford housing here. The most one can do is buy a half acre and put a trailer on it. (The fall in housing prices has not seemed to reach this area yet.) This reminds me of Isaiah 5:8 which says,
"Woe to those who join house to house;
They add field to field,
Till there is no place
Where they may dwell alone in the midst of the land!.
Commentators tell us this stems from the greed of the wealthy buying up the land so that the poor no longer had a place to live. This was a warning of the judgement on such excesses. How many homes here can you go and see no other homes or "dwell alone"?
But to make matters worse, zoning is pretty non-existent here. One can build a half million dollar home next to a trailer and bring the property tax up so that the trailer owner can no longer afford to live there.
I am so saddened by what this area has become...even to the point of shedding some tears over it. Land prices are so inflated it can only be sold to outsiders. Outsiders build 100,000 to 800,000 houses that look like they belong in northern Virginia. The locals could never afford to buy such a house if it was to come up for sale so then more outsiders move in looking for that city in the country.
What saddens me the most is the intrinsic value of land seems to be no longer. Land is most always seen as potential money. Farms are not kept in agriculture because farmers see how much they can make selling it to a developer. A developer sees farmland as dollar signs in his eyes. Outsiders see "cheap" homes and flock here. I know change is inevitable...but it doesnt make it any easier for me that I the place I call home is becoming a place I would have never chosen to live. Southwest Virginia land is no longer a true agriculture area. Farmland is lost. I am sad.
But why has this area become this way? I can't blame people for wanting to move here...it is one of the most beautiful areas in the country(IMO). I cannot tell you where people are finding the work and especially how they are finding the work to support the standard of living they are living.
The only reason for this sad change is people are moving here from areas in which they were able to make their fortune, buying or building houses, and raising the price of living for the everyone. The last 5 years or so the price of real estate has become, well, unreal. (Jeff and I hard a terrible time finding something we could afford but were lucky enough to find a fairly priced home from church members.)
Now , I dare say, locals cannot even afford housing here. The most one can do is buy a half acre and put a trailer on it. (The fall in housing prices has not seemed to reach this area yet.) This reminds me of Isaiah 5:8 which says,
"Woe to those who join house to house;
They add field to field,
Till there is no place
Where they may dwell alone in the midst of the land!.
Commentators tell us this stems from the greed of the wealthy buying up the land so that the poor no longer had a place to live. This was a warning of the judgement on such excesses. How many homes here can you go and see no other homes or "dwell alone"?
But to make matters worse, zoning is pretty non-existent here. One can build a half million dollar home next to a trailer and bring the property tax up so that the trailer owner can no longer afford to live there.
I am so saddened by what this area has become...even to the point of shedding some tears over it. Land prices are so inflated it can only be sold to outsiders. Outsiders build 100,000 to 800,000 houses that look like they belong in northern Virginia. The locals could never afford to buy such a house if it was to come up for sale so then more outsiders move in looking for that city in the country.
What saddens me the most is the intrinsic value of land seems to be no longer. Land is most always seen as potential money. Farms are not kept in agriculture because farmers see how much they can make selling it to a developer. A developer sees farmland as dollar signs in his eyes. Outsiders see "cheap" homes and flock here. I know change is inevitable...but it doesnt make it any easier for me that I the place I call home is becoming a place I would have never chosen to live. Southwest Virginia land is no longer a true agriculture area. Farmland is lost. I am sad.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Why I Cannot Afford to Shop at Wal Mart
Sometimes people will ask me why I do not shop at Wal-mart. While I tend not to even think about it anymore as I hardly even consider the store as an option, here is what started it all.
First, there is the practical reason that Wal-Mart is 30 minutes away!! Why would I drive 30 minutes to get groceries or anything for that matter that I can just as easily get 15 minutes away?
Then, here is the common reason that people avoid the place. Wal Mart tends to cause disorder and confusion of a town as well as wipe out most small business'. I can think of a few local shops that have at least had to stop selling items because there is no way they can compete. I have seen many towns in which the main street is abandoned as other shops try to move closer to the Wal-Mart.
But even though these are perfectly logical reasons for avoiding Wal-Mart my main objection is more idealistic. Wal-Mart encourages the collection of worthless items....in other words, consumerism. The store is seen as a money saver for the poor. But really! All it does is encourage those with little money to spend more. In reality it robs from the poor and gives to the rich. (By the way, I have nothing against the rich getting richer when it is just). There was a time when I would buy clothes from Wal-Mart. What I soon found out was I was paying multiple times over for clothes what I would have been had I bought them from a quality store. Take for instant a shirt. A shirt may cost me $10 from Wal-mart while I could buy a better made shirt from a real store for $30. At a glance you would think this a great deal until you find out that the $10 shirt would last one season while the $30 shirt would last indefinitely, likely 5-10 years. (An argument could be made that children don't need these clothes as they grow out out them so quick. This I would readily agree although I would argue that clothing makes for great charity.) Often times my Wal-Mart clothes wouldn't even last through one season. This can be applied to most anything from Wal-Mart that isn't to be consumed immediately. I have even found that when you think that you are getting a good deal on something from Wal-Mart because it is name brand something, when you get it home you find out it has somehow a cheaper model specifically for Wal-Mart to sell (kinda like what you would find at a dollar store).
What it all comes down to is..I CANNOT AFFORD TO SHOP AT WAL-MART. Let's face it...most things we need can wait to be purchased. We do not need them now..we can wait to save and buy them later. I would much rather save my $10 now and save another $20 over time to buy a shirt that will last me 5 to 10 times as long.
Of course, if you are in the city, their are endless opportunities to save(and spend too, which is why I am glad I do not live in a city). Cities have Trader Joes (rated the same food prices as Wal-Mart) according to Consumer Reports. Cities have Goodwill stores where you can buy well made clothing for a fraction of the price. Housing is another story altogether which Wal-Mart, as far as I know, isn't in the market of anyways. Housing is ridiculously expensive for anyone but this will be addressed later. I have my opinion on why this is...at least for Southwest Virginia.
One other quick consideration is the cost in time. Wal-MArt takes much of a persons time. Swimming through that mess of stuff is hard and tiring. The store purposely draws your attention to other items which meana your are side tracked from your original purpose. There is lost time. I just don't have this in my back pocket. Time means alot more to me than money ever will. Even for someone that had more time than money wouldnt time be better spent working productively than spending greedily.
Farmers markets are a hopeful sign. People tend to shop at the market because they know they can get better quality produce than at a supermarket...often times even willing to pay a higher price for this quality. I just hope this is a sign of people moving toward an interest in quality rather than quantity.
So while I would never consider Jeff and I poor....often wondering how we do as well as we do, we are below median income for this area and still do not shop at Wal-Mart. It is possible! In fact, it is the only way....I can't afford to shop at Wal-Mart.
(by the way, I have linked the title to an interesting article to read more about how Wal-MArt destroys).
First, there is the practical reason that Wal-Mart is 30 minutes away!! Why would I drive 30 minutes to get groceries or anything for that matter that I can just as easily get 15 minutes away?
Then, here is the common reason that people avoid the place. Wal Mart tends to cause disorder and confusion of a town as well as wipe out most small business'. I can think of a few local shops that have at least had to stop selling items because there is no way they can compete. I have seen many towns in which the main street is abandoned as other shops try to move closer to the Wal-Mart.
But even though these are perfectly logical reasons for avoiding Wal-Mart my main objection is more idealistic. Wal-Mart encourages the collection of worthless items....in other words, consumerism. The store is seen as a money saver for the poor. But really! All it does is encourage those with little money to spend more. In reality it robs from the poor and gives to the rich. (By the way, I have nothing against the rich getting richer when it is just). There was a time when I would buy clothes from Wal-Mart. What I soon found out was I was paying multiple times over for clothes what I would have been had I bought them from a quality store. Take for instant a shirt. A shirt may cost me $10 from Wal-mart while I could buy a better made shirt from a real store for $30. At a glance you would think this a great deal until you find out that the $10 shirt would last one season while the $30 shirt would last indefinitely, likely 5-10 years. (An argument could be made that children don't need these clothes as they grow out out them so quick. This I would readily agree although I would argue that clothing makes for great charity.) Often times my Wal-Mart clothes wouldn't even last through one season. This can be applied to most anything from Wal-Mart that isn't to be consumed immediately. I have even found that when you think that you are getting a good deal on something from Wal-Mart because it is name brand something, when you get it home you find out it has somehow a cheaper model specifically for Wal-Mart to sell (kinda like what you would find at a dollar store).
What it all comes down to is..I CANNOT AFFORD TO SHOP AT WAL-MART. Let's face it...most things we need can wait to be purchased. We do not need them now..we can wait to save and buy them later. I would much rather save my $10 now and save another $20 over time to buy a shirt that will last me 5 to 10 times as long.
Of course, if you are in the city, their are endless opportunities to save(and spend too, which is why I am glad I do not live in a city). Cities have Trader Joes (rated the same food prices as Wal-Mart) according to Consumer Reports. Cities have Goodwill stores where you can buy well made clothing for a fraction of the price. Housing is another story altogether which Wal-Mart, as far as I know, isn't in the market of anyways. Housing is ridiculously expensive for anyone but this will be addressed later. I have my opinion on why this is...at least for Southwest Virginia.
One other quick consideration is the cost in time. Wal-MArt takes much of a persons time. Swimming through that mess of stuff is hard and tiring. The store purposely draws your attention to other items which meana your are side tracked from your original purpose. There is lost time. I just don't have this in my back pocket. Time means alot more to me than money ever will. Even for someone that had more time than money wouldnt time be better spent working productively than spending greedily.
Farmers markets are a hopeful sign. People tend to shop at the market because they know they can get better quality produce than at a supermarket...often times even willing to pay a higher price for this quality. I just hope this is a sign of people moving toward an interest in quality rather than quantity.
So while I would never consider Jeff and I poor....often wondering how we do as well as we do, we are below median income for this area and still do not shop at Wal-Mart. It is possible! In fact, it is the only way....I can't afford to shop at Wal-Mart.
(by the way, I have linked the title to an interesting article to read more about how Wal-MArt destroys).
Monday, May 26, 2008
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Friday, May 23, 2008
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Why I Farm
"A farmer who was interviewing a candidate for a field job asked her why she wanted to work with flowers. She responded that she found working with flowers so peaceful and therapeutic. 'This isn't therapy,' the farmer told her. 'This is commercial floriculture.'
To an outsider, growing flowers for a living may seem idyllic. To the experienced grower, though, flower farming is like any other kind of farming - it entails hard work, long hours, physical discomfort, a frequently a high level of stress. Of course like any farming, it also offers personal freedom, the opportunity to work outdoors, a direct relationship between hard work and income, and the feeling of fulfillment that comes from producing something tangible. "
From The Flower Farmer by Lynn Byczynski
I wanted to share this excerpt because it explains quite perfectly what I go through daily, especially lately.
Peaceful, farming is not. Therapeutic, farming is not.
Hard, farming is. Physically tiring, farming is. Stressful, farming is.
So why do I farm? Because I love being free to pursue what I like, I love being outdoors, I love knowing at the end of the week that I worked hard to pay for what I have, and I love producing something. Producing something that is aesthetically pleasing is just an added benefit (that I often do not get to enjoy).
To an outsider, growing flowers for a living may seem idyllic. To the experienced grower, though, flower farming is like any other kind of farming - it entails hard work, long hours, physical discomfort, a frequently a high level of stress. Of course like any farming, it also offers personal freedom, the opportunity to work outdoors, a direct relationship between hard work and income, and the feeling of fulfillment that comes from producing something tangible. "
From The Flower Farmer by Lynn Byczynski
I wanted to share this excerpt because it explains quite perfectly what I go through daily, especially lately.
Peaceful, farming is not. Therapeutic, farming is not.
Hard, farming is. Physically tiring, farming is. Stressful, farming is.
So why do I farm? Because I love being free to pursue what I like, I love being outdoors, I love knowing at the end of the week that I worked hard to pay for what I have, and I love producing something. Producing something that is aesthetically pleasing is just an added benefit (that I often do not get to enjoy).
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Ah, Red Wine
Good grief, it's been two weeks since I wrote anything. I'm so tired though I don't know what else to do but sit here on my bum and pretend to write something while waiting on a delivery from Jeff's diner.
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Mid-Appalachia's Climate Change Saga Continues
Now we may be getting tornado sirens because of one tornado ....... http://www.tricities.com/tristate/tri/news.apx.-content-articles-TRI-2008-05-08-0045.html
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