Thanks for the Delicious Food

Having just completed what would amount to a good half day's work for a real farmer, this wannabe farmer is beat.

It was a good day, working in the woods at the height of spring, spying the occasional wildflower and enjoying the mild temps. While spraying weeds on our hiking trails, I scared up a mama turkey sitting on her clutch of eggs. She circled me twice at about 100 feet, clucking and complaining, letting me know in no uncertain terms that I was too close to her developing family.

Later, moving a pile of firewood, I disturbed a lizard and a couple of toads who had taken up residence there. As I loaded it on the tractor
they eyed me, confused and suspicious, but also a bit curious.

Hauling the firewood back to the house, which, to be clear, provides us more with ambience than heat, I reflected on the hardworking farmer whose livelihood depends on a full day of physical labors. I remembered that, on average, she receives in income only about 18 cents for every dollar I spend on food.

I firmly believe we need to make big changes in our food system. We need to continue working on environmentally sound pest management methods. We need to do a better job on soil conservation and pollinator habitat. We need to continue efforts to protect water quality.

At the same time we have to figure out how to produce enough to feed 6 billion people. We need crops that are drought tolerant and pest resistant and high yielding. We need to eliminate waste and address inequities in the distribution system.

As tobacco usage continues to decline, we have to work on finding viable alternatives for our tobacco farmers. The alternative is to lose North Carolina's most productive farmland, and some of our most capable farmers.

We need to work on all those things and more.

But today, riding on the tractor with a load of firewood, I simply felt grateful for the hardworking farmers. Whether their crops are organic or conventional or genetically engineered or biodynamic, whether their livestock is raised in pens or fields or forests, I am deeply grateful for their hard work bringing food to my table. And the next time I see one, I plan to thank them for the delicious and nutritious food. I hope you will too.

All the Reasons We Never Expected to Love Our RV

Last September, Kate and I bought a used travel trailer. It's small, only 20 feet long, and over a dozen years old. It's been well used, and shows it, with plenty of scratches, dings and dents. But all the systems work and it's well-appointed. We paid $4500 and spent another thousand getting it outfitted, which maybe isn't bad for a second home.

We absolutely LOVE it, and for many more reasons than we expected.

The camper came with everything we
needed, except the dog.

I certainly expected to enjoy the new opportunities for travel and vacations. I was also very attracted to the idea of having a second home, and this is like having one at the beach, and the mountains, and the lake, and a cabin down by the creek. And I was completely enchanted by the compact layout, fitting all the comforts of home in such a small space.

But there is so much more, and it truly surprised me.

I love the feeling of hooking up the RV and taking off on an adventure. Our adventure may only take us 45 minutes from home, but we could be setting off for the Sahara as far as I'm concerned.

I love having a private bathroom attached to the car. Very handy. I'm considering attaching the camper to the car on a permanent basis.

I love the intimacy of living in a small space with my sweetie. Spending time in separate rooms is not an option.

One of our favorite parks,
Kerr Lake State Recreation Area

I expected that the campground vibe would be relaxed and friendly, but I didn't anticipate how easy it would be to strike up a conversation with strangers who quickly become friends.

I've been a huge fan of North Carolina's State Parks for as long as I can remember. I didn't realize my love for them could grow.

I had no idea what an escape it would be from the stresses of everyday life. Taking a couple days to camp, doing some hiking or kayaking, and even hanging out in the camper fixing meals or watching movies with friends and loved ones, allows me to "leave it all behind" in a way I rarely experience.

But without a doubt, the best part of all is how this little camper has given me so many opportunities to do things I enjoy in the company of the person I love most in the world.

Prepared or Paranoid?

Having descended even further into the black depths of internet paranoia (see The Urban Prepper, for example), I decided to make a Bug Out Bag.

A Bug Out Bag (a.k.a. "Grab and Go Bag" or 72- hour kit) is a set of evacuation supplies you would take if you had to leave the house in a hurry (e.g. earthquake, wildfire, flood, etc.). It should contain all the food and other items you would need to survive for a few days.

It should also, according to many, contain all the weaponry you need to fight off zombies or space aliens. Since all the reports of zombie and space alien sitings are unconfirmed, you'll have to speculate on the best weaponry. After extensive study (I watched Signs and War of the Worlds, as I felt space aliens were more likely, plus I'm just not a fan of zombie movies) I decided to include a fully loaded Super Soaker.

Venison Green Bean Casserole

Here's how to make the famous family recipe. It's a nice "one-dish" meal.

First, obtain the appropriate license or permit for your area.

Next, sit in the woods with a gun, bow, or other legal weapon for countless hours and wait for a deer to walk by. Click here or here to see what's that's like.

Alternatively, drive to a grocery store and buy the ground meat of your choice (turkey and beef work well, as does pork sausage).

That will never happen!

This post contains a curse word. OK, you've been warned.

One of the things that really irritates me is when people block the passing lane on the interstate. Maybe they think the "Keep Right Except to Pass" signs were put up as a vision test???

Another of my pet peeves is when people write off grand ideas with the "That will never happen!" response.

Someone might suggest, for example, how nice it would be if all of our streams and rivers were free of pollution.

Admit it, that phrase went through your mind, am I right?

It's a knee-jerk reaction, and one I have had countless times myself. It is a "write-off" reaction, a conversation-ender. And since I took a semester of college psychology 25 years ago, I'm obviously in a position to fully analyze it. Holy SHIT! 25 years ago? [In case you weren't paying attention, that was the curse word]

With the exception of those few folks who can actually predict the future, here are the three possible meanings behind that phrase:

1. "It is unlikely to happen in my lifetime" - Now, this may be a reasonable conclusion in many situations. I am knocking on the door of 50, and statistics suggest I'll make it to 70 or 80, maybe even 90. In that timeframe, for example, it is logistically impossible that we would fully restore even a small portion of old-growth forests, assuming everyone agreed that was a wise effort. Maybe that's too short a timeframe to completely eliminate poverty, or reduce the murder rate to zero. Maybe those things would take 100 years, or 1000 years, or 10,000 years. But does that mean we shouldn't wish for it?! Or work toward it?! Or plan for it?! So instead of saying "That will never happen," try saying "That won't happen in my lifetime and I don't care about future generations so let's don't even try."  It will be an equally effective conversation ender and a more accurate statement.

2. "That will never happen because we're on a path to anarchy and destruction" - It's true, there is some evil shit taking place in this world (sorry, that one slipped out). But there are also people of great courage, intelligence and compassion working to make things better, in ways small and large (almost certainly including you). And the possibility of new technologies solving some of our big problems cannot be discounted. And even if we are on a path to destruction, do you believe human society could not rise from the ashes? And that the lessons we learn and solutions we develop today would not inform future generations?

3. "That will never happen and I'm certain because I actually CAN see the future" - Got any stock tips?

The next time some romantic dreamer makes a wild statement about world peace or clean water or ending hunger, consider a different response. How about "What's your next step?" or "How can I help?"

But most importantly, please spread the word about the "Keep Right Except to Pass" thing. That's REALLY irritating.