The importance of being green....

Nope. Not talking about Re-use and recycle (though those are mighty important as well!)

I'm talking about getting down in the soil, getting your hands dirty and planting something green, edible, and healthy.

As I type this, I'm following a post on a friend's Facebook page about energy consumption. It was all started by a post he made about the head of General Motors saying that he thinks the government should add another $1 tax per gallon of gas to force people into more energy efficient cars. Let's face it folks...it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that all that was was a cry for us to get rid of the cars we have and line his pockets further by buying shiny, new cars from his company.

Instead, let me propose this; let's all find ways to use just five dollars less per week in gas. Whether we do this directly by cutting one trip out per week, or indirectly by buying local produce, growing a garden, etc to cut down how much gets transported across the country by trucks, it doesn't matter. The goal is $5 less per week per person in this country.

Think that won't make a difference? Do the math. That's over 1.5 BILLION dollars PER WEEK that we aren't paying the gas and oil companies.

Think that the folks in the offices at Exxon won't sit up and take notice of that? :)

Self-education

Okay....having to sit on big news in my life once again. And it's Big with a capital "B". Life-alteringly (is that a word?) Big. My personal life is back on path. More news later.

The Dream

Okay, I went out today to my dream property to drive myself crazy...again. It's a place nearby, about a hundred acres. It's abandoned. It has two houses on the property...an old turn of the century farm house (with a cool barn!) and a new house, probably within 10 to 15 years old.

This is the first time I've visited the farm this spring and saw things I hadn't noticed before....like two mature apple trees. Like the dozen or so mature peach trees. Like the HUGE fig tree. Like the two large pecan trees. Like the long trellis hosting a huge scuppernong grapevine.

I've dreamed of a place like this to practice sustainable living on a larger scale and a place to host pesticide-free, organic community gardens. Possibly even part of it devoted to a horse rescue shelter.

Did I mention that the property is in foreclosure?

There's only one problem. Or, should I say, 1.2 million problems. Yeah. That's what the bank wants for the property.

Sigh. Know anyone that has deep pockets or has recently won the lottery that wants to invest in a dream? :)

Green Acres

Greeeeeeen Acres is the place to be.....

Okay...I guess a little intro is due. I'm 45 years old, father of a ten-year old son, and dream of owning a small farm. Nothing too elaborate. Nothing to make a living on. Just a few acres...something the size that I can have a decent-sized kitchen garden, some chickens (I love fresh eggs!), a few fruit trees and bushes, a few bee hives (I have three of these already), and maybe a few goats or a milk cow. :)

The reasons for wanting this are multi-fold. One, I want something that I can wake up to in the morning and look over what I've accomplished with my own hands. Two, I want to provide a portion of my own food. Three, I want to leave a smaller ecological "footprint". Four, I want my son to have something to do besides sitting on his duff playing video games. Six, I want to start living more healthy.

And, last but not least, seven, I want to start putting together a place now that I can retire to later.

Make sense so far? :)