...by living simply; by sharing what we have with those who have not. I am encouraged to write this post to share with you about a book I've checked out from the library. It's called "Living Simply With Children". I came across it while walking Kaya around the first time we visited the library in Eureka Springs, AR. I recommend it to anybody who wants to learn how to downshift as the author, Marie Sherlock, would say and simplify their lives. The title makes you think it's all about raising your kids with a simplistic lifestyle, but it really applies to anyone. The reason I'm recommending the book is because it awakened in me a compassion for the rest of the world that I haven't felt since I was maybe nine or ten years old. Do you remember when you wanted to save the world and make it a better place? I do but I have long since become more focused on myself and my wants and needs. Anyway, I'll leave it to you to decide whether you're interested in reading it because I have other news which requires mention.
We're going to leave Arkansas for various reasons in search of new farms to volunteer on or even just tour. This farm is successful and has lots to teach us but we were expecting a certain philosophy that is not here. We were under the impression this farm was following Masanobu Fukuoka's methods of spreading seed pellets and not tilling the soil like what we read about in "One Straw Revolution". Fukuoka's methods are as nature-aligned as we've heard about, but the farm we're at now only uses parts of Fukuoka's practices. However, this doesn't mean we're done with our adventure. We may not be able to find a farm that is 100% Fukuoka-style so we might just have to start that up on our own and learn as we go. We also realized that we might not want to sell vegetables at farmers' markets after all because the amount of labor and resources that are used to produce them doesn't seem worth the return we would get. Instead, we're thinking of having a homestead where we have chickens, goats and bees. We would raise the chickens, sell their eggs, breed them for selling meat, and harvest honey from the bees. We're really interested in bees to begin with and we have some experience with chickens and goats already. The goats would mostly be for our own benefit to have access to dairy. Also, for our own benefit we would like to keep a garden with fruits and veggies farmed Fukuoka-style.
We're headed out of Arkansas and into Missouri to visit relatives starting next Saturday (the 18th). Shortly after that, Kaya turns one!!! We plan to head in the direction of Tucson by car for a family get-together in late June. There's a farm nearby Tucson that we're considering touring in the meantime. Well that's all for now, folks!
Ps - "Living Simply With Children" has its flaws - the author, who is American, judges Americans quite harshly. However, I do believe every country should seriously take a hard look at what it stands for once in a while. ;)
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