Post in which I Try To Give Background

"Northland" Spring Equinox

First, a few definitions. The "Northland" is what I call my home. Not my house or even my farm, but the northern latitude climate, here in the USA, where I was born, lived much of my life, and have returned in my older life. Not just a single town, or even a single state has been where I hung my hat and swung my hoe. though much of my wandering has been above the 40th parallel. I am now planted, so to speak, within hollering distance of 45 degrees north, in central Maine.

"Peasant" probably evokes a different set of images and values to each of you readers. While some definitely do not apply (usually referring to historical European small land owners/tenant farmers or a similar class of people in modern poor countries, and often a derogatory term) I resonate with the word and so, perhaps, could be considered to be reclaiming it. My life choices have brought me to a point where I am buying my 4 acres (most folks would say "I own..." but the existence of a mortgage precludes my willingness to use that term.) I am sure those peasants from the dictionary and encyclopedia would not have to think about my long held mindset of "Use it up, wear it out, make it do or improvise" (though they might be more in line with the traditional end of that saying "do without." It was life as they knew it; for me it is life as I choose it, for many reasons. I would rather make, grow, build, sew, put by (can, freeze or dry) and just plain not buy unless absolutely necessary. Shopping is a chore and I dislike it more than cleaning the oven, the refrigerator. the cat boxes and the chicken coop all rolled in together.

"Rambles" I explain in the header, so I guess 'nuff said.

I have done lots of things in the work a day world, enough to pay the rent and such along they way, with a brief bit of time in an actual career (graphic design -- web and print -- and that was enough digital generations ago that trying to get this blog set up they way I want it is driving me batty!) which helped me to morph into a retirement career as a folk artist in the "Pennsylvania" Dutch (Deutsch)  tradition, following threads of my German ancestors who actually did not settle in PA. But the time came

that old age and decrepitude demanded that I give that up as well. Eyes that fail to be able to follow the detailed and hard edge painting style of the "Dutch hex sign" and a back that reads me the riot act after spending time bent over my painting table have to call the shots. And if I am going to hurt -- and at this point I am -- I want it to be because I am helping things to grow, plants and animals that will feed us and allow us to share. Not for money, mind you, though as one of the Rockefellers said in a radio interview that I often quote ... when asked "how much money is enough?" he replied "a little bit more."

I see it, though, as a "what goes around, comes around" situation. Since I decided to stop actively pursuing money as a goal, I have never needed and gone without. So these days I guess that means I am a part of some so-called "gift economy." Whatever. I don't label stuff in my life and that means when it wants t be written about, sometimes there is a lot of head-scratching and mumbling and the "rambles" may come out... sideways? Or at least awkward. But please feel free to engage either here (presuming the comment function is working (never did get that right on my last blog) or via email to starwalkr(at)gmail.com. I think you can figure that out to get it right, save me from getting spammed, and while you are at it, please note that there is no letter E in the address.