I love your post Robert, Rachel and I homestead on 25 acres of hilltop in Whangarei, Northland New Zealand, and it's a gardeners paradise here due to our latitude of 35.7' S, and lack of winter frosts. We have repurposed all sorts of things others have thrown out as junk, and are gradually expanding our food forest by planting mostly fru…
I love your post Robert, Rachel and I homestead on 25 acres of hilltop in Whangarei, Northland New Zealand, and it's a gardeners paradise here due to our latitude of 35.7' S, and lack of winter frosts. We have repurposed all sorts of things others have thrown out as junk, and are gradually expanding our food forest by planting mostly fruit and nut trees, where once there was lawn. The trend since the industrial revolution has, and continues to be, the migration of people that lived on the land, into the cities, and the majority of families in the developed world now are many generations removed from the profound connection with nature that comes with homesteading, demanding instead materialism and tech, conveniences and gadgets, to soothe the anxiety that stems from the vulnerability of their chosen dependent lifestyle. I guess that if you and I were to go to the average city mall, we would be hard pressed to see anything of much use to us, but go to a farm or garden shop, and there will be all manner of usefull and interesting things to browse. I am a humble cabinetmaker who has taken a slightly early retirement, not a world famous scientist and freedom fighter like yourself and Jill, I don't know how you both do it. But I am sure that the remedy to the travel and stresses, is your return to your land, and animals, as I know myself how connecting and rewarding that is for the soul. I am also sure that movements like localisation, and the work of leading lights like Vandana Shiva, are bringing more people and awareness into the vision of a simpler, and more wholesome lifestyle, in tune with our natural environment, a sort of deindustrialisation, and that seems to me to be the way forward for humanity to solve so many of the current problems. All respect to you two for maintaining the vital work that you do, on all of our behalfs.
I love your post Robert, Rachel and I homestead on 25 acres of hilltop in Whangarei, Northland New Zealand, and it's a gardeners paradise here due to our latitude of 35.7' S, and lack of winter frosts. We have repurposed all sorts of things others have thrown out as junk, and are gradually expanding our food forest by planting mostly fruit and nut trees, where once there was lawn. The trend since the industrial revolution has, and continues to be, the migration of people that lived on the land, into the cities, and the majority of families in the developed world now are many generations removed from the profound connection with nature that comes with homesteading, demanding instead materialism and tech, conveniences and gadgets, to soothe the anxiety that stems from the vulnerability of their chosen dependent lifestyle. I guess that if you and I were to go to the average city mall, we would be hard pressed to see anything of much use to us, but go to a farm or garden shop, and there will be all manner of usefull and interesting things to browse. I am a humble cabinetmaker who has taken a slightly early retirement, not a world famous scientist and freedom fighter like yourself and Jill, I don't know how you both do it. But I am sure that the remedy to the travel and stresses, is your return to your land, and animals, as I know myself how connecting and rewarding that is for the soul. I am also sure that movements like localisation, and the work of leading lights like Vandana Shiva, are bringing more people and awareness into the vision of a simpler, and more wholesome lifestyle, in tune with our natural environment, a sort of deindustrialisation, and that seems to me to be the way forward for humanity to solve so many of the current problems. All respect to you two for maintaining the vital work that you do, on all of our behalfs.