2006-Jan-5
The Journey Begins
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My family and I are taking a journey. Not away from our home, but further into it. And you can come too -- we are beginning work on a new show, Homesteading TV. I was thinking earlier today that perhaps viewers, friends and family might like to see what we're doing day-to-day, so I started this blog for fun. And to avoid getting any real work done. Heh. At the moment I have the Tivo set to record part 2 of Quest for the Sea, about two families that recreate how the fishing families of Newfoundland in the 1930s would have lived. I love all those sorts of shows -- the first one we saw was 1900 House and we were hooked on the "living history reality show" concept. We wish they'd do Medieval House next! Both Craig and I are crazy for living history, role playing games, Lord of the Rings, these living history shows, anything about archaology, and so on. We were married at the historic Mariposa County Courthouse, had our luncheon at the Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite, and honeymooned at Colonial Williamsburg and the Smithsonian. My screensaver is a slide show of the rustic architecture of Yosemite Valley, and for a while we both published a living history magazine out of our house. We were also in the SCA but now tend to drift in and out of it, partly due to the lack of authenticity of many members, and partly because we'd prefer to actually tend livestock, grow crops, and live on a homestead rather than just pretending to. To us the SCA is doing the same things we're already doing but in different clothing. No point to that really, and it only fills up our (tiny) closets with extra stuff! Another aspect of our desire to live this way is the future. I've been hearing about peak oil for a few months as of this writing, and Craig joined me in my fervor about 3 months ago. We truly believe that there will be a major worldwide crisis of some kind within the next 10 years, probably caused by the quick rise in gas and oil prices as the sources of these peak (or have already peaked). Without cheap oil, our modern society cannot exist... oil and gas have peaked already and the prices are climbing fast while supply diminishes... I leave it to you to connect the dots. We seek a sustainable life, for our family and our local community. Today I ordered about $250 worth of bare-root fruit and nut trees and will be picking up some berry canes tomorrow. Last week I ordered about $100 worth of open-pollinated vegetable seeds. Next month we'll be hosting a public showing of The End of Suburbia and starting a local networking/barter community here in our town. After seeing The End of Suburbia and reading The Long Emergency by James Howard Kunstler, we feel that we, and our society, are on borrowed time. The housing bubble has just burst and is beginning to deflate. Natural gas is past peak and there are increasing shortages as demand outstrips the supply. The same with oil -- the two largest oil fields in the world have just peaked as well, and demand continues to grow on a global scale. So... back to our family's journey. Through the television show we hope to share what we know, the lessons learned and knowledge gained through a lifetime of study and practice. We hope to learn even more, too, through trying new things, doing research for the show, and meeting new friends travelling the same road. Life is about the journey as well as the destination. Let's walk together for a while. |
Comments
2006-Jan-5 - Welcome!
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Posted by 2006-Jan-5 - glad you joined in!
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Posted by 2006-Jan-5 - Very interesting
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2006-Jan-5 - Untitled Comment
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Posted by 2006-Jan-5 - Hello...
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