The Oil Drum

River,

I can agree with most of what you state, and in fact I have stated most of this here on TOD in various posts.

I was born in 1938. During my childhood on the farm it was pretty much as you state.

Here is some exceptions,maybe because we had richer land or was settled far earlier than Louisana or the people were more cohesive due to having migrated from the east. Primarily N.Carolina, Virginia and S. Carolina. The people were mostly of Irish and Scotch with a few others Europeans mixes thrown in.

The exceptions: Everyone helped others. You bartered work so to speak. You helped a neighbor put up hay and he helped you plant corn or tobacco or whatever. You traded off breeding stock. You used the churches and town at means of keeping ties close and everyone was very very hospitable. To this day everyone here waves at each other or nods on meeting or passing or on the road.

The work was hard but interspered with lots of free time. I was never as tired as you state. I relished that lifestyle and when I returned to it in 85(this farm) I worked once more quite hard but enjoyed lots of leisure even though I was building a log house, had no paycheck for 3 years, and did custom hay work all over the county and still had time to program totally from scratch a 911 county databased system. All code was mine and I also did the hardware,totally.

So the work is there. You must do it. Children are necessary. Those who are trying to state that we need to not have more children can't realize that the farm requires children. A absolute necessity.

"Don't look back fondly"...I do. Its good memories for me. Enough so that I always tried to have some land. Today working in my garden,working in the barn, meeting neighbors and driving tractors are things I love to do.

I loved the smell of a newmown hay field. Square or round baling it was always a pleasure to see the fields respond and put up some quality hay.

Its different now if you are a corn/bean/wheat farmer/operator. NOW its hard hard work and a real drudge. No matter how many hundreds of acres you work you are still just running in place. No break except from last of planting to start of harvest and a bit of winter.

This type of new ag is not for me. Piss on the exports ,to hell with confinement hog and chicken feeding, nonsense to the genetic modifications and Monsanto. This is just mechanical with out nature as a part of the equation.

The farmers today are NOT good stewards of the land. They are simply destroying it to feed the maw of the exports and big companies like ADM,Bunge,Consolidated and so on.

I am there, I am driving the grain trucks,I work on the equipment, and this is what I see.

So to me the older style of farming far more preferable.

To this day I still visit with my kinfolks. We have big extended families. Someone asks my name and instantly they know all about my extened families and the connections because of intermarriage. We are mostly Baptist but on my mothers side all Catholics. Lots of Catholic churches and they put on good bbq and fish frys. Lots of good fishing and hunting here.

You are never at a loss for friendship and comradeship.

It was not bleak to me back then. Its not now, at least not the way I am living. I pretty much live out of my garden when possible and can a huge amount. I bake my own bread , time permitting. I dig wild ginseng and goldenseal. I made homebrew beer given time.

I do not discard clothing and guess what? You don't have to ever 'dress up' or wear dockers and new shit. Old bib overalls in the town restaurant will not even be noticed.

"Worked to death"..I am 68,take no drugs nor medicine. Never been operated on except for appendicitis as a teenager. I grew up in a healthy environment and my health is the proof. My wife is 6 yrs younger and takes massive amounts of drugs,has two hip replacements, and two coronary heart attacks. She was not raised on a farm. She dislikes farm life for its WORK!!!!! Suprise. So she says..."hon,don't go out and work in that garden,your wearing yourself out and it will kill you"...I reply "you do not understand , that work keeps me healthy"....

So take your pick. I have already taken my pick. All the rest who were not raised as I was may jerk back in fear,awe and shock and decide to just become a cornie or just die in place. Sit for someone else to do the work and they do the consuming...of course that won't work.

Those are the ones who will not make it. They don't have the background nor ability nor desire.

You need to test yourself by shutting off the air conditioner. Go out in the heat and squat in the garden and pull weeds and grass. Drink wellwater instead of carbonated papwater. Try to not be always taking those showers. The dogs won't care if you sweat. Live on less then ask yourself what the future holds. Raise those chickens,get that beehive,trade the eggs and honey or get a milk cow or two and make cheese,learn to hand milk a cow..Do something for crying out loud.

It will not get any easier when the shitstorm comes. If you can't do it in the 'green' how will you do it in the 'dry'?

Airdale-sorry but I saw and lived it different