Wildroots Community….Out in Hot Springs, NC…

Posted on by September 27, 2018

This looks like where we live.

But….it doesn’t look like how we live.

These guys are out in Hot Springs, NC….so they’re a little ways off from our neck of the woods.

I don’t want to be a full on hippy.

Do they even exist anymore?

Jenny got yelled at when we first moved out here because she had a baby on her hip and Birkenstocks on her feet when she went down to the mailbox to get our mail.

Some young guys in an old truck yelled, “GO HOME, HIPPY!!” as they drove by.

They didn’t know that the gutted house we were refurbishing was home.

They should know that if you’re getting your mail at your mailbox that you probably live there.

I should quit my job so we can live in a funky shack and cook rhubarb.

That’s the life….right?

Atchafalaya Houseboat….

Posted on by September 25, 2018

I used this in a post about 3 or so years ago, but it had a long PBS pledge break invading the video in a couple of places (20 minutes worth of pledge break surrounding a 30 minute video is too much) so I thought I’d rerun it now that somebody uploaded a better version.

This is a great story and probably not all that uncommon.

We do interesting things….we just don’t document all of them.

Atchafalaya.

Interesting place….down in the swamp.

Heavy Old Hiking Boots! Asolo Refurb….

Posted on by September 24, 2018

I bought an old pair of Asolo Sport Crest boots in a thrift store the other day.

It’s interesting to watch this guy refurb a similar pair of boots.

Watch how he uses the saddle soap!

I usually just sponge it on….but his method looks better.

These old boots are so stout….and, once you break them in (?)….they’re comfortable and last longer than….most other footwear.

Old school….like me.

Who saw the day coming when I was “old school”?

“Living Lightly” documentary

Posted on by September 23, 2018

Nice documentary about a homesteading family in New Brunswick.

Here’s the YouTube description:

Living Lightly offers a magical glimpse into a world where one 21st century family lives with the land in its seasons. On their farm, the Vidos practice the ancient craft of scything as meditation in action. Robin Burke’s poetic debut, filmed on their farm in a corner of New Brunswick, Canada explores a way of relating to and loving the land. Peter Vido, originally from Slovakia, is a master of his craft as are his wife Faye and their three children, Ashley, Kai and Fairlight – a family whose love and care for each other, rooted in their daily work together, strengthens and feeds them. The scythe is their instrument and their passion, its whispering sound the idyllic leitmotif of a truly inspiring ensemble. Against a stunning landscape the Vidos live lightly among their fields, pastures and animals, taking as little as they need for a fulfilled simple existence. Cassis Birgit Staudt’s music takes the dancing rhythms of the scythe and works with them to produce art. This is not a story of rejection of the modern world but a study in how we might heal our relationship with planet Earth.

There are many ideas of what “success” in this world entails.

This family has a good thing going on….and it looks like a good way to live.

It looks like “success” to me.

For sure.

Focus on the Things that Ignite your Spirit and Bring you Joy….

Posted on by September 22, 2018

You can fill your head with things that support….or with things that tear down and destroy.

I could have used some of this in the morning….but it’s a good way to end the day, too.

The only thing that we can control is how we perceive our lives.

Why do I forget that sometimes?

Maybe I should fill the space that the questions take up with a replacement helping of gratitude?

Time to Go (Or…Almost Seeing Boston)

Posted on by September 20, 2018

Boston closed a Toys For Tots concert that I went to when I was 16.

The other bands ran over so Boston started playing late.

I heard them start to play while we were all out in the halls that circled the Omni.

It was time for my Dad to pick us up….and, so, I heard Boston play about 3 songs before we all left for home.

The amazing thing isn’t that I “missed” a big band on it’s first American tour.

It’s that my Dad drove the old 1967 Ford Fairlane down from Marietta to downtown Atlanta….after dropping us all off earlier in the evening.

And…they let him in to the Omni to find us.

That’s a good Dad to come and get us all like that in the station wagon.

Boston was a good band….and I’m glad I had a chance to almost see them.

My Dad was a pretty great Dad, too.

The Omni Coliseum was demolished in 1997.

How many concerts did I go see there?

I’d moved away before they blew it down.

Weird.