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Tuesday, July 8, 2008

I wish I were Beatrix Potter...

With food shortages and food recalls, with the housing market a bust yet somehow seeing so many people putting additions on already ridiculously large houses, with seeing sustainable & artisanal farmer's struggle to stay afloat then raise prices to where most people can't begin to dream of affording their delicious, Earth-Friendly goods ($40 for 2 lbs of cheese?!?!!), with this chicken fiasco looming over us, all I can think is: I wish I were Beatrix Potter.
I am quite sure that sounds silly to most anyone reading this, but it is what keeps rolling about in my head. Not that I want to write tales about bunnies (though that wouldn't be bad either), but it is what she did with her money that impresses me so. With the money she made from her books she bought farms. She saved farms from becoming real-estate. She made sure that they forever remained working farms. What would have become of the land over time if it weren't for her?
Everyone dreams of winning the lottery. Oh, the things they would do if only they had money of lottery-proportions! That is what I would do. I would buy farms and land and make sure they remain worked. I would give my friend Joann a farm to raise sheep on, and make sure that there was enough space and people to spin the wool into the wonderful quality yarn she knows would come from those sheep.
I would make sure the building received their power via solar-powered generators. We would use animals, along with the powers of our own bodies, to work the land rather than machines. We would raise not only heirloom fruits and veggies, but also heirloom breeds of animals.
I would make sure these farms could be multi-generational and perhaps even support mutiple families. There are so many jobs to do on a farm, why should anything be outsourced? Large farms that become mini-villages, self-sustaining throughought time.
This is my dream, my desire. I think I just saw Peter Cottontail heading straight for the garden.

3 comments:

Kelsie said...

I just found your blog, and I'm...outraged...at the chicken scandal. In my hometown, there are certain parts of town (the "better" parts), where it's ILLEGAL to line-dry your clothes...these laws forbidding a simpler, more self-sufficient way of life are maddeningly petty. I signed your petition (and left a rather long comment...) and I intend on following your blog closely!

I wish you the best of luck with the chickens. I also wish I were Beatrix Potter, sometimes. :)

-Kelsie

Anonymous said...

Hi MamaTaney! That's so cool that Beatrix Potter did that with her money! I never knew that. :) That would be pretty awesome to buy farms and make sure they stay farms. Sigh.. if only I had written best selling children's books. haha.

I'm glad I have another blog like yours to read now! :D

Sincerely,
Your Co-Top Commentator on AllNaturalMe, Sam <3

Carrie and Justin said...

Thank you both for the comments!! Thank you Kelsie for your signature on our petition, I saw it and was just utterly blown-away and very humbly honored!!
Sam - Check out the movie 'Miss Potter' - it is truly wonderful!