A Conditioned Environment

I recently made a trip out west.  Specifically, I went to Texas and Nevada...in June.  Why don't business trips get planned according to season?  Why do I end up in New York in January and Fort Lauderdale in July? 

The heat wasn't bad though.  No, I don't mean because it was a "dry heat".  106 degrees is hot whether it's wet or dry.  No, it wasn't bad because I went from one air conditioned building to another in the comfort of an air conditioned car.  To be honest, I hardly noticed the heat. 

But that got me to thinking of by gone centuries where people actually lived and worked in that heat without *gasp* conditioned air.  They lived, and they thrived.  One evening I was in a desert area and the wind was blowing hard.  It was a cool wind, almost too cool.  I think the generations that past must have really loved that wind.  They probably lived to feel a cool wind in their face.

Yet in that heat of yesteryear I wonder how many of those settlers worked indoors.  There had to be some of course, but my guess is that they worked outdoors as much as possible.  Although a roof would provide welcome shade the four walls would prevent air flow and possibly create a stifling environment.  This is conjecture on my part.

But my point is this;  modern industry can only be what it is today because because of our complex energy grid.  Think about it this way.  Would Las Vegas be the mecca it is today if tourists came from far and wide to play games in an enclosed building without air conditioning?  Would they come to see shows in the daytime because without electricity you can't see the dancers?  In reality we only have a thriving office culture world wide because of energy. 

And because of that cultural shift we have lost many practical skills of our forefathers.

I'm so thankful for electricity.  I really am.  I'm thankful for computers, lights, power tools, and air conditioning.  I'm thankful because I know what a benefit they are.  I'm thankful because I recognize that they are luxuries and not a God given right.  And I can only be thankful because I've camped in a tent in sweltering humidity and almost freezing temperatures.  I've spent time butchering livestock and chopping wood.  I've hunted and fished and eaten fresh bass for breakfast.  I've done these things because I enjoy them.  And because of these things I start to realize just how good I've got it.

Spend some time with your kids teaching them these lessons.  Don't keep them inside all day when it's really hot outside.  Turn off the lights one day and purpose not to use them...even in the evening.  take them to a farmers market or a working farm.  Teach them about what life is really like.  They will learn that they've got it good...at least for now.

Fried Chicken

It was very hot in Southern Michigan today.  They forecast 89 degrees, but in reality it got up to 99 degrees.  The humidity made it feel about 105.  Unfortunately, we lost 17 chickens.  The only thing I see as a cause is the extreme heat.  We don't have those kind of days often around here so this is new territory.   I'll keep you posted.  Right now we're okay.  If we lose many more, I'll have to adjust the orders to reflect the loss.  I'll do everything I can to prevent that.  Thanks for your patience and understanding. 

Shackled by Must

I went to the Greenfield Village again over the Memorial Day holiday.  It was the Civil War Remembrance weekend.  I can't miss that!  As usual I got lost in thought and a yearning to finally understand simplicity.  This might be the real reason I like to go to Greenfield Village.  Maybe I really just like to get lost in the pre industrial age ponderings. 

As I was watching the re-enactors cooking their dinners over an open fire in the spring rain, I thought again that I am a man born out of time.  My joy would overflow if only I lived in a simpler time.  Yet as I allow that train of thought to take shape, I realize that being born into another time period would not give me the opportunity to appreciate that period.  Knowing me, no matter what period I was born into I would likely be looking to a time before that and longing for an even simpler way of life.

In fact, I realized that simple living starts with simple thinking.  It starts with a determination, a will, to live more simply.

But that's not so simple.

Here is the scene.  A man is rekindling a now damp fire in the rain.  His wife is stirring the pot and wiping the rain from her face with her apron.  Now, for just a moment forget about the fact that they are wearing civil war era clothing.  What are they doing that I could not do?  Notice I say "could" because, in fact, I would not stand in the rain....but I could.  And yet standing in the rain and cooking over an open fire, as much as it appeals to me, is in itself not simple living. 

Still, as I looked at the scene I have just described, I think it does point to something that feels a bit simpler.  The couple standing at the fire has given up a need to control their environment.  They have ceased dwell on the inclement weather.  Instead they have chosen to embrace the uncontrollable.  I wonder how often my complicated life has become complicated because I am trying to maintain control of everything.  It gets hot and humid so I retreat into the air conditioning, therefore I must have central air.  My stomach growls and I instantly reach for a snack therefore I must always have a snack close at hand.  I seek to be as comfortable as possible therefore I must maintain a good job and a high standard of living.  And with each "must" I shackle myself with complexity.

I know the scripture calls us to take dominion over the whole earth, to provide for our families, and God promises to meet our needs.  Still, I wonder what would happen if I made a list of "must's" and started letting go.  Maybe I'd begin to learn what real needs look like...and maybe life would be a little simpler.

Announcing the Farm CFO

The chickens are finally here.  Well, they actually arrived last Thursday.  I’ve been very busy and so have neglected my blogging duties.  Oddly enough, I haven’t been busy at all with chickens.

 

My good friend Mark is caring for the day to day needs of the chickens this year.  He was hired in to Legacy Family Farm as the CFO (Chief Feed Operator).  Mark and his brother, Josh, have been voluntarily helping out with chickens for the last two years.  Because I do not have land on which to raise livestock, they are able to be there when the need arises.  They do an awesome job too! 

Thanks!!!

The New Brooder

Tis the season…for chicken preparations.  I’ll let you in on a little secret.  I have a serious problem.  It’s a problem that developed at an early age.  As I grew older, it seemed to take a bigger hold on me.  I tried to fight it, but it almost always wins.  As a grown man, I find that it’s an even bigger problem than before.

The problem?

I’m stubborn.

Two years ago when I first started raising chickens I had an emergency.  You can read about it here.  I found a brooder design online.  It was simple and effective.  So last year I used the same design.   But this time I needed a lid on top.  I built it.  It worked.  But it was ugly.  I don’t just mean that it looked ugly (which it did) but it was a little awkward to use.  I had a good plan, but I lack the technical skills to pull that sort of thing off.  I’m a very big picture, good enough sort of person.  I very much appreciate fine workmanship.  I just do not have the skill or patience to be a master craftsman.  

Now enter the community.  See, in a community, there are people of all sorts.  There are craftsman and non-craftsman alike.  Some like to work with numbers while some like to work with words.  Some like to sing and some like to dance.  In this case, some like to build and some like to raise chickens.

Last year, as I set out to build the brooder, I knew I could do it.  I bought the materials and built it myself.  It took me several hours across several days to make it workable.  And, as I already said, it was ugly.  But this year was different.  I set aside my stubborn pride and shared a desire for a newly designed brooder with some friends.  I would purchase the supplies and even contribute a good amount of sweat.  But I needed help with the design.

A friend told a friend.  That’s the way things work in a community.  I received a call this past week.  Someone had an excess of building supplies that they needed to get rid of.  My friend and I rode over there and we drove back to his house with a truck full of material.  In fact, we had all the material necessary to make a brooder.  It cost me nothing.

The next day, while I was at work, my friend then called up my two oldest sons.  They hopped on their bikes and went down to his house.  An afternoon later the three of them had built the brooder.  I stopped by after work to find a brand new, expertly designed, chicken brooder.  And I didn’t sweat at all.

And it is not ugly.

When the time comes, these friends will get their chickens free of charge.  The skill and material they provided is so much appreciated that I can’t help but reward them with something that I can do with my own hands.

My point is to say that we all don’t have to be good at everything.  My guess is that you are good at something, even if it’s remedial.  So share you gift, and let others share their gifts with you.  This is how community is built.  This is what God has called you to do.  Listen, I’m not a great example of this, but I’m willing to learn.  How about you?

P.S. The friend who built the brooder also built the chicken plucker.  

July Orders are Closed

For those interested in our chickens, the first and second batch orders are closed!!  I'll put in our order on Monday.  We had a great response this year.  We're so thankful for all those who choose to buy from us.  Didn't get to order?  Don't worry, we'll order more sometime in June.  But don't wait, that list is getting full already!  Questions?  Let me know...

Village People

It was another successful “Opening Day” at Greenfield Village.  For those who don’t live in this area, the Village was started by Henry Ford.  He brought in all sorts of historic buildings and created a living museum.  Click here to see more about it. 

It’s always hard for me when we go to opening day.  I take the day off work and we go, rain or shine.  Today it was wind…lots of it.  My favorite part is the Firestone Farm.  Yup, you recognized the name alright.  It’s the farm that Harvey Firestone, the tire magnet, grew up on.  Men in period dress use horses to plow fields.  They herd sheep, milk cows, feed chickens, and tend fields.  The women, again in period dress, make meals over a wood burning stove, wash clothes in a tub, plant gardens and preserve food of all sorts. 

It’s beautiful.

I walk away every year deep in somber thought.  It’s as though the entire scene is yelling to me that we, as a society, have moved in a direction that is not sustainable.  It’s funny that I would use that word.  Everything we read about today focuses on “sustainability” and yet, in the light of history, it is not actually sustainable.  Case in point:  there is a building near the front of the Village that reflects on the changes in farm equipment starting in the 18^th century.  We went from using horses to using horse powered machinery.  Then we moved into steam powered machinery and migrated to gas and electric powered machinery. 

Compare this to watching the gentlemen of the Village working the farm today.  They used draft horses to plow and harrow one of the fields.  The horses, being horses, spread fresh manure on the field.  A man walks behind them getting in his exercise for the day.  The horses do eat a lot of food, but then they also work to grow the food they will eat.  An added benefit is that, if you choose, they can breed their own progeny who will in due time take over the duties of the “older model”.

So where are we today?  Today we use dwindling fossil fuels to spread chemical fertilizers on our fields.  The farmer must then also take out a gym membership because he no longer walks anywhere…he rides.  And he must be sure to separate out a percentage of his income to set aside for the maintenance of the tractors.  I should also mention that he must also take out a percentage of that income to buy a new tractor once he wears out the “older model”.

I submit to you the two models.  Which is actually sustainable?