There’s always something. My friend Barry Snitkin often says this when a problem arises on his farm, and this week I found myself echoing the sentiment. It has been a week of upkeep, of varying jobs that subtly announce themselves. It’s not like the plants can holler at me to come help them out, so […]
I’m down to one book this morning, so this will be another day with two quotes from the same book! “An ecological garden is like a net, sieving and holding whatever resources (minerals, organic matter, sunlight, water, and organisms) flow through it. And, just as important, these landscapes are consummate recyclers, shuttling each bit of […]
Today, I picked two quotes from the same book. Just couldn’t resist! “A century ago, John Dewey explained the connection between democracy and education. He wrote: A democracy is more than a form of government; it is primarily a mode of associated living, of conjoint communicated experience. The extension in space of the number of […]
“The order of a conventional row-crop garden is the order of the machine. This regimentation invites us to view plants as mechanical food factories. We fuel them with fertilizer, service them with rakes and hoes, and measure their production in bushels, bins, and tons. We view the plants as part of our dominion. In a […]
“Through this tree, we glimpse the benefits of ecological thinking. Instead of viewing a tree simply as something that looks nice or provides a single offering such as apples or shade, we can begin to see how deeply connected a tree is to its surroundings, both living and inanimate. A tree is a dynamic element […]
“Soil is miraculous. It is where the dead are brought back to life. Here, in the thin earthy boundary between inanimate rock and the planet’s green carpet, lifeless minerals are weathered from stones or decomposed from organic debris. Plants and microscopic animals eat these dead particles and recast them as living matter. In soil, matter […]
“Now, since those prior to us have left undiscovered what pertains to legislation, it is perhaps better for us to investigate it ourselves––and indeed what concerns the regime in general––so that, to the extent of our capacity, the philosophy concerning human affairs might be completed. First, then, let us attempt to go over whatever partial […]
Life is full of gophers. This thought occurred to me shortly after watching a sturdy stalk of purple kale rock back and forth several times, seemingly of its own volition, before falling into a decidedly inharmonious horizontality. As I rushed over to save the plant from being dragged into the soil, I was pleased to […]
“To exist is for all people something choiceworthy and lovable, and we exist by means of activity (for this consists in living and acting). And in his activity, the maker of something somehow is the work; he therefore feels affection for the work because he feels affection also for his own existence. This is natural, […]
“Complete friendship is the friendship of those who are good and alike in point of virtue. For such people wish in similar fashion for the good things for each other insofar as they are good, and they are good in themselves. But those who wish for the good things for their friends, for their friends’ […]