THE ART OF REFUELING.
I had a chef once who often told me something––many things, really––that I've never forgotten. It was simple and anytime I've employed it, it has served me well. I would come down after a long day of work, or before one, and he would be flipping through a book in his office. Tired though we all were, he would remind us a professional should read for no less than fifteen minutes a day on his profession.And I realize that may seem like a small thing, but let's break it down:I don't know how many pages you read a minute, but I'm going to pretend (for my own morale) you're a painfully slow reader like me. I read, depending on what it is, around 1 to 2 pages a minute. So, let's just say 1.5 pages on (generous) average. That means I can theoretically read 22.5 pages everyday, only spending 15 minutes reading. That's 157.5 pages a week. That's 8,190 pages a year. And if you say the average book is what? 250 to 300 pages? That's roughly 30 books a year. Or hundreds of articles. I don't know about you, but I used to read a lot more than I do now. I don't always get to thirty books a year anymore. Sadly. Because what parent, what farmer/parent no less, has the time to read book after book these days? Few of us. Fifteen minutes a day, though? That, we may be able to find. I mean, when it's a good enough read, you will struggle to only spend fifteen minutes with it.Reading, though, is important. Because output––farming, writing, whatever you love––needs input. Fuel. Energy. You need something constantly coming in to influence all you have going out (and notably, vice-versa). To inspire it. To inform it. To craft it. To add perspective. To keep it coming.Personally, I find lethargy and repetition in my writing, and in my farming, when I slack on reading. I need to read a sentence that challenges me to challenge my own sentences. I need to see how someone else manages their weeds to reimagine my own management. Art, to me, has always been about inspiring other art. So when I am always just creating, eventually the tank runs dry. I need fuel. I need to stop, take at least fifteen minutes every day, and fill up.How does one define "on your profession"? Well, for me last week it was a book called "Grass, Soil, Hope" by Courtney White about carbon farming. This week was Melissa Coleman's memoir "This Life is in Your Hands" about growing up the daughter of famed farmer Eliot Coleman. Now it's The Atlantic's latest edition coupled with "Unseen City", by Nathaniel Johnson. So, obviously, it's a pretty wide spectrum. Anything really. It could be technical garden stuff, or fiction, whatever. My feeling is the diversity is as important as the dedication to it.So of course I'd love to know how you insert reading into your busyness (or business)? And what's on the nightstand these days?-Jesse.
WHAT WE'RE READING.
//// Links we are loving this week ////
ONE: We always enjoy visiting Whole Larder Love....who recently announced that they will be holding workshops (awesome). We are in love with the "glamping" stables they constructed for attendees. Maybe we could build one of these in our barn for visitors?
THREE: We are obsessed with Jenna Rose - a couple out of California who have a small farm, run an artisan cheese business, and have a passion for handmade and sustainable textiles.FOUR: We have no idea what is actually going on on this blog - our Swedish is not so good - but the photos of farming life and snowy scenery are beautiful and inspiring.FIVE: PLEASE take some time and watch Allan Savory's TED talk above. It is truly fascinating, all about the desertification happening to two thirds of the earth and the ONLY way to stop it: management-intensive grazing (just like at Bugtussle). - Hannah & Jesse.
see more TED talks here.
PEACE PILGRIM.
Feeling very inspired by this lovely story on a Sunday morning.
Mildred Norman started walking in 1953 - with the goal of walking the entire country in the name of peace - and she didn't stop walking for 28 years. Leaving behind her name and calling herself The Peace Pilgrim, she never spent any money. She carried only a map, a pen, a toothbrush and a comb. She wore the same clothes every day. She depended on others to provide her with food and shelter, making the vow: "I shall remain a wanderer until mankind has learned the way of peace, walking until I am given shelter and fasting until I am given food." She became the first woman to hike the Appalacian Trail, foraging for food and packing little more than a blanket and some sheets. At the end of her life, she walked over 25,000 miles in her journey.Often asked how she could possibly be happy, with no possessions to her name and usually hungry and tired, Mildred would reply, "I certainly am a happy person. Who could know God and not be joyous? I want to wish you all peace."Her story is truly remarkable, and you can read all about it here (where I discovered it) or on The Peace Pilgrim official website. What an inspiration for us to live simply and peacefully and as a community, helping each other!- Hannah.
WHAT WE'RE READING.
//// Links we are loving this week ////
ONE: If you haven't yet read this New York Times piece about the extraordinary science of addictive junk food - DO IT! Long read, but oh so fascinating. "As a culture, we’ve become upset by the tobacco companies advertising to children, but we sit idly by while the food companies do the very same thing. And we could make a claim that the toll taken on the public health by a poor diet rivals that taken by tobacco."TWO: Three women who we love, Coree, Robin, and our farmer-mama Cher have started a blog TOGETHER as The Radical Farmwives. These ladies are the real deal: hard working, homeschooling, homebirthing, inspiring....we can't wait to see what they have in store!THREE: A bunch of Hannah's friends from college just signed a record deal! Hooray Kopecky Family Band! To promote the wide release of their album, they are touring with some awesome people like Leagues, Milo Greene, and The Eastern Sea. Have a listen, and see if they are playing near you!FOUR: This video - Mountain Man vs. The Government - was sent to us by Ken of Narrow Ridge Farmstead. It's about a man who lives off-the-grid and runs a school, teaching people how to live simply. Now, the school is being shut down by the county for "code violations." Sad story.FIVE: All the more reason to drink natural wine! "A study of more than 300 French wines has found that only 10% of those tested were clean of any traces of chemicals used during vine treatments."- Hannah & Jesse.