Wednesday, July 10, 2019

She's done so

That which is medicinal is where she finds it, in many cases, though she's not always willing to write about her findings. Fortunately, libraries, the Internet, and conversations with the right people will bring anyone up to speed who has the will to ask. She does try to sprinkle her findings with Occam's shavings as needed.

poppies and mint

Much the same is true for food,

peas and grapes

water,

flushing out and reviving an old well

housing,

salvaging materials for an enclosed porch

Heating

cutting up windfalls

and cooling.

exterior shades for a dollar each

All these activities will not come to much, though, if one remains prey to the internalized demands of the current civilization, which requires of us that we either exemplify greed or, through fear of loss to ourselves and our loved ones, grovel to the greedy.

To the extent possible, she would prefer not to give in, at least in the last things. Here she's mindful of the pressures that can be brought to bear. It might come to be too much, yes? But for right now she has some wiggle room in which to choose a story, and she's done so.

In spring the hills are green 
the stream below is blue
the ox gets by with few desires
a good feed keeps it happy

like this for thirty years
the ox has been well trained
seeing someone else's grain
doesn't make it hungry

-- Liao-an Ch'ing-yu in P'u Ming's Oxherding Pictures & Verses (unpaginated, tr. Red Pine)

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Stony Run Farm: Life on One Acre