Yesterday the family went out to pick blueberries. The kids all got tired of this way way before I did. They are so jaded. Or maybe I expect too much. But only the oldest even finished picking a pint. I picked about 2 1/2 pints before I felt guilty for making the family wait around for me (plus, the cost was $4.00/pint, outrageous!), so I stopped there. I have joked that I should hire myself out as a farm laborer, although I'm sure I couldn't really hack it.
I just read Wendy McClure's "Wilder Life", an autobiographical search for the essence of "Little House on the Prairie". It was a gift from someone who thinks I'm "really really into" Little House as is Ms. McClure. But whereas the "Wilder Life" is about the author's obsession with all things "Laura Ingalls Wilder", I found as I read the book that I am not interested in learning every nuance of LOHP or Laura Wilder. (I found the section about the "end of days" crowd interesting, but I don't fit in that camp either.) I am just crunchy at heart, no way around it. I truly get a lot of pleasure from hanging the laundry out to dry instead of throwing it in the dryer. I like making my own bread, my own yoghurt, granola, pickles, etc. I like to knit and crochet (with yarns from cottage industry suppliers, when I can get it) and sew, I like making our own eco-sacs. I envy my friend who lives in an "earth house". I love shopping the farmers markets for local produce. I wish I had more than 4'x4' to garden in the back yard. Etc. I get tremendous satisfaction from making my life "greener".
My man does not seem to feel the same, even though when we first met he had to push me (gently) to drive out to the recycling center. He was all excited about trying worm composting, but it seems that he really liked it mostly as a science experiment for the kids - when the worms died, he just gave up; but I really want to compost again. He thinks the laundry hanging on the line is tacky. He thinks I just want to use fans instead of air-conditioner, use less water when we wash the dishes because I'm cheap. I am cheap, but there is so much more to this desire to return to natural and and stop mucking up the world. Obviously, you either "get it" or you don't. For me, unlike my man, it feels a big pain to not buy products from slave labor, or tested on animals, to go vegetarian. He does not appear to view it as a hardship. I don't "get it".
Well, this evening we have blueberry crumble, which took half of my blueberry stash. I'll just have to watch for the local berries to make it into the markets, buy up a bunch to freeze. I do love summer. To those of you are fellow crunchy types, enjoy the summer! And to those who are not, enjoy the summer!
No comments:
Post a Comment