Two years ago I was an intern at Earthly Delights Farm. This experience afforded me many benefits. One of which was some lifelong friends. There were four of us who completed the eight month, 10 hours a week course and I regularly communicate with all of them. These people are all so unique and talented and lovable. I am grateful we crossed paths.
One of the other things I gained was a reverence for seeds. On New Years Day this year Troy and I participated in a concert/ritual facilitated by East Forest. During this surreal meditation I was given a profound impression most of the world is missing- Seeds are more valuable than most anything else. Seeds give us life. Without seeds what, how would we eat? It is something I think about often. I find it disturbing that our species understands what we need to survive. We are taught from a very young age about the basic necessities: shelter, food, water, clothing. However, few of us know how to provide these things for ourselves. We just leave it up to somebody else. Does that not seem crazy to anyone else?
When I gave birth to all five of our children we were active in the Mormon church. It is a system that impressively "takes care of its own". After we brought each of the babies home we were given a week's worth of dinners provided by our church family. I remember one woman who was irritated with this tradition. She said we shouldn't rely on others for this particular service. Her thought was a child's birth doesn't come as a surprise. You have plenty of time to prepare your own damn meals and put them in the freezer for when that blessed day arrives. Don't depend on the charity of others to feed your family you created. Be more self reliant.
And that's how I feel like we should be with more of our needs. What if the truckers go on strike? They say we have about 3 days worth of food in the Treasure Valley before our entire community/region would be food insecure. I think it's odd more of us don't have a problem with that. Why don't we take providing for ourselves more seriously? I don't claim to know how but I definitely want to take steps to learn. (Can't wait to get my garden-in-a-box.)
Today I volunteered for a couple of hours at Seedy Saturday, an event sponsored by Edwards Greenhouse and the Snake River Seed Cooperative. My heart was full as I watched the seed saving demonstrations, heard backyard farmers exchange advice, and saw the plethora of varieties of seeds just waiting to be planted.
I'm thankful for my own curiosity that leads me to question what it would take to survive without the constructs of society, our economy, technology. I'm not a prepper but I do find it odd that I couldn't live without a store or money or a car. I want to change that and I'm sincerely looking for others who share the same interest.
