Re: US

Periodically, I will create a Re: post. These will include information on a topic that may not be familiar to everyone, like post-market reuse of building materials. I may also submit a Re: post on a topic for which most people have at least a working knowledge, and recount our own individual experiences. For example, a dyeing technique that went badly (or surprisingly well), or perhaps the best way to get a true cheddar from that pot of milk.

The first official post in this category is to introduce ourselves and our expectations from life in general terms. Hopefully more people will be able to relate to our efforts if it is understood that we are not noticeably different from everyone else. We are not long-haired hippies driving a VW microbus. We are not new-age young moderns who homeschool and maintain a family bed. And we are most definitely not rural survivalists. We are just regular, very-left-of-center folks who want to do things differently from the way we were raised.

However, we do share one quality with the stereotype of each of these inviduals: we get a lot of The "there they go again with the crazy ideas" Look. You may know The Look to which I refer: sideways out of the corner of the eyes, maybe with a slight head shake, and even a little "huh?" noise if the concept is quite radical. Even in our neck of the woods, which is quite earthy and aware, I get an abbreviated version of The Look when I say that the car I drive and the food I eat are political statements. We get the full-blown "???" reaction when we tell people we mean to keep goats for all our dairy and most of our soapmaking needs. It doesn't improve when I add my dream of living in a yurt. And what do you mean you spin and dye your own yarn?

We have decided that most people give us The Look out of simple ignorance. Many of our friends did not know that it is possible to make a beautiful mozzarella in our own kitchen. They did not know that living in a 30' round tent with radiant floor heating is much cozier than their current old Victorian come February. They did not know that with some hard work and cooperation from Mother Nature, it is possible to grow and preserve an entire winter's worth of fresh organic produce over the summer. How can we hold them responsible for what they were never taught?

But with patience, understanding and a willingness to overcome generations of status quo stagnation, we find those who love us are coming into the light. When I got an email from a friend (who has steadfastly refused to recycle from her family of four), thanking me for letting her know where to recycle outdated electronics, well that was a happy day. We CAN make a difference. YOU can make a difference. Even if it's one person at a time. Even if that one person is myself, I am making a difference. Change will come from multitudes of people making a personal choice for themselves and their families. When my friend recycles her computer appropriately, THAT will make a difference.

Onward and upward.