What's old is new again...

Going green. Organic produce. Locally sourced meat. Is it a new fad? A lasting trend? My Dad laughs at the whole notion. The idea that this is something new and hip is laughable to him because he has been living this way his whole life. You see, my father grew up on the land where I now live, and has been a farmer all of his life. This land has been in my family for 108 years, most of them as a fully functional self-sustaining farm. My great-Grandfather and Grandfather had orchards, hay fields, crops, gardens, dairy cattle, pigs, chickens, sheep, goats...everything they needed to put food on the table. My Dad has always said that they didn't know when the Great Depression hit because, for one, they never had much, and secondly, they were always very self-sufficient, fulfilling their own needs through their own hard work. They had meat, eggs, vegetables, fruits, milk and all manner of farm fresh vittles to fill their bellies. I have seen pictures of the autumn hog butchering which was done each year to provide meat for the coming winter- pictures of my great-Grandmother stuffing sausages right in the front yard only moments after the hog made the ultimate sacrifice. It doesn't get fresher than that! Local, organic, and farm fresh weren't buzzwords, it was simply the way things were done. Equipment was reused and re-purposed, crops were rotated, animals were respected and every part of every plant and animal was used for something. Nothing was wasted. So, you see, while this idea is very hip right now, it is by no means new. I for one hope that it is also not a "fad" but rather a trend towards more thoughtful living. Being aware of what we eat and where it comes from. Mindful consumption, not mass consumption of mass produced foodstuffs full of ingredients we can't even pronounce and which are likely not good for our bodies. Whether it means that you plant a garden or pot a few herbs in a window sill planter; visit the local farmers market or buy locally sourced produce at your supermarket; buy a few chickens or ask your butcher where his meat comes from, the point is to be invested in your food as my ancestors were. They did it not because it was popular, but because it was the way things were done. It can be the way things are done in your house too.

Sweet sweet freedom!

Today we celebrated the Fourth of July. We celebrated in the usual fashion- stop by the fireworks store and go WAY over budget buying fun explosive things, go to my Mom and Dad's and grill out, make homemade ice cream (my favorite part!!!) and set off some fireworks. Then, bellies full and kids thrilled with the results of the explosions, we head home. We talked about our country and how hard folks have fought both here and abroad to make it strong and free, we asked for a special blessing for those in our military and then we went on our merry way, to not think about it as often as we should. While I was getting ready to go today my husband, in his usual fashion, was channel surfing. I noticed he was watching "Glory" which is a really great movie about a black regiment serving in the Civil War and some piece of idiocy called "Kendra on Top," about a former Playboy Playmate and her husband.  I was ready to ask him what on earth he was watching some stupid reality show about some stupid people I couldn't care less about when it hit me: that's what makes this country great! That there is some stupid marathon of some ridiculous reality show on on the 4th of July is a perfect example of why America is great! No one is going to tell the station they can't broadcast such crap, and no one is going to tell you that you can't watch that crap all day if you want to. (Well except maybe your wife!) I hate reality shows. I find them to be pointless, mindless and a complete waste of time. Frankly, who cares what these morons are doing with their time?! But there are those who don't agree with me and who become addicted to this show or that. They can have at it! More power to them! (As long as they don't expect me to watch!) But, that's just what is so great about America- if people want to be idiots, they are free to do so! So, march on you morons! You keep watching your Kendra on Top and your Jersey Shores and those Kardashians! I personally will be watching cooking shows and history specials. Ain't diversity grand?!

PBS FOREVER,  REALITY T.V. NEVER!