Jon in Hand-me-downs and more on frugal living

Jon says: At this point in time, when (at least) one of our national political parties seems to be intent on overpopulating the earth (and TOTALLY disregarding what should be basic women's rights), it might be appropriate to take another look at 'living more lightly' on this earth. (A few years ago there was a local newspaper article which pointed out that at the (then) current rate of population growth, and method of processing sewage waste, in 300 years, the ENTIRE volume of the Chesapeake Bay would consist of treated sewage waste.)

     Helen & Scott Nearing (Scott: 1883 - 1983), believed in leaving each place they occupied in better condition than they found it. They dressed themselves from the thrift shop (he refused to own more than one suit at a time, even to speak in on the lecture circuit). They VASTLY improved their respective previously abandoned farms at the foot of Stratton Mountain in Vermont, and on Penobscot Bay in Maine, during the period 1932 to after both were gone some time in the 1990's.

     Starting this coming July 1st, Barbara and I have not depended on either municipal water or sewer systems since our anniversary on July 4, 1982. We have heated with wood, principally. (We pre-buy 300 gallons of propane each year - for the house and generator, but have not used the full amount in a given year since we had the system installed.) Wood burning advocates say that burning wood gives off the same amount of Co2 as letting wood rot naturally in the forest.

     Transportation is another issue. Our 7 year old van gets between 22 & 27 miles per gallon. My 44 year old truck probably gets about 12 mile per gallon. Since we're not about to spend 47K for a Chevrolet Volt (as yet untested), we just try to combine trips and be as efficient as possible.

     Raised bed gardens are wonderful; when properly organized, they only require planting & harvesting (best to separate 'treated' wood from the soil for a few years).

     There was a fellow by the name of 'Sanger - or Yanger - or something' who wrote a book in the early 80's by the title of "How to find Happiness during the Collapse of Western Civilization." He had some pretty good ideas, such as: find a place pretty stable (such as most of us live), stock up on silver coins, or something negotiable - other than paper currency; have a weapon & be prepared to use it, & plenty of ammunition.

I like the idea about the place to live; the rest is pretty radical.    

     In their New England properties, the Nearings constructed outhouses on the sides of hills, such that from a flap on the downhill side, they could periodically take out wheelbarrow loads of compost (night soil?) to spread around their fruit trees &/or flower gardens. To build a 1-acre pond, they (mostly their guests), hauled 16,000 wheelbarrow loads of 'swampland' soil to form the dam & spillway. Anybody still there at mid-day, shared in a vegetarian lunch. 

     I don't remember an Easter Sunday picture where Dean &/or I didn't have either too short or too long pants on. I went to college with a suit which was a hand-me-down from Dr. Ulman from across the street; I coveted a corduroy sports jacket in college, but the used ones for sale smelled of formaldehyde from the med-school labs. Snacks after school at home were a piece of fruit, and after a 'balanced' dinner, an apple became both desert & a form of tooth cleansing.

     My first car, the 1947 Plymouth cost $175 when we bought it in 1955 & I was 15. We sold it in l962 for $125 and I was approaching 22 and about to go into the Army, and overseas.

jl

The dance "red- ox stampede' picture has me in Dr. Ulman's suit which took me all the way through college. My date that night was Bonnie Dean, Alpha Phi, who later worked in the office of Henry Kissinger. Dean & I are third & fourth from the left in the birthday party picture in Myrtle Point. jl

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