In terms of post-apocalyptic prosperity, our evolving community is richer than we could have dreamed. An additional farmer friend recently bought a small farm just down the road from us, a friend who “gets it”, who grows sustainably, and is extremely gifted at it. This is in addition to our close friends doing the same thing nearby. In fact, within a mile of our place we now have 6 sustainably-minded friends across 4 acreages besides ourselves. Add to this the couple next door to us, one of whom is chef and owner of a high-class organic restaurant, with whom we’ve established an (only half-jokingly) “eggs for wine” exchange; the nearby skilled carpenter and his family (we have yet to meet); and now a much larger-scale operation by a PO-minded person discussed in this article:
From Krehbiel’s perspective, the world is not a stable place. The carbon emissions at the root of global warming are causing increasingly chaotic weather patterns that are likely to jeopardize centralized farming practices and food supply chains across the country, she said. At the same time, the oil dependent economy can no longer rely on the availability of cheap fuel for food and water transport due to the depletion of accessible oil supplies around the world, which is at peak oil. While for some, these facts may be a vague future concern, Krehbiel doesn’t want to wait around for hardship to settle in. For her, right now is the time to act, and putting some fervor into it wouldn’t hurt, either.
Sometimes I feel you can’t swing a cat around here without hitting 5 folks aware of the energy collapse –- or without getting tackled for feline harassment. They love cats here.
Of course, we’re still surrounded by neighbors who meticulously mow their 6 acre lots at least once per week (and call the sheriff on us for not doing the same –- we’re zoned agricultural, people!), others who think letting their dogs terrorize the countryside (and our chickens) is a good time, and a multitude of chemical-laden monoculture fields.
But all that will fade away with time – leaving our strengthening sustainable sub-community filled with some wonderful folks.
To paraphrase an old saying: An egg here, a zucchini there, and pretty soon you’re talking about real money.
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