I get by with a little help from my friends

Fall is that time of the year when I reflect on the earth winding down, plants directing their energies toward their roots while above ground parts die.  All of nature starts settling in for a long winter's nap. This is a busy time of the year, when one lives with the natural world's calendar, in getting one's place ready for colder temps.

Fall colors

Fall is also the time I start thinking about laying in some firewood. In a past life, my former husband would identify a dead tree on our farm, then fell & cut up the tree. I would do my best to assist, usually getting more in the way than not, according to him.

Now that I'm flying solo & no longer have a 74 acre farm to glean wood from, I have to seek wood, as my little spot of earth isn't large enough to supply the wood I need. I queried friends about some local wood sellers but could not believe that a cord of wood costs were about $130-150. Last year when I bought some cords from some folks I knew closer to my old place, the cost of a generous cord was $85. Yikes! Quite a change. And all said they already had all the customers they could service. So started asking friends if they knew anyone that would have some wood I could come cut up to use for my wood stove. Ideally I like to have 5-6 cords on hand, but with last year's experiences of minus 35 degrees & another hard, cold winter predicted, I wanted to lay up about 6-7 cords. Thats alot of wood!

Some of my fav friends gave me some much appreciated wood but needed alot more to get thru the season. Ended up just driving around, looking for dead trees & was about to contact the county road crews to inquire about cutting trees in the road right of ways when I noticed a couple trees that needed taking down at a local restaurant. Was a win-win situation! The proprietor needed the trees removed & I the wood. So got on it with the help of a young, strong helper of mine, & in about 4 days of cutting a couple of dead trees down, we got er done! Was alot of work & effort but once onsite & split, there is nothing like the satisfaction of watching the snow fly, knowing you've got a nice, dry, healthy supply of wood outside!!

Ready for winter!

This brings me to my point of journalling today-that of reliance on one's friends. When one has a partner that is into living as self-sufficient a lifestyle as possible AND the correct tools/implements, this life can be made much easier. Not to say that one is on easy street. Striving to be self-sufficient requires much effort & that 4 letter word-WORK! But when one doesn't have the support of a partner &/or that extra pair of hands OR the implements, some once reasonably easy chores can become frustratingly difficult. And this is where I found myself this early fall. But thanks to a few, very generous friends of mine & the assistance of Mike, my stellar helper on my place, these probs were less insurmountable. Implements & wood splitter were lent & issues resolved-for which I am profoundly grateful! 

I used to live around Mennonite country & got to know these folks fairly well. These folks do VERY well in today's world, usually by NOT doing what us "English" (as they refer to us) do. Our society is very much into the 'illusion' of being independent, almost to the point of ridiculousness. The Mennonites thrive in part, due to their sense of community. They want to be a part of their community & realize just how critical these relationships are to their & their neighbors' survival so they deliberately nurture these relationships, realizing that we ARE all interconnected. Big surprise there! As my people know, Mitakuye Oyasin-we are all related.

I can't help but be reminded of this communal mindset when my friends lent me their various implements. Instead of everyone buying an implement, like a blade or wood splitter, why not do what the Mennonites do & share? Doesn't make alot of sense for EVERYONE to own duplicate implements, etc... & if repairs or maintenance are needed, I'd gladly kick into this fund. I am so very grateful & glad to be part of this community, with a shared mindset & to have friends that embrace this concept of community. This is paramount to me. 

The former farm I had was near perfect. Quality soil, plentiful water, quiet, scenic & generations had built wisely & with thought upon those that lived there before them. BUT my neighbors were NOT into community. So, as sweet as the place was, this was a deal breaker & had to move on to find that "community". My current efforts to bring my mini-farm up to this level will take many many years. BUT the community I sought is here now. I get by with a little help from my friends. I am profoundly grateful for all of them.