Tom, Aspiring Simpleton
@bgcts
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CEO, Bluegrass Critical Thinking Solutions; Strategic Planner; Ldrshp Coach; Peasant, Traveler, Reader, Writer, Localist; Husband/ Dad/ Deda; I got a guy...
Angel Hill Farm
Joined February 2015
Don't wanna be here?
Send us removal request.
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Truth isn't good or bad. It just is.
Truth doesn't change based on the rank of the recipient.
If you can't state the evidence that would change your mind, you don't care about truth.
Love your neighbor; no caveats.
Goodness breeds goodness.
Travel is fatal to bigotry & prejudice.
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I met an old timer joiner (guild member!) today who's letting us use his saw mill and teaching us how to do old time work. There's guys like this out there still. Find them. Ask them to teach you.
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Received and planted 25 American Chestnuts (15/16ths) today. 3 groves planted. I hope i live long enough to see my great grandkids harvesting the nuts and spreading them far and wide.
This is genuine Retvrn
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10 years ago this was 8 acres of pasture. Hayed 2-3 times a year. Now a growing forest. With morels and orchids. That first picture, if you zoom in, will show those are trees, not bushes and that is a long trail.
You can do this. You really can
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The past was a different country.
My grandfather & his brother survived a German POW camp in WWII. They took a boat to the US Dec 1947. Settled one inside & one on the edge of this box in 1960. Grandfather was a janitor at a fine men's clothier. His brother a construction worker.
To me, this is the best real estate in the world. Half acre lots, a block to the beach, walkable city life, no crime, still connected to LA and complete privacy.
Current entry level price: $14 million
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You can plant small fruit trees in your yard and in 5 years be harvesting more fruit than you can eat and no HOA or mean Twitter troll can stop you.
And you'll be really happy.
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Forests mimic cathedrals. Cathedrals mimic forests. God created on. God inspired the other. We should ponder the similarities. We should give thanks for both. We should regenerate our great woods. We should build great churches anew like our forebears did.
Together.
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@Jeremyakee
- My woods where the creeks meet
- Halfmoon Pass, Lagarita Mountains, Colorado
- Oriase Gorge, below Lake Towada, Japan
- Dobra Voda, Serbia
- Montgomery Redwoods Grove, CA
- Star Lake, WI
- Mass
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@no_grave_
We're planting them here! I'll never see them mature but maybe my great grandkids will. I hope so.
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Peasant meal. Peasant table. Peasant home. How wonderful and truly joyful life can be when we lower the bar of contentment.
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My mom carried me out of a communist country as a baby on a train waiting to be seized and sent back. Then cleaned houses while we lived in a tiny flat above a brothel in Paris. Came to the US, became a Bank VP and FBI analyst. Toughest woman I know, still grows her own food.
Happy Mothers day gang. let's get some wholesome content flowing. name one thing you love or admire about your mom
My mom is the best storyteller, always the life of the party! People would be repeating her stories until they became legend.
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Well, it is finished.
2 year project. From cutting down trees, to milling them to stacking & drying, to cutting to size, to putting onto ceiling.
GK Chesterton: A thing worth doing is worth doing badly. St John Paul II: Be not afraid!
You can do this. Be patient, work hard.
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2012 hayed pasture.
2022 growing forest. At least 6 oak species, Walnuts, 4 hickory species, Chestnuts, beech, poplar, birch, aspen, white and red pine, spruce, black cherry, wild persimmon, ash, cedar, Linden, etc and a ton of fruit trees. Now an animal zoo.
You can do this.
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For those following our reforestation effort at Angel Hill Farm or considering their own, here are pictures from 12 years ago and this week. Same land. Zoom in.
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Tiger moth caterpillars are notorious for predicting the upcoming winter. The wider the orange band on the black body the milder the winter. Here's one of many from the garden this morning. Zero orange on any I've seen all autumn. Goes along with what Persimmon seeds show as well
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The color, Chartreuse, comes from the French abbey of that name which makes the green liqueur. It was the excellence but super high cost of that liqueur that drove me to try to make my own. This green is only 12 hours old! This will make the healthiest, best digestif anywhere.
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This is really true.
11 years, before and after
Planting trees every year is a gift that you give to your future self, future generations, future critters, and future communities. There isn't much immediate reward, and when it starts to trickle in its almost as an unexpected gift. And then wave after wave, the gift amplifies
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This, my friends, is a very tall, and very healthy, Shagbark Hickory tree
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Wife's sister and BIL liked it here so much they bought 45 acres near us. 2 creeks. Beautiful land with some steep hills, some gentle, lots of walnuts and cedars and Maples. Young hackberries and pandemic of honey locusts. Strong freshening breeze nearly every day.
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House hack
If you have the opportunity while building (or after) consider sinking cistern to catch rain water. We have 1.5k gallon in ground tank on downspouts. Have never used municipal water on garden 10 yrs. Also have muni water spigot for outdoor shower
Cold showers hot days
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Northern WI. Endless miles of publicly funded walk/bike/ski/snowmobile trails. Extremely well maintained. Not a D or R issue. All want this so pay. Could never happen in a libertarian utopia (whatever that is). These are used year round. They're *everywhere*. Btwn towns & lakes.
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Daughter 3 is in preterm labor with baby 4. Gonna be a wee little preemie. She's tough. She's exhausted. Baby is good. 3 little ones at home won't see him for a while.
Sky shows silver lining amid storms. Positive signs.
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Went out to get maple buckets this am. Surprise dusting of snow in woods. Starting process of boiling down 5 gallons. That makes 1 pint syrup. 40:1. I'm taking it to a quart to use this spring for liqueur when chamomile blooms. House smells delightful today.
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Warning: discomfort ahead.
Our small town in KY has a homeless camp being Auto Zone on the creek. Gonna be single digit cold for a week. Lady at our Parish has been battling city hall for a long time about shelter. We give clothes to the homeless from Amen Corner at our Parish
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Walking to surgery this morning before shuttle service begins
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Held baby Noah first time in NICU tonight. He's a strong little man. Way beyond expected for 7 weeks early. We live in good times. I'm glad he's doing so well. The other 3 little ones are running us ragged, but that's good. Our daughter & her husband are home now. Long road ahead
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@JeremyTate41
Another major flex is the doors of the Roman Senate which Caesar walked through to proclaim himself emperor are now on St John Lateran, the mother cathedral of the world.
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In 1966, Grandfather asked Rep Bob Dornan to help him get his daughter and family over here from France after she and her kid (me) escaped from Yugoslavia. We landed may 1966 and lived in crappy apartments but with no crime. I wandered the city and went to beach alone as a kid.
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Some people have reached out, so here's a thread about what things looked like before, then a few years ago and then today.
The key take away is that you can do this if you want on your land. Some want to clear it. We're reforesting.
2012 to today.
Walk with me.
Angel Hill Farm.
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@LandsknechtPike
@RizomaSchool
This is a well preserved surviving example of that system from the Roman fortress of Diana in Kladovo, Serbia. You can see the floor of the banquet room and the air entrance for the fires below the floor. Radiant heat. 100 AD. The spot where Trajan built bridge across the Danube
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I think this is right.
Very intelligent wife gave up a career to stay home & raise 4 kids. We moved a lot. I didn't make 100k till last two years of career. We saved. Now I can be selective with clients. We visit grandkids, travel, leaving them land, legacy. Not hard. Really.
Obtaining a household income of 200K+ via having both parents in full time "professional" work is no longer aspirational for many Americans.
It reduces your chances of having a big happy family and lots of grandkids.
That kind of lifelong grinding is immigrant-coded TBH.
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Just watched Its A Wonderful Life with son and daughter-in-law (who had never seen). Older i get the more I cry during the movie. I understand it more and more. It's about Mary as much or more than George.
Watch the film again. Empty your cup. Be open to the message
Love everyone
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He's nearly giddy teaching us the mill.
He's not just good at what he does, he's truly generous. We're having him over for dinner this week. He showed me his books on woodworking.
We're gonna cut a lot of wood
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This *may* be the best thing I've ever seen on this app.
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In the Chateau de Annecy today there is a display of medieval furniture and it is still in workable condition. Absolutely practical (beds with walls to keep in heat) and lasting craftsmanship. All made to take apart and reassemble quickly.
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Romans built this bridge 2000 years ago.
We could build this today if we decided to. Our math and computers are better but not what's in our hearts.
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@no_grave_
There'll be three groves on land we're reforesting. Along with lots of black walnut, oak of multiple species, hickory, beech etc.
This is how you make America great again. Trees. Soil. Creeks. Connection to land.
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@prchovanec
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.”
― Mark Twain
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@aspiringpeasant
When I bought our farm 21 years ago most of the old growth oaks in the woods were marked for logging. I stopped that asap. But you could get $2-3k per tree.
Yeah No.
They're worth way more to the animals for food, to me for saplings and to the earth cause they're awesome.
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@archi_tradition
I'd say that one except it's no longer a church. 😢
So St Peter's first and then a close race btwn Gesu, San Siro and Assunta all in Genoa
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Mutuals, which of you is this?
Be honest.
Fess up and raise your hand.
Pretty much all guys.
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Grandson Noah Benjamin born this morning. 5.5 lbs. For a 7 wk early preemie he is strong. Long ways to go. Thanks for your prayers. Will take his sisters and brother to see him in NICU today.
Daughter 3 is in preterm labor with baby 4. Gonna be a wee little preemie. She's tough. She's exhausted. Baby is good. 3 little ones at home won't see him for a while.
Sky shows silver lining amid storms. Positive signs.
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Málaga Cathedral teaser.
More coming later.
Glorious.
Glory be
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Need strong energy before going into the woods for hours of splitting.
I think this is a genuine breakfast of champions. Buttered toast. Avocado. Shredded Parmesan. Fried egg. Flavor is just magnificent. And energy for the day.
God bless you all, my friends.
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The University of the South in Sewanee, TN. The third pic is of the new dining hall. Built to look old. Recently tore down old gym and built another to fit in with old architecture.
This is possible. It cost no more (prob less in long run) than building ugly.
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Best old door seen so far in Bologna. Old. Door within the door. Magnificent
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Grandson came home from NICU today after 4 weeks. He's still 3 weeks premie. But what joy in that family.
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@Toomertastic
One of my favorite chur he's in the world. Accidented on a choral concert one visit. Empty on another. Packed yet another time. Can't get enough.
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Romantic nostalgia for something that never was (large loving contented happy families working on the farm) is weird to me. Nobody forced those masses from the farm to factory. And they willingly went to the factories.
You can say they should have been happy on the farm. Not
I highly recommend that you read Akenfield.
There are a handful of modern books about pre-modern European life that were written "just in time" before it all vanished.
Akenfield is a big one.
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rn
Awaiting Good Friday Liturgy to begin in Seville. First Gothic church built in Spain. Built by people who had little and believed much.
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@archeohistories
Yes, my favorites are those that span buildings so as not not occupy land. Brilliant and still habitable. France and Italy. Thousands of examples of this
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Peach tree branches bent to the ground under weight of fruit.
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There is a lot to unpack in this picture. How people dressed. How close they lived. How many kids were out and about. How much time was spent getting and preparing food for the day.
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Reupping from yesterday.
Basilica St John of God, Granada
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Pretty much any community today could build a site like this today. A church or abbey, homes, shops. It's not a matter of can.
Genuine question, what would a community need to believe about itself and the world to do this again?
Le Mont-Saint-Michel; Normandy, France.
When Christianity expanded to the area, around the 4th Century CE, Mont Tombe – the original name of Mont-Saint-Michel – was part of the Diocese of Avranches. By the middle of the 6th Century CE, Christianity had a stronger presence in the
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Rooftops in the Aosta Valley are nearly 100% large slate tiles. The weight of these roofs requires strong timber framing. Also most of these houses are stone. Including this lovely home that sprawls up a hillside and has multiple units under one roof.
cc
@ErikBootsma
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If you defended a medieval castle, archers had wide angles while attackers had to hit narrow slits
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@JeremyTate41
The Chesterton Schools Network is quietly becoming the fastest growing schools network in the country. Classical. Catholic. Rigorous. True. Beautiful. Good.
@chestertonsoc
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10 years ago a hayed meadow, now a thriving growing forest...with portals
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Neighbor's grandson caught this massive rainbow out in the river today on a fly just after saying good morning to Mrs and me. Nice young man. Didn't even weigh it. Just out it back in the river.
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If you're patient, you can plant trees into a nice tree-lined drive.
Take your time. They'll grow. Put several species in there. It's ok. Your kids and grandkids will mark the time by the trees getting bigger
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Post a book that isn't discussed nearly enough
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The clan has begun gathering. They'll all be here over the next 48 hours.
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@Empty_America
We have a lot of people over for dinners. Most do not reciprocate. That is not an issue. We do not ask them over to get a return invite. Often we have them back again and again. Everyone has their own reasons for not having someone or anyone over.
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This is the kind of stuff that will hold civilization together. Something that stays after all digital stuff is gone.
I'd buy him a glass of wine to sip while telling a horde of listeners about his project.
My grandpa who is 85 started making this rock map of Scotland in 1992.He collected rocks during amateur geology trips over 30 years. He says it had to be geologically correct and also aesthetically pleasing.He asked if I could share online as He wants to go viral so please share
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Join me on a walk through the woods and "Meadow" to pick herbs for liqueur.
We starts in the garden with marjoram, thyme, catmint, spearmint, and hops. The we head out to the woods for some witch Hazel, and a bunch of sassafras.
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For me this was my best 30 minutes of my whole year. Not kidding. Reading to kids and grandkids. Daughter 3 snuck pics.
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@virtuefruit
Even today my family in Serbia will just tell family that they'll come next weekend. Nobody freaks out and asks which day and what time. They go about their lives u til the guests show up. And they will. It's lovely. Italy and the the South of France are largely like this, also
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Mom said in Feb the only thing she wanted this year was to go to CO to the Cabin one more time. So we took her. Arrived home today after 3660 miles and 65 hrs drive time. She's home. We're home. Nothing like home.
Neighbor had mowed around house and in orchard. That's a friend.
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Here's an example of an altruistic idea that is entirely divorced from reality. Rather than forcing shippers to go electric and paying for 150k+ charging stations, the entire industry will move to other ports and mitigate costs. Perhaps expand Puget Sound and Houston and Astoria
⚠️ California Looks to Ban Diesel Trucks at Ports by 2035
Truckers say the state’s lack of charging stations for big rigs is major obstacle to switching to electric
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@OldHollowTree
It took me some time to train my wife that pork didn't need to be cooked to shoe leather. Now prefers a pink center with crusty outside.
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When you step outside the game everyone is playing, it's like moving up a dimension. You disappear. They don't understand. And then they forget. And it's ok. Because you're living reality. The real reality.
This is the way.
My wife and I sold a large 4 bedroom house on the west coast to do this and be close to my aging parents.
We just offered on a small cottage half the size of the last house. It sits on 5 acres. 10 min drive to my folks.
None of our friends understand.
They do not have to.
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I'm on a 2+45 bus ride from Granada to Córdoba. All is see is endless mikes of olives. In good soil. Mostly in crappy soil. Akin to corn in the US. I wonder if there is a higher value plant in the whole world. No mx, no water, centuries longevity, calories, oil.
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"Neighbor" 2 miles down the Knob had massive Sycamore taken down. 3ft across. Two 8' logs. Too heavy to lift w/tractor. Redneck engineering.
Now to get them milled into 1/2" boards and season them. When done paneling great room ceiling, will panel hallways and bedroom with these.
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What we build for the masses shows what we think about their inherent dignity.
Worthy of help and worthy of beauty are not incompatible.
One of the oddest but most widely held beliefs among people here on Twitter is that poor people should live in ugly places, and the poorer the uglier. When I make the claim that we should build more beautiful for our poorest, I seem to be making a heretical statement.
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So very well said, Allison.
@feastonhistory
@alancornett
@wrathofgnon
@stevemouzon
@Architectolder
@ErikBootsma
Also, like this
I honestly just don't think we can improve on the "pile of stones" approach to architecture.
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True statement
A bench seat would solve the falling birth rate and boost TFR.
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Basilica Annunziata, Genoa. Bombed and largely destroyed in WW2. They could have razed it and built apartments. They could have left it. They could have built something modern. They chose to rebuild it. 80 yrs later almost finished. The end isn't here as long as we honor the past
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Hiked a mile to this waterfall today. Didn't pass a single other person on the trail in either direction. Places like this all over the country that are unpressured while miles long lines form waiting to see main attractions that look just like this
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Stacking sawn sycamore boards to dry in barn. Just the most beautiful grains.
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Friends, try to meet your mutuals in real life. You'll be so glad. You'll go on trips with some. You'll drink bourbon with others. You'll exchange books with others. I'm serious. Just meet with them. You'll be so glad.
Started with bourbon with
@alancornett
. Then Amarone della Valpollicella with dinner. After dinner liqueurs. Wonderful day.
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Recommend trying to increase your resiliency. Everyone seems to think we're one thing from collapse. We're not.
I think this doom corresponds to people believing they have no agency. Agency & resiliency go together. You have more of both than you realize. Use one to build other
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Well, let's see what God brings us this year. Just tapped 3 maple trees to make liqueur again this year. Love to see this flow.
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That color, friends, is all natural from wild blackberries made into Angel Hill Blackberry Liqueur which is going to the Chesterton Conference to be shared with friends at the Afterglow.
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Too many people don't get how important trees are.
Traditional British farming systems were full of trees
If we are going to defend our ‘traditions’ I reckon we have to be big enough and smart enough to understand what they really were and how we’ve slipped away from them
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Grandson Noah Benjamin. Out of hospital. Baptized today.
He has a big family.
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Peasant food.
It's delicious, healthy, filling, humbling. Yes, if the logistics chain broke there'd be no mango, I get it. But it's here today. That's good.
Eat well. Pray hard. Sleep tight. Tell your parents and your kids you love them. Do the best you can each day.
Good Night
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@wrathofgnon
Like this in an entire hillside neighborhood in Genoa. Distinctly middle class. Visitors have to be reminded to look up to even notice. This lifts the people living in them to their God-given dignity.
Zoom in on that first picture.
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