personal column

  By

Jules Dervaes

PART SIX  - last installment

Finally, we will not be able to dodge the hard, piercing, painful truth: IT IS US! Mankind is the apocalyptic problem. From the beginning we ourselves have been the flaw, as we have chosen our own way to live. Only, it was to die for. Now, on the verge of reaping the fruits of self-destruction, our only hope is to be retrained first to act in a totally opposite manner.

Therefore, we must not be thinking in terms of surviving, of our getting through any external crisis, but of changing, of our being reborn to a new way founded on the truth of our fundamentally flawed nature. At this juncture we must struggle to make happen an unparalleled, earthshaking event shift away from our unyielding, barren world. Only with pressing travail will the breakthrough occur. What is to be expected is a transformation within each of us so radical that, if one looked in the mirror of his soul, he would see a stranger. It is time. 

~ Jules Dervaes

SPECIAL THANKSGIVING POV's

Eaters Of The World Unite (AlterNet) - As we gather around Thanksgiving tables this year, we can be thankful that, while the profiteers and politicians are headed one way with our food system, We the People are going in quite another direction.

Thanks For Bountiful Farms (Daily Breeze) - As you sit down at the table this Thanksgiving and give thanks for all of the good in your life, take the opportunity to thank our farmers. Remember that agriculture is part of our lives, so we must help to protect it.

Our Far-Flung Thanksgiving Meals (Tom Paine)  - "In contrast to the fare of the first Plymouth feast, most food that Americans eat today travels between 1,500 and 2,500 miles from farm to plate, about 25 percent farther than two decades ago."

Buy Nothing This Year! (AlterNet) - While Buy Nothing Day is primarily about getting people to think about the impacts of their conspicuous consumption, it's also a holiday celebrating personal liberation.

In this issue...

Save Money In The Kitchen - Herbal Beauty Products  - Smashing Pumpkins - Incredible, Edible Landscaping  - Rag Rugs - Annual BND

    Interested in doing things yourself instead of relying on outside sources for basic necessities? We are personally not as self-sufficient as we would like to be, but we believe that many are on same the path, some further along than others. 

   We hope this newsletter will be a source of inspiration and information to those who want to break-free from the modern environment and culture we are subject to.  See you along the path...

And Finally...

ramblings...

SUN 11/24

Well, well, where does the time go?

Already time for another issue of our newsletter!

 We have some new additions to our little "farm" They're two adorable, dwarf rabbits.  They'll be great little "garbage disposers" and fertilizers, not to mention loads of fun to watch!

  The males in our family are a bit peeved, though. They say that they're surrounded by too many females:  the hens,  the kitty and now two bunnies.

 We were blessed with some measurable rain a few weeks ago.  It rained for two days, totaling over 4" --practically the SAME amount we received ALL of last year.  And then, get this, just a few days later we were scorching under high temps in the low 90's. Talk about weird weather... one day you go and dig out the umbrella and a few days later it's time to put on suntan lotion.

  The reed bed is coming along nicely and we'll be putting up pictures of our progress in the coming months.  We get a good feeling working on projects such as these, knowing that we are trying to do our part in reducing our foot prints on mother earth.

  Also, we are almost finished raising our garden beds and planting our  fall garden.  Time to look towards winter and keep our yard from getting hit by frost.

  We put together a listing, as best we can remember, of all the NEW PLANTS we've incorporated into our landscaping.  It was a bit shocking, once we compiled the list, to know that we've brought in that many new plants!  Now, the challenge is this: We even want MORE edible plants {there is room, if you can believe it } but finding them the right location will be difficult.  All the prime locations are spoken for.  But, we have a few "problem" areas that could produce valuable harvests, if we can find the right plants that would grow there.

  The worms that we have eating our garbage are multiplying, so we are thinking of expanding their little home.  We are thinking of putting a worm bin under the rabbit hutch.  That way, the rabbits' droppings will fall into the bin for the worms to eat. Then we'll have healthful enriching soil and castings,  which, I'm sure, the plants will love!

Wishing everyone a healthy and happy holiday.

Editor & Staff of PTF

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