. . . at least according to Maria Rodale in the Nov-Jan 2009/10 issue of Organic Gardening. She's talking about John Seymour's The Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It: The Complete Back-to-Basics Guide.
These days, it's easy to believe that anything could happen . . . climate crisis, economic collapse, and flu pandemics have cast a gloomy pall over our lives. Trying times have made us realize that what really matters is being able to provide the basics to ourselves and our families. Today, we recognize it as sustainability. In the 1970s, it was called self-sufficiency, and was identified with the loony fringe. The recognized leader of the self-sufficiency movement was a Welshman named John Seymour.
She goes on to tell about meeting Seymour early in her life after her father passed away, and then, years later, signing up her 15 year old daughter and husband for a self-sufficiency course "vacation" at Seymour's home in Ireland, something that all of them still consider to be one of the best weeks in their lives. Seymour died at the age of 90, but his book has been updated and recently re-released.
For more information, check out http://www.self-sufficicency.net. I'm curious! It reminds me of Laura Ingalls Wilder and the Little House on the Prairie books! I used to dream about shelling peas, milking the cows and making preserves!
It makes me tired just to read this one. I used to watch old episodes of The Waltons and imagine a similar lifestyle for myself. A large family, large meals, large gardens, animals for harvesting, etc. etc. Then, reality hit and I got myself a housekeeper and a bag of take-out.
Posted by: bronwyn | November 12, 2009 at 02:30 PM