posted
After being on Hatrack for about 50 hours a week for months, my move and wholesale life changes have had me on the internet exactly 4 times since the first week of September.
I apologize for not being on more regularly, but I think about all of you very much so. For some reason, I needed to supplement my Hatrack withdrawl, so I read SFTD 3 times in a row this week, and despite the agony, am still trying to nail down my copy of Xenocide, which I am sure I lent to a "friend", Pfft.
Anyway, after my forefathers strugged for 6 generations to better themselves and get off the farm (my father was the first to escape), I have spent the last 2 months trying to restore one. I have gone as far as purchasing a tractor and a whole bunch of equipment that attaches to it and I enjoy pretending that I know what I am doing. So far so good, and I haven't needed medical attention due to any mishaps...yet.
Being a lazy Catholic and not attending mass lately, I enjoy the good, clean, honest work that I put myself through. Farming is truly a strange call, yet I do hear it. In a few ways, I sometimes reminisce about the Alvin Maker books, or at least parts of them.
But I have strayed far too long. I have to unrig the brush hog from the tractor and attach a rear blade so I can do some grading and snow plowing this winter. Take care and remember:
You can never add too much water to a nuclear reactor.
Posts: 1870 | Registered: Mar 2003
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As a 5th generation farm-raised farmer myself, let me welcome you back to that wonderful world of the soil and fresh air.
It is getting close to winter now, so there will be more darkness hours soon -- the better to spend on Hatrack since there won't be as much to do outside.
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Farming is fun! Although I don't know if I would want to be a farmer... Glad you're back Alucard.
Posts: 3420 | Registered: Jun 2002
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Well, I wouldn't want to tend anything larger than my balcony-garden. But I love fresh fruits and veggies -- so I'm glad someone hears the call of farming!
Good to see you, Alucard! Best of luck!
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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My brother, who spent a couple of years living in the RURAL south, hypothesized that farming had already begun to be fun for the human species for its own sake, due to evolution, in the same way that hunting is pleasurable to a cat even when it is not hungry. He cited evidence of people who would spend endless time and money on their truck gardens every year, which he was positive must be operating at a loss. And people who grow enormous amounts of vegetables each year only to give them all away to the people at work because they can't possibly use or can them all. I think he may be right.
I'm still not much of a gardener, despite thinking it's a grand idea. I think I lack the capacity of ever-renewing my ability to hope, when it is ever-dashed.
Farming (or gardening) is deep..... very deep.
I'm glad you are doing something you enjoy, Alucard, but please don't neglect your responsibilities here. It was wonderful to see you again in the flu shot thread. Nobody else knows so much about drugs as you. We really need you here. That's not even to mention the fact that we also miss you personally.
Don't stay gone so long!
[ November 16, 2003, 05:07 PM: Message edited by: ana kata ]
Posts: 968 | Registered: Sep 2003
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My grandparents were farmers. My mom grew up on a farm, knew how hard that work was, and so she worked hard to go to school and get a nursing degree.
So what did I do? I became a farmer... much to the amusement of my mom and grandparents ("if we'd known you were going to be a farmer, we wouldn't have sold that piece of land!") But my grandparents thought it was silly for me to've gone to college and used up all that college tuition before deciding to farm...
Anyway, I don't work anywhere near as hard as my grandparents did, and I'm lucky to be in a much more secure economic situation (I grow veggies for an intentional community, I don't have to worry about dealing with market stuff). So for me, farming's fun. And I'm in awe of the folks who DO work 80+ hour weeks to sell crops for the market....
(Well, it's MOSTLY fun for me. Not as much fun when it's 100 degrees in the summer, or when it's zero degrees at night in the winter and I'm running around covering up greens to keep them alive. But, yeah, generally it's good.)
Despite being addicted to growing things (i.e. orchids), I must protest your farming quest. Escape now before it is too late and you are sucked in forever!
My Mother just married a farmer two weeks ago, and I'm telling you that the transformation that she went through before marriage was horrible! She lost weight! She has a tan now! She learned how to drive construction and farming equipment! And worse yet-she actually bought pigs and is RAISING them!
I tell you, Alucard, if you do not stop now, put down the pitchfork, and walk away from this, you may never see another big city EVER AGAIN! Barnes and Noble...Starbucks...these may all be beyond your reach if you continue with this endeavor! Someone will ask you if you want to go to the mall to go clothes shopping, and you will say,'Why? I have all of the long underwear I need, and my shot-gun works great. Furthermore, Atwoods is closed today.' There is nothing more frightening than hearing these words uttered.
I'm telling you, Alucard, this is for your own sake, after reading this post (wait for it...wait for it) you should walk out of your farm-house, get in your car, and go rent an apartment in the city. This will immediately allieviate the addiction to farming that I can quite clearly see has already begun.
Posts: 701 | Registered: Jul 1999
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wow. belladonna,you seem very decided about farms and stuff. whats wrong with raising pigs? (apart from the religeous reasons,)whats wrong with a good healthy tan??? and...most important... whats wrong with losingf weight? i'd go live on a farm just for that
Posts: 109 | Registered: Nov 2003
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Sadly, this is the first time I have been online since I peeked my head into the World of Hatrack last week and said hello.
I had a birthday, I am now a ripe 33 years old. I have to admit, this is a strange age for me, a crossroads of sorts.
AK, your post hit me a little more deeply than I care to admit. I now feel compelled to share my state of affairs. We are feeling a severe pharmacist shortage in my rural corner of PA, and I am pulled in many, many directions. Our stores operate from 9AM till 9PM. I am currently working every day except Tuesday. Some days I "only" work 6 or 8 hours shifts, but the ratio to 12-hour days is about 50/50. As I ranted about so many times, I have no escape from the horrible intranet our company restricts us to, so I have resorted to boycotting JCPenney, our parent company, and now buy all my underwear at Sears or some other vendor of mediocre fashions.
In other words my life is very frustrating. Thankfully, I picked up a copy of First Meetings in the Enderverse and have also been re-reading Xenocide to pass the time at work. I also passed on SFTD to my mother, who had read EG a while back.
Please tell me the Cards did not book tour anywhere near Pittsburgh, and I will sleep well tonight, because I was oblivious.
Thanks for all the farming posts also. I recently took off my brush hog and attached my rear blade to plow snow. I also stocked up on a huge fuel depot (diesel of course!) and even bought a new pair of leather work gloves, since I thrashed the old pair.
Oh and I almost forgot, there is no turning back now. I come home, change into work clothes, and don my John Deere ballcap with pride.
I will hopefully be on here more than once a week, and any drug questions, let me know!
Posts: 1870 | Registered: Mar 2003
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I think I lack the capacity of ever-renewing my ability to hope, when it is ever-dashed. 
