Today marks the anniversary of the terrorist attack that brought down the Twin Towers and changed our world. I do not want to diminish the importance of that day, and there will rightly be many reflections and stories about it.
Instead, I’d like to look back even further to the 1970s and recall some of the more hopeful ideas that grew from that era – a pun you will recognize shortly. It was a time when people sought to reconnect with Mother Earth. Through publications like Mother Earth News, we learned about caring for the environment, taking off our shoes to feel the ground beneath our feet, and planting and harvesting our own food.
The Foxfire books joined a wave of guides and gatherings for people eager to make changes and learn how to protect the environment. It was a period of major social change. I took part in my own way by finishing college and embracing the outdoors through camping and canoeing in the wilds of Canada.
It would be interesting to consider how the themes of that era might have been amplified by today’s internet and social media. The thought is almost unsettling.
Today, we are more focused on the harmful elements in our air, soil, and water, including the chemicals and pesticides that end up in our food. Many people are encouraged to return to more homegrown options for their food supply. During the isolation of the pandemic, backyard chicken coops became more common. A neighbor tried that very thing until our resident black bear family discovered it made a convenient breakfast bar.
Over the past 2 years my son Michael and his wife Bev developed a backyard garden that when I first saw the pictures resembled more of a jungle than a garden. As I found out more details and pictures, I realized it was well planned, orderly and even included a greenhouse. Michael never does anything halfway, he is “all in” on any project. The result has been an incredible diversity of abundant fruits and vegetables, that are what his family can’t consume if given away to the neighborhood.
I did not fully appreciate what Michael and Bev had accomplished until a recent Rotary Club meeting, where Jamie Bateman presented the Florida Homesteader project. The Highlands News-Sun recently featured Jamie and her husband, Bill, in a front-page article about their bimonthly Mercantile project, where people can sell naturally grown produce and handmade crafts, reflecting a renewed commitment to Mother Earth in many ways.
An upcoming podcast with Jamie Bateman will explore the origins of Florida Homesteader magazine, the work connected to it, and Jamie and Bill’s passion for homesteading and serving the Lord. Their story inspired me so much that I dusted off some woodworking tools and made a few items for the Mercantile store. Listen to the podcast, and you may discover that you do not need a large space to be a homesteader. You can begin on a windowsill and see what grows.
John Rousch is a columnist, podcaster, and a 58-year veteran educator. He can be reached at 863-273-0522 or johnrousch73@gmail.com. Check out “Flightlines – The Stories Behind the Stories” on YouTube. Website: flightlinestories.com
