On Self-Reliance
A jar of cider my friend pressed because he could.
Enjoyed while taking a breather from cutting firewood.
Running your own saw, working for your own heat, 3x over.
A good dog and an old stick shift pick up truck.
Knowing how to change your own tires.
Getting unstuck in the first winter’s storm that came earlier than expected.
Shipping calves, after the year’s work feeding, calving, branding, haying, gathering…
Neighbors helping neighbors, pitching in at the stockyard.
Celebrating afterwards with homemade dilly beans and lots and lots of Busch Light.
The skills, the values, the tools.
If we don’t have them, let’s learn them.
If we do have them, let’s pass them on.
Cheers!
Calhoun
2 Comments. Leave new
You’re such a gem, Calhoun. Such a gem. And quite the poet, my friend! Much love to you!
“if we don’t have them, let’s learn them. If we do have them, let’s pass them on” Well said! This is just what I have been thinking about this fall. Every year when we get wood, can peaches, make jelly , I think of the generations of my family that has done this. Glad my children learned these skills.