The City Mouse in the Country

I could not let this Earth Day pass without acknowledging some things.  So let's talk about success stories, and why we should have hope for the future. For the first time in a long time I have hope in the environmental movement.  Yes, there are still a lot of climate change deniers out there - and they are becoming more doomsayers than anything.   I used to be one of them, a doomsayer, meaning that I didn't have much hope for the future, and would gladly tell you we were fucked six ways from Sunday.   We still are in a lot of ways...but like the first flowers that are poking through their lovely heads through the ground...we have reasons to hope. In some ways I believe that the pandemic was a shot in the arm for the environmental moment.   Bird watching boomed.  People had time to watch nature shows and documentaries.  Home cooking became something pleasurable for people to do again.  Frankly my interest in cheese making flourished as well as I looked for something to do to e

  I never expected to live out in the country.    I never expected to enjoy it.    I never expected to plant my own food, or do much of the day to day “manual” labor that living out in the country requires.   I was a city boy, I had come to enjoy the distractions that a city offered. I never expected to love where I live, I love the quiet.   I love the stars at night.    I even love the deer that nibbled at my garden, or the wild turkey and foxes that live around me.    Which got me thinking, what can I do to improve the community around me?   Other than what I already do with the Odd Fellows ? Basically we live in an area of three closely knit towns, and despite the title of the blog – it’s not considered the “boondocks” but it is rural.    I live in the small town of Stoneboro, close to the small towns of Jackson Center and Sandy Lake.     Small communities that are all knitted together by country roads and a local high school.   We are 70 minutes from Pittsburgh, 100 minutes

If you have been following this blog, or our Facebook page , for a while, then you know that I'm trying to eat healthier not only for my health, but for the health of the planet as well.   I believe that we have a moral obligation to do so. The whole reason behind this "Trendy" series is to introduce you, the gentle reader; to something you may not be familiar with...in the hope that you'll try it.   So when I buy a "plant based meat" I'm really not that interested if it tastes like chicken or steak.  I won't lie, it helps, but for the most part I'm concerned about three things. 1)  Is it healthy?  If I am being completely honest with myself it's probably not.  Any time you buy a prepackaged meal it's most likely going to be highly processed and preserved food we're buying and as such may contain a variety of chemicals and preservatives. It's not something I've grown and made myself.  Thanks to advertising companie

       I generally don't fear technology. I may not understand it, I may not have an interest in a particular technology...but I don't fear it.  Technology is generally neutral; it is simply an item that, depending on how it is used can either be destructive or beneficial.       Sometimes it can be both.   Wagon makers and bicyclists welcomed the coming of the gasoline engine because they understood the potential of it; where farrier's and saddle makers rued the day for the same reasons.      Computer science has allowed the world to contact in a way it's never connected before, as we can chat in real time to people around the world, share information, support causes and discuss ideas.   It can also isolate us and build walls around us of our own design.  As the echo's of what we believe can be deafening; and that makes it all that more important to pop your own bubble and face your own prejudices.       Which is harder to do than you may think.   I'm guilty of

This is going to be a more personal blog than normal.   If you have been following this blog for a while...then you know that Sue and I have had a series of deaths in the family.   We have not gone into that much detail concerning these deaths other than the passing of her father, and then mine .  We have experienced the loss of loved ones some six times since October. Susan has half jokingly suggested that we simply hang a black flag outside of our home. These deaths have only reminded me that, since nether my brother or I have any children of our own (my brother adopted and I have a step daughter) that the genetic line that makes up this particular branch of the Wilson family, will go extinct.   On top of that we have had a "run of bad luck" regarding our automobiles as well, nothing that was to serious and nothing that was not caused by time and mileage.   Luckily, we had the money to  repair and replace the parts. Still, it was an unexpected blow. On top of all this, I

Recently I've seen memes and posts over "banning" the gas range.   What I'll be referring to as the Gas Stove War.  It's silly really...but I understand it. For some, it must seem like government over reach.  We personally are moving from an electric stove to a propane stove because my wife wanted one (she's a former professional chef) as we finish the last bit of the kitchen remodel; and because this would mean drilling a hole though the house for the gas range the installation will occur in spring. Yes, I'm very aware of my hypocrisy over installing a gas stove for ourselves while understanding the move to ban or limit the use of electric stoves in other parts of the country.  Frankly if it was up to me, I would stay electric.   It's not up to me.  I also was not aware of the environmental concern regarding the gas range till recently. Long story short, this whole kerfuffle began about two years ago New York City moved to eliminate the use of gas sto