Homesteading Seeds
A reunion of the Homesteading Farm students
brings a chance to ponder how my homesteading experiences influenced my
life. Some vibrant seeds were planted and nurtured back in Bangor
in 1979.....What seeds? Did these seeds germinate and grow
through the thicket of time? I wonder...
I came to the farm as part
of my studies in environmental systems at the University of Michigan.
I went on to get a Master's degree in urban planning. I hoped to use my
degree to influence communities towards wise land use and stewardship.
Some kernels of thought, insight and inspiration were planted or helped
along at the Land Trust Homesteading Farm. These are some of them:
1) Stewardship... on the farm I was able to appreciate the direct responsibility
a land owner and farmer has towards maintaining a healthy soil and ecology.
One person or family can have a huge impact, and as a society we should
work towards enabling people to achieve this.
2)
Organic vegetable gardening and farming..... It can be done, that's what
we came to learn. I became a lifelong gardener because of our vegetable
garden. What a revelation to taste really fresh sweet corn, tomatoes and
peppers!! Food the way it was meant to be!! I became a passionate
advocate for organic farming.
I believe that the way we grow and raise our food
is the key environmental issue and has profound social and ecological repercussions.
Professionally some of my most rewarding work involved helping Vermont
farmers preserve their prime farm land in the face of development pressures.
Politically, I've done a lot of letter writing and voting on the organic
issue, and as a consumer I try to always buy organic. 
3) Self-reliance......What a joy to have work that requires you to do
an infinite variety of tasks, all in your own self-interest. Challenged
to improvise solutions to the myriad problems that develop daily, you become
full of confidence and pride. It comes down to you, but you can do
it! What a feeling of satisfaction. All work should engender
this type of pride and self-respect.
4) A good days work....physical labor, brings peace and
contentment. The combination of physical outdoor work, in harmony
with the day and seasons, and the mental challenges of running a farm are
the perfect combination for a peaceful, healthy body and mind. The
joys to be had from jumping into a cool clear pond after a sweaty afternoon
weeding the garden are hard to beat!!
5) Spontaneous bounty of the land. Learning to identify
and use wild edible plants and herbs was a 
revelation
to me. Now I can see the fertility and perseverance of nature everywhere.
To go through life not recognizing what is put before us is blindness.
6) Animal Husbandry is hard work!! A kind of truce must be established,
but the role of the animal on a self-sufficient farm is undeniably vital.
The interdependent role of animals in the homesteading setting gave a realistic
contrast to the agribusiness commodity treatment of animals. Living
with
animals requires mutual respect. Another lesson in humility for
us.
7) Living in harmony with the seasons and the day is much more interesting
and rewarding than pretending that each day is like the rest. To
relish the bounty of peach season to the fullest, is to recognize how to
gracefully accept the gifts of nature.
8) Co-operation pays in so many ways. The amount a group can accomplish
is astounding. Living as an alternative family is a satisfying
social option. Shared responsibilities can bring out hidden talents.
I became involved in co-operatives for the remainder of my college years.
As a professional planner I 
encourage
communities to provide housing that can work for groups and alternative
families. Why foster loneliness and inefficiency, when the alternative
can be so much fun.
Well, thanks for indulging my reminiscing. Peace. Linda
(Olson) Pehlke
Linda can be reached at:
LPehlke@aol.com
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