One of the first books that I ever read about living the good life, was called The Good Life. (Imagine that!) It was written by Helen and Scott Nearing, who were living in New York City during the great depression. They decided that it would be easier to be poor in the country than in the city, and ended up writing books about their homesteading adventures, first in Vermont, and later in Maine. They managed to be totally self-sufficient, built a beautiful stone house with their own hands, from rocks gathered on their property, worked diligently on the house and in their gardens for just four hours each day, and used the other four for reading, writing, music and individual pursuits. The life must have suited them well, for they each lived to be about 100, without ever having need of a doctor. Their books later launched the whole back-to-the-land movement in the 60's, when a new generation discovered them.
This is not one of the books I am including in the give-away, but one you may well enjoy checking out at the library. I only mention it because of an odd coincidence that occurred not long ago. We received an invitation to attend a kiln-opening celebration at the home and studio of Jan and Jon Brieger - potters over in Blanco. This was the weekend of hurricane Ike, when we were supposed to be experiencing gale force winds and flash floods, but instead they got a perfectly gorgeous weekend for their celebration. What a fantastic setup they have there. Instead of focusing on the pottery, I was mesmerized by their home and gardens. There was something vaguely familiar about it all. It wasn't until I saw the stack of wooden frames in the back yard, near the low stone wall they were building, that I finally put two and two together. I walked up to Jon. "Excuse me, but did you ever read a book called The Good Life, by Helen and Scott Nearing?" "As a matter of fact, I did," he replied with a grin. You see, Jan and Jon live in a beautiful stone house, that they built with their own hands, from rocks gathered on their property, using the slip-mold method that they read about in The Good Life.
P.S. Speaking of the give-away, don't forget to leave a comment, if you wish to be included.
P.P.S. That's not Jon and Jan in the photo. That's Jon and long time friend, and fellow potter, Michael Hodgson.
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6 comments:
Got this email message from Lynn, in Houston, today: The only problem we have had from Ike is very weak internet access. I can
sporadically send and receive e-mails but cannot go to websites/
Dang-- I want to win a prize.
Don't worry Lynn - gotcha covered!
I love learning about all these cool places from you BEFORE we move there! I'm making a list!
Lynn is lucky. We were without power for a week so I had NO internet access. Didn't miss tv, read a lot, slept well with the windows open and cool breezes blowing but, dang, I was tortured by blog withdrawal!
The Nearing's books have always been on my list of *books-to-read-someday*. I think I'll have to move them to the top and look for them this week. For my money, though, I think you and your hubby are living the good life right now!
Yes, my husband has been very testy of late. He's pretty easy-going about most things, but does not deal well with any interruptions to his internet or cable service - which he is still having problems with at the townhouse in Houston.
I am so looking forward to seeing what books are on your list to give away.
Click on the photo in the post about the give-away, and you can see some of the titles. I added your name to the pot Ms. Alpher.
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