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One of my favourite places on the entire homestead is in my forest. I’ve cleaned it up over the years, added a trail, and made a clearing for a future cabin. It took hard work. But it’s been some of the most pleasurable work I can think of. Having a small woodlot is a very
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“In nature, a child finds freedom, fantasy, and privacy: a place distant from the adult world, a separate peace.” Richard Louv, Last Child in the Woods When I swapped city for countryside I was not yet a father. In fact, it was the furthest thing from my mind. I wanted to transform my way of
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Wisemen tell us time and again that land belongs to no one. So when I hear people say “I own land/house in…” or “I bought/own a house” I roll my third eye. For the record, if you live in a house or upon land that you claim to “own” in a so-called “commonwealth country” you
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By Aeron Nicholas Generally speaking, the land has its own traditions and customs. All of us who return to the land discover in our own time the nature of such traditions. Before this discovery can take place we must examine closely the traditions of the culture that shapes us. The secular corporate holiday season is
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By Aeron Nicholas I’ve always wanted to read the work of Aldo Leopold, particularly his poetic assortment of ecological writing compiled in A Sand County Almanac (1949). His words are so moving and perceptive—spiritual really. The whole idea of a “land ethic,” and conservation in general as we (mis)understand it today could be traced back
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By Aeron Nicholas I remember coming across the “find the others” meme when I was younger. It seemed to be making its rounds on the web at the time, circa 2010. This notion of finding the others left an impression on me. It struck me as a rallying cry for misfits and malcontents everywhere. Where
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The first instalment of this short essay series addressed what I dubbed Inner Community. Reading it back I realize I may have bitten off more than I can chew. Nevertheless, that big bite is the very mentality it takes to start a new life as a rusticator. Which leads me to take an important stopover
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BLM has become a familiar acronym in the past decade. But how many people know of the original BLM? The Back-to-the-Land Movement. From Wikiless: The common thread is a call for people to take up smallholding and to grow food from the land with an emphasis on a greater degree of self-sufficiency, autonomy, and local community than found in a prevailing
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