Ä [21] Internet: MISC.RURAL (1:352/111) ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ MISC.RURAL Ä Msg : 14 of 25 + 15 From : edwardbarry@ins.infonet.net 1:105/30 Mon 07 Mar 94 17:41 To : All Subj : tillers ÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄÄ From: edwardbarry@ins.infonet.net in article 9225 Jim discusses the fact that he doubts foresters saw their own logs, shoe co. workers make their own shoes. This is the true basis of commerce and community. Each has a skill or desire to do something and maybe not something else. Bartering is the true measure of work and materials. I live in a very small valley where I am surrounded by huge ranches. There is not much I can offer except my labor and small farming deaire, desire, as most of them are not interested in that. Therefore I raise lambs for them milk a cow until a replacement calf is found when one is lost, feed horses and calves, and help at shearing time, calf marking and haying. In exchange not only do I get to live in Eden, but I get lumber, lambs, beef, and access to tools and machinery, plus the experience o working the stock and learning to use those tools (I am from N.Y.C.!) I couldn't pay these ranchers enough to teach me how to do all this but by having skills and the eagerness to help I am going to ranch college! I sell eggs to the store in town, then spend alot of the money in the same store buting things I can't grow. That's buying, not buting.. When moving to this ranch 5 years ago I thought I would get ranching skills, raising stock and working the land, learning what I could. But amazingly enough besides those skills that I am still learning ( yesterday I helped mark lambs, and did work I hadn't done yet after 5 years) I am learning neighboring. Why neighbors have to get along out here, how to be civil and polite even if there is a problem and how to work it out. Responsibility to the land and to neighbors, and what a wonderful compliment it is when they introduce me as their neighbor sarah --- PC-NNTP/486 1.1 * Origin: Cascade Echomail - Fidonet/Usenet gateway - Beaverton, OR (1:105/30)