Greetings Friends and Neighbors, Returning to the Farm Sunday evening I experienced a staggering homecoming. Six hours on the road. Travelling through waves of Thunderstorms. Four days sitting in the teaching hall of a practicing Elder, gathered around the flickering light of the question “How did it come to be this way?” The Orphan Wisdom School in the Ottawa Valley of Ontario is, amongst other things, a two-year course on the unauthorized history of North America. The Orphans would be those of us whose ancestors left their Dead and their Culture behind when they fled the Old Country. This Letter amounts to a
I just stumbled onto this substack, and of course I beelined for the poison ivy heading, having myself that ahem.. plant friend in my life. My tall rubber boots are permanently affixed to my feet in summer. It's sad. I have some possible tricks up my sleeve, the most promising--and impossible, both--of which is to call a meeting with their leader. I can let you know how it goes.
I was tickled to see your poison ivy narration interspersed with quotes and tethers back to the Orphan Wisdom school. Though I've never been, I've been following for years and SJ's writing and speaking have been so formative for me. Anyway, such a delight coming across your writing. I will check out more of it. Thank you :)
Haha Adam--when I saw the title with a picture of a sheep, I assumed that you had deployed lots of sheep to take care of the poison ivy problem! And I wondered why the sheep was bereft of culture. :-) You could also try goats.
I just stumbled onto this substack, and of course I beelined for the poison ivy heading, having myself that ahem.. plant friend in my life. My tall rubber boots are permanently affixed to my feet in summer. It's sad. I have some possible tricks up my sleeve, the most promising--and impossible, both--of which is to call a meeting with their leader. I can let you know how it goes.
I was tickled to see your poison ivy narration interspersed with quotes and tethers back to the Orphan Wisdom school. Though I've never been, I've been following for years and SJ's writing and speaking have been so formative for me. Anyway, such a delight coming across your writing. I will check out more of it. Thank you :)
Haha Adam--when I saw the title with a picture of a sheep, I assumed that you had deployed lots of sheep to take care of the poison ivy problem! And I wondered why the sheep was bereft of culture. :-) You could also try goats.
Thank you, Adam.