I’m also subscribed! Maybe someone I know can be persuaded by Eli’s dream.
Even though some days it feels like the world is falling apart, I learn about someone like Eli and realize that Americans are still creatively thinking and acting to make sure we have a future.
Not only have I subscribed, but I sent it to my niece, who desperately wants to farm (and has Ag degrees) but has no money. Praying this is an answer to her prayers.
I’m betting there are thousands of young men and women who are interested in farming. What a great way to raise a family, feed their community, and change the country. It’s SO Jeffersonian! He’d have loved this.
I “met” Eli here on Jenna’s Stack awhile back. I have subscribed and just finished chapter 6-I think 🤔
Eli’ blueprint is now part of our plan that has been germinating for a few years! Thank you, Jenna! I would have never met Eli had I not been an ardent reader of everything-JENNA!
Our journey is now (literally yesterday!) going into hyper drive and I am freaking the feck out. Don’t worry, I always do this anxiety crazy town for a short period.
This part of the pilgrimage is feeling like “Into The Wild,” (Jon Krakauer) where Christopher, the central character, abandons his possessions, loses his mind, and flits off to Alaska! We all know the tragic end.
Hopefully, tomorrow it will morph into something more like Eli’s or Elizabeth Gilbert’s “Eat, Pray, Love!” 💕
Thanks, Eli for creating a warm and comforting refuge for me to rest and refuel. We ARE going to do this! 🙏❤️😳🤯🔥💯💪
Maybe! You do very good things, Jenna. Laughter is the tonic of a healthy and joyful life.
My hubby makes me LOL every single day of our lives. Even when I put myself into the “pit of despair,” mister funny man somehow makes me laugh at myself!
However, I NEVER give up, and I NEVER give in. I just need a good old fashioned belly laugh. I dust of my sandals and get to work!
It is so beautiful and inspirational to read these comments. I am crying, too. I needed this so much today. Thank you, God, working through these beautiful people.
Sandra I love how you and Jenna sort of "teamed up" to be the catalysts that made me start substacking, and now look at the community that is being built!!!
Wow Kat!!!!! This is so exciting. And I am really thrilled to hear that our experience has helped along the way. Please keep sharing your details as it unfolds. And just a word about Christopher in Jon Krakauer's book -- one of our friends/neighbors and fellow homesteaders here used to be on the high school track team with Christopher, and he says he was really quite an odd and troubled guy even then. You sound like you are starting out with a whole lot more groundedness, and so nothing untoward need be in your story. Deep breath and enjoy the ride!
Thanks for the inspiration and strength to see this dream come to fruition, Eli!
It’s a calling to a greater purpose which has been slowly brewing in my subconscious for my whole life. This is now so clearly obvious.
It’s not like I woke up one day and had a light bulb turn on. I’ve been a diamond in the rough (very edgy and rough!) waiting…not so patiently, I might add!
As you know, I totally know that feeling of the diamond waiting for years . . . Now is the time for the Jeweler to start cutting those edges to make it shine.
I’m definitely seeking “partnership” with like minded people in an endeavor to create something better than what presently exists and align with nature.
Me three? It's a challenge to both fund projects and provide the labor (especially as "retirement" is rapidly approaching - it makes me question making long term plans / projects).
Llaw, Kaytlyn, John W. -- check out Farm Link (Resources #1) That might be a good place to start to find a partnership. Also I'm suddenly wondering if the Nature Spirits might be helpful with these link-ups. And of course prayer (I think I'm allowed to say that on this substack) Our partnership certainly feels totally guided.
I worked for the organization (which is no longer) that started Farmlink ... it's still alive but not thriving ... and many projects like yours, Eli, struggle. I've been writing (mostly unpublished) about a new way for the new Earth, since 2010, guided by teachers like Joanna Macy 💞. I'd like to know how we here, chatting, dreaming and doing, could link up as a cohort. Anyone who follows Jenna here is quite obviously rooted in similar values, aka very cool folks! (Sorry for the delay in responding. I was at a new farm project launch the day this chatter was happening and I am still catching up.)
Kaytlyn, I am very happy to connect with you! That is amazing that you were there at the formation of Farmlink. I would love to hear more about all of that, and how Farmlink is doing now. I remember PASA (in PA) had a link up site for farmers and landowners years ago, too, and I wonder how it is doing. I will look up Joanna Macy too. We can chat more, and I saw your name at the substack too. :)
Another wonderful spotlighting of folks making a difference in the world. There seems to be a lot of kindred spirits on this Substack. I’ve subscribed to her Substack as well! We now donate money directly
to young people by trying to give them “a leg up” in this world so that they can contribute and make a positive difference. It’s hard for some young people to not be in survival mode.
I think it's awesome that we're seeing people wake up to humanity and basics, rather than filling our lives with electronic noise and faux relationships or endless self entertainment.
Now, go try something yourself. Laugh with someone else.
I've got to get going. The grandkids are waking up, as the sun is filling the sky. We camped out in the back yard with no top on the tent. First time I've camped in nearly a decade. Ohhh. I smell like smoke! First time using the burn barrel that I made for enriching the garden soil with bio-char. And I'm glad I managed to get the kids clean of gooey marshmallows before getting to sleep and attracting the ants. The geese are noisy from the golf course down the road.
A far cry from a computerized life I've been living.
All kinds of new things!
Thanks, Jenna. And Eli!
PS. Your book has interesting people in it as well! I enjoyed seeing how others dealt with the covid fiasco.
Justin, What a lovely picture of your morning. Our grandkids are still sleeping (preteens) so I have a few moments lol. Yay Bio-char! It is going to make an appearance later in the story :)
"There are bow hunters who will come to your urban or suburban neighborhood—there are safe ways to do it, " So glad to learn this!
Tomorrow: I will be 75 years upon this earth. I love my land(s); I grow for both humans and non-human animals. But I don't support those deer or groundhogs which move into my fenced food-producing areas. For them, "My name is Inigo Montoya....You killed my broccoli/cabbage/tomatoes/potatoes. Prepare to die"
(I notice you used the plural of "glasses," indicating to me that you, too, have them scattered all over the house and barn--so you can find at least ONE pair occasionally. You've discovered, at your age, the two revelations of old age: one, "time speeds up," to roughly double-time, and two, you spend half of it "looking for something you just had in your hand.")
Bwahahaha. Love this, Via. For anyone who doubts the safety of having hunters killing deer in a highly populated area, I remind them that they, too, operate lethal weapons in densely populated areas. (driving). We just don't hit anyone. Same with the hunters (elevated position, baiting so that the deer are clearly seen in a safe (for humans) spot. Also, skilled hunters (the only kind who qualify to hunt in highly populated areas) produce a very quick death for the deer, so it is humane as well. Happy birthday!
Thank you so much for both the info and the wishes! As to cars as lethal weapons, yup, "we" don't hit anyone--but the deer sure do hit us. Had a large dent in front of car, courtesy of a deer crossing the road on my 5:30 morning route. I do scat checks in my yard, am learning to tell the age of the scat (don't yet have it down to the hour....) from its appearance. Now, how to find and contact those bow hunters----any suggestions?
Try googling the department of natural resources for your state and also for your county. And your county's park and planning commission. They often have deer hunters (bow) working in parks, and these hunters often want more work and they are also thoroughly vetted. This should give you some leads. Also "bowhunting for deer management" should lead you in the right direction. Then start making phone calls. I hope this helps! Near the suburban county where I worked on this, there are three groups -- one is all fire fighters who love the sport and one is all scientists with doctoral degrees who get it about the ecological damage the deer do. Both groups are awesome (I never ended up engaging the third group.) But I figure if this county has three, you'll find someone!
What a treat this is. First thing this morning I opened a link sent from a friend, saying this is interesting, check it out. So i did and was instantly inspired. It just happened to be a link to Eli’s substack, and i was hooked. Then I open my email and go to Jenna, whom is my daily fix, and see that Eli is in the spotlight today! (my friend is hooked on Jenna also) Double treat! Thank you both Eli and Jenna! I am inspired that my family’s acreage and heirloom apple orchard in Northern California could have a potential positive future of being restored over being sold to developers.
Whaaat??? That is totally amazing Elise, and I'd say a sign from the Universe about your apple orchard. Yes, please save it from developers! We need apples :) I restored an old apple tree that was in my yard, so I've watched countess youtube videos about restoring old trees -- it was extremely effective. I even had an apple orchard owner tell me just plant new trees, but it turned out the old tree happily came back to great production.
I LOVE this inspiration. Unfortunately I’m old with NO money. A few years ago I wanted so badly to learn self sufficiency through gardening so we could retire to some land somewhere and enjoy it like you are. But it’s rather difficult to master from a suburban back yard with clay soil. After wasting so much time and money on quality dirt, prep, seeds, care, etc., it was an utter failure with my tomatoes, sweet peppers, and baby butternut squashes. I became so discouraged that I didn’t plant a single thing this year.
Three years ago I switched to a Keto diet. It has saved my life. I now see the plants as the food my food eats, so still necessary. And so I started dreaming of owning property somewhere that would allow me my own Chicken coop, and to have a few cows and pigs, maybe a few lambs.
But as I said, I’m old (just turned 60,) with osteoporosis and a penchant for injuring myself (like breaking my rib doing the leg press at the gym last year.) Then these injuries knock me out of all physical activities for several months to heal. 🙄 prrrr And, as I stated, no real money. If we were to search for a retirement spot with a few acres that would allow me to raise my food, I wondered how my body would hold up and if I could actually take care of it.
But I still dream about it. I’d LOVE lil splotch of Eden on this rock to care for livestock. We’ve been looking at properties in other states to get out of wretched IL and I’m starting to wonder how we will maintain it all. How do people my age pull it off? Will I forever be destined for those prefab retirement communities that only offer a few small rooms, no land, and a requirement to attend bridge club twice a week? I know others love that kind of retirement, but I just don’t want to retire like that.
First of all, you are NOT old! Secondly, I am definitely new to anything farming or livestock related but I bet if you follow Eli you will learn a trick or two…☺️💕
Totally agree with Jenna -- 60 is not old. Now, the bones are another story, and sounds like they are affecting your life. But weight bearing exercise is the best remedy for that, so it seems that caring for a few animals would be a good thing. Since you are so young, there is plenty of time for your dream to take shape -- there is a substack that I recommend, https://houseofgreen.substack.com/?utm_source=homepage_recommendations&utm_campaign=5183328
She's got great ideas about how to buy land even when you don't have a lot of money!
Juju, two words that will change your gardening life: Raised beds. Make the beds a convenient height for weeding, but don't fill them all the way to the top with top soil: vegetables don't need anything more than an inch. I pre-filled mine with old deadfall from nearby woods. (I think I accidentally did some kind of European thing by having a garden over decaying wood...) (You can fill in with more topsoil wherever there's subsidence later.)
You also get the advantage of having your garden get an early start in the spring because raised beds warm quicker than tundra. Size the beds so you can reach every part for weeding.
Complete non sequitur - but had to share this. For the first time ever I decided to try listening to (rather than reading) Jenna's posts with the substack reader. Midway through today's post I hear "why do you support genocide"... and I'm like wait, what?! Why would Jenna ask that question and am I missing some twisted joke here? Then I realize the question is "why do you support Jenna's Side"... :)
One more reason to actually read the posts rather than the audio versions.
Damn it, I'm late to the best farm party ever! Thanks for being such an awesome human being Eli! Definitely subscribed and looking forward to learning more about your amazing idea. What a breath of fresh air!
Thanks for telling us about Eli, Jenna. A far reaching idea that could save us. I stopped dead in my tracks with the hill to die on part. I totally agree with her. Kill the deer. Way too many! Don't be offended Jenna, but people who grow things or make a living growing things consider deer long legged rats. My wife's uncle farmed. The deer would go through his corn field and eat all the silk tops on the corn, making it useless. Hay farmers lose up to half their crop to deer. We have too many deer here. I put a fence on the sides and top of my garden. A deer squeezed through, CRAWLED ON ITS KNEES AND ATE ALL MY TOMATOES AND BROCCOLI!
Again, thanks for introducing us to interesting people.
I appreciate the comment! And I get where you are coming from, but as an animal lover it still stings. They are beautiful creatures and they roam freely and abundantly in my neighborhood. It is baby season right now and I see tiny fresh fawns on my walks every day… I guess I just wish we could do something to control the population BEFORE they were born…(and yes, they eat all of my plants no matter what we try… But they are hungry! My heart aches…)
I see the fawns here too. There are a few mothers who have twins every year. I agree they are beautiful as are God's other creatures, (except mosquitoes, ticks, etc). I think they have tried birth control but have not heard it successful yet.
P.S. When we lived in PA, I used to hunt them and harvest the meat. Here in WA, I can't, because it's not sporting to shoot something that just stands and looks at you! So I just take pictures of them and shoo them away, which is interesting because you practically have to walk up to them and kick them in the butt. Enjoy your wildlife Jenna👍
It's the ticks that they spread that cause the diseases that breaks my heart the most. As I've worked with the bringing hunters into suburban neighborhoods, I've heard from parents about children who went deaf (temporarily, thankfully), had to walk with a cane in middle school, were sick for months . . . and then there are the children who die or are injured in the hundreds of car accidents each year. My sympathies rest squarely with the kids, and I figure the deer are like cows or chickens, only freer until they die. The meat is given to food banks -- win-win.
And true, the birth control is not effective, and to me even more inhumane (especially spaying!)
First off, it was great to meet you and four cheers for what you are doing! We have to have FAMILY farmers, not corporate machines whose only purpose is profit. Who controls the food controls us! And fun fact: China, through Smithfield, ACTUALLY OWNS 40% OF THE PIGS IN THIS COUNTRY!
Ticks are too plentiful here. They like hiding on Sagebrush which is all over in Eastern WA, but now as Summer comes on and it is getting hotter, they disappear. What they spread is horrible!
Absolutely deer need hunted. Deer are extremely adaptive creatures and really don't have many natural predators. A few will get taken by Mountain Lions here. They are RE introducing wolves and their food preference seems to be slow moving cattle! 😠 Which created a ridiculous situation where you are supposed to put up stupid blinking lights, KEEP YOUR HERD CLOSE TO HOME, and a wolf has to KILL OR MAIM 4 CATTLE BEFORE THE STATE WILL KILL IT!
David, it's been a relief to hear when folks get it about the deer. I've heard them called "rats with antlers" lol. That's just nasty the deer came through your fortress fence!
My wife and I were born and raised in Pittsburgh PA. A long time ago when a friend and I were teenagers, (funny how that seems like yesterday), in a suburb called Fox Chapel, filled with mansions and estates, (where the Heinz family lived), they were having a problem with deer eating their plants. The local govt. decided to let archers harvest the deer. The residents were horrified. Don't kill Bambi!
My friend and I joked about having a town meeting to tell the residents for $10,000 each we would move the deer out on busses and relocate them. Checkbooks would have come out so fast they made your head spin. We should have done it!😅
Ha -- in fairness, the idea is to take them from the suburban/urban areas where they're too plentiful because people keep planting food for them, and move them to a rural area where hunters feel there need to be more deer. But they die from altercations with the indigenous deer, of starvation because they can't find any hostas to eat, from disease because the stress of the move is too much, or just drop dead from the moving process.
That's precisely what I meant: rural people shouldn't have to deal with them. Nor should taxpayers paying through damage to government lands, or paying to have herds culled.
There are demonstrably too many deer; the only place they ain't is anywhere-to-be-found during hunting season. But outside of hunting season, when they think it's 'safe' to come out, they should be reducted-in-place, in the "nicest" possible way, of course. I'd be thrilled if a goodly number could die at home in their sleep. But prematurely's all I'm saying.
I have subscribed to your Stack, Eli. And I can't argue with you about culling the deer population. I see deer from time to time out in the creek bed behind my home. I love them, but I also know they suffer when there are too many of them. And your vision of matching young farmers to land is awesome! We desperately need a new generation of farmers and regenerative farming. Maybe you will tell us other authors your secret to selling so many books. Glad to meet you. Thanks, Jenna.
Candace -- lol. I like it :) And about selling lots of books -- I just wrote was I was inspired to write and kept writing consistently, every day meeting my goal of 4 hand written pages which translated to 2 type written pages. And doing the research for many many hours and traveling to research if necessary and making sure the research didn't "show" in my writing, but was just an organic part of the story. The market took over from there, I'm not a big promoter so there's not a lot that I've "done" outside of writing to make anything happen. I'm writing this in past tense because these days I'm writing less consistently (I'm past retirement age lol), mostly waiting for the next round of edits on a four book series that has the first two books coming out in a year. I want to see how the first couple of books go and what the publisher thinks before I write #5 and beyond. So the old advice holds: write from your heart, write what you know (or can find out through research!)
How very interesting and such a good read!!! I've been involved with deer/car accidents twice: Once when I was driving and once as a rider. As the driver, there were no passengers and no bodily damage but the metal lost a lot of fender. As the rider, our family of six survived with NO bodily harm. Turns out our son was/is a better driver than I thought. Made me realize (and accept) he was man and no longer a child or teenager. Why was that? Well, it just was. Best to all and a special boost to Eli.
Our neighborhood in the Texas Hill country is literally teeming with deer… I love them and I feel for them and I worry about them and I am so thankful that I have never yet * knocks on wood* seen one flattened in the street or hit one myself… They make me drive a lot more slowly and carefully so there’s that.🙈
I LOVE the plan for the younger/older partnership as well as your band! More than most you have really "figured it out." I'm subscribed. Thanks!
Why did this almost make me cry? Thank you for supporting!💕
I’m also subscribed! Maybe someone I know can be persuaded by Eli’s dream.
Even though some days it feels like the world is falling apart, I learn about someone like Eli and realize that Americans are still creatively thinking and acting to make sure we have a future.
Tim and Mary Ann -- yes I remember your names as subscribers! So grateful for each person who has been reading. You guys keep me writing :)
Not only have I subscribed, but I sent it to my niece, who desperately wants to farm (and has Ag degrees) but has no money. Praying this is an answer to her prayers.
I’m betting there are thousands of young men and women who are interested in farming. What a great way to raise a family, feed their community, and change the country. It’s SO Jeffersonian! He’d have loved this.
Double Mc -- fingers crossed!!!
We meet such fascinating people here! Eli, you are fantastic! I love the idea of combining youth with those of us that are a bit older. {grin}
☺️🤩
Good morning all!
I “met” Eli here on Jenna’s Stack awhile back. I have subscribed and just finished chapter 6-I think 🤔
Eli’ blueprint is now part of our plan that has been germinating for a few years! Thank you, Jenna! I would have never met Eli had I not been an ardent reader of everything-JENNA!
Our journey is now (literally yesterday!) going into hyper drive and I am freaking the feck out. Don’t worry, I always do this anxiety crazy town for a short period.
This part of the pilgrimage is feeling like “Into The Wild,” (Jon Krakauer) where Christopher, the central character, abandons his possessions, loses his mind, and flits off to Alaska! We all know the tragic end.
Hopefully, tomorrow it will morph into something more like Eli’s or Elizabeth Gilbert’s “Eat, Pray, Love!” 💕
Thanks, Eli for creating a warm and comforting refuge for me to rest and refuel. We ARE going to do this! 🙏❤️😳🤯🔥💯💪
OK, now I actually AM crying! Did I just win life? 🏆
Yep. You've affected the Universe Jenna :)
😭💕
True!!
Maybe! You do very good things, Jenna. Laughter is the tonic of a healthy and joyful life.
My hubby makes me LOL every single day of our lives. Even when I put myself into the “pit of despair,” mister funny man somehow makes me laugh at myself!
However, I NEVER give up, and I NEVER give in. I just need a good old fashioned belly laugh. I dust of my sandals and get to work!
It is so beautiful and inspirational to read these comments. I am crying, too. I needed this so much today. Thank you, God, working through these beautiful people.
Sandra I love how you and Jenna sort of "teamed up" to be the catalysts that made me start substacking, and now look at the community that is being built!!!
😭💕
Our "teaming up" was not done intentionally, but just by following our hearts!
I love it too, more than I can say. And what a THRILL it was to see your profile here and the inspiration it's creating.
Wow Kat!!!!! This is so exciting. And I am really thrilled to hear that our experience has helped along the way. Please keep sharing your details as it unfolds. And just a word about Christopher in Jon Krakauer's book -- one of our friends/neighbors and fellow homesteaders here used to be on the high school track team with Christopher, and he says he was really quite an odd and troubled guy even then. You sound like you are starting out with a whole lot more groundedness, and so nothing untoward need be in your story. Deep breath and enjoy the ride!
Thanks for the inspiration and strength to see this dream come to fruition, Eli!
It’s a calling to a greater purpose which has been slowly brewing in my subconscious for my whole life. This is now so clearly obvious.
It’s not like I woke up one day and had a light bulb turn on. I’ve been a diamond in the rough (very edgy and rough!) waiting…not so patiently, I might add!
As you know, I totally know that feeling of the diamond waiting for years . . . Now is the time for the Jeweler to start cutting those edges to make it shine.
I’m definitely seeking “partnership” with like minded people in an endeavor to create something better than what presently exists and align with nature.
Me too!
Me three? It's a challenge to both fund projects and provide the labor (especially as "retirement" is rapidly approaching - it makes me question making long term plans / projects).
Llaw, Kaytlyn, John W. -- check out Farm Link (Resources #1) That might be a good place to start to find a partnership. Also I'm suddenly wondering if the Nature Spirits might be helpful with these link-ups. And of course prayer (I think I'm allowed to say that on this substack) Our partnership certainly feels totally guided.
I definitely will look more closely at this after my company leaves this weekend! Thank you!!
I've been hamstrung by a realtor disaster, so my house in Minnesota hasn't sold yet. Can't really do anything while paying two mortgages!
John -- Aargh. And yet, trust the timing. I hope your realtor disaster resolves soon!
Me too! My life has been mostly "on hold" for the past two years. {sigh}
I worked for the organization (which is no longer) that started Farmlink ... it's still alive but not thriving ... and many projects like yours, Eli, struggle. I've been writing (mostly unpublished) about a new way for the new Earth, since 2010, guided by teachers like Joanna Macy 💞. I'd like to know how we here, chatting, dreaming and doing, could link up as a cohort. Anyone who follows Jenna here is quite obviously rooted in similar values, aka very cool folks! (Sorry for the delay in responding. I was at a new farm project launch the day this chatter was happening and I am still catching up.)
Kaytlyn, I am very happy to connect with you! That is amazing that you were there at the formation of Farmlink. I would love to hear more about all of that, and how Farmlink is doing now. I remember PASA (in PA) had a link up site for farmers and landowners years ago, too, and I wonder how it is doing. I will look up Joanna Macy too. We can chat more, and I saw your name at the substack too. :)
I went to PASA- it was awesome! ... indeed, it was probably based on that model. I'd love to chat more, maybe a zoom call?!
I agree. There is definitely something greater at play.
Another wonderful spotlighting of folks making a difference in the world. There seems to be a lot of kindred spirits on this Substack. I’ve subscribed to her Substack as well! We now donate money directly
to young people by trying to give them “a leg up” in this world so that they can contribute and make a positive difference. It’s hard for some young people to not be in survival mode.
Certainly agree about the kindred spirits here :) Great idea about donating money to the next generation!
Seeing a farm today to attend to its visioning with very similar goals! It was donated to a farm land trust that helps young farmers access land.😍
That is exciting Kaytlyn! Would love to hear how your process/adventure goes :)
I need to check out your writing! Where are you located? Would you say you have succeeded at helping grow young farmers?
Yes I feel that this project has been very successful. We are located in the US. I hope your farm project is very successful as well!
I think it's awesome that we're seeing people wake up to humanity and basics, rather than filling our lives with electronic noise and faux relationships or endless self entertainment.
Now, go try something yourself. Laugh with someone else.
I've got to get going. The grandkids are waking up, as the sun is filling the sky. We camped out in the back yard with no top on the tent. First time I've camped in nearly a decade. Ohhh. I smell like smoke! First time using the burn barrel that I made for enriching the garden soil with bio-char. And I'm glad I managed to get the kids clean of gooey marshmallows before getting to sleep and attracting the ants. The geese are noisy from the golf course down the road.
A far cry from a computerized life I've been living.
All kinds of new things!
Thanks, Jenna. And Eli!
PS. Your book has interesting people in it as well! I enjoyed seeing how others dealt with the covid fiasco.
You guys are KILLING me today. This gave me head to toe chills.☺️💕
Justin, What a lovely picture of your morning. Our grandkids are still sleeping (preteens) so I have a few moments lol. Yay Bio-char! It is going to make an appearance later in the story :)
"There are bow hunters who will come to your urban or suburban neighborhood—there are safe ways to do it, " So glad to learn this!
Tomorrow: I will be 75 years upon this earth. I love my land(s); I grow for both humans and non-human animals. But I don't support those deer or groundhogs which move into my fenced food-producing areas. For them, "My name is Inigo Montoya....You killed my broccoli/cabbage/tomatoes/potatoes. Prepare to die"
🤣 and happy bday! 🎂
Why thank you! Happy to be able to report that (so far) the only "concession" I make to age is the need for reading glasses!
(I notice you used the plural of "glasses," indicating to me that you, too, have them scattered all over the house and barn--so you can find at least ONE pair occasionally. You've discovered, at your age, the two revelations of old age: one, "time speeds up," to roughly double-time, and two, you spend half of it "looking for something you just had in your hand.")
and more than once, looking for something which actually is still upon my nose!
It was my birthday too on the 12th, thus I was not able to keep up with this wonderful thread!
Bwahahaha. Love this, Via. For anyone who doubts the safety of having hunters killing deer in a highly populated area, I remind them that they, too, operate lethal weapons in densely populated areas. (driving). We just don't hit anyone. Same with the hunters (elevated position, baiting so that the deer are clearly seen in a safe (for humans) spot. Also, skilled hunters (the only kind who qualify to hunt in highly populated areas) produce a very quick death for the deer, so it is humane as well. Happy birthday!
Thank you so much for both the info and the wishes! As to cars as lethal weapons, yup, "we" don't hit anyone--but the deer sure do hit us. Had a large dent in front of car, courtesy of a deer crossing the road on my 5:30 morning route. I do scat checks in my yard, am learning to tell the age of the scat (don't yet have it down to the hour....) from its appearance. Now, how to find and contact those bow hunters----any suggestions?
Try googling the department of natural resources for your state and also for your county. And your county's park and planning commission. They often have deer hunters (bow) working in parks, and these hunters often want more work and they are also thoroughly vetted. This should give you some leads. Also "bowhunting for deer management" should lead you in the right direction. Then start making phone calls. I hope this helps! Near the suburban county where I worked on this, there are three groups -- one is all fire fighters who love the sport and one is all scientists with doctoral degrees who get it about the ecological damage the deer do. Both groups are awesome (I never ended up engaging the third group.) But I figure if this county has three, you'll find someone!
Thank you so very much, Eli! Will work on this when I return to SE Pa. Most appreciative!
What a treat this is. First thing this morning I opened a link sent from a friend, saying this is interesting, check it out. So i did and was instantly inspired. It just happened to be a link to Eli’s substack, and i was hooked. Then I open my email and go to Jenna, whom is my daily fix, and see that Eli is in the spotlight today! (my friend is hooked on Jenna also) Double treat! Thank you both Eli and Jenna! I am inspired that my family’s acreage and heirloom apple orchard in Northern California could have a potential positive future of being restored over being sold to developers.
SPOOKY AND ALSO SO COOL. :)
Whaaat??? That is totally amazing Elise, and I'd say a sign from the Universe about your apple orchard. Yes, please save it from developers! We need apples :) I restored an old apple tree that was in my yard, so I've watched countess youtube videos about restoring old trees -- it was extremely effective. I even had an apple orchard owner tell me just plant new trees, but it turned out the old tree happily came back to great production.
Thank you!
I LOVE this inspiration. Unfortunately I’m old with NO money. A few years ago I wanted so badly to learn self sufficiency through gardening so we could retire to some land somewhere and enjoy it like you are. But it’s rather difficult to master from a suburban back yard with clay soil. After wasting so much time and money on quality dirt, prep, seeds, care, etc., it was an utter failure with my tomatoes, sweet peppers, and baby butternut squashes. I became so discouraged that I didn’t plant a single thing this year.
Three years ago I switched to a Keto diet. It has saved my life. I now see the plants as the food my food eats, so still necessary. And so I started dreaming of owning property somewhere that would allow me my own Chicken coop, and to have a few cows and pigs, maybe a few lambs.
But as I said, I’m old (just turned 60,) with osteoporosis and a penchant for injuring myself (like breaking my rib doing the leg press at the gym last year.) Then these injuries knock me out of all physical activities for several months to heal. 🙄 prrrr And, as I stated, no real money. If we were to search for a retirement spot with a few acres that would allow me to raise my food, I wondered how my body would hold up and if I could actually take care of it.
But I still dream about it. I’d LOVE lil splotch of Eden on this rock to care for livestock. We’ve been looking at properties in other states to get out of wretched IL and I’m starting to wonder how we will maintain it all. How do people my age pull it off? Will I forever be destined for those prefab retirement communities that only offer a few small rooms, no land, and a requirement to attend bridge club twice a week? I know others love that kind of retirement, but I just don’t want to retire like that.
First of all, you are NOT old! Secondly, I am definitely new to anything farming or livestock related but I bet if you follow Eli you will learn a trick or two…☺️💕
Totally agree with Jenna -- 60 is not old. Now, the bones are another story, and sounds like they are affecting your life. But weight bearing exercise is the best remedy for that, so it seems that caring for a few animals would be a good thing. Since you are so young, there is plenty of time for your dream to take shape -- there is a substack that I recommend, https://houseofgreen.substack.com/?utm_source=homepage_recommendations&utm_campaign=5183328
She's got great ideas about how to buy land even when you don't have a lot of money!
Juju, two words that will change your gardening life: Raised beds. Make the beds a convenient height for weeding, but don't fill them all the way to the top with top soil: vegetables don't need anything more than an inch. I pre-filled mine with old deadfall from nearby woods. (I think I accidentally did some kind of European thing by having a garden over decaying wood...) (You can fill in with more topsoil wherever there's subsidence later.)
You also get the advantage of having your garden get an early start in the spring because raised beds warm quicker than tundra. Size the beds so you can reach every part for weeding.
Complete non sequitur - but had to share this. For the first time ever I decided to try listening to (rather than reading) Jenna's posts with the substack reader. Midway through today's post I hear "why do you support genocide"... and I'm like wait, what?! Why would Jenna ask that question and am I missing some twisted joke here? Then I realize the question is "why do you support Jenna's Side"... :)
One more reason to actually read the posts rather than the audio versions.
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Damn it, I'm late to the best farm party ever! Thanks for being such an awesome human being Eli! Definitely subscribed and looking forward to learning more about your amazing idea. What a breath of fresh air!
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Thank you Vee! So glad to have you follow the story :)
Thanks for telling us about Eli, Jenna. A far reaching idea that could save us. I stopped dead in my tracks with the hill to die on part. I totally agree with her. Kill the deer. Way too many! Don't be offended Jenna, but people who grow things or make a living growing things consider deer long legged rats. My wife's uncle farmed. The deer would go through his corn field and eat all the silk tops on the corn, making it useless. Hay farmers lose up to half their crop to deer. We have too many deer here. I put a fence on the sides and top of my garden. A deer squeezed through, CRAWLED ON ITS KNEES AND ATE ALL MY TOMATOES AND BROCCOLI!
Again, thanks for introducing us to interesting people.
I appreciate the comment! And I get where you are coming from, but as an animal lover it still stings. They are beautiful creatures and they roam freely and abundantly in my neighborhood. It is baby season right now and I see tiny fresh fawns on my walks every day… I guess I just wish we could do something to control the population BEFORE they were born…(and yes, they eat all of my plants no matter what we try… But they are hungry! My heart aches…)
I see the fawns here too. There are a few mothers who have twins every year. I agree they are beautiful as are God's other creatures, (except mosquitoes, ticks, etc). I think they have tried birth control but have not heard it successful yet.
P.S. When we lived in PA, I used to hunt them and harvest the meat. Here in WA, I can't, because it's not sporting to shoot something that just stands and looks at you! So I just take pictures of them and shoo them away, which is interesting because you practically have to walk up to them and kick them in the butt. Enjoy your wildlife Jenna👍
It's the ticks that they spread that cause the diseases that breaks my heart the most. As I've worked with the bringing hunters into suburban neighborhoods, I've heard from parents about children who went deaf (temporarily, thankfully), had to walk with a cane in middle school, were sick for months . . . and then there are the children who die or are injured in the hundreds of car accidents each year. My sympathies rest squarely with the kids, and I figure the deer are like cows or chickens, only freer until they die. The meat is given to food banks -- win-win.
And true, the birth control is not effective, and to me even more inhumane (especially spaying!)
First off, it was great to meet you and four cheers for what you are doing! We have to have FAMILY farmers, not corporate machines whose only purpose is profit. Who controls the food controls us! And fun fact: China, through Smithfield, ACTUALLY OWNS 40% OF THE PIGS IN THIS COUNTRY!
Ticks are too plentiful here. They like hiding on Sagebrush which is all over in Eastern WA, but now as Summer comes on and it is getting hotter, they disappear. What they spread is horrible!
Absolutely deer need hunted. Deer are extremely adaptive creatures and really don't have many natural predators. A few will get taken by Mountain Lions here. They are RE introducing wolves and their food preference seems to be slow moving cattle! 😠 Which created a ridiculous situation where you are supposed to put up stupid blinking lights, KEEP YOUR HERD CLOSE TO HOME, and a wolf has to KILL OR MAIM 4 CATTLE BEFORE THE STATE WILL KILL IT!
Oh Sheesh. If only the wolves would hunt the deer like they are supposed to. That is crazy about China owning the pigs.
Very nice to "meet" you too David :)
David, it's been a relief to hear when folks get it about the deer. I've heard them called "rats with antlers" lol. That's just nasty the deer came through your fortress fence!
My wife and I were born and raised in Pittsburgh PA. A long time ago when a friend and I were teenagers, (funny how that seems like yesterday), in a suburb called Fox Chapel, filled with mansions and estates, (where the Heinz family lived), they were having a problem with deer eating their plants. The local govt. decided to let archers harvest the deer. The residents were horrified. Don't kill Bambi!
My friend and I joked about having a town meeting to tell the residents for $10,000 each we would move the deer out on busses and relocate them. Checkbooks would have come out so fast they made your head spin. We should have done it!😅
Again. Thank you Eli for your efforts!👏
Lol. And yet relocation is actually quite inhumane -- almost all the deer die in short order when they are relocated. But I like your sense of humor!
"Relocate" = "Redefine the problem, as 'somebody else's"
Ha -- in fairness, the idea is to take them from the suburban/urban areas where they're too plentiful because people keep planting food for them, and move them to a rural area where hunters feel there need to be more deer. But they die from altercations with the indigenous deer, of starvation because they can't find any hostas to eat, from disease because the stress of the move is too much, or just drop dead from the moving process.
That's precisely what I meant: rural people shouldn't have to deal with them. Nor should taxpayers paying through damage to government lands, or paying to have herds culled.
There are demonstrably too many deer; the only place they ain't is anywhere-to-be-found during hunting season. But outside of hunting season, when they think it's 'safe' to come out, they should be reducted-in-place, in the "nicest" possible way, of course. I'd be thrilled if a goodly number could die at home in their sleep. But prematurely's all I'm saying.
I have subscribed to your Stack, Eli. And I can't argue with you about culling the deer population. I see deer from time to time out in the creek bed behind my home. I love them, but I also know they suffer when there are too many of them. And your vision of matching young farmers to land is awesome! We desperately need a new generation of farmers and regenerative farming. Maybe you will tell us other authors your secret to selling so many books. Glad to meet you. Thanks, Jenna.
Can we say that Eli's subscribers have bought the farm (so to speak)? Or would that be just too cheeky?
Candace -- lol. I like it :) And about selling lots of books -- I just wrote was I was inspired to write and kept writing consistently, every day meeting my goal of 4 hand written pages which translated to 2 type written pages. And doing the research for many many hours and traveling to research if necessary and making sure the research didn't "show" in my writing, but was just an organic part of the story. The market took over from there, I'm not a big promoter so there's not a lot that I've "done" outside of writing to make anything happen. I'm writing this in past tense because these days I'm writing less consistently (I'm past retirement age lol), mostly waiting for the next round of edits on a four book series that has the first two books coming out in a year. I want to see how the first couple of books go and what the publisher thinks before I write #5 and beyond. So the old advice holds: write from your heart, write what you know (or can find out through research!)
Thank you. I am writing from my heart and soul. My problem is finding my audience. But I'll keep looking.
Most important -- keep writing.
Cheer, here!
How very interesting and such a good read!!! I've been involved with deer/car accidents twice: Once when I was driving and once as a rider. As the driver, there were no passengers and no bodily damage but the metal lost a lot of fender. As the rider, our family of six survived with NO bodily harm. Turns out our son was/is a better driver than I thought. Made me realize (and accept) he was man and no longer a child or teenager. Why was that? Well, it just was. Best to all and a special boost to Eli.
Our neighborhood in the Texas Hill country is literally teeming with deer… I love them and I feel for them and I worry about them and I am so thankful that I have never yet * knocks on wood* seen one flattened in the street or hit one myself… They make me drive a lot more slowly and carefully so there’s that.🙈
https://open.substack.com/pub/petermcculloughmd/p/breaking-doj-drops-charges-against?r=nl3ud&utm_medium=ios DOJ drops charges against Dr.
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