came here to say this. would love to see a list of your favorite most important reads in all the categories of things. And then periodic book recommendations as you read. I always love to know what people who inspire me read!
1) I love the way you speak on death. Our society loathes pretending it’a even a reality of life itself. Anything more on death! And how it ties back to life.
2) I’m currently stuck in a phase of knowing what needs to change in my life but none of it has quite materialized. There’s an element of patience and trust that I wasn’t prepared for. When you have made major changes in your life, how did process or go about being stuck in the in between phase of where you’re heading and where you’ve been?
3) any thoughts on kids and our current society? things that need to be changed in our way of thinking, teaching and learning?
I appreciate your writing so much. I have so many questions. Book recommendations would be wonderful as I’ve relied too much on the internet and social media for information. Would you talk more about raising your children? Homeschooling? Share your daughters’ recipes for their creams and balms? I look forward to reading your posts! Blessings.
I love reading the comments almost as much as I love reading your offerings...almost. Your writing, indeed like many have said here, reaches deep down into parts of me that giggle with delight upon being seen. So thank you. And yes, I can't help but ask a question, though I know you have so many to respond to!
I grew up on a farm with pioneering parents and so do have within me, the necessary knowledge and skills, but funny enough, as my little family and I extricate ourselves from various systems that have held us within a large city, I am somewhat at a loss for how to "leave".
Finding and paying for a plot of land to be our new soil seems insurmountable right now. And so I am focused on extricating myself from the various systems within myself (no small task it seems now that I'm on the path). Are there any books, resources, websites that you find truth in? Hell, that just delight you? Give you joy? Thank you again for nurturing a space here. As much as social media saddens me, I am reminded when here, that there are corners of the internet that create the community I crave. Much love to you, Kenna
It's been so warmly reaffirming for me to be able to connect with you and all of these wonderful people here in this way. To be honest, I always felt like instagram was a push/pull kind of energy. It almost felt a bit like junk food to me, bulk without substance. But I "met" so many wonderful people there that, I think, were also looking for a little more of the authentic nourishment over the fast food fix. I think that's why I'm loving this little corner and I, like you, so enjoy these comments. I am so moved and impressed with the thought and beauty you all share.
What a beautiful upbringing. It's a gift to have the skills and knowledge of the rhythms of country living. It's an interesting place you find yourselves in, extracting from the systems, but I think we all share that commonality, just different systems we need to untangle from.
I will give some thought to the request for resources. Others have asked for book recommendations as well. I will put something together for the part two in answering these questions. Thank you, Kenna.
Ah thank YOU again Tara. It means the world to me and others. A few of my close friends and I immediately text each other and share our fav bits of your writing when we get your offerings in our inbox. Thank you again.
"I'm gonna' need something more than that."....!!!! Yeah, me too!! Great post!
1. As they say, pictures are worth a thousand words. I learn so much just looking at your shared pictures. Please share whatever you feel is appropriate.
2. "A day in the life" type of thing. I remember you doing a little video on instagram a long time ago showing all the different pots of deliciousness you had going in your kitchen. Would love to see more of this! You know, Tara, on the new and improved, Real Food Network :)
3. I second all the comments about cows, harvesting, etc. But you also have a wealth of experience and knowledge in the natural health space - what herbs you grow, how do you use them? When someone gets a cold, a fever, etc. Would love to see how you make assessments.
4. In that same note, what you're doing now. Cold Baths? Sauna? Vitamin D or light therapy. Please let us learn as you learn.
5. And most of all - all the family stories. They are so good, so authentic. Really the heart of it all. Cannot ever get too much of all the love and beauty. (For instance - the platypus imagery of you and your baby daughter - gold.)
Oh, I love a good 'day in the life'! Thanks for the idea. Ok, I will get into more details around the farm/kitchen/health approaches as well. I'm glad you liked the imagery of me and my chubby little platypus. I liked it, too.
I am not asking for medical advice : ) We live on our lovely ten acres in an area locally dubbed "Copperhead Alley." Short of clear-cutting our land and destroying all of the wildlife, we will have to live with Copperhead snakes. And really, anywhere here in the Deep South there are venomous snake. We've got plenty of king snakes and hawks, but the population stays significant. (Any snake deterrent tips are welcome too.)
Copperhead bites are not lethal, but the snakes give no warning and the bites often get infected. We nearly lost a dog to one this year, in spite of her being as healthy and well fed as any dog can be. (Our holistic vet even gave up on her and referred us to a university). So to my point - if you or a loved one was bitten by a venomous snake, how would you treat it? Let's imagine we're in a time when we are barred from entry into modern medical facilities.
Love this, Tara - and am grateful to have your work in my life. Like you, I have felt a wrongness of things since childhood. Everything is completely arse about face, as we Brits say! Sometimes I feel blind panic about it all. Why are we living like this? How can we escape? What world are my teens heading in to? Your words about sovereignty brought me back in to my body, thank you...My question is are you familiar with the works of the late poet John O'Donohue? I am reading Anam Cara right now and it's the most gorgeous accompaniment to your writing. I will dig out my copy of Sacred Ecomomics too - it's been gathering dust for too long...
No question. Just wanted to say I admire your writing so much. The way you think is so beautiful and clean. Very much a breath of confidence and fresh air in a world where all my friends and family are blindly eating their cookies.
Hello Tara, Your ways and words speak to such a deep place within my being. I am so grateful to have found your words and that you are once again offering your gifts to us. I am deeply sorry for your and your family's loss and wish there were words to help ease that pain. Sending you waves of love!!
You are an incredible inspiration to me and I would love to hear more about your ducks and how you process them. We have quite a few that we need to process. They were free and came at the moment I was looking to up our flock numbers so we can combine them with our lamb to be more self sustaining. I don't think I would have as hard of time processing chickens but ducks and their elegant necks (ugh)just building myself up to it. Anyhoo too much blabbering on. Would love to hear more on that as well as raising and homeschooling a strong confident daughter.
"Their elegant necks". Yes, I second the "ugh". What a perfect way to put it. There is indeed an elegance to ducks and geese that chickens just don't inhabit. I always get the notion that waterfowl are a kind of royalty. I think that's why, while I hunt, I cannot bring myself to take up duck/goose hunting. The idea of how they die, hurtling to the earth when their lives are central to the wonder of flight, just guts me. Personal thing, no judgment to anyone that does at all.
Anyway, yes, harvesting ducks is more hands on. We, as we do with all the birds, slit their throats, but they are not upside down in a cone, they are between our legs. The best we can do is have a razor sharp knife and a swift and determined hand. It is hard, just accept that and then try as best you can to get out of yourself, be purposeful and gracious. Acknowledge your feelings and let them go. I still feel that way, every single time we harvest an animal. When I know the fall is rolling in, there is an apprehension that builds. I take that as a sign of my humanity. I'm ok with that, as uncomfortable as it feels.
I have endless questions as well! I would love for you to talk about sensory pleasure. You appear to be inhabiting your body more than most people do at the moment, and also inhabiting the natural world around you. What can you share about pleasure?
Your catholic school realization reminded me of a moment from my early childhood, when i did not understand what the pope did and was given the information that he had a direct line to God, i thought how strange it was to think that only he had a direct line…..my 8 year old self thought perhaps it better to keep to my self that i actually spoke to God on the regular……it is much harder to navigate both world safeguarding a connection to nature while operating in the world at large, I do think straddling strategies would be helpful it is difficult to find them though especially if you do not have awareness to them. Example, my seven year old learned to downhill ski earlier this year, he shared how he was taught the “pizza” down the hill which is basically a way to get down the hills in a controlled manner. I implemented this into my skiing, and for the first time in 20 years skillfully made my way down the hill maybe even enjoyed the scenery…it was a magical journey. I feel like perhaps there are pizza strategies lying all over the place….but to look listen and feel for these like you say you have to pay attention. The running hiding people pleasing strategies need an upgrade. Oh gosh, reading your passages are so delicious!! xo
thank you for taking the time to write this, Tara. it's just perfect. i am so grateful for them. it somehow encapsulates exactly the journey of realizations my soul has been going through. most people in my life, besides maybe one or two close friends, are lost in the so called 'plastic world' using fear as their motivations in life. following profits over passions. when i try to explain to them that they should be aware of these systems, they give me that look like, "ok Hans, we love you but maybe you need to take some crazy pills and stop letting this control your life". The thing is, it's anything but controlling my life. it's a constant liberation to realize the "power as a sovereign human being", as you put it. these realizations have slowly been freeing my spirit from shackles i was unaware were even being worn. it gives me faith to see I am far from alone in this great awakening
I was in a conversation with my kids about the death of their great-grandfather. It was time for him and he lived a full life. I shared that sentiment and a little about how longer lives weren’t the goal, but fuller lives. I found myself faltering on word choice though from time to time. What came to mind was “... and so it wasn’t as sad” but that didn’t feel right and so I was grateful for the interrupting nature of younger children.
And then a week later, a neighbor brought home a bucket and was processing it in his garage. The kids’ friend kept saying “it’s so saaaaaaad!” and they picked up on this sentiment and mimicked. I talked with them about it being fine and part of nature and normal.
I would love to read more about the language and approach to these conversations with others, especially with children.
I love this question, Alli. It's one of the central messages I hope to share with people, the younger the better.
It is sad. I think that's ok. I still get sad when I harvest animals. And, of course, the deaths of our loved ones are profoundly sad. They're two very different things though and I think we should be careful to distinguish them from one another. There is the continuous thread of 'sadness' that runs through them, but that's just because our English language is limited. Should we share the same word for the death of an animal and the death of a human being we love? I don't think so. But what do we have? Sad? Very sad? Very, very sad? Anguish, maybe. But that may or may not apply.
I strongly believe that kids should be allowed to express how they feel, but we seem to be in a place where we encourage feelings without context. "I feel sad". Yes, let's acknowledge that and talk about that, but it's also the parents jobs to be leaders, to put things into context for children without overwriting their genuine expressions of emotion. What I mean by this, is this trend that I've noticed where parents acknowledge "yes, you are sad" or "awww, you're sad, hey?" and leave it at that. There was a time when parents would say "nah, you're not sad, come on, get up" which disallowed any authentic expression of emotion at all.
But, as we do, we have swung so far over to the other side that now, we have young people that believe their feelings are the lighthouse of truth that others must abide by. They are quite literally at the mercy of whatever feeling bubbles up at any given moment. They don't know how to acknowledge a feeling and then pull on logic, experience, self-reflection, and circumstance to weight that feeling and use it to further their understanding of self and others.
It's a dance, to be sure. I will see if there's more I can offer here in writing in the future. Thank you for the inspiration. 💕
Super interested on more info regarding feeding animals as low cost and natural as possible! Best breeds for grass-fed, how-to-feeding with diary cows etc. Love your writings!
Book recommendations are always appreciated!
Ok, I can do that. Thanks for the idea.
came here to say this. would love to see a list of your favorite most important reads in all the categories of things. And then periodic book recommendations as you read. I always love to know what people who inspire me read!
I have endless questions for you.
1) I love the way you speak on death. Our society loathes pretending it’a even a reality of life itself. Anything more on death! And how it ties back to life.
2) I’m currently stuck in a phase of knowing what needs to change in my life but none of it has quite materialized. There’s an element of patience and trust that I wasn’t prepared for. When you have made major changes in your life, how did process or go about being stuck in the in between phase of where you’re heading and where you’ve been?
3) any thoughts on kids and our current society? things that need to be changed in our way of thinking, teaching and learning?
I appreciate your writing so much. I have so many questions. Book recommendations would be wonderful as I’ve relied too much on the internet and social media for information. Would you talk more about raising your children? Homeschooling? Share your daughters’ recipes for their creams and balms? I look forward to reading your posts! Blessings.
I love reading the comments almost as much as I love reading your offerings...almost. Your writing, indeed like many have said here, reaches deep down into parts of me that giggle with delight upon being seen. So thank you. And yes, I can't help but ask a question, though I know you have so many to respond to!
I grew up on a farm with pioneering parents and so do have within me, the necessary knowledge and skills, but funny enough, as my little family and I extricate ourselves from various systems that have held us within a large city, I am somewhat at a loss for how to "leave".
Finding and paying for a plot of land to be our new soil seems insurmountable right now. And so I am focused on extricating myself from the various systems within myself (no small task it seems now that I'm on the path). Are there any books, resources, websites that you find truth in? Hell, that just delight you? Give you joy? Thank you again for nurturing a space here. As much as social media saddens me, I am reminded when here, that there are corners of the internet that create the community I crave. Much love to you, Kenna
It's been so warmly reaffirming for me to be able to connect with you and all of these wonderful people here in this way. To be honest, I always felt like instagram was a push/pull kind of energy. It almost felt a bit like junk food to me, bulk without substance. But I "met" so many wonderful people there that, I think, were also looking for a little more of the authentic nourishment over the fast food fix. I think that's why I'm loving this little corner and I, like you, so enjoy these comments. I am so moved and impressed with the thought and beauty you all share.
What a beautiful upbringing. It's a gift to have the skills and knowledge of the rhythms of country living. It's an interesting place you find yourselves in, extracting from the systems, but I think we all share that commonality, just different systems we need to untangle from.
I will give some thought to the request for resources. Others have asked for book recommendations as well. I will put something together for the part two in answering these questions. Thank you, Kenna.
Ah thank YOU again Tara. It means the world to me and others. A few of my close friends and I immediately text each other and share our fav bits of your writing when we get your offerings in our inbox. Thank you again.
"I'm gonna' need something more than that."....!!!! Yeah, me too!! Great post!
1. As they say, pictures are worth a thousand words. I learn so much just looking at your shared pictures. Please share whatever you feel is appropriate.
2. "A day in the life" type of thing. I remember you doing a little video on instagram a long time ago showing all the different pots of deliciousness you had going in your kitchen. Would love to see more of this! You know, Tara, on the new and improved, Real Food Network :)
3. I second all the comments about cows, harvesting, etc. But you also have a wealth of experience and knowledge in the natural health space - what herbs you grow, how do you use them? When someone gets a cold, a fever, etc. Would love to see how you make assessments.
4. In that same note, what you're doing now. Cold Baths? Sauna? Vitamin D or light therapy. Please let us learn as you learn.
5. And most of all - all the family stories. They are so good, so authentic. Really the heart of it all. Cannot ever get too much of all the love and beauty. (For instance - the platypus imagery of you and your baby daughter - gold.)
Thank you in advance.
Oh, I love a good 'day in the life'! Thanks for the idea. Ok, I will get into more details around the farm/kitchen/health approaches as well. I'm glad you liked the imagery of me and my chubby little platypus. I liked it, too.
xo
I am not asking for medical advice : ) We live on our lovely ten acres in an area locally dubbed "Copperhead Alley." Short of clear-cutting our land and destroying all of the wildlife, we will have to live with Copperhead snakes. And really, anywhere here in the Deep South there are venomous snake. We've got plenty of king snakes and hawks, but the population stays significant. (Any snake deterrent tips are welcome too.)
Copperhead bites are not lethal, but the snakes give no warning and the bites often get infected. We nearly lost a dog to one this year, in spite of her being as healthy and well fed as any dog can be. (Our holistic vet even gave up on her and referred us to a university). So to my point - if you or a loved one was bitten by a venomous snake, how would you treat it? Let's imagine we're in a time when we are barred from entry into modern medical facilities.
Love this, Tara - and am grateful to have your work in my life. Like you, I have felt a wrongness of things since childhood. Everything is completely arse about face, as we Brits say! Sometimes I feel blind panic about it all. Why are we living like this? How can we escape? What world are my teens heading in to? Your words about sovereignty brought me back in to my body, thank you...My question is are you familiar with the works of the late poet John O'Donohue? I am reading Anam Cara right now and it's the most gorgeous accompaniment to your writing. I will dig out my copy of Sacred Ecomomics too - it's been gathering dust for too long...
No question. Just wanted to say I admire your writing so much. The way you think is so beautiful and clean. Very much a breath of confidence and fresh air in a world where all my friends and family are blindly eating their cookies.
Thank you so much, Logan. I'm happy you find a little nourishment here, away from the land of the cookie eaters.💕
Hello Tara, Your ways and words speak to such a deep place within my being. I am so grateful to have found your words and that you are once again offering your gifts to us. I am deeply sorry for your and your family's loss and wish there were words to help ease that pain. Sending you waves of love!!
You are an incredible inspiration to me and I would love to hear more about your ducks and how you process them. We have quite a few that we need to process. They were free and came at the moment I was looking to up our flock numbers so we can combine them with our lamb to be more self sustaining. I don't think I would have as hard of time processing chickens but ducks and their elegant necks (ugh)just building myself up to it. Anyhoo too much blabbering on. Would love to hear more on that as well as raising and homeschooling a strong confident daughter.
Thank you for your kind words, Pika.
"Their elegant necks". Yes, I second the "ugh". What a perfect way to put it. There is indeed an elegance to ducks and geese that chickens just don't inhabit. I always get the notion that waterfowl are a kind of royalty. I think that's why, while I hunt, I cannot bring myself to take up duck/goose hunting. The idea of how they die, hurtling to the earth when their lives are central to the wonder of flight, just guts me. Personal thing, no judgment to anyone that does at all.
Anyway, yes, harvesting ducks is more hands on. We, as we do with all the birds, slit their throats, but they are not upside down in a cone, they are between our legs. The best we can do is have a razor sharp knife and a swift and determined hand. It is hard, just accept that and then try as best you can to get out of yourself, be purposeful and gracious. Acknowledge your feelings and let them go. I still feel that way, every single time we harvest an animal. When I know the fall is rolling in, there is an apprehension that builds. I take that as a sign of my humanity. I'm ok with that, as uncomfortable as it feels.
Best wishes on your harvest.
xo Tara
I’d love some book recommendations also!
I have endless questions as well! I would love for you to talk about sensory pleasure. You appear to be inhabiting your body more than most people do at the moment, and also inhabiting the natural world around you. What can you share about pleasure?
Your catholic school realization reminded me of a moment from my early childhood, when i did not understand what the pope did and was given the information that he had a direct line to God, i thought how strange it was to think that only he had a direct line…..my 8 year old self thought perhaps it better to keep to my self that i actually spoke to God on the regular……it is much harder to navigate both world safeguarding a connection to nature while operating in the world at large, I do think straddling strategies would be helpful it is difficult to find them though especially if you do not have awareness to them. Example, my seven year old learned to downhill ski earlier this year, he shared how he was taught the “pizza” down the hill which is basically a way to get down the hills in a controlled manner. I implemented this into my skiing, and for the first time in 20 years skillfully made my way down the hill maybe even enjoyed the scenery…it was a magical journey. I feel like perhaps there are pizza strategies lying all over the place….but to look listen and feel for these like you say you have to pay attention. The running hiding people pleasing strategies need an upgrade. Oh gosh, reading your passages are so delicious!! xo
thank you for taking the time to write this, Tara. it's just perfect. i am so grateful for them. it somehow encapsulates exactly the journey of realizations my soul has been going through. most people in my life, besides maybe one or two close friends, are lost in the so called 'plastic world' using fear as their motivations in life. following profits over passions. when i try to explain to them that they should be aware of these systems, they give me that look like, "ok Hans, we love you but maybe you need to take some crazy pills and stop letting this control your life". The thing is, it's anything but controlling my life. it's a constant liberation to realize the "power as a sovereign human being", as you put it. these realizations have slowly been freeing my spirit from shackles i was unaware were even being worn. it gives me faith to see I am far from alone in this great awakening
Love your wisdom and words. Thank you ❤
As for topics, I'd LOVE to learn how you make sausage without nitrites!
I was in a conversation with my kids about the death of their great-grandfather. It was time for him and he lived a full life. I shared that sentiment and a little about how longer lives weren’t the goal, but fuller lives. I found myself faltering on word choice though from time to time. What came to mind was “... and so it wasn’t as sad” but that didn’t feel right and so I was grateful for the interrupting nature of younger children.
And then a week later, a neighbor brought home a bucket and was processing it in his garage. The kids’ friend kept saying “it’s so saaaaaaad!” and they picked up on this sentiment and mimicked. I talked with them about it being fine and part of nature and normal.
I would love to read more about the language and approach to these conversations with others, especially with children.
I love this question, Alli. It's one of the central messages I hope to share with people, the younger the better.
It is sad. I think that's ok. I still get sad when I harvest animals. And, of course, the deaths of our loved ones are profoundly sad. They're two very different things though and I think we should be careful to distinguish them from one another. There is the continuous thread of 'sadness' that runs through them, but that's just because our English language is limited. Should we share the same word for the death of an animal and the death of a human being we love? I don't think so. But what do we have? Sad? Very sad? Very, very sad? Anguish, maybe. But that may or may not apply.
I strongly believe that kids should be allowed to express how they feel, but we seem to be in a place where we encourage feelings without context. "I feel sad". Yes, let's acknowledge that and talk about that, but it's also the parents jobs to be leaders, to put things into context for children without overwriting their genuine expressions of emotion. What I mean by this, is this trend that I've noticed where parents acknowledge "yes, you are sad" or "awww, you're sad, hey?" and leave it at that. There was a time when parents would say "nah, you're not sad, come on, get up" which disallowed any authentic expression of emotion at all.
But, as we do, we have swung so far over to the other side that now, we have young people that believe their feelings are the lighthouse of truth that others must abide by. They are quite literally at the mercy of whatever feeling bubbles up at any given moment. They don't know how to acknowledge a feeling and then pull on logic, experience, self-reflection, and circumstance to weight that feeling and use it to further their understanding of self and others.
It's a dance, to be sure. I will see if there's more I can offer here in writing in the future. Thank you for the inspiration. 💕
Super interested on more info regarding feeding animals as low cost and natural as possible! Best breeds for grass-fed, how-to-feeding with diary cows etc. Love your writings!
Hi Jozina, I'm going to start doing some more farm-y leaning posts to add to the mix. I will get into those details as well. Thank you.
That sounds great! I look forward to your writings. :)