tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13729569.post842887737979972730..comments2024-03-23T05:42:07.516-04:00Comments on The Deliberate Agrarian: "A Man's Got to KnowHis Limitations"Herrick Kimballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17116051416696885647noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13729569.post-2978111031020951922014-02-03T21:16:05.589-05:002014-02-03T21:16:05.589-05:00lol - I remember that quote from Dirty Harry. It&#...lol - I remember that quote from Dirty Harry. It's a good one for everyone to remember at some point...hopefully before frustration sets in.Sheryl at Providence Northhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07127223943390691667noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13729569.post-60114334416787015442014-02-03T19:15:35.162-05:002014-02-03T19:15:35.162-05:00creative and productive people being tormented - w...creative and productive people being tormented - well said. I have so many ideas for someone else to pursue, but then again, most are in agriculture and won't make much money - just a lot of work. what is it with consumers who don't bat an eye at paying beaucoup bucks for technology, but bellyache over a $1 for a home raise healthy green pepper. tauna powellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11257835882118585961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13729569.post-490229826315473462014-02-03T16:46:20.233-05:002014-02-03T16:46:20.233-05:00Matt B.—
Thanks for the verse, and the encouraging...Matt B.—<br />Thanks for the verse, and the encouraging words.<br />Herrick Kimballhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17116051416696885647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13729569.post-76411836029651407272014-02-03T15:20:36.436-05:002014-02-03T15:20:36.436-05:00NOT THAT 56 IS OLD! lol
But, perhaps you are movi...NOT THAT 56 IS OLD! lol<br /><br />But, perhaps you are moving from "glorious" to being more "splendid" :)Matt Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02495128171377309246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13729569.post-61788477220439635632014-02-03T15:18:41.874-05:002014-02-03T15:18:41.874-05:00Proverbs 20:29
The glory of young men is their str...Proverbs 20:29<br />The glory of young men is their strength, And the splendor of old men is their gray head.<br /><br />...I would consider "glory" and "splendor" words of equal value.Matt Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02495128171377309246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13729569.post-20836722023487058942014-02-03T12:37:26.118-05:002014-02-03T12:37:26.118-05:00David,
Interesting.
I think people who thrive on...David,<br /><br />Interesting.<br /><br />I think people who thrive on creativity and productivity, and who see so many opportunities to be creative, are a little bit tortured by the limitations of time, and money, and age. <br /><br />It has occurred to me that working within one's limitations is something of a life art that is not easily mastered.<br /><br />Herrick Kimballhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17116051416696885647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13729569.post-25514354556891635802014-02-03T12:24:11.037-05:002014-02-03T12:24:11.037-05:00I posted a few days ago on why I got rid of my chi...I posted a few days ago on why I got rid of my chickens.<br /><br />http://www.floridasurvivalgardening.com/2014/01/the-chickens-are-gone.html<br /><br />Same line of thinking... you really can't do everything, though sometimes I've wasted a lot of effort trying.<br /><br />A friend once told me that every bit of time I spent working on a secondary skill was time away from my primary skill... and that my primary skill was writing. He had a point - that's where my success has been made thus far, and pursuing that skill with abandon is what has made my garden writing and teaching so well-received and profitable over the last year and a half.<br /><br />Of course... right now I'm obsessed with painting again. It's hard to resist some of these things.David The Goodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10198938190820294516noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13729569.post-88880991565491510122014-02-03T12:19:43.971-05:002014-02-03T12:19:43.971-05:00Anonymous,
After working 25 years as a home remod...Anonymous,<br /><br />After working 25 years as a home remodeler (15 of them self employed) I can relate to your husband. It's a very hard way to make a living and keep the bills paid. And putting money aside for retirement is even harder. <br /><br />I saved in the good years and had to cash in retirement plans in the lean years. It's feast or famine with such work. That's why I ended up going to work for the NY Prison system, which, thankfully, I'm now out of. <br /><br />I wouldn't downsize my garden if I didn't have the mail order business. In my case, it is helping to make up for the years of lack. If the mail order business stops making me money (and that's a definite possibility), I'll have more time to expand my garden, and won't hesitate to do so. There are few things I enjoy more than gardening.<br /><br />Congratulations on getting the house paid off. That'll be a great accomplishment. Best wishes.Herrick Kimballhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17116051416696885647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13729569.post-72336460093511421542014-02-03T10:09:06.881-05:002014-02-03T10:09:06.881-05:00I am 10 years older than you and the one thing I a...I am 10 years older than you and the one thing I am not doing (yet) is downsizing my garden. My husband is working yet full time as a maintenance director at a nursing home after a lifetime of being a remodeling contractor. I raise layers and broilers and hope to continue that too. Always need food we say. We have no retirement savings so this is rather our retirement security. We should have our house paid off by next year. Very happy about that. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13729569.post-87557386218135993922014-02-03T08:05:25.999-05:002014-02-03T08:05:25.999-05:00Hmmm… So I guess this is all part of growing up, e...Hmmm… So I guess this is all part of growing up, eh?<br /><br />I didn't expect much in the way of comments to this blog post, and it has been a pleasant surprise. I even got a couple of nice e-mails. Thank you S.F., Gorges, Granny, Anon, Richard, and Sheila for the words of wisdom. <br /><br />I am going to remember that "Limits and limitations are really at the heart of agrarianism." That's profound.<br /><br />And being "older than dirt" is an agrarian colloquialism that has captured my imagination. That's really old!<br /><br />Thanks again everyone.Herrick Kimballhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17116051416696885647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13729569.post-70996170059907533372014-02-02T19:42:51.526-05:002014-02-02T19:42:51.526-05:00I really got a kick out of this one. LOL
You see, ...I really got a kick out of this one. LOL<br />You see, I'm older than dirt, so I have been where you are. For me, the greatest lesson I learned in all of it was,<br /><br />To get off my own back.<br /><br />It's really nice to finally get to say no, even to myself.Sheilanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13729569.post-67645207207070358732014-02-02T17:27:21.194-05:002014-02-02T17:27:21.194-05:00Herrick,
You have accomplished an awful lot over ...Herrick, <br />You have accomplished an awful lot over the years. Limits and limitations are really at the heart of agrarianism. <br /><br />After decades, I still look around our place at too many undone jobs and too many un-started projects <br />Sometimes we have to accept these limits, and be content that one day all we might do is to sit on the porch in our overalls and wave at passing cars. <br /> <br /><br />The Midland Agrarianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17214111067042466363noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13729569.post-82082382313843522112014-02-02T16:11:23.730-05:002014-02-02T16:11:23.730-05:00I turned 55 recently and have been having many of ...I turned 55 recently and have been having many of these same thoughts. I used to try to grow enough vegetables to sell a few and also keep enough goats in milk to help a friend or two....the amount of time, and energy required to produce a little "extra" wasn't worth the few dollars generated.<br /><br />Now, my extra veggies are fed back to some of my livestock. And I only plan to breed 2 goats each year. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13729569.post-32243482334428163542014-02-02T10:26:17.116-05:002014-02-02T10:26:17.116-05:00Herrick -
I think what you are feeling is one of t...Herrick -<br />I think what you are feeling is one of the natural and predictable milestones of middle age. It is the defining moment of late middle age when we realize and accept that we won't live forever and must let go of our youth.<br />Even if you could find the time and energy to do all those things that you've dreamed of, the time would come when you must eventually let go of them.Granny Millerhttp://www.granny-miller.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13729569.post-19482575575724120752014-02-02T10:09:31.250-05:002014-02-02T10:09:31.250-05:00I have you both by a couple years and have come to...I have you both by a couple years and have come to the same conclusion. Too many of my dreams were pipe dreams that I would NEVER have had time to do in the years allotted to the average guy. Priorities are, indeed, the key.Gorges Smythehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08777621500611603786noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13729569.post-65147630271801999882014-02-02T09:51:08.943-05:002014-02-02T09:51:08.943-05:00We are the same age and I have come to some of the...We are the same age and I have come to some of the same ways of looking at things. I have an old blacksmith forge and would still like to at least learn how to work it so I can make some simple art related things of some sort. There are highly skilled black smiths around here. I have cut back on the garden that I had grown to sell vegetable to people. I have become tired of the crying about how much I was charging and I wasn't even charging the going rate, as far as I am concerned people can grow their own food. The excess garden is going into grain production for our own needs. I can't do everything.Sunnybrook Farmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18135224259672444423noreply@blogger.com