An old man and his tolerant, forbearing wife outstanding in their field.

Life From Our Land Revisited.

On this site, we’d like to share a few more reflections from life on our “cottage farm”, now five years since our book, “Life From Our Land.” Though much, much has changed, we still agree with this quote from a classic book about life in the Maine woods:

“Why did we come to live here in the first place? We thought it was because we liked the woods, because we wanted to find a simple, leisurely way of life. Now, looking back, I think that we were unconsciously seeking to find a lost sense of our own identity. . . . I know that many people — perhaps most people — couldn’t feel that, living here, they held within their grasp all the best of life. So for them it wouldn’t be the best. For us, it is.” (Louise Dickinson Rich, We Took to the Woods (Rockport, Maine: Down East Books, 1970), pp. 319, 322.)

Recent Posts

• Just Another Old Curmudgeon’s RantMarch 11, 2022
  Before me is a shelf overflowing with books about sustainable, organic, contrary, back-to-the-earth, independent, hobby, traditional, and subsistence farming. Intermingled are also some more theoretical, philosophical, theological, and idealogical books about simplicity, detachment, technology, economics, and other facets of agrarian life. Having … Continue reading Just Another Old Curmudgeon’s Rant →
• The Beatitudes: A Staircase of ConversionMarch 7, 2022
  Dear friends, thought I’d let you know what I had the privilege of doing this past weekend: my son, Fr. Peter, had invited me to give a talk for their Lenten Mission at St. Michael Parish in Findlay, Ohio, where he serves … Continue reading The Beatitudes: A Staircase of Conversion →
• An old Farmer’s RantFebruary 24, 2022
  A friend of mine, an aging wanted-to-be farmer, recently shared with me a piece of his own Red Zone Thinking. We were relaxing in front of the fire in our hearthstone wood stove, and this is the gist of what he shared. … Continue reading An old Farmer’s Rant →
• Contentment LearnedFebruary 18, 2022
  One of the most crucially important, yet dagnabedly elusive, aspects of Red Zone Thinking is CONTENTMENT. When we’ve arrived in the “red zone” of life, or are planning ahead for it, we want to be content. We don’t want to spend our time … Continue reading Contentment Learned →
• God’s Gift of CreationFebruary 5, 2022
  A couple years ago, my good friend and coworker, Bill Bateson, accompanied me out to my cottage farm where I video taped a short reflection on God’s Gift of Creation. In this short video, with Bill & his camera on one side, … Continue reading God’s Gift of Creation →