Innisfree

INNISFREE

“I will arise and go now and go to Innisfree,

And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattle made;

Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honey-bee,

And live alone in the bee-loud glade.” - W. B. Yeats

 Dancing with Nature

 Hugh Morshead  c2013

Globalization and consumerism have driven ‘Old Blue’ – our planet – into the ditch and the only way to get back on the road is by aligning our endeavours with nature. Both climate and the economy are swinging on their hinges. Deep down people know there we are slipping towards  catastrophe, however, the problems are so diverse and overwhelming that many people, already mired in the stresses of modern life, opt to deny or tune out global threats. Free-spirited adventurers like myself see it differently, when nature goes wild we grab the mane and ride the waves.

Three years ago I moved into a one-room log cabin in the Kawarthas to live a more sustainable lifestyle. This was not an escape, but rather, a quest to live with one foot in the 19^th century and the other in the 21^st. Books foraged from second-hand stores were my guide and inspiration.  There have been occasional ‘oops’ moments (when I reach for a hammer my inner Mr. Bean screams to get out). Despite this, I now produce my own electricity, hot water, heat and the garden flourishes. Improvisation and synchronicity are the warp and weave of my dance with nature. Many people dream of doing this, but don’t attempt because they think it can’t be done without mucho dinero. Wrong.

Charles Dickens wrote the book on finance. A recurring theme in his stories is how ordinary folk

 keep their head above water in hard times. To paraphrase his character, Mr.Micawber, income equals profit minus expenditures. People have little control over their income, but they do decide their expenses and lifestyle. It is far easier to save money through lifestyle changes than it is to earn more and that is the first step towards sustainable living. The next step is down the road to the village.

“When you want to travel fast, you go alone, to travel far, you need to go together,” that saying out of Africa is the heart beat of a sustainable life. All components are interconnected and interdependent and that includes the local community. Worms are how I wriggled in the neighbourhood. I have been vermicomposting horse manure with Red Wrigglers for many years and the resulting worm castings are much appreciated by gardeners. Thanks to the efforts of many like-minded people we now have a thriving farmer’s market and community gardens.  

 At the end of the day, fighting with nature brings hard times, dancing with nature is fun.