Wow, it reminds me of my favorite Talking Heads song.

Where, where is the town
Now, it's nothing but flowers
The highways and cars
Were sacrificed for agriculture
I thought that we'd start over
But I guess I was wrong

I really like this.

Good read, thanks.

Love that song too, muddgirl!

That was fun to read. Though certainly utopian and maybe unrealistically so, I got kind of a nice feeling thinking about how many of these choices are increasingly getting made in my life, compared to say, ten years ago.

Kitchen dances, making preserves, resisting the buying of new things, strengthening local networks, amusing ourselves by things we do rather than watch or buy -- lots more of those choices, in recent years. A homegrown life has a lot to offer. To the innocent eye, I still read as a mainstream person and do a lot of mainstream things, but I am starting to wonder, when I happen to be out on the strip where the chain-stores on the weekend -- what in the heck are all these people buying? They are well-heeled, with clothes and nice cars; they have homes which you know are stuffed with things - what on earth is it that people need enough to sustain all these home goods and electronics stores?

It always stirkes me as odd that people have such a fear of imposing. What you are doing is allowing people to matter to you in small but significant ways. I would go so far as to say that there is an element of egotism in cutting yourself off and not asking for a little help every now and again.

I love that. I love that a lot.

I grew up in a neighborhood where sugar and eggs were borrowed. It's a foreign notion now. I'll borrow a cup of sugar asap.

Good observations, Wilder.

Excellent! Really sweet.