Guess I'm pagan

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I ran across this while skimming thru Gene Logsdon's 'The Contrary Farmer's Invitation to Gardening'

".....paganus means country dweller in Latin.Those pagani of ancient Rome were not interested in giving up their good life for anyone's idea of institutional religion or institutional politics or institutional economics.

Like the pagani,countrary gardeners today are motivated by a great love for the pleasures of eating good food and enjoying other physical stimulation of the natural and garden environment.

Accompanied by the enforcing moderation of having to provide them by one's own hands,these pleasures lead to a healthy spirituality of lovileness for all the natural universe,and a suspicion of any human effort to exploit nature for money.

This love grows stronger as time passes,so that eventually, the garden becomes essential to the gardener's notion of quality living.He or she does not need to search fruitlessly for other paradises."

And I thought no one understood how I felt.Guess I was wrong.And,guess I'm a pagan after all!

Actually I figure I'm still a closet Lutheran, with native roots showing ,who also happens to have an enormous pagan garden growing out front.

-- Anonymous, May 03, 2001

Answers

And heathen, before it became an epithet of prejudice, meant someone who lived on the heath (like heather, out in the boonies more or less).

-- Anonymous, May 03, 2001

...and lots of "wild" flowers. :)

(:raig

-- Anonymous, May 04, 2001


I love that quote, sharon. It's definitely one to print out and hang on the wall.

I especially liked the last line:

"This love grows stronger as time passes,so that eventually, the garden becomes essential to the gardener's notion of quality living.He or she does not need to search fruitlessly for other paradises."

Where would I be without my gardens? Probably in the funny farm...

-- Anonymous, May 04, 2001


Ahhh - Gene Logsdon; one of my mostest favoritest authors!! My favorite quote by him is found in "Two Acre Eden":

"Then America sits back pompously bragging to the world how one of our wonderfully efficient farmers can produce enough food for 58 people. Leaving the 58 presumably free to follow worthwhile pusuits, like, for instance, blowing up colleges, fighting some else's wars, and running for public offices that nobody needs. Then to top off the whole frosty business, we find that millions of our own Americans suffer from malnutrition: some don't get enough food, some don't get the right food, and even the well fed majority is eating an alarming quantity of additives, preservatives, and other chemicals that may be harmful."

"A great many thoughtful people are now wondering if all the problems of our times aren't somehow linked together in some fuzzy sort of way, oversimplistically stated by an old farmer I know : "We've worked up quite a lather. There ain't enough honest jobs left to go around.""

Since that was written in 1978, I imagine farmers are producing food for many more than 58 persons now. Perhaps the old farmer wasn't quite so simple after all - there ain't enough honest jobs to go around. And agri-business shouldn't be considered to be one of them.

-- Anonymous, May 04, 2001


This funny farmer is almost producing enough for 5, and very thankful to be here!

-- Anonymous, May 04, 2001


Yep,Polly you are alright!

And Craig, of course you must have a "wild" flower or two.Life would be very colorless indeed without a "wild" flower around.

Craig's pretty cool.He sneaks on in here every once in a while,posts a pearl or two,and slips on out. Stealth comic. By the way,what did YOU do in the 70's,Craig? Don't want the kids to know,eh?

Funny farmers.That fits.I'll remember that one when someone asks me what I do. 'course here in the potfields( used to be coalfields) of KY, that would probably be interpreted as growing wacky tobaccy.It sure does keep our economy running!

Thanks, Jim and David ,for the comraderie.

-- Anonymous, May 05, 2001


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