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fieldworkspring 2008

Out in the jungles of Indonesia

Gregory Batson built a mosquito

room for Margaret Mead. He built a

frame off of their porch and

stretched mosquito netting betweenthe posts. With just this little

bit of work he created an oasis, a

place free from bugs yet open to

the afternoon breeze, a place in

full view of the village and its

noises and smells, yet separate

too. This was a place where work

happened. It had sturdy work

tables for both of them, a place to

put typewriters and supplies. Each

day after a morning

of research,

Margaret would set

up camp in the

One Woman’s

Encyclopedia 

mosquito room. There she dutifully

typed up her notes from that

morning’s work.

And what about you? Where do youdo your work? Do you have notes

that get typed up or painted or

scribbled? I imagine this zine to

be a place to think about the work

we do as parents and teachers and

learners and gardeners and people

who live on this earth with their

eyes and ears open.

I’d love to hear from you. What are

you working on? What questions are

keeping you upnights?

In the early 1970s Carla Emery was living the homesteader’s life in Idaho.

She birthed her babies at home, cooked over a wood stove, raised much of her

own food, and learned from the old timers still living in her county. She

got the crazy idea to start collecting all that she was learning into a book.

She placed ads in a few places asking for subscriptions —people would send her

a bit of money and she would send them pieces of the book as she wrote it.

And people did subscribe. And Carla started making her book that she called

An Old Fashioned Recipe Book. The book grew to almost 900 mimeographed pages

full of stories about her children and the art of simple living. Carla’s

Simple Living Checklist is on the next page.

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Sprouts

Sprouting wheat berries is the

perfect way to celebrate

Spring. In just a few days

you can have a little bowlfull of tender, green grass as

a centerpiece for your dinner

table or window sill or even

to share with your favorite

furry friend. Wheat berries

are available in bulk in any

natural foods store, but you

can sprout beans or lentils or

even radishes using the same

technique. If you catch your

wheat berries on the first day

the little white sproutsappear, they’ll be perfect to

throw into a loaf of bread;

stir them into a pot of oats

the next day; or just keep

waiting till the sprouts turn

to grass.

How to… 

First, place a quarter

cup of wheat berries in a

shallow, wide-mouthed jar or

bowl.

Cover with warm water and

let sit overnight.

When you wake up, rinse

the berries in cool water,

then drain them very well.

Continue to rinse every

day for the next week.

After about five days

white sprouts should start

to appear.

Keep the wheat berries

moist but don’t let them sit

in water.

Enjoy!

All at once I am overcome by the thought that the time is Spring.

When did it begin? Who saw the very first redness on the soft maples?

--Harlan Hubbard from Payne Hollow 

(Some of) Carla’s Achievement Checklist 

  Mix, knead, raise, punch down, raise, and bake a loaf of bread

  Put on a bee suit and open a hive

  Make yogurt

  Start with cream and work it till it becomes butter and buttermilk

  Milk a goat

  Feed the poultry and gather the eggs

  Plan and cook a meal that is 100% home-grown

  Dry a batch of food in a food dryer

  Take out the ashes, build a fire in a wood stove

  Freeze a batch of fruit or vegetables

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You Must Revise Your Life

Even after six months in this new house, I am still trying to figure out

where things go. Especially the books. We have more room and many more

bookcases than ever before, so it seems important that each book finds its

rightful home. A new shelf got started…books that changed my life, booksthat threw the lights on for me. You’ll have to come over to see the whole

shelf, but here are a few of the titles.

  A Pattern Language by Christopher Alexander, an architecture book full

to bursting with simple line drawings and lovely vintage photographs.

Alexander invites you to think about how different aspects or patterns

of your house, your neighborhood, your city intersect and influence

each other. This thick book would be good company through a long

winter.

  Small Is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered  by E. F.

Schumacher. We found this book in the jungle. He gets so many things

right about development work. It was a balm to read. Even the title

is enough to set your mind working! What if we used the idea that

small is beautiful as a guide when considering a new action? 

  The Teenage Liberation Handbook by Grace Llewellyn. I recommend this

book at every turn. She’s who got me making zines in the first place.

Don’t let the title fool you; this book isn’t only for teenagers. It’s

for anyone who wants to start living and learning in freedom. That’s

all of us I hope! 

  Independent Scholars Handbook by Ronald Gross. In the same vain as

Llewellyn, but with lots of real life adults telling the story of how

they did the work they wanted outside of traditional channels. 

  Laurel’s Kitchenby Robertson, Flinders, and Godfrey. A cookbook! Read

this book for the striking woodcuts, the amazing feminist essays by

Carol Flinders, and the recipe for Split Pea-Parmesan Spread. 

Celebrating Pentecost

Easter came early this year, and so Pentecost is upon us

even as the ground is still warming up. And after the Spring

weather we’ve had at my place, I am ready for the fire to be

kindled. Who among us couldn’t use the promise of inspiration,

the fire of new ideas, new possibilities? Let’s greet this

season with open eyes and outstretched arms.

Here’s what we’ll be doing…the easiest thing to do is to

wear red and orange, the color of flames. Dressing with

attention invites the children in our lives to taste and see the season.

The tastiest thing to do is eat strawberries, tongues of fire! Catch the

wind; harness that powerful stirring. Anything will do —fly a kite, hang

streamers out your window, make paper airplanes. This is the time for new

things: sprouts in the garden, babies on the hip, books on the nightstand.