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Quote of the Day: Stone Walls

July 22nd, 2012

History is about leaving our mark. The old settlers’ mark is a bunch of tilting gravestones and some broken down stone walls, and I wonder if, as they heaved rocks onto the intricately fitted walls, they thought about us, the future, or were they just trying to get those stones out of the field. Whatever their motive, they left a mark with their lives. And we leave one with ours.

Linda Tatlbaum from Carrying Water as a Way of Life: A Homesteader’s History



I always notice stone walls when we’re out and about, especially the old ones. Perhaps it’s because I’m a stone wall builder myself. When I build a stone wall I’m not necessarily thinking about it being here in a few years, I’m more doing it because I love the look and I have a ton of rocks on hand.


Gardening organically is something I do with future generations in mind. I know not using chemicals in the garden is healthier for me, but I know that it will make a big difference to the generations that come after me. They are also on my mind as I blog to encourage others to go organic.

What kinds of things do you do for the sake of future generations?

4 Comments to “Quote of the Day: Stone Walls”
  1. Nebraska Dave on July 22, 2012 at 10:49 am

    Susy, when I replaced my rock wall with retaining wall blocks, my thoughts were on wondering about the person that had built the flat rock wall way back in 1965. As I removed the wall I wondered if he had thought about how long his wall would last and when would it be removed. As I placed the retaining wall blocks in place I wonder the same thing. I am seriously thinking about burying a time capsule behind the wall in a PCV pipe that is capped and glued on both ends. Inside the capsule would be pictures of how the wall was made and stories about the process. Perhaps someday decades from now when walls are being replaced with whatever the next thing would be, it could make for a interesting discovery. Since PCV pipe doesn’t degrade for centuries, it would be a good choice. The only issue would be what kind of storage medium to use. Paper would not last as long as the pipe. However, maybe being sealed up air tight would help the longevity. Those kinds of discoveries would be quite interesting in the future, don’t you think?

    Have a great rock wall day.

    Reply to Nebraska Dave's comment

    • Susy on July 22, 2012 at 11:35 am

      I think that’s a GREAT idea!

      Reply to Susy's comment

  2. KimH on July 22, 2012 at 11:44 am

    When I was a teenager, I moved to a piece of land that my grandmother & some of her cousins grew up on around the turn of the century. Someone made a nice rock retainer wall on a sandy hillside that was still perfectly in place when we moved there in the late 70s. I used to enjoy sitting on that wall a lot. Just had to be watchful of scorpions, since they liked it too. ;)

    Garden-wise, I’ve taught both my daughters the importance of having an organic garden and caring for the soil as much as the plants. This is the first year that both of my daughters have their very own gardens since they’ve grown up. My oldest daughter started gardening last year which I was so surprised at because she always hated gardening and doing any sort of outside work. t helps that her hubby likes gardening and is helping her.
    I My youngest daughter on the other hand was always by my side in the garden as she was growing up and loved it. She finally has a place where she put in a small garden this year and its doing wonderfully.
    I also share my gardens with my sorta-grands and teach them about getting food from the soil, and how to plant and take care of it too.
    They are 1,3,7, & 11. Shocking that they’re getting so big, but they all love to come “help” me in the garden I lose track of what is planted where come planting time (sometimes) but in the end I dont care so much.. I’d rather make sure we’re having fun in the garden. ;)

    Other things I do is to share family stories and genealogy with my kids. We have a lot of family history and a couple books with much of it in them. I also make sure to share photos, recipes and family traditions with my kiddos.

    So far, none of my kids have shown an interest in canning, but my oldest is into fermented foods. She has tried the kefir which grossed her out and her father in law makes kombucha that he sells. She sent me a SCOBY recently and I have my first brew under way..
    Sometimes, our kids can teach us a thing or two too. ;)

    Reply to KimH's comment

  3. Maybelline on July 22, 2012 at 8:02 pm

    Living responsibly in all aspects of my life should be great for me as well as others now and in the future.

    My advice to my adult children is to live below their means.

    Reply to Maybelline's comment

About

This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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