Jim Fry

Writing about the old days sounds fun. And worthwhile. Here's a couple more, ...

Findhorn (sort of the start of it all) N. Scotland. Eileen & Peter Caddy and Dorothy Maclean. 1962. They really got things eco. moving in the U.K. People from all over the world journeyed to learn from them. Read the early books, not so much what has been written more recently. If you really want to understand working with Earth, they are the ones to learn from.

Helen and Scott Nearing got married in 1947, and started their Forest Farm, in Vermont, shortly after. They published their book 'Living the Good Life' in 1954. It became one of the most important books of the 1970's for all us hippies. They are the American organic/perm grandparents of us all.

Raven Rocks, Ohio. 1970. Started out with 19 younger folks. The original intent, (and still is) was to preserve a really beautiful and dramatic eco. landscape. Eventually most of the 1,200 acres will go to permanent protection. They have done some really neat very ecological projects over the years.

Black Bear Ranch, N. Calif. 1968. Really interesting place. My understanding is that it is still (sort of) chugging along. Quite a leftist community in its day.

~~There's another that wasn't really a community. But it functioned like one. Thousands (and thousands) of people from all over the world traveled to Twylah Nitsch's land, and The Wolf Clan Teaching Lodge. Non-family people were always living there, but they mostly came to learn. Twylah was the Granddaughter of the last of The Great Seneca Medicine Men. She knew more than anyone else on the continent of the Old Ways. ~Ancient Traditional Wisdom & Prophesy. She was quite the incredible person.

--One thing about a number of these. They were friends with the Fairies and Faeries, and Big Foot and Little People. There are whole other worlds that most folks don't seem to know about, -or even deny. It's too bad. (It's actually something I've been a bit at odds about, with this group here. There seem to be quite a few (management type) people who somewhat actively oppose recognizing or talking about Nature Spirits and such.) You'd have to be willing to talk/write about such things in order to really understand these communities.  

"Survivors". That's a funny way of putting it. I've never thought of being a survivor. We just keep plugging along. Far as I know, there aren't so many left of those early days. We mostly got old and died off. When I first wrote about this, I should have said there were hundreds of communities, maybe more. Lots and lots anyways. But founders died or sometimes moved on, and communities withered. Or folks changed priorities as they aged, got families, got jobs, got an itch to move. Or changed politics or sometimes religion. And split up. There were some fun places, gone now. I miss 'em.

Anyway, the oldest here is 77 and the youngest is 1 1/2. There's lots of kids, which is either killing the old folks off, or keeping us young. Don't know which. But, having young children does, at least, keep your thinking younger. I almost never talk to anyone about the "old days". Just mostly talk in a language I don't even mostly understand. New words. New ways of thinking. Or doing. Sometimes I'll listen to music, Beatles or Zep, or the Floyd, and the kids will think it's horrible. Shocking sometimes. The best music in the world, ever, and the youngers don't like/appreciate it.

~~~In any case, the point is, .... something about change. Communities are great. Living in community is great. But they change as time goes on. And you really need to pay attention. Or things just don't go on anymore. At one time, for 20+ years or so, we collected truckloads of clothing and food and furniture and even cars and drove them all over everywhere to various Reservations. 70 semi loads or so. At other times, we had the largest organic/perm gardens in N. Ohio. We had a heck of a lot of Farm Share members, and we supplied many health food stores and co-ops. We used to host various gatherings of up to 350 people for the weekend, in Ceremony for Solstice and May Day and such. Now we milk cows and run a very large Farm School/homeschool for kids from all over. And we teach lots of homesteading skills classes. It used to be we got more long-term folks. Now we get many wwoof'ers. And of course we do more Mid-Wife'ing now. Change.

So, I suppose, we have done a lot. We're still here. If someone wants to ask any questions about how to get along with farming, gardening, goof balls living together, living poor, living well off, midwifery, animals, history, old damn tools, writing books, whatever, ask. And I might even feel like talking some more.

If you can ship half/whatever, we'd be interested in price.

Jim
farmerSGF@yahoo.com

There were several communities founded in the late 60's, early 70's. Twin Oaks, in Virginia, organized during 'The Summer of Love' in 1967. Stone Garden Farm & Village, in N. Ohio, was started in about 1970.  The Bear Tribe, 'headquartered' near Spokane, Wash., was founded in 1971. The Farm, in Summertown, Tenn. was founded mid-Summer of 1971. The Bear Tribe has passed into history with the death of its leader and founder Sun Bear. The other three still continue.

Because we (Stone Garden) have been around for so long and knew so much of what was happening in the 'movement', we have heard things. We've have also had many people visit here from those other 'gatherings'. At one time The Farm had some (or so we were told) quite difficult times. Mainly of personality, policy, and property questions. Twin Oaks had a severe fire, and (to my way of thinking) got off on some rather strange paths during Covid/BLM. And Bear Tribe was great. But, Sun Bear had some interesting leadership needs/proclivities.

The reason I mention any of this, is that, sometimes it is good to take things with a grain of salt. Not everything is as it sometimes appears to be. We are all trying. We do our best. But we are all human. So just be realistic about dreams and visions.

It is entirely possible to die within 12 hrs. Probably a good bit less. ~Just from hypothermia. And that can be on a 60* or 50* day/night. You need to be knowledgeable. You need to practice. My suggestion is start out with enough to keep you alive. Then learn some things. Then go again with less stuff, and apply what you learned the first time. And so work your way into taking bare minimums because you know exactly what you can do and what to expect. ~If you try to go out with nothing and no real experience, you can expect to have a very rough time, -or expect to give your survivors a very rough time.

If people want to get this thread going again, OK. I've done what the original OP asked about. Many times (and only came close to dying just a few times). So, I'm good if you want to ask questions.

Jim
Stone Garden Farm & Village
Ohio.

76 yrs. old. Nine children, youngest is 1 yr. old. Built and run one of the largest museums in Ohio (1820 to 1900). Milk cows, beef cattle, chickens, pigs, run a large home school/Farm School, teach heritage skills classes, large gardens and orchards, take in lots of wwoof'ers and IC'ers and sometimes homeless. Heat with wood, cut it all myself. I add 3 or 4 buildings a year to the museum (by myself). Take care of my brothers farm next door, and a friend's place (who's in a care facility) a couple miles away. I'd do more stuff, but I'm slowing down a bit.

Be careful bringing milkweed onto your land. It spreads somewhat easily. If your cows eat it, or if you bale hay with milkweed in it, and the cows eat it, they could die.

-"One day I'm in the garden and I see a volunteer tomato. If that's not a sign it's warm enough for tomatoes I don't know what is."

Just because a seed from a previous year, sprouts, doesn't mean it won't die later if it gets too cold. Sometimes "listening to Nature" means having spent enough time (years) knowing the weather cycles of your area. Most often folk lore and guidebooks are based on real reason and experience. Paying attention to what others before you have learned, is also "listening.