Fresh Yarn
A friend of mine recently sent me a link to this site. Lots of personal essays here--some good, some not so good. But most of them are worth reading. New essays are posted every three weeks, and all of the old ones are archived. Almost as interesting are the bios that are available for every essayist. You may recognize some of them.
Have fun ...
a long time ago, i ran across the path to freedom website when i was looking for information on putting a garden in the back yard of our little urban plot of land. we have about a tenth of an acre, and i was looking for ideas from other people who had grown vegetables and other garden lovliness in a small space. when i came across this site, my first thought was typical east coast cynicism: crazy hippies. but i kept reading because, despite my first reaction, my attention was hooked by the presence of actual facts on the website and well organized links to concice and compelling information about what these people were trying to do. suddenly, i wasn't cynical anymore. i love how california and the people who live there make you stop being cynical. well, not all californians, but the ones i like to hang out with.
turns out, the website people have a plot of land about the same size as ours in a neighborhood similar to ours, and they have made a mission out of turning that into a completely self-sustaining system. it not only provides the food they need, but it produces enough surplus that they have a significant business selling produce to local restaurants. they're honest about the fact that it is incredibly challenging, but they also have had compelling successes. after 5 years, they're still at it.
anyway, i think it's pretty cool. i'm not taking my house and my little plot of land off the grid, but it sure gives me a lot of inspiration when i look around my little back yard and wonder what i could possibly do to make it frutiful.
check it out.
i discovered jamie's blog by accident last week and totally dug her style. the february 23rd post is the one that caught my attention. and here's another noteworthy one.
i can't put my finger on exactly why i liked it. i avoid the word authentic when i talk about writing, because when i hear someone say a piece sounds authentic, i have a hard time believing they really know what they mean. but in this case, it's the best word i can come up with. and there's a voice peeking through that's really fantastic--straightforward and unapologetic. and she makes such rich descriptions of everything: after you read that first short post i linked to, you know an incredible amount of information about the couple in wal-mart and about her. and actually, what you learn--or almost learn--about jamie is the most interesting part.
anyway, i hope she keeps writing. check it out.
