Spring At Last

Although there are a few isolated piles of snow left, winter is basically a done deal here. Flowers are up, trees are starting to bud and people are beginning yard clean up. With the ice storms and heavy snows, there has been much tree damage to deal with.

Although it may sound like a broken record, we are perpetually amazed by the beauty of this place. The photo above was taken at Bonny Eagle on the Saco River. One of the great things about Maine is you're never far from a lovely outdoor setting. In Michigan our experience of natural beauty often centered around lakes. And there are plenty of those in Maine too. But we've spent considerable time around the river and have come to appreciate its varying moods. It's become a priority for us to live in proximity to the Saco as we continue our search for land. Here is another picture at Hiram, also on the Saco. Hiram is located about 45 minutes northwest of us, not too far from New Hampshire. I recently did some work at this dam and was awed by the location. The actual dam is below the bridge structure. There is really not a lake as such behind this dam so it's a relatively low-impact on the land. Pretty cool.

Our search for land continues to take new and interesting turns. We've basically decided the land I mentioned in the last blog entry is not going to work for us. We discovered about 2/3 of this land is protected wetland. Another 1.5 acres is power line right-of-way. That left precious little of the 10.5 acres available to build a house on, raise food and care for animals. We looked at buying land adjacent that was owned by the same person and found that wasn't going to work either.

So Cheryl started looking in earnest for other possibilities. A search of MLS listings in the area turned up relatively little in the way of land for sale. There are plenty of houses on the market but not too much in the way of land. Cheryl being the resourceful individual she is was undaunted. She started visiting the town office, reviewing tax maps to find unoccupied land. Then she created a letter which she sent to all the absentee landowners, telling them our story and inquiring about their possible interest in selling. We received several positive replies from the letter, leading to some nice opportunities.

Of course, our finding the right land is proving no easier than choosing an area to move was. In addition to dealing with the usual issues that attend buying raw rural land, we are also seeking a place favorable to a passive solar house, zoning that is minimally restrictive, especially regarding farm animals, at least some similar-minded neighbors, minimal road & utility costs and by the way, land we enjoy being on. We are also seeking to be relatively close to the grocery store, hardware store, etc. to keep fuel costs down as oil prices bounce around. And other issues I won't bore you with. Not too tall of a list, eh?

And now for something completely different. I recently read a book by Mark Levin titled "Liberty and Tyranny - a Conservative Manifesto". Back in my 20's and 30's I would not have given something labeled conservative a second look. Later, I began referring to myself as socially liberal, fiscally conservative. But even that really didn't do it. Especially since I've moved to Maine and been immersed in the independent Yankee tradition, I found some common ground with Libertarians. Hence the title of this book held an attraction. Additionally I have regularly found common ground with conservative concerns. A quote from Abraham Lincoln on the back cover of this book is a great start.

" We declare for liberty; but in using the same word we do not all mean the same thing. With some the word liberty may mean for each man to do as he pleases with himself and the product of his labor; while with others, the same word may mean for some men to do as they please with other men, and the product of other men's labor. Here are two, not only different but incompatible things called by the same name - liberty. And it follows that each of the things is, by the respective parties, called by two different and incompatible names - liberty and tyranny."

Wow. As part of our journey into living differently, I have come to see the insidiouness of government regulation. Mark Levin argues that regulation and the government that produces and enforces such is the tool of the "Statist". Levin's basic premise is the goal of government regulation is to subjugate the individual to the state. Hence the term Statist is applied to individuals who believe the State should be the source and controller of all. Generally Liberals would be tagged as "statist" although he asserts there conservatives who are also Statists.

It would be easy to write off Mr. Levin as another conspiracy theorist. But I believe there are conspiracies at work in the world. The mainstream mocks conspiracy theories in knee-jerk fashion, no matter what the political orientation of the author. I'm not exactly sure why that is. Certainly it is uncomfortable to imagine conspiracy, especially regarding the government. But conspiracies have occurred and will continue to exist. So why not at least entertain the possibility? The basic challenge I have with Mr. Levin's approach is not the idea of conspiracy by Statists. Rather it his implication that elimination of Statism will make everything whole again.

The belief in supremacy of the individual and greed-driven capitalism are also complicit in the mess we find ourselves. There is also no question we have become of nation of entitlement thinkers. This thinking cuts across all income and social strata. We are locked in endless combat about Socialism vs. Capitalism, liberal vs. conservative, individual vs. community. Much ink and talk has been expended detailing the flaws and attractions of these polar opposites. With the election of Barrack Obama, the liberals felt their time in the "wilderness" was over and it was the conservatives turn to be in the cold. Eight years ago the opposite was true. Where has this gotten us? It is inevitable in a win/lose situation, the loser does not go away but rather plots revenge. Meanwhile our society and country move closer to the brink. Without a transformation in our thinking, we are doomed. What doomed will look like is anybody's guess. But it will not be pretty.

So will we emulate the Earth by entering into a "springtime" of new ways of being? It is time to consider "the middle way" as Buddhist's suggest. It is time to realize that we need to be informed by multiple traditions as we forge a new way of viewing the world we find ourselves in. There is no doubt we are in territory that has no map. As Einstein said, "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results." Let us stop expending energy fighting each other and seek instead how we can all survive the coming upheavals.