This Is The Week!

Today, on my way over to the folks' place for a venison lunch that couldn't be beat, I saw the first haze of green over some of the bushes and trees. That means that the next couple of weeks are going to be some of the most exciting of the year here in my little corner of MN.

This is the time when Spring creeps up on us, when we can sit on our decks one evening staring at bare branches and dead grass, and the next evening everything is green and alive.

It's magic. It's a treasure hunt. It's amazing.

Now starts the time of year when we drive or walk slowly through neighborhoods, searching yards for the first tulips and daffodils. When we start eagerly watching the lilacs as they leaf out and begin to get buds on them. It is the fun of watching perennials poke up from the ground ~ just barely showing in the morning, then over an inch above ground by dinner time.

This is when most of the yard chores get done. We are all so eager to be out in the sun again after long months of weak light and being forced indoors by the cold. We clean up our yards, and dream big dreams of projects that we would like to finish over the next few months. Summer's heat and humidity hasn't sapped our energy yet, and we feel ALIVE for the first time in months.

This year has been dry, allowing me to like spring a little better. MN springs are very muddy, usually, and without all the mud I am much more able to enjoy the changes coming over the landscape.

But the dryness is worrying, as well. My raised beds are already dusty-dry, and I wonder what they will be like throughout the year if we don't get more rain. Like every gardener out there, the weather never seems to cooperate with me exactly the way I want it to.

Today was too nice to worry about it too much, though. I am going to go to work, and enjoy my ride home in the morning. Tomorrow I will continue the treasure hunt of spring flowers and unfolding leaves, and do my best to enjoy each day as it comes.

And that's all I have to say about that....

The Storm is Rolling in

We have a storm rolling in here. It is so beautiful. The wind picked up and tossed my hair and the new-fallen leaves wildly. I could smell the rain in the air. The trees danced with the wind. Then came the first patters of rain.

I am hoping for lightning later, but not until I am safe at work....

Now THIS Is a MN Winter Like I Remember!

See all this snow? Yeah, this pile of snow is chest high on me. I can normally walk UNDER those tree branches.

And this stuff, too? Yeah, Mr. Barefoot is not taking very good care of his grill this year.

THIS is the way I remember winters from my childhood. Tons of snow, cold as...well, we will just leave it at pretty cold, and all sorts of crazy windchill factor talk. Trash bin on left shows actual snowfall. Trash bin on right is under the garage eaves.

I mean, this is the way it is SUPPOSED to be. I remember when boots and snowsuits were FASHIONABLE. Well, not really....but they were a definite necessity! Notice how the snow in the yard is level with the top step going into the house? Yee haw!
Today, like a typical MN native, I did not let the crappy roads and low visibility stop me from running all over three towns to run errands. Of course, I think I invented a few cuss words while I was driving (NOTE TO ALL MN DRIVERS: IF IT IS SNOWING AND THE ROADS ARE BAD, PUT YOUR STINKING LIGHTS ON!!!!! NOONE CAN SEE YOU OTHERWISE!!!!!). It was the kind of driving where you cruise along at 40 MPH on the highway and figure you are doing fine if you aren't hearing the brrrrrrrrt of the rumble strip under your tires.

When I got home, I shoveled....and shoveled.....AND SHOVELED. I only have half of the driveway done, but I am quitting for the day. I worked last night, and even did some Tai Chi (fun stuff, that), and I am worn out.

I am thinking about moving somewhere a little warmer. But then I will have to worry about tornadoes or hurricanes or having the entire state just crash into the ocean. Worse, I might have to deal with alligators or big spiders. Yuck.

No, I figure I am a MN lifer. I will be doing the penguin walk across icy parking lots until I die. I might even start storing up old folk stories now so that I can get all the wrinkles worked out of them before I am old and need them. Can't you just hear me?

"You think this is cold?! BAH! Why, I remember back in the winter of Oh Eight....."

*giggle*

Just to Prove I Don't Have My Head in the Sand

I HAVE been noticing the things on the news lately. More banks are out of business, the Fed is "riding to the rescue" (yeah, right, like that is gonna work) and basically things are going down the tubes here in the good old US of A really quick.

A part of me is terrified. I drive through my town, a town not too badly hit by the housing bubble collapse because it never got involved in the whole "development craze", and see houses for sale that have been on the market for months and will most likely stay on the market for months more. I know folks who have lost their houses in this. I see rising prices for food/gas/everything else and I wonder how much longer I will be able to afford many of the minor luxuries in my life.

On the other hand, a part of me is fascinated in a completely detached way. I am living in historic times. This next presidential election will be groundbreaking, with either our first non~white President or our first female VP in office. Lifestyles will be changing, and economic conditions are already being likened to the Great Depression.

On a semi~funny side note, I used to have an elderly client who would tell me and anyone else who would listen that "what kids need these days is a Depression". Too bad she isn't alive anymore to see her get her wish, huh? Gosh, I miss her.

Anyway.

I am so interested to see how things fall out over the next few years. The answer is so simple and straight~forward in my mind, but so few seem to agree with me. I am not so concerned about myself or my family, because I feel confident that (barring worst WORST case scenarios) we will be alright. I know what the necessities of life are (here's a hint....cable isn't on the list) and I feel fairly confident that I and my family will be able to provide them. It may be different, and it may be difficult, but I have no fear that we won't be able to make it through.

I am worried about the rest of the country, though. Heck, I am worried about the rest of the world for that matter. It is kind of like watching the mythological Lemming Mass Suicide. There are so many people who just don't know what to do about the "State of the Union" so they just keep on doing the same old thing. They don't bother to make the simple changes in their lives that might make all the difference in the way things will turn out in their own personal story. And so, one by one, I expect they will soon be throwing themselves off the proverbial Cliffs of Doom into the Sea of Financial Ruin, Starvation, and Death by Exposure.

So. If you don't notice that I am spending all my time talking about it here it's not that I am not aware of the situation. I am just sitting back and watching to see which way the cards will fall. Will Americans as a group get their heads out of their collective backsides and start thinking for a change? Or will one of those worst WORST case scenarios become reality.

I guess it is up to all of us to decide.

Some People's Kids

K, so I was driving to work one night and on a whim I started flipping through the radio channels. Normally I listen to CDs, but that night I just wanted to see what was available. I managed to come across a talk show where some person (presumably in gov't) was talking about the whole offshore drilling thing and our country's need for cheaper fuel prices.

Of course, being me I didn't listen for long. I DID manage to hear one particular little bit that just blew my mind, though.

This individual was saying that since demand for gasoline has gone down x percent in the last month or so, and gasoline prices have also gone down a little bit, that he was afraid the American Public was going to get the idea that the crisis had been averted and that the answer had been found. He went on to say that the only REAL solution to the oil issue is for us to open up "American Energy Sources for the American People".

Ummmm, sorry, but reducing the demand for oil IS the solution. I mean, we can keep drilling for a non~renewable resource and give ourselves a little breathing room, but the reality is that the only way to SOLVE the problem is to reduce (and if possible eliminate) our dependence on a resource that is finite.

So that's my two cents worth.

Needed: Muskrats and Rain

There is a place I drive by on my way home that is just swamp after swamp. I love it, cuz there are some Canadian Geese that nest there every year (two pair this year, and are the babies CUTE!).

This morning I noticed that the swamp grasses were growing right through even the deepest portions of the water. Usually, there is quite a bit of open water, and it looks just wrong for grass tips to be showing through.

My first thought was that the resident muskrats must have been hit by a car or something, and that hopefully a new one would move in soon before the swamp grass totally took over the open water.

On further reflection, though, I realised that when I was a kid the road in that area was flooded every spring. That hasn't happened in years. Not even close.

Now I am worried. I know that they have done some work on the roads down there to help with the flooding issue, but it just seems that the water isn't as high as it used to be. And that makes me think that maybe the reason the muskrats aren't there anymore is because the water is too shallow for them to overwinter. Then I start to get scared.

It is one thing to know in your head that Climate Change is real. It is totally another to see something that really brings home how different the landscape could be.

Getting Involved

Up till now I have kind of been apathetic about the whole politics thing. I figured I was so far in the minority that my voice didn't really count for much.

Blogging has opened to my eyes to the fact that there ARE other folks out there who think like I do (thank goodness, I'm not an alien) and so I am getting a little more involved.

Anyway, Go. Read. Write a letter.

Two Things

Okay, first off I need to announce to the world at large that my Wonderful - Fabulous - Incredible Honorary Uncle came up to do the house inspection last night and gave it a good report. He also (wowowowowow) offered to donate one full day of work to fix the few things that need fixing (some doggy damage and a leaky sink) as a housewarming gift. I really appreciate that so much, because as a general handy-man he has been hit hard by the economy tanking. No one wants to do home improvements or fix the things that are only a little broken when they have to worry about gas to get to work or food to eat.

And he is the best fixer-upper dude I know. A total perfectionist in every way.

I am so excited.



* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The second thing is one that I swore to myself I would no longer discuss on my blog. So I am breaking that promise in the hopes that Mr. Barefoot won't read this, and if he does that he doesn't mention it at home. Hehe.

I happened to peek at one of the cable news channels at work last night (something I try really hard to avoid) and caught the tail end of a discussion between someone from the McCain camp and someone from the Obama camp. They were going at each other tooth and nail over the "Energy Crisis" and why their candidate had THE ANSWER and the other was just a fool.

One phrase that stuck out in my mind (I have no idea who said it) is that we are "the Saudi Arabia of coal".

This is a good thing? I don't know about the rest of this country, but I haven't bought into the advertising saying that coal is "clean energy". Not only that, but it is a fossil fuel which (by definition) means it takes millions of years to create and is a FINITE source of fuel. It will run out eventually. I suppose I am the only one who sees something wrong with trading one set of issues for another ~ equally bad ~ set of issues?

The one thing that neither party brought up in even the most obscure way was our nation's need to conserve the resources we have and to learn to do with less consumption.

I tell you who I will vote for:

I will vote for the candidate who stands up and says for all the world to hear that he is going to take Crunchy's "Freeze Yer Buns" Challenge while in the White House. I will vote for the candidate who is willing to stand up to the American Public and inspire them to live in a manner that the earth can support. I will vote for the candidate who turns their back on the age old tradition of pointing fingers at the other candidate and, instead, points their finger at the American Public and says "You are the reason we are in crisis right now. All it takes is a few simple changes in your lives to make a big impact, and I am here to lead the way in making these changes. I am here to tell you that it is not about buying your way to a green life. It is not about spending all our time trying to find a way around making changes. It is about facing those changes bravely and with conviction. It is about 'biting the bullet' and moving forward into a different way of life, rather than desperately trying to hold on to one that no longer works. I am here to show you how, to help you make the changes needed, to pave the way for a new era in our history."

Yeah, that's the candidate I want in the White House.....Maybe I should run? Or we could all vote for Crunchy! Or something....



I have to go on record here as saying that, for me, the issue has never been about Peak Oil, Climate Change, or anything else.

In my mind, the bottom line is that it is irresponsible to live in a manner where you do more damage than good. Any organism that lives off another and gives nothing back is a parasite. I don't wanna be a parasite...do you? But that is what we are. And a very devastating one at that. We scalp, rape, and destroy the earth in our search for ways to live in a manner more and more removed from the natural rhythms of our host (the earth, for those of you who aren't following). Much like any other parasite, we take what we want without any regard for what it is doing to the very organism we are dependent on for life.

We are tapeworms. Yuck.

You know, I used to have nightmares where I was being chased by a monster or a "bad man". I would run and run till I was exhausted. Then, when all my strength had been sapped by my long flight and evasive maneuvering, I would turn to fight only to find that I was not strong enough to win. Only when I learned to train myself (in sleep and in real life) to turn and face the monster RIGHT AWAY did I find the strength to beat it.

I feel like we are in the same position as a country. We have spent so much time trying to avoid the problem or even deny it's existence that the issue has become bigger and bigger. A problem that would have been easy to fix in it's infancy has been allowed to grow into a grotesque giant that we feel less and less able to conquer.

So I get a little frustrated when the candidates get so caught up in telling each other that they are wrong. There is no doubt anymore that we live in a manner that the earth cannot sustain indefinitely. It doesn't matter what "Crash Theory" you subscribe to or who you blame for the whole mess. It doesn't matter if we have reached Peak or if we can delay it for a few years. Those issues are just the tentacles of the beast, and they will lose their power once the main creature is killed. We have to learn to live more lightly on the earth.

Bottom line.

Disclaimer: I write this on my energy-sucking computer with a movie in
the DVD player (babysitting Little Sprout) in an apartment with the air
conditioner on (it IS really hot and stuffy today) and Big Sprout in her room
with probably two lamps on and HER tv. I am not saying I am any better than
anyone else. I am just stating what I see as facts.

Big Sprout Inspiration

Big Sprout came out of her room today (the last day of school) to show me a little magazine she got in Reading class. She especially wanted to read me a poem, and I loved it so much I just had to share.

Instructions For the Earth's Dishwasher
By Lisa Westberg Peters

Please set the
continental plates
gently on the
continental
shelves.
No jostling or scraping.

Please
stack the
basins right side up.
No tilting or
turning
upside~down.

Please scrape the
mud
out of the mud pots.
But watch out!
They're still hot.

As for the forks
in the river,
just let them soak.

Remember,
if anything breaks,
it's your fault.

Kinda makes you think, huh?

So What Would You Give Up?

K, folks. Wendy had this up at her place, and I thought it sounded like a pretty cool deal.

What Would I Be Willing To Give Up?

So, here's the challenge:
1. Answer the question.
2. Choose ten things about your typical Western lifestyle that you'd be willing to give up to keep ten other things about your typical Western lifestyle.
3. Post them on your blog so that others can see your list and create their own.

And, now the most important part,

4. Write a letter to your "leaders."

Maybe if they see that we are willing to make some changes, they will start making changes, too, and maybe there are things that our government can do (besides slapping a Band-Aid on a sucking chest wound) to help us.

Maybe if they knew there were a lot of us who'd be willing to give up our cars if there were safer routes for bike travel, for example, they would try to develop that infrastructure.

That's my challenge. We'll call it the in medio stat virtus challenge. If we can get everyone ... or at least the majority of us "regular" people (I mean, seriously, I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for Britney Spears to "go green" ... unless by "green" we mean the color she turns after a night on the town) ... to commit to virtualizing on some middle ground between complete deprivation and complete hedonism, AND get those people to contact their Senators and Representatives (at both the Federal and State levels), maybe the Powers That Be will hear us.

Ok, so my list.....









1. I would give up my flush toilet for a composting toilet to keep hot showers


2. I would give up A/C to keep my internet


3. I would give up electric lights to keep my washing machine.


4. I would give up my dishwasher to keep my refrigerator.


5. I would give up fresh fruit in winter to keep my breads and pasta


I am going to have to leave it at that. I have been having trouble with this list, as I am so terribly distracted by other things going on in life. Don't be shocked, though, if the list magically gets longer as I think of things....:)

Just a Thought

I hate writing posts like this one, because I always feel like I am displaying my ignorance, but I had a thought last night while I was sitting at work and hoping the hours would go faster. I figured I might as well post it here so you could all tell me why my idea is stupid.

Since we know that the US uses way too much gas and that bio fuels are not the miracle cure that some thought they would be; since we know there are starving people all over the world due to the continued reservation of certain crops and fields for bio fuel production and the rising cost of oil, why don't we ration gasoline and use the crops raised for bio fuels for hunger relief?

Here is my line of thought. Gasoline rationing is not unheard of in this country. If we were to reinstate a gas ration (I am not talking anything drastic...it could be based somewhat on how far you have to travel to work, if you need to transport goods, etc), Americans would be FORCED to change their habits. There would be no more "road trips" just for fun, folks would learn to accomplish as much as possible on the fewest amount of car hours. There would also be more folks walking and biking places. Good for the environment, right?

I know that some folks will scream that we will be putting gas stations out of business, or that car manufacturers are going to have trouble, or some economic issue along those lines. But really, what is the difference if we do it (semi)voluntarily or if gas prices and shortages make it impossible for the Average Joe to drive anyway?

My Honorary Uncle, whom I love very much, likes to say "I wish the gov't would just quit saving us from ourselves". For the most part, I agree with him. However, in this instance, I figure the likelihood of Americans doing what needs to be done on their own is pretty slim. Besides, WE aren't the only ones we will be saving from ourselves. We will also be saving starving folks in Haiti and other places as well as making a huge step in saving the planet.

I am not a deep thinker, and tend to simplify things too much. I just can't seem to understand all the complicated issues involved in the world today. I suppose this humble suggestion wouldn't work for some reason or other, but wouldn't it be nice if it did?

Can I put my head back in the sand now?

Since I worked last night, I spent most of yesterday evening laying in bed watching National Geographic Channel. Yeah, I should have been napping, but that would make my life to easy.

So there I was, watching all the Earth Day specials they had on, and one thing totally jumped out at me that still gives me the shivers.

The polar icecaps could conceivably be 100% gone by 2045. For those of you (like me) who are really bad at math, that means in.....let me get out my calculator......37 years.

DID YOU HEAR THAT?! 37 YEARS!

In 37 years I will be 67. Probably still living. My sprouts will be right smack in their middle years. I might have Grandsprouts. Oh. My. Gosh.

It was so much nicer when I knew things were bad in a hazy kind of way. I could do the whole "reduce, reuse, recycle" thing and sleep well at night. Not so much, after this. It is better to know, but golly it's uncomfortable.

I Have a Question

Really, I would like an answer to this one if it isn't too much trouble.

How, exactly, would becoming more self-sufficient and reducing your impact on the environment change your lifestyle?

See, I have been thinking about this a lot just lately, and I am trying to figure out exactly what is so hard about the whole thing that we don't do it. I just can't seem to figure out what the big deal is. And I am as much at fault as anyone else, so don't go thinking I am getting all "holier than thou" on anyone.

What I am beginning to realise is that we have all been brainwashed into thinking we need all sorts of things that we don't really need. I know some of you that read this are older than my 30 years. I grew up in a large farmhouse with lots of room for our family of four, but I remember my Grandparent's little rambler that also housed a family of four and was only about half the size. Then there were my Grandparent's on the other side of the family, and they had a family of six in a house even smaller than that! The farther back you go in US history, the smaller the houses and the bigger the families. Heck, Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote of when her family of five lived in a two room house. Two rooms, not two bedrooms. Not all that long ago it was totally normal for children to share a bedroom. I have seen reruns of The Brady Bunch, and if it's on TV you know it's true. Hehe

Seriously, though, what is really necessary for (good quality) life?

I am not saying that I would particularly like to live with 3 or 4 generations all under one roof and everyone sharing a room. I do like my privacy, after all. But I could, if need be.

Then there is the whole Electricity thing.
What does 'lectric provide for us that we really need? Microwave? No, it's really REALLY nice, but I don't really need it. Light? Well, what are candles, oil lamps, and (duh) the sun for? TV? Refrigerator? K, well that one is tough since iceboxes have been out of style long enough that it could be hard to find an alternative. Still, folks lived for years without them, so I figure I can learn to as well.

So we move on to heat/cooling.
Well, here in the frozen north, I can't say that I could do without some form of heat in the winter. I don't really care how buff you are, when the windchill is -30 deg F, you need something to keep you warm. However, do we really need to set our thermostats quite so high? In the summer do we need to run A/C all day every day? Probably not, seeing as folks have lived without it for many, many moons. Still, this is one area where I get a little iffy. When I was in CA last year visiting FIL and his wife, it really sucked to wake up to a freezing room in the middle of the night and have to get up and restart the fire to take the frost off my nose. I wonder if I could handle something like that on an every day basis.

What about running water?
Quite simply, there are too many ways to rig this up for me to really worry about it too much. Heck, my honorary Uncle didn't have running water when he first moved up to his place (outhouse and everything, folks), and though it was a bit of a hassle to fill the reservoir every day he seemed to get by just fine.

Obviously, this is just a quick overview. Still, I would like your thoughts on it. What would really have to change in your life if you just gave it all up?

Victory Gardens Are The New Trend!

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the time has come to plant your version of the New Generation of Victory Gardens.

The Victory Garden will ensure your victory over rising food prices, over genetically engineered foods, over unwanted chemicals and hormones that seem to have invaded every part of our collective diets. Victory Gardens provide better physical and mental health as well as recreation.

You will experience new pride in the meals you prepare for your family.

You will enjoy better health through better nutrition and increased exercise.

You will be able to explore new tastes and textures at every meal.

You will be able to reduce your impact on the environment.

You may even have fun.

The Time Has More Than Come

I am getting a little scared about where things are going and how quickly they are getting there. I think that my family is in a pretty good position, relatively speaking. We have water, gardens, space, and (most importantly) knowledge. Those of us here at the Barefoot House live close to both my folks and MIL, and Bro lives very close as well. If needed we could all join forces and I think we would be okay. There are many who are not in as good of a situation, though.

Check it out. Lets start a movement. It would be really cool.

It's Really Kind of Sad

I have been thinking about my last few posts, and how things will be as our way of life here in the good old U.S. of A. changes. Somehow, in my head I had a romantic vision of life slowing down. I kind of thought that folks would realise (finally) that the pursuit of the newest, biggest, and best toy really didn't fulfill them in the way they hoped. I imagined (especially now with "Go Green" plastered all over the TV and the news) that everyone would wake up from the consumerist fantasy they have all been living in and learn to live in a new way peacefully.

Ummm, yeah. Hi, my name is Barefoot and I am naive.

I have pulled my head out of the sand just a little bit, and I am not liking what I see. I am seeing folks in total denial, folks who get angry if you even say that things need to change.

Now, I am not going to sit and tell you all that we are in for an apocalypse. I am not going to say that someday we will just wake up to find that the lights won't go on no matter how many times we flip the switch or that the gas stations will all just close down overnight.

There are other folks who say that better than I.

It's not that those things (along with a few that are a lot worse) aren't possible, it's that that isn't my point.

My point is that I wish folks could be more dignified about this whole thing. There is that word again. If you all knew me in person you would laugh out loud at the idea of me using such a word, but I can't think of a better one for what I mean.

I see folks desperately clinging to a way of life that is not healthy for them, the environment, or society as a whole. Folks who can't (and won't) look past the way they have lived all their lives to see that there are alternatives.

On the other hand, I see folks who have made "being green" a status symbol. Something that (if it were practical) they would tattoo on their foreheads to show how much better they are than the rest of us poor saps.

I guess I am just seeing that mankind is still ugly and selfish, and no amount of climate change or economic breakdown is going to change that. No matter what comes, I am afraid that those who have are going to continue to look down on (rather than help) those who have not. I am afraid that those who have not are going to choose to steal and cheat rather than learn to have.

The reality is that there is enough for us all. Really. Sure there would have to be lots of changes about what was considered enough, but it can happen. If everyone had a garden, if everyone used what they had until they couldn't get anymore use out of it, if everyone realised that buying something new would not make their lives complete, if everyone stopped trying to out-consume their neighbors and focused more on completely satisfying their needs......but there I go again, being naive.

What I Mean To Say Is...

I had it all planned out....well at least mostly. I was going to talk about how the average american is in denial about the coming changes much in the same way some women deny the onslaught of age with frantic applications of bad hair dye and the wearing of mini-skirts. I was going to talk about how much better if everyone would just move into the new era of our society with grace and dignity. I was even going to write something pathetic about how even those who have done their best to make changes will most likely be screwed by the idiots who have always and will always think that life (and their fellow man) owes them something. I was going to speak eloquently about how ugly I am finding the basic nature of mankind right now and how I fear that the coming challenges will bring out the worst in many of us.

And then Little Sprout started singing and dancing to one of my very favorite songs, and I came out of my mental gloom and doom just in time to hear something that just pulled me right out of the funk I was in and gave me a little hope. So I though I would share that, instead.

Look for the bare necessities
The simple bare necessities
Forget about your worries and your strife
I mean the bare necessities
That's why a bear can rest at ease
With just the bare necessities of life

....Verses omitted.....

And don't spend your time lookin' around
For something you want that can't be found
When you find out you can live without it
And go along not thinkin' about it
I'll tell you something true

The bare necessities of life will come to you

The Bare Necessities, from The Jungle Book

Maybe not the most profound of all sources for inspiration, but it works for me....

Minnesota Winter

Last night, as I was running out to my van to start it every few hours, I realised that this is the way I remember MN winters being when I was a kid.

According to the weather channel at 3am, the wind-chill in my area was between 30-40 below zero. Since Ms. Pain-in-the-butt at work put her car in the garage and then locked it so that I couldn't get my car in (hey, lady, it IS a two car garage!), I got to brave the cold in order to make sure my van would start in the morning.

I remember it routinely being this cold when I was a child. It seems that we have been spoiled the last few winters with abnormally warm temps. This year has decidedly less snow than the winters of my youth, but it still has had much more than the last 3 or 4 winters.

In a recent edition of Horticulture Magazine, there was an article where they speculated that in time MN will go from zone 4-3 to zone 6-5 due to climate change. The gardener in me is excited for the change, but the National Wildlife Federation did an article where they talk about the possibility (rather, the probability)that many of our state flowers will no longer be able to survive in the changing environment. Life here in MN without our beloved Pink Ladyslipper? And this will probably effect the state trees and birds, as well.

It is strange to think of such sweeping change. Here in the frozen north, I will definitely be able to grow more variety, especially of fruits. Still, it throws me off balance emotionally. I have in my mind a picture of my perfect homestead. I know every plant that I will grow, every wild edible that I will encourage to grow on my land. It is planned out so completely. It seems strange to think that all of that may change with our changing climate.