I guess I am late on the band wagon here, but this piece really resonated with me as I grew up at a similar time, a little ways up from Ithaca (where the cool people lived).
Parallel lives, but I grew up on a small farm where we did everything by hand. Lots of work, making projects and my amazing mom that forever had a list of experiments and crafts. We too learned cooking, quilting, gardening and animal husbandry at a early age.
However, living half my life in Europe, I now realise that the drive to make was also linked to my self worth. To an extent I was such a driven maker that I often burned out or lost the fun aspect if it. My husband has worked hard to teach me that we can go for a bike ride, enjoy nature and just enjoy life without producing stuff. Now I still enjoy making, but I don’t need it for my self acceptance or to impress others. It was a really long learning process for me that helped when the kids recently moved out. Now I am simplifying (fermenting in small batches) and trying to embrace the freedom of freedom itself and choice. I am much more frugal with my maker’s projects and seem to enjoy them more and reduce my carbon footprint. I am learning to observe and listen to nature more than try to manipulate it. I am not downing making, but I was a maker addict and am still learning to ferment my ideas!
Thank you for sharing this part of your story Barbara. I can very much relate to that feeling that everything needs to be producing something and learning to step back from that is a new kind of freedom. Good for you.
It sounds like we do share a lot of parallels in our lives.
I suspect we would have a lot to chat about over tea, or a walk in the woods.
This made me laugh! While I got to be a cool kid and live in Ithaca, but we also moved away when I was 12 to an extremely rural desert town. I was devastated. When I grew up my husband's job moved to another cool university town, Corvallis, OR. We couldn't afford a home there and lived in the less cool outskirts. The acre was beautiful, the house--not so much--but I sure felt like were almost cool, but not quite.
Funny, I have always wanted to live in Ithaca! But I joined the peace corps a week after college and went to the desert of Senegal, working with farmers and environmental protection with kids. That is where I met my future Austrian machinist making water pumps. He imported me to Salzburg and although we can’t afford a house we rent one with a garden which is s luxury in this Alpine valley.
So you can come over anytime for a cup of coffee! I am still an avid fermenter and artist maker but maybe not as much of a maker junky that I used to be!😂
Ah thank you for sharing! I’m definitely a maker! Mainly food and growing (if the latter counts!). My drive is zero waste (or this is where I’m aiming at least!), taste and efficiency! For a while now I wanted to prove to myself that eating in a respectful way to our environment and our bodies is completely possible, doesn’t require a compromise on taste and fits in regardless of a hectic life. It’s still takes lots of time though 😂 as I keep wanting to learn new stuff (and just going round different farms to buy a produce from local farmers is not as easy as it could be!) improve and try to make things efficient and less time consuming.. Albeit lately I started thinking why would I want spending less time making food - I love doing this! What would I want to do instead? Maybe that’s what life is all about 🤔 .. she said and moved on to another efficiency concerning question.. 😂
I love this, thank you for sharing this Kirsten. ❤️❤️❤️. I love the idea of a cubist doll and the drunken care bear. Also from a line of makers, makers are my favourite people!
Just made Natto from your book and loving it. We originally got a batch from a friend and I admit we ended up chucking it out, we just couldn’t convince ourselves to eat it 😂
But we tried from the spores that he also gave us and when it’s from your own kitchen and the taste starts off pretty mild (we started eating it straight after fermentation), it was much easier to get into it. I’m just starting reading your book, previously just read recipes as I needed them, but now gonna read it all the way through, loved the dedication and intro of your food journey. Hope you are all well!
The description of your early wood working project is delightful. I wish we could see a photo of your lawn creations. How wonderful to have a mom that allowed you and encouraged you through her example to be a creator.
Thank you. I do feel lucky that way. I have never been afraid to try anything in that regard. The picture in my head is all that is left. I wish I had photos. Very few photos were taken and in that same sweet little house, there was a basement. One summer it flooded while we were somewhere. All the photos got wet and then moldy. The photos I have of my young parents and self are from the few that were sent to my grandmothers that made their way back to me.
I guess I am late on the band wagon here, but this piece really resonated with me as I grew up at a similar time, a little ways up from Ithaca (where the cool people lived).
Parallel lives, but I grew up on a small farm where we did everything by hand. Lots of work, making projects and my amazing mom that forever had a list of experiments and crafts. We too learned cooking, quilting, gardening and animal husbandry at a early age.
However, living half my life in Europe, I now realise that the drive to make was also linked to my self worth. To an extent I was such a driven maker that I often burned out or lost the fun aspect if it. My husband has worked hard to teach me that we can go for a bike ride, enjoy nature and just enjoy life without producing stuff. Now I still enjoy making, but I don’t need it for my self acceptance or to impress others. It was a really long learning process for me that helped when the kids recently moved out. Now I am simplifying (fermenting in small batches) and trying to embrace the freedom of freedom itself and choice. I am much more frugal with my maker’s projects and seem to enjoy them more and reduce my carbon footprint. I am learning to observe and listen to nature more than try to manipulate it. I am not downing making, but I was a maker addict and am still learning to ferment my ideas!
Thank you for sharing this part of your story Barbara. I can very much relate to that feeling that everything needs to be producing something and learning to step back from that is a new kind of freedom. Good for you.
It sounds like we do share a lot of parallels in our lives.
I suspect we would have a lot to chat about over tea, or a walk in the woods.
I mean the cool people all lived in Ithaca, definitely not where I came from😂
This made me laugh! While I got to be a cool kid and live in Ithaca, but we also moved away when I was 12 to an extremely rural desert town. I was devastated. When I grew up my husband's job moved to another cool university town, Corvallis, OR. We couldn't afford a home there and lived in the less cool outskirts. The acre was beautiful, the house--not so much--but I sure felt like were almost cool, but not quite.
Funny, I have always wanted to live in Ithaca! But I joined the peace corps a week after college and went to the desert of Senegal, working with farmers and environmental protection with kids. That is where I met my future Austrian machinist making water pumps. He imported me to Salzburg and although we can’t afford a house we rent one with a garden which is s luxury in this Alpine valley.
So you can come over anytime for a cup of coffee! I am still an avid fermenter and artist maker but maybe not as much of a maker junky that I used to be!😂
Ah thank you for sharing! I’m definitely a maker! Mainly food and growing (if the latter counts!). My drive is zero waste (or this is where I’m aiming at least!), taste and efficiency! For a while now I wanted to prove to myself that eating in a respectful way to our environment and our bodies is completely possible, doesn’t require a compromise on taste and fits in regardless of a hectic life. It’s still takes lots of time though 😂 as I keep wanting to learn new stuff (and just going round different farms to buy a produce from local farmers is not as easy as it could be!) improve and try to make things efficient and less time consuming.. Albeit lately I started thinking why would I want spending less time making food - I love doing this! What would I want to do instead? Maybe that’s what life is all about 🤔 .. she said and moved on to another efficiency concerning question.. 😂
Yes to all this. Thanks for sharing.
I love this, thank you for sharing this Kirsten. ❤️❤️❤️. I love the idea of a cubist doll and the drunken care bear. Also from a line of makers, makers are my favourite people!
♥️ Nice!
And thank you for reading.
Just made Natto from your book and loving it. We originally got a batch from a friend and I admit we ended up chucking it out, we just couldn’t convince ourselves to eat it 😂
But we tried from the spores that he also gave us and when it’s from your own kitchen and the taste starts off pretty mild (we started eating it straight after fermentation), it was much easier to get into it. I’m just starting reading your book, previously just read recipes as I needed them, but now gonna read it all the way through, loved the dedication and intro of your food journey. Hope you are all well!
I love that. It's so true. It starts out mild and that can be super helpful.
I hope you enjoy the read. ;-)
The description of your early wood working project is delightful. I wish we could see a photo of your lawn creations. How wonderful to have a mom that allowed you and encouraged you through her example to be a creator.
Thank you. I do feel lucky that way. I have never been afraid to try anything in that regard. The picture in my head is all that is left. I wish I had photos. Very few photos were taken and in that same sweet little house, there was a basement. One summer it flooded while we were somewhere. All the photos got wet and then moldy. The photos I have of my young parents and self are from the few that were sent to my grandmothers that made their way back to me.