Those workers have to live in the lap of luxury, and are truly blessed, because their many government benefits are paid for by less than joyous taxpayers, who have no such security.
I have to tell you, this mail is mostly in the form of books. Some quite fat, others thin but usually very colorful. I carefully place them beside my “reading chair,” always it seems, for later perusal!
Understand, I’m not complaining about the fact I can’t read them all right away. Its just that I seem to spend more time writing these days!
Two new and special reading experiences
Both are collections of stories sent to me by my kind, generous friend, Maria Jordan of marcoujor's musings. They're especially treasured because they each contain an inspiring story by a dear friend.
Maria's story, When Compassion Replaces Fear can be found in Tales 2 Inspire (The Ruby Collection.) Her writing is on pages 61-65. It’s real-life true, and is a gripping tale. I love the fact that she autographed it with a note especially for me. It's available on amazon.com.
But, ever promoting her friends, she also sent me a Chicken Soup for the Soul book! Yes, I know -- you’ve seen dozens of them. Imagine how you’d feel though, to be selected from thousands of wannabe contributors to have your story featured in one of them! I’d be thrilled!
Now, it wasn’t Maria that wrote this story, it was our very good friendGail Sobotkin. You can find her on pages 91-93, “The Boy I Loved and Lost.” It’s a touching read.
Giving me further delight, Gail also autographed her book, and wrote a note to me. Talk about feeling special!
Eye-catching, 'cause it's not pretty!
These catalogues are truly things of beauty. They’re brightly colored. You expect that with flowers, but no, even the vegetables are perfect, beautiful, and there are enough varieties to make your head spin.
But wait . . . what's that drab looking little booklet? The one that you can't even really decipher the name unless you really look closely? I must admit I feel a touch scornful as I look at it casually, thinking how shockingly nondescript it is among the glory of its competitors. Everyone knows you need color to sell packets of seeds. And lots of promises for the results too! What were they thinking?
Its very lack of color, added to its small incongruous size, made me pick it up and really look closely at it. Right away, I was smitten. This is a catalogue of heirloom seeds, preserved by caring visionaries, who refuse to be governed by the whims and wickedness of big, destructive corporations like Monsanto.
The truly interesting thing about this catalogue is the history of where each seed came from, many of them saved and replanted from the 1700's, sometimes earlier.
Another thing is the writers responsible for this info do in fact have a wonderful website, and that's where you can see the colors! What you'll find is a treasure trove of folksy descriptions and also the history behind these open pollinated seeds. There are even some really interesting vegetarian recipes!
Backyard seed savers
Being a seed saver is a lot of work, because seeds have to be replanted and collected in order to maintain their vigor. Lots of other things too are involved with growing and collecting, so it's a complex labor of love for humanity.
Ah, the poor farmers. They no longer only have to worry about all the vagaries of climate change in their daily operations. They have to worry thata supreme court decision recently upheld the assertion by Monsanto that if farmers have GMOs in their seed, that seed belongs to them. Monsanto has been able to argue successfully that they have a patent on those seeds.
So what, you say? Just buy the seed elsewhere, or save it. But now, as you'll see, farmers may no longer save their own seed, as they have done for centuries. And there's only one supplier to buy it from. Bottom line, it's all about money.
Seed is fundamental to the whole business of grain farming. Wind is fundamental to pollen dispersal in grain and seed crops. So the GMOs waft from farm to farm, and as they do, more and more farms suddenly, end up with GMOs in their grains and corn. Essentially farmers who have worked their same farms for generations now find those farms are owned by Monsanto! Can you imagine how that would feel?
Just in case you think no one would ever know, Monsanto also has teams of their own investigators whose sole job it is to find crops containing their patented GMOs. Don’t want to come on board the GMO gravy train that wants to own the world?
They’ll sue you. And they have way more money than any of you. It’s been tried, and they’ve won every court case, thanks to that Supreme Court decision.
Push back time, and you can help!
By doing that, you're showing the behemoth Monsanto you support biodiversity, not mono-culture. You're saying a big NO! to non-organic pesticide use. And you're ultimately giving land back to the people who should own it. You're supporting your future generations.
It's a battle, an ever-increasing awareness that our food supply is being threatened by unscrupulous commercial giants, their interests supported by the politicians who claim to have the interests of the voters at heart. Worst of all, by the judicial system.
But it's a battle that can be won. By you, as you choose to help the seed savers, in whatever way is possible for you.
Stay inspired. Follow in the footsteps of great seed savers likeVandana Shiva:
We are dealing with life itself, so the first place we get power is by
aligning ourselves with the forces of life. That is why the act of seed saving
is such an important political act in this time. And that is the part that is
linked to self-organizing—organizing yourself to save the seeds, have a community garden, create an exchange, do everything that it takes to protect and rejuvenate the seed. But at this point, industry is hungry to have absolute control. They will not tolerate a single farmer who has freedom in his seed supply. They will not stand a single seed that grows on its own terms. - Vandana Shiva
My New Year's resolution
I've decided I'm going to grow some seeds starting as soon as I get them. I want to start with the tomato Andrina. It should be perfect for a container in the sun room. It only grows 6" high!
My lettuce choices are Tom Thumb, a butter crunch type, about 3-4 inches across, which I already grow each year, and a romaine type, Crisp Mint.
That's enough for the winter!
All the seeds are non-GMO, open pollinated, non-hybrid and untreated.
Update: I placed my order, easy-peasy online, and was notified that it will be shipped today! By next week, with the cooperation of Canada Post, I should be ready to start my own seed production. Yesterday I found two beautiful containers for my sun room veggies!
Can't wait until my order arrives, in a package delivered snail mail. I guess the old saying, "You shouldn't judge a book by its cover." really is tried and true!
Playin' catch up on some great writing this week
Tuesday - femmeflashpoint reviewed a must-read book on the Pumpkin Run Pulse, which really is one! And, a worthy endeavor you should find out about has appeared on the horizon and is heading your way. To learn more about it and get involved, please see this week's edition of femme's Desk.
Wednesday's edition of mar's Desk is also another you won't want to miss that's packed with beauty and inspiration to kick off your new year with!
I'll be back on Monday introducing another terrific guest writer!
And finally, just a moment to wish all of you, wherever you may be, a New Year filled with love, joy, happiness and prosperity!
Vicki