heaven or hell?

True, the energy/economic/oil/climate crises are upon us.
True, no matter what we do we will see the end of fresh oranges in Northern Minnesota, and we will stop using our cars for all but life saving events. There will be riots (at least initially) and some people will go hungry (at least until they learn how to grow their own foods), and all of our computers will be worth no more then paper weights. Basically the end of all things driven by oil is heading our direction fast.

It is going to/already has caused our economy to collapse and our beautiful debt based banking systems. It is going to end industrial agriculture and security checks at airports. Buses will no longer transport kids to and from schools and computers, solar panels, plastics, and really annoying plastic kid whistles will no longer be manufactured. It is the end of our over consumption. Excesses of stuff will no longer be made or clutter our living rooms.

The questions is will we let them ruin us? or Will we let this make us stronger and better?

Most of us already know that the trappings of our oil based economy is not good for our physical or mental health and yet we can't seem to break free of the debt, the garbage, the fast foods, the many hours sitting at computers interacting with "friends" that we never really see.

We have been given this amazing golden opportunity to power down now and live a simpler life where we physically move our bodies to grow our food, where we choose to band together as neighbors and share our garden's wealth. Where we have time to have a simple chat or a roll in the hay- because there is always work to do and the only true dead line is our own hunger.

Is this heaven?

Imagine waking up when the sun beams hit your face in the morning. You stoke your wood stove/fire pit/whatever you heat or cook on and you start water boiling. You use what you prepared yesterday for a quick and hearty breakfast before going outside to feed your chickens and weed your garden. In the afternoon you take the jellies you set up yesterday (made from the raspberries that your kids picked) and put them in a basket. Now you either ride your bike or walk to town and enjoying the fresh breeze and interesting wildlife in the process. Nothing on the road is going faster then you (if you bike). You manage to avoid the known potholes and make it to town, waving to every face you see over garden fences.

You enter the market square and set the jellies on a table to be sold, but one of the first people who comes up tells you about a family that is sick with the flu this week. You ask your neighboring table to watch/sell your jellies for you while you go and visit the family, first stopping at your sister's/mother's house enlisting their help and pantry. out of her pantry you select 2 jars of chicken soup, a nice load of crusty bread and some apples, and cheese. Your mother/sister adds a ribbon and a little homemade note telling them to get well soon.

You walk this over to the sick family and not only take the opportunity to drop off the goodies and note, but spend a while pumping and heating the water to bathe a few of the children and wash some dishes. After eating the soup, you see the color and some energy return to their cheeks, so you wish them a get well and go back to the market, where your jellies have sold. You spend some of that money to purchase some homemade cheese at another vendor's in the market (because that is the one thing you haven't got the hang of making your own yet) and set off for home.

By the time you get home the sun is starting to sink from the sky. You take the opportunity to prep for dinner, and then feed the chickens again and heat some more water for evening cleanings. As the sun sets dinner is ready and your mother/sister and her family comes over and enjoys it with you. You knit/sew/mend while holding a lively conversation and then the conversation ebbs and the music being played by the menfolk wash over you. Finally you kiss them goodnight and send them off with several jars of your jelly, while you - by candle light tuck your family into bed.

Or is it hell?

Your house is cold, your food is low and there is no water and no gas in the car to go get water from the creek- which doesn't matter because it is frozen over anyways. The trees near your house are gone. They have all been turned into fuel for heating and cooking. You ate your last bag of army rations anyways and are determined that your kids won't starve. You have a gun and ammo- but the there is no wild life left to shoot. There are rumors that some people down the road have been hoarding food and you think your gun and you can make a good argument for them to "share."

The town is mostly gone. There was a big fire that burnt it down last week after a fight over supplies at the hardware store went sour. Lots of people lost what they had, but you don't have enough of anything to share with them (unless a powerless big screen TV is what they want). So you leave your family in the care of the oldest kid. You tell him "You're the big man now, while I'm gone." And you head out by foot to the road. You see a few other people packing guns walking in the same direction. "I heard there was food this way." you say. They grunt in the affirmative. But when you arrive it is too late. It is clear that somebody beat you too it. A few corpses lie around the house. A woman, children, men. The door if off it's hinges, blowing in the wind.

The choice is yours. Will you prepare? Will you build a community? Will you share openly and help those in need? or will you allow yourself or others to become desperate and resort to un-civilization?

I plan to make it heaven. I plan to plant, prepare, build

Why is it again?

Why is it that when you have something you'd like to say, by the time things have calmed down enough where you can sit down and type- the thoughts have completely fled your head and you are left with vague impressions of what it is you were so elegantly composing?

Why is it that when you work hard to make enough free time in your schedule (say to take a class you've been needing to finish your degree) that some kid related things comes along and fills the space? (say Galen's tummy reacting to school food so now you need to make enough foods to pack for breakfast and lunch everyday)

And that when you are finally saying a few things that make sense you're blue eyed, blond haired pill comes and sits on your lap and asks for a nursing?

Predictions

A lot of my favorite blogs post predictions at this time every year. You can read Sharon's here, and Orlov's here.

So I thought maybe I should do a few too, but first I asked the wisdom holders of the next generation.

Galen said that there will be a new Lego movie out. He even named it.
Ewan said that my parents' dog could die.
Ian said that he'll get new toys.
Clay said "I will get a new toys too."

My guess is that my children's predictions will be more accurate then mine :) Just remember to value my advice for the amount you paid for it.

10 predictions for 2010

1. That Shannon will learn how to take off all her clothes. This will occur in the same week she learns to open the house doors and run into the yard. Children always seem to learn new skills in sets of 2.

2. That the real price of oil/energy in all storable forms will continue to climb and that we will rejoice in finding ways to use less of it.

3. That it will take my family all year to successfully transition to cloth wipes for toileting use.

4. That Galen will continue to do well in school and that we will have to fight for getting enough challenge to keep Ian interested.

5. That we will be living closer to the earth, particularly for when we go to bed and arise each day.

6. That Ian will desire to take care of himself, and learn how to, and be willing to do it several times a day with minimal adult support. (ok, this one may be a stretch for this year)

7. That technology and the access to it will start to be limited due to budget constants. Many families will be priced out of personal computers and internet connections.

8. That airlines will continue to offer degrading services for higher and higher prices. This means that many families will also be priced out of flying. (that and the fact that new regulations will began to make the 1,200 mile trips by car with 5 kids look easy).

9. That Hunt Utilities Group will began marketing a very promising line of awesome houses that will not only lower utility bills (good bye heating costs) but they will also be designed to handle lots of kids effectively in small spaces. And they have a green house to assist in your gardening efforts.

10. That people will began to realize that other people matter to them, that other people matter more then another computer game or the next TV show and that they will began to talk with them more, play more games together and build a community.

Christmas Spirit

Yesterday I saw Christmas. I got my car stuck trying to get out of an unplowed driveway and before I could call someone for help, 2 cars stopped and help me push my car back on the road. I think the amazingly quick response of the two different sets of strangers was a sample of the True Spirit of Christmas. If only we could all remember and do that everyday!

Christmas Rollercoaster

Tonight, as we lit the dinner candles and turned off the light, we actually had a few moments of reverence. The kids felt awe. They were polite and asked for things nicely at the table. If that is what it is like to eat in the dark- then maybe we will do it more often. :)

But no worries- they made up for it big time after wards. The did the dishes quickly with almost no fighting- I even got them to sing for their right to open presents. But when the presents were open all *ell broke loose. I had 3 kids screaming at the top of their lungs. 2 because they didn't get the $90 toy the wanted and the third because she couldn't hold the doll fast enough(it was all strapped in to the package).

The doll was easy to take care of, but the other two... I should have thrown out in the snow for being ungrateful. Clay was having a first class melt down- I still don't know what his problem was. I wonder if he was trying to act like his brother. Ewan was the one who was pouting and fussing at not getting his $90 toy. I have warned the kids all year that I was not buying toys for Christmas (especially not expensive ones). It took him about an hour to calm down and began to realize how awesome the tool set I got for him was. Then he nailed up a letter holder on the wall that he got Dad for Christmas and enjoyed discussing the tree forts he could build. Right now he is hammering on something up in his bedroom.

I am not sure if I want to find out what it is.

oxytocin and autism

Does this remind you of Galen?

"From the perspective of the newborn, babies also more often seem to have problems making close contact with their mothers after an oxytocin-assisted delivery, -which can lead to problems during nursing. Disproportionately, such babies coming in to my practice displayed behavioural signs of trauma. They were more likely to display the moro reflex and this over a longer period of time, and they were often very easily startled. Such infants are often known as "screaming children�, and may only be calmed when on someone's arm. Usually, an infantile colic is diagnosed in such cases and a therapy is then arranged to address this "disorder'. Affected infants also tended to show a change in skin complexion, and to sweat. They were usually restless and only able to focus after a while. They were sometimes hypotonic or hypertonic and often had problems controlling head movements.

Even if these criteria are not seen as oxytocin-specific, but rather as general criteria for a traumatised baby, I first became aware of a correlation with the use of a labour promoter, because these same children were also the children who were not able to be comforted immediately after birth, even by their own mothers. While in cases of non-assisted births (even those completed only after many days of labour-related strain), once the newborns had overcome the stressful experience of birth, these children were subsequently able to be calmed through bodily contact. Could the missing of oxytocin at the bonding sites be a possible mechanism for the persistent restlessness of these children? "

read paper here http://www.hugthemonkey.com/the-perinatal-application-of-oxytocin-and-its-potential-influence-on-the-human-psyche.html

Mothers are like fresh air and clean water... Nobody notices you until you're gone.

Also none of the above are counted as valuable in world economics either.