Joel recently harvested this year's wheat crop. He and I figured out how to make a stook that would stand up and not fall over. We were quite proud of ourselves although any self respecting 19th century farmer would have laughed himself silly at our efforts. It's fun to know how to do things that were common in the past but it also worries me that we are loosing the skills people had to get things done with human labor. It is all very fine and well to not want to do hard labor anymore but all that machinery that has replaced human labor is run on the assumption of a continuing supply of abundant and cheap oil. And whether you think we have already reached Peak Oil or will soon, there is no new energy source on the horizon that will do what cheap oil has done. I think we need to at least maintain our knowledge of how to do things without big machines. We may well need some of those skills in the not too distant future.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Wheat Harvest
Joel recently harvested this year's wheat crop. He and I figured out how to make a stook that would stand up and not fall over. We were quite proud of ourselves although any self respecting 19th century farmer would have laughed himself silly at our efforts. It's fun to know how to do things that were common in the past but it also worries me that we are loosing the skills people had to get things done with human labor. It is all very fine and well to not want to do hard labor anymore but all that machinery that has replaced human labor is run on the assumption of a continuing supply of abundant and cheap oil. And whether you think we have already reached Peak Oil or will soon, there is no new energy source on the horizon that will do what cheap oil has done. I think we need to at least maintain our knowledge of how to do things without big machines. We may well need some of those skills in the not too distant future.
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Margaret, I so agree with you about keeping the old ways and skills alive. So much has been lost already. It's a good thing so many of us are keeping the weaving, spinning, dyeing, felting, and knitting skills alive and well.
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