technology.

"Instead of teaching people to take better photos, why not teach the camera?"

This ad on the back of a magazine stopped me in my tracks, and I had to re-read it.  Maybe it's me and the fact that I'm out of the loop; I've seen very few ads on television and in magazines recently, but I was surprised at the role that technology has slipped its way into. 

The iPhone ad blatantly and unapologetically admits the very thing I suspected had been gradually happening.  And that is supposed to make you want the thing?  They're not even trying to mince words anymore.  Secret's out.

In the weeks before seeing this ad, I had been turning over in my brain things like Google searches and the internet, Facebook, and even digital cameras and especially photo editing programs.  What do all these things have in common?  They basically make us look like we know what we are talking about or doing with minimal work from us, when in fact our understanding is pretty slim. 

That's exactly what the draw is, I think.  We can do a simple word search, scan an article or two, and impress our friends with trivial (or not so) knowledge on any random subject.  With Facebook, participants are (usually constantly) plugged into the latest news and gossip on friends' marriages, children, births, illnesses, etc, without actually having to stay in touch, or put time into a relationship.  It's like the fast food of the social world!  With Photo Shop really any standard photo can be tweaked to have magical color, softened edges and a fairy-tale-like lighting.  How far we have come from the person in the dark room, pouring chemicals, watching temperatures, tinkering with the light table; and before that having an intimate knowledge of the camera and the light and image it captures, knowing without an instant LCD screen what turning one of those knobs will do.

Technology has given us the gift of illusion; illusion of understanding, friends and skill to name a few. 

But what's wrong with all this?  What's wrong with the average person being able to take/edit great photos?  What's wrong with knowing more about your friends than you ever would have without Facebook?  What's so bad about all of us being able to feel smarter, like information is accessible to all??  Isn't that why these things were designed?  Don't we want to progress out of the technological dark ages?  More knowledge for all!

When I was younger and still in school, frustrated by studying and lower-than-hoped-for grades, I sometimes wished for a magic spell that would let me know everything-answers to tests, quizzes and questions-instantly.  Then I would wonder if that would even be as wonderful as I thought.  You wouldn't technically be smart.  You'd just know the answers.  What's the difference?  The reason we respect smart and skilled people is because they were willing to do something that others weren't.  They put in the time and the hard work to gain an understanding that others didn't have.  An expert is set apart because no one else has hit the books like they have.  In a lot of cases a love or curiosity for a subject precedes the study of something, making the whole process happen in a natural way, and for, if you will, a "pure" reason.  Subjects were digested more wholly instead of picking out the best parts.  (We are eating the marshmallows out of the Lucky Charms and leaving the boring cereal and everyone knows you just don't do that!)  I can't help but feel that not only does this technology advance our world to a further position, but also steals something from those who once had an edge because their desire to know was big enough to drive them to LEARN.

Moments are experienced through the screen of an iPhone.  Events exist to be recorded and posted on Facebook.  Facebook exists for bragging rights.  People are afraid to be alone.  No one looks up anymore unless they have to.  Things are only interesting if they are instantly gratuitous.  These are my more cynical thoughts.  They make me want to crush an iPhone under the heel of my shoe and go in the woods and smell some dirt.  Just to remind me that the real world's still out there...somewhere.  Somewhere you can't get cell reception.

I am by no means detached from the world, or apart from technology, but I can't help but be irked every time someone wants to 'show me the radar' on their iPhone in speculation about the weather.  Does the average person have any idea how to look at the clouds for a clue to the winds above, or the pressure system building?  Do I?  The daughter of a pilot and a child of technology, I feel I am right on the cusp.  The skill will either be lost with me, or if I choose, passed on to my daughter.

Soon, we won't even need to know how to spell, write in cursive (or at all), adjust camera settings for a proper exposure, read a map, know where we are, know how to calculate how much further we can drive on the gas remaining in our tank, look up a word in the dictionary, or remember anything because it will all be photographed and videotaped for us and instantly announced on Facebook.  How wonderful.  With all this spare time, we can languidly lounge about not learning anything because we don't have to, discussing our depression and sense of emptiness that moved in to replace our desire to try and strive eerily soon after our imaginations and minds were replaced by computers.. 

Here I sit on the internet, writing a blog post with the wood stove heating the house and my cloth diapers on the line.  Spellcheck will edit my post for me, whether I want it to or not.  I still don't have a GPS and wish I didn't have a cell phone.  Why are you so paranoid?  Who would fight convenience for no clear reason?  Why would you do things the hard way?  What fool would be willfully ignorant?  These are things I ask myself.  I especially hear "willfully ignorant" in my head a lot lately.  All I do know, is that it seems like the smarter and more equipped we become, the more it seems we have blinders on to life.  I don't think it's knowledge I'm opposed to.  It's the thinking I know.  Appearing to be adept, and ringing hollow when put to the test.

Back Home for Winter

 

 

 

 

Even after a large part of our summer was spent in Alaska, we were still able to come home and enjoy the last of the fruits of summer.  Our tomatoes were still barely hanging on, and I was able to put up some tomatoes, and enjoy a few Italian meals with fresh tomato sauce.

A neighbor gave us these beautiful figs and they were sun dried.  Having limited experience with figs, I wasn't even sure I liked them, but these were so sweet and chewy after a couple days in the sun.  The vibrant color of this particular variety, and the ease with which bags full came off the tree convinced me that I like figs after all.

 

 

 

Back to square one in the high tunnel where the old tomato plants were cleaned up.  We have tidied up in there and have winter greens and lettuces planted in four rows.  Another has snow peas in it. Just four more to go before we have the whole tunnel planted.  What a great feeling that will be!

 

  The sight of these bright green rows beginning to poke up as we round the corner into the holiday season makes me have to admit that I have totally cheated winter again this year; go right from a growing season in one climate to another season somewhere else! For someone trying to learn the intracicies of plants everywhere, this is an ideal situation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Life, as always continues to hold joys big and small, and lots of happiness and wonder wherever we happen to be together. ~

 

Ravens' Cliff Falls

 

We recently got ourselves out for a hike in the woods again, baby and all.  Just across the border in South Carolina is a 400 foot waterfall called Ravens' Cliff Falls.  The flowers were out; Dwarf Iris and a ton of Toad Trillium along with Solomon's Seal, a type of orchid I didn't recognize, and lots more.  We saw a beautiful bright red bird we learned later was a Scarlet Tanager.

 

There was a very exciting river crossing that I didn't get pictures of because I was more concerned with Sienna making it across safely, but once we did that all was easy.  We did a 9-mile loop that included a great view of the falls, then a drop to the river, and back up the other side to cross a little draw bridge that goes over the top of the falls.

 

Sienna slept a lot of the way in the Ergo, and only got antsy the last mile so we took her out and carried her.  It was great to be outside together again!~

 

 

Here and There

 A temperature inversion recently created heavy frost above the farm, while below was the contrast of budding flowers and fresh rain puddles.



This budding blossom is also growing!

A pretty patch of bluets in bloom on the creekbank.



 



 

Our mellow babe.

 

My first crayfish sighting.  Just before this I'd seen a bright blue one.  When I ran to get my camera the blue one was gone, and this little brown one was waddling by...

 

Disappearing into its burrow.

 

hmm....who's that cutie?

 

Found this little lovely in my hair the other morning.

 

 

Have a happy weekend, everyone!!!~

Projects, projects everywhere.

Well, we are not lacking for things to do around here, that's for sure.  I looked around the house the other day and had to laugh at my lofty dreams of making it, ordering it, doing it all.  Some things never change.  I'm sure my mom would agree with that.  Once I hit the 3-month mark after having Sienna, I finally felt back to my old self.  Back to having energy, being able to work hard without falling into bed exhausted at night, and most importantly, being able to sustain working for more than a day or two in a row!  Learning how to do all the old tasks with a baby in tow may have been part of the adjusting as well....maybe.

 

So now I'm back to my old self, and that includes trying to start more projects than I'll ever be able to finish, or at the very least, buying all the supplies to start said projects without actually ever starting them.  But doesn't it make you feel good to buy the supplies, and stare at them for awhile, dreaming of what they'll become??  ...and then after about a month or so they become the bane of your existence and yet another thing hovering over your shoulder to accomplish.  Funny how that works.  I thought there'd probably be someone out there who could relate.

 

Too bad I didn't get this burst of energy and crafty gusto a bit earlier--like in the slow winter season when there wasn't weeks of work and planting to be done!  Ah well, recovery and resettling is important.

 

 

Of course a baby sweater's on the list now.  Sienna actually picked out this yarn by staring it down in the store.  I did go for the cheap stuff, though.  You know- just in case it doesn't get done...

 



 

I did get just a small pat on the back for this one.  Finally made pasta with my pasta maker I just had to have, and recieved for my birthday from Greg about 2 years ago.  Next time, I'm trying spinach pasta;  I dreamed of selling this at the market with our produce and some breads and crackers.

 

Ahhh, seed ordering.  The ultimate in anticipation!

This also finally got done and the seeds are in the ground....mostly.  (I'd say that's another, slightly bigger pat on the back.) 

 

 

Hmmm.  Fleece hats, anyone?  Just in time for 70-degree spring days!

 

 

 

 

A new gun!  The .22 needs a sight put on it.  'Till then, both the peas and the chickens are at risk (from groundhogs and skunks-opposums-racoons respectively.)  The varmints live to see another day.  At least until we get further down the to-do list.~

What we've been up to...

I've been so frustrated with blogger this last month!  There were numerous mornings I'd have pictures to share, and a sleeping baby in the morning giving me some free time.  I'd sit down with my coffee (decaf-still!) and waste at least half an hour, if not more waiting on ONE picture to download.  The picture never would get there, and I'd turn off the computer, disgusted with both my choppy internet service, wasted morning and another week without a blog post.

 

This evening I finally got smart and utilized Picasa.  Talk about a time saver.  Anyway, let's get on with it--we're back online and we've been busy!

 

 

 

 

 

Cutest sight ever!

 



 

Our first rafting trip with our daughter.  She stayed awake the whole time and was captivated by the sparkles on the water, and the sound of the splashing.

 

We've been busy filling the high tunnel here at the farm with more mustard greens, lettuce, spinach and kale.  There's lots of cleaning up to be done in the beds, and a lot of space still to plant.

The first really warm day this spring.  It was probably in the high 70's this day.  Hopefully we've still got lots of cool weather left, though since we just planted cool weather plants.

 



Everytime the breeze would blow by Sienna would get really excited and suck in her belly.  I could never quite capture her expression, but you could tell she enjoyed it.

 



 

 

Starting to smile a lot, and we even got a few laughs this week!

 

A newly planted bed of lettuce, chard, spinach and mesculin mix next to the flowering mustard from last fall on the right. 

Our cooperative little assistant- most of the time. (That'd be Sienna, not Greg) 

 

 



Tuckered out from all the supervising.

 

Another bed planted!  Spring has definitely sprung here...~