Coming around

Delving into the second chapter, I am overwhelmed by the vestiges of pace and stress the Wards have packed with them from New York. The strain of the project’s preparations engulfs the reader, and the tension between the couple is palpable. I identify well with Ward’s self-doubt as the new farmer’s practical insufficiencies manifest themselves despite his best efforts as a reader. Whether an author or friend, one willing to share insecurities and failures can quickly find in me admiration and respect. Though still a skeptic, I find myself cheering for the couple more and more. The tedious planning for the project is frustrating, but I have begun to take to the author, and I am brewing with excitement over the start day.

Two thirds of Americans cannot see the Milky Way? Our home galaxy is so obscured by lights and pollution that we cannot even identify it. Even if we could, I doubt we would separate ourselves from The Office or Blackberries long enough to look. Numbed by amusement, I find myself less and less attached to reality. Even without a television, this morning I rose to partake of coffee imported from a foreign land and a bagel baked in a factory. While my mind drifts away to Swoope, my lungs draw in carbon-tinted air and I sit upon a chair from Pier One. As I ponder, I become more overwhelmed by the depth that modernity and the American Dream have penetrated my being. Despite soaking in the words of Henry Thoreau, Wendell Berry and now Logan Ward, I observe little alteration in my lifestyle. Keith Watkins used to emphasize the Latin origins of contra- (against, counter) –diction (speech). As I sit under the cool air of an electric fan typing away on a laptop computer, I embody the definition.

The skeptic

Starkly in contrast to the pastoral serenity identified in the posts of fellows Riley and Barefield, I find myself strangely dissatisfied in the early pages of Ward’s See You in a Hundred Years. A pair of affluent hipsters, yearning for a new drug, grows bored with the pace of New York City and careers that provide for a Manhattan apartment and international escapades, and decides to rough it for a year. Just as he had tired of Ecuador and Kenya and small town South Carolina before that, Ward will transition from the city to the farm for a change of scenery. My skepticism seeps in early, suspecting this adventure is nothing more than an extended “expedition” for a journalist who has tired of airplanes and deadlines. The hardcover book in my hands is evidence that he has been well compensated for his most recent story before he departs from the nostalgic farm to pursue his next article.
My distrust is driven by a pair of factors. Firstly, the terminology in the early pages resembles the same rhetoric employed by sophomoric yuppies who have well grasped the verbiage and slogans of the modern environmental movement but without a clue as to what such a movement demands of us as humans. Secondly, I well identify with the dissatisfaction afforded by the modern life and find myself envious of the decisions he has made and actions he is taking. My hope is that this work will stir within me motivation on a smaller scale to alter my life in such a way as the author. My fear is that, armed with an agrarian vocabulary and resources sufficient for a year-long camping trip, Ward will endure and enjoy 1900 before engaging another adventure as the New Year rings in 2010.

...And then, no more light.

I feel like I should be reading this book by oil lamp light and underlining words with a feather dipped in ink. Having read thru the beginning, I am reminded of the days following hurricanes in southeast Alabama. I remember it being real hot due to the instant lack of air conditioning. We would grill a lot of food so that it wouldn't go to waste. Candles were everywhere. I also remember my family spending quality time together during those few days without electricity. We played board games and talked. There was no constant droning of the television. Time was spent outside until the last light of the day gave way to a new darkness. A darkness that causes the stars to shine all the more. Maybe life is much more memorable the simpler it is.

"Time to light the fires and kick the tires."

Today I will be issuing my rule for the group. It is simple. Each time that I am too choose the book in our rotation, I will give two options. Each member has 24 hours to vote for their choice. There will be five votes; so no worry of a tie. You will vote by responding to the post. This is democratic and saves me for dreaded decision making. Choices are below:

1. See You in a Hundred Years...Logan Ward

2. In a Sunburned Country...Bill Bryson (This book would fulfill part of fbw's rule for this rotation.)

In 24 hours the book will be chosen. At this point members need to secure a copy.

cwb