What a bad fruit year teaches about the difference between what impresses you and what keeps you fed — and a note, while we’re here, about why it goes quiet around this place come summer.
Great post which sent me off of on several disparate streams. I’ve been thinking about “community” and “empathy” a lot while reading Octavia Butler’s Xenogensis trilogy (a long way to go in it yet) and her point that a fundamental human weakness is the self-destructive aggressive hierarchical tendencies. Thanks for a great post. Happy hunting for your Autumn Bounty.
Given that she wrote this in 1987-89, it's (so far IMHO) spot on for 2026. Her writing about forming a 'community' from disparate people is very good, and sets me thinking about a lot of different things. Like, how "empathy" and "apathy" are descriptors of opposites (Movement towards vs falling in/collapse?) but what word describes the opposite of Community in that context? Isolation? Narcissism? 2am ramblings.
Thanks- Hermitage (to me) signifies a religious place (Or an art museum). Interesting bits in Xenogenesis. At one pt Lilith thinks "Learn and Run!" and at another point (a magical incantation IMHO) say: "Go home all of you. Have interesting dreams."
I love the small fierce, obdurate things.
Me too!
Great post which sent me off of on several disparate streams. I’ve been thinking about “community” and “empathy” a lot while reading Octavia Butler’s Xenogensis trilogy (a long way to go in it yet) and her point that a fundamental human weakness is the self-destructive aggressive hierarchical tendencies. Thanks for a great post. Happy hunting for your Autumn Bounty.
I read The Parables of the sower/talents, but never got around to Xenogenesis. GOOD STUFF?
Yes !
Given that she wrote this in 1987-89, it's (so far IMHO) spot on for 2026. Her writing about forming a 'community' from disparate people is very good, and sets me thinking about a lot of different things. Like, how "empathy" and "apathy" are descriptors of opposites (Movement towards vs falling in/collapse?) but what word describes the opposite of Community in that context? Isolation? Narcissism? 2am ramblings.
Hermitage, maybe. Or misanthropy.
Thanks- Hermitage (to me) signifies a religious place (Or an art museum). Interesting bits in Xenogenesis. At one pt Lilith thinks "Learn and Run!" and at another point (a magical incantation IMHO) say: "Go home all of you. Have interesting dreams."
Another excellent article.. And from a fellow orchardist no less
I believe the trees are our best allies, if we want to maintain this world as a place for humans to thrive.
I wouldn't work that hard with anyone else.
Yes the tomatoes are fierce now. So it is BLT season. Thanks for working with me all the seasons. 💕