Book Learning

two of the most valuable books ever. 

I'm sorry, Mr. Salatin, I had to take yours back to the library today but rest assured, I WILL be buying them.

Yes, I'm one of THOSE people.  When I get interested in something, I read every book I can get my hands on about it.  I google endlessly to get not only facts, but opinions.  As a result, I have so much information knocking around in my brain that sometimes I get a little scared.  Or I get a headache.  I prefer the headache.

Take today, for instance.  I just got invited to do a 50 minute presentation by a local community college.  They want organic.  They want "green."  Never mind that we've only been out here for a little over a year, and last year was one of the toughest weather years ever.  We're organic, right? 

So what's a fearless farm frau to do?  Rely on what I've read, of course.  Thanks to Joel Salatin, Harvey Ussery, and Andy Lee (again), I've got a pretty good grip on permaculture.  We've started putting a few methods into practice, but since I hadn't read those books last year, it's going into the testing phase this year.  I'm pretty sure it'll work fine, since all of those fine gentlemen have had way more experience at this than I have.

Why yes, I plan to talk about chickens a lot, since that's what I know (or I think I do).  Horses too, but mine aren't the useful kind, they're the recreational kind that just happen to provide us with lovely manure.  Composting is going to be big.  I'm still jotting notes as I think of them, but I think I can come up with enough to not only entertain, but educate as well. 

See, I realized that all I have to do is talk to them like I talk to all of you.  I'll just have to talk longer.  So wish me luck, and if you have time to spare, let me practice my presentation on you. 

Other things that I've obsessively researched have been great too--in my Rambo phase, I learned a lot about survival and bowhunting.  I know more about submarines than your average girl, thanks to The Hunt For Red October.  Watching The Wind And The Lion (a must see!) prompted me to research the Berbers, and get a pen-pal in Morocco.  Even Jurassic Park got me interested in dinosaurs again.  Don't even get me started about where Indiana Jones took me!

Book learning isn't a bad thing.  Just remember that knowledge without application is trivia.  Put it into practice, tweak it till it works for you, and pass your knowledge on.