Friday, June 24, 2011

The Olden Ways


I have been so inspired lately by old cultures of all kinds. It seems they all have so many wonderful secrets- ways of living that are almost completely died out.

In our current culture, it seems we are so distracted by modernism, we have almost forgotten that we live completely different from all of the people who have ever lived up until a few years ago. Don't get me wrong, i appreciate a few modern 'conveniences' but the older i get, the more i believe i would be completely content without those things...


What really excites me is the really really old cultures- the people who lived off the land before settlers ever came. Every land once had a native culture. And every 'civilized' country is the way it is now because people came from other places and literally stole the land, divided it up and forced the native people to live the same way...

Cultures that lived in harmony with the land lived in everyday beauty and experienced what we can scarcely imagine- miracles.

I really want to learn these old ways. My latest interests have been Native American and old Scottish cultures, and also Lapp and Viking culture. It seems like all of these old traditions have things in common. I want to learn Navajo weaving, and also tablet weaving. I love learning old medieval patterns & textiles, dyeing, I love wool and linen and leather. In my searches, I have found crafts that were so beautiful they made me cry! I see God in these old ways. And cooking with fire! The way people lived without running water- whose ways were lighted by flames- I am very inspired by people who dedicate their lives to Living History. We've tried to include links to a lot of these sites that really inspired us. (For example check out Othala Craft. I literally cried when i saw that someone was making woolen clothing from authentic patterns- it is so beautiful!) The things people made and the ways people lived were beautiful in themselves, but i think there is something behind it that makes it so amazing. Maybe it is the fact that we CAN live another way- there IS more to life than (xyz)- that things our modern culture tells us are impossible really ARE possible- or that it makes me feel apart of something so ancient and vast and much bigger than myself and my young culture- or maybe it's because living in harmony with creation puts us in synch with our Creator again...

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Well, here goes our attempt to share our experiments with others as we learn old ways & try new things! Join us on our adventure in life to find our way back to the heart of God- and to find our place in Creation again... in the midst of the wasteland.

We're just a small family renting a duplex near the foothills of northern Colorado. We've been learning/ trying a lot of new-old skills lately, so we'll try to post pics as much as we can. Hopefully to inspire others!
-b

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Survival in the Wasteland

Rico and i were talking about how different it feels to be surrounded by what's real & what's natural & what's art: a wooden soap dish, a linen shirt, leather shoes...

Different than being surrounded by synthetic materials and plastic...

Imagine what life would be like if everything around us was made by hand, with love, a work of art, from the earth!

I want to make my own clothes, pick dinner from my garden, from the mountains and forests and fields, and be surrounded by the beautiful things me & my friends have made!

This is what "Survival in the Wasteland" is all about~ making beautiful and useful things to share with others, and to inspire & encourage others to do so too!


hand carved spoons

fynn's pecan and wax boats

typical kitchen table scene


hand made bows