Where have you been?

I've been around. My computer got infected with a virus a week ago and it's in the process of getting fixed. Since funds ain't all that flowing, we had to go the most cost effective way which was sending it to my brother-in-law half-way across the country via the slowest method they had at UPS. We probably won't be up and running again for another week.

I feel disoriented and cut off in some ways. But in other ways I'm enjoying the internet break.

Be well.

To Wrap or Not To Wrap . . . that's the question!

When I sighted (came to the knowledge) of RastafarI some years back my life completely changed. At some point, I'll talk about how that came to be but today I want to talk about an outgrowth of RastafarI: my appearance. For many years now, I have embraced modesty as the ideal for a RastafarI woman. What that means is that in public my hair is always covered (and if we have non-female visitors at the gates), wearing long skirts exclusively, and putting on no makeup amongst other things depending on the Rastawoman you ask. The point is that doing these things, we declare our rebellion and separation from the Babylon system which emphasizes and exploits a woman's physical body and her sexuality.

I've come a very long way these past few years and while I still identify as RastafarI, I'm hesitant to place a label on myself. After all, trodding in RastafarI, you come to find that there are so many different interpretations and understanding of what the trodition is and of who His and Her Majesty are and of what repatriation and Africa represents, it's difficult to point to something and say, "Yup, that's RastafarI." It used to be that you could see a bredren with bongo natty and say, "One blessed Love" with a hand over your heart and be greeted in kind. These days, you might get a bewildered look.

In any case, it's fairly easy, generally speaking, to tell a Rasta sistren because of how she looks, particularly because she would have her natty wrapped up usually on the top of her head or have some other head covering to cover her natty. (She might be wearing red, gold and green buttons or pictures of His and Her Majesty too.) If you've been following this blog since I started it last year, you know the struggles I have had with my hair. It has been kind of traumatic in ways that I can't fully express but that have to do with not being able to physically manifest such an important symbol (to me) of my spiritual trod: dreadlocks. When I started to lock up after I sighted FarI, I was determined to have 7 big congo natty locks like Samson. (Babylon take that!) Never happened. Right now, I have not one lock. I wear a low boy (took it down from a caesar) and I can't imagine ever attempting to lock up again. It's difficult, to be sure. I so would like to rock a lovely wrap full of cascading, organic locks. I've crocheted so many lock caps and custom hair nets for sistren and bredren with waist long (or longer) locks. I've looked forward with sincerest anticipation to the day when I'd be crocheting my own. I chuckle because back when I was brand new to Rasta, I would stuff my wraps with fabric just waiting for the day, faking it till I made it. These days, I hardly bother with intricate wraps (although recently I've started making the effort again) and I'm finding it even harder to keep up a Rastawoman appearance.

In snow, it's much easier to wear pants when slinging around two kids, stroller, diaper bags, etc. It's easier to wear pants if I'm going to be sitting on the floor at story time or chasing my babies around the playground. Since I spend most of my time doing these things, it's easier to wear pants all the time (not tight fitting or form revealing--just comfortable, loose style yoga pants or wide leg style pants--I'm still not interested in letting everybody see what I've got going on--Honor).

While I don't wear makeup at all, I did go back to painting my toenails. It's something I was forbidden from doing as a child/teen but ended up loving to do. I like to keep my feet looking nice and polish on the toes seems to complete this. Newly sighting Chi-Chi would have frowned heavily on pant wearing, nail painting Chi-Chi. Her brows would have furrowed all the more because she's considering wearing foundation again, from time to time.

And this brings me to the main point of this post . . . I just cannot seem to get comfortable with going outside my gates (house) without something covering my head. Because of my scalp issues, yet unresolved, wearing wraps or hats causes me a fair amount of itchy discomfort. The hubby has even encouraged me to stop . But honestly, I feel bare. Naked. Strange without something on my head. I guess it just became a part of me, covering my head, and I can't give it up. Not to mention that I still am self-conscious that I might run into a bredren or sistren and they would see 1) I have no locks and 2) my head isn't covered. What would they think? (I know, I know, it doesn't matter what they think but in a trodition where it's important to "rep" if you will . . .well, it still kind of matters to me).

I mean, these days I'm equally as likely to toss on a beret or a skull cap instead of actually tying a headwrap. I mean, I have lots of headwraps, mainly cotton gauze and cotton printed African material, but lately I've been lazy about tying them (although since I know I actually look more royal with one on I've been making more of an effort of late). That means that even if I'm with my Kingman (aka the hubby), it's not likely that other Rasta people will hail (greet) me or even acknowledge me, I guess, assuming I'm the baldhead the Rastaman is dealing with. I've come to terms with that and it doesn't sting as much as it used to. Of course, I'm keenly aware these days that a headful of locks doesn't mean anything right off the bat . . . that locks don't confer any kind of spirituality or consciousness and neither does a big, colorful African headwrap. I know others have realized that too. Yet, I'm still not ready to cast off the whole head covering altogether though. I'm not sure if I ever will. Even though it's not the rebellious statement it used to be.

Oh, the hubby is a skilled barber and he keeps my hair looking neat. But I still have traction alopecia at the edges, I'm not comfortable all the way with short hair and, most importantly, I'm not at ease when my head is not covered in public. So you'll rarely see the hair cut. Heck, I'm not 100% comfortable rocking pants in public but I'm also practical.

Anyway, the issue of modesty for women crosses many religious and philosophical traditions and is especially interesting to me when considering the perspective of women whose appearance immediately indicates their trod (which is not necessarily the case in the RastafarI trodition).
Excellent reading:
The Benefits of Hijab
The Public Face of Our Nation

Good breakfast, Good Morning!

I certainly believe breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I know I just don't function well if I don't have some solid food in my belly in the morning. Being that I love to bake, muffins and scones feature at breakfast often (although not so much recently since the hubby has been cooking breakfast while I bathe the boys--division of labor is such a welcome relief). Anyway, a few days ago I was at the fruit and vegetable store and on a whim picked up a zucchini thinking I'd make some zucchini bread. I wanted a small one but they only had large ones. I used half to make a really awful zucchini bread--the hit and miss of trying out internet recipes and not using your own common baking sense. So the bread kind of just sat there and got stale even though the hubby nobly tried to put butter and jam on it to make it kind of edible so it wouldn't go to waste. Eventually, even he gave up. Not to be discouraged and with the other half of the zucchini sitting in the fridge, I thought it would be a great idea to make zucchini muffins. I hit the net again and found a recipe for fat free Zucchini Muffins. I was impressed by the relatively small amount of sugar and drawn to the cinnamon sugar topping. They are delicious! And the addition of the nuts and raisins adds a certain heartiness that makes them perfect for breakfast. They're very easy to make too even without a mixer and it's a plus that they're low fat. I've copied the recipe below:

(Recipe courtesy of: Fatfree Vegan Kitchen)

Zucchini Muffins with Cinnamon-Crumb Topping

There's just a little bit of margarine in the crumb topping which, divided over 12 muffins, doesn't even affect the fat count. But leave it off if you want--or double it, if you're feeling decadent.

Dry ingredients:
2 cups white whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Wet ingredients:
1 1/2 teaspoons Ener-G egg replacer
2 tablespoons water
1 1/4 cup shredded zucchini, packed
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon agave nectar (or other liquid sweetener)
1 1/4 cups fat-free soymilk or other non-dairy milk

Optional Cinnamon Crumb Topping:
1 teaspoon margarine
1/2 tablespoon demerara sugar
1/2 tablespoon flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
(Use a fork to combine until crumbly.)

Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a muffin pan with paper or silicone liners or spray well with non-stick spray.

Line a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk the Ener-G egg replacer powder with the water until foamy. Add the remaining wet ingredients and stir to combine.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir just until combined. Do not over-stir. Batter will be very heavy. Spoon into muffin cups, dividing batter equally among the cups. Sprinkle the center of each muffin with a little Cinnamon Crumb Topping, if desired, and bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 20 minutes.

Refuse to Be a Victim Seminar

The hubby is anti-firearms, i.e. he doesn't want me to get a gun, doesn't want a gun in the house. I do. I want one and I want to learn to use one very well. I believe when children are young, you keep the firearm 100% out of their reach. As they get older and can understand a bit more and get the concept of death, you explain to them what it is.

Anyway, there are other means of self-defense and while I'm not really interested in taking a formal martial arts class, something really appealed to me. It's the "Refuse to Be a Victim" Seminar offered by the NRA which I discovered after following the link on the post "Somebody is Killing Black Mothers and Daughters" on the blog What About Our Daughters. I've already found the closest seminar to me and it seems like it is an ongoing thing. It's very reasonable price-wise too. Well, my emergency preparation goals this week include finding out the schedule and signing up. I still think a firearm has its place but I'm hoping this class will give me confidence in my ability to defend myself and my babies since so often it's just me and them.

I believe in self-defense and self-love. To me, self-defense and self-love go hand-in-hand. Yes, I'm all about peace and harmony. But you can't practice peace and harmony if you're dead. And in these difficult times, I know we'll start to see more and more acts of desperation, sometimes violent. It only makes sense to learn how to keep you and yours safe.

How do you feel about firearms? Self-defense classes? Home security systems? Etc . . . ?

One Sock Done

The sock took forever to complete and I have no idea when I'll cast on for the second one. I had originally wanted to gift these but as this is my first attempt at sock knitting, I'm not altogether pleased with the stitchwork. The socks are indeed warm even though the pattern is kind of lacy. I expected them to be so since the yarn is a combination of wool and silk. If it took me almost two months to make one pair, I expect the next should be done by June sometime. It's just not practical to knit on double point needles with little children running around. Ah well.

Sq. Ft. Gardening Sustainability

We're doing a square foot garden as I've said before. I was concerned about the sustainability of the method and while listening to the Survival Podcast, was pleased to run across one that covers this very topic. A very informative post that also covers HR875.

Growing your own food is indeed bloodless revolution. Check it out: Cuba Got Those Greens. Even a small window box . . . survival mindedness so that we can thrive.

Photo Credit: "Square Foot Garden Box"on Flickr by amber in norfolk

This week's preparation project. . .

Was supposed to be acquiring canning supplies and learning to shut off the electricity, gas, and water to the house. However, another blackout on Wednesday lit some fire underneath my behind to get our emergency lighting situation together. On Tuesday, I was able to get some candles from a fellow freecycler. We have two small, surprisingly bright LED flashlights that are battery powered. One of those sat upright can illuminate the whole bathroom. I purchased a set of three lanterns that are battery operated but have a hand-crank for back up power and one lantern that is mainly hand-crank powered but has a electrical port to charge it. Since the hubby is a buyer's club member and had a coupon, I also went ahead and bought a hand-crank weather radio. Glad to cross all that off my list. I hope these three blackouts we've had this winter are not foreshadowing of many more blackouts this summer. We have a lot of blackouts already during the summer but we've never had so many during the winter. We'll see. I keep thinking about how easily my grandmother would get out the kerosene lamps when we were visiting in Nigeria. She'd light them and life would continue on as usual. Nobody batted an eye when the electricity went out. I'm trying to make sure blackouts don't interfere with our living and we might even do voluntary blackouts from time to time just to get used to it. I heard a while back that for some children with autism, turning out all the electrical lights at night really helps them. I always found that interesting. Anyway, I think I might complete my original preparedness project via Amazon.com what with their free shipping and one-stop shopping and all. I do not really want to be hopping from shop to shop trying to find eveything with two kids in tow.

Photo Credit: "This Red Kerosene Lamp" by finishing-school on Flickr.com

Another Great Workout!

Today I did Women's Health Ultimate Fat Burn and it was excellent. I felt like I really burned calories. The routine was never boring and I got to do work on every part of my body. It was long enough without being too long and I feel like my heart rate was elevated for a good clip of time. The cueing was perhaps the *best* cuing I have ever seen on any DVD to date. No fumbling. No false steps. Amy Dixon was right on point, always remembering that I was seeing a mirror image of what she was doing. Ms. Dixon was also not patronizing, not annoying and just encouraging enough that when I wanted to stop a rep, I just kept going. I really sweated with this workout and I enjoyed it a lot. I'm definitely adding this to the list of workout DVDs I'm going to purchase (One-on-One Training with Jackie is also on that list and I'm on the lookout for one more really good yoga DVD). I'm really having fun trying out all these DVDs and even when I've built a good home workout DVD collection, I'll still be trying different ones. It's so nice to switch it up every once in a while.
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On another note, it just occurred to me that since there are plentiful berries at farmer's markets, I should try my hand at making enough jam to last through the winter. If I bought enough berries every time I go to the farmer's market (I'm going to try to go weekly) to make 2 pints of jam, that would definitely last us through the winter. I'd love to grow strawberries myself but I don't want to be overwhelmed. Definitely, though, once we get the hang of the gardening, I will be growing flowers (both for beauty and medicinal purposes like roses for rosewater and calendula for calendula infused olive oil which I used to make for my children's diaper cream), herbs (both for cooking and medicine) and some kinds of berries.

Anyway, I'm feeling good today. I have a busy day ahead but I'm hoping for some things to come together. I'm just feeling light and easy. I wish the same for you.

Photo Credit: "summer preserves 1" by chotda on Flickr.com

Frugality & Luxury . . .

Are generally not two words that go together . . .

Recently, on a newly discovered blog (Nature Mom's Blog: A Guide to Natural Family Life), I read an excellent book review of Tracey McBride's book Frugal Luxuries: Simple Pleasure to Enhance Your Life and Comfort Your Soul.

I borrowed the book from the library and while I've only read a little bit, I really love the message of this book. A lot of what the book says is how I already live my life but McBride has laid out the philosophy behind frugality in plain and direct terms that I have never really intensely thought about. So while I was just browsing, I realized that even if I have triple the amount of money I have now, I would still enjoy being frugal. I've always thought to myself, "I don't need to be rich . . . I'm not trying to be rich" not in a defeatist way as if I don't deserve to be rich or have a poor person's mentality. But, as India Arie mentions in her song "There's Hope" the more money you have, the more complicated things get. And honestly, I love simplicity and a simple life. What I want is to have enough to be able to take care of myself and my family well and a little extra. From the book . . . Being frugal is not being miserly. It's appreciating the time it took to make something, using money wisely and diligently, finding beauty and satisfaction in the simplest things like a freshly made bed, newly set table, or just vacuumed rug or a field of dandelions on a bright sunny day when your allergies are under control.

Being frugal, to me, is one of the best effects and manifestations of santosha (contentment) in my life. It is, simply put, maximizing my current circumstances.

At the thrift store the other day, I found a pale pink cashmere turtleneck sweater. The ticket said that the sweater should have already been 1/2 off. I found a small hole in it and I got the sweater for $0.49. A cashmere sweater for $0.49! Now, I plan to wear the sweater underneath a lightweight silk blouse or cotton shirt so you'd never see where I stitched up the hole. But I'll be wearing pretty pink soft, very warm cashmere against my skin. Even if I had $60 to spend on a cashmere sweater, I wouldn't. That's frugal luxury to me.

It's interesting when your own personal philosophy is described in written form and only then do you realize that it is your philosophy and it is important, no crucial, to who you are. In thinking about the coming changing times, I'm glad this philosophy is mine and I want to be an encouragement to those around me . . . we don't need to buy more to have more. If we assimilate that idea now, when we can't buy more, we'll be just fine.

Photo Credit: "field of dreams" by plousia on Flickr.com

Fitness Inspiration

Toni Braxton has at least two kids. Yes, her reality is very different than mine but still . . . she did it. I'm sure it took a lot of work and committment but for real, homegirl is indeed fire. She looks absolutely fabulous. I will always and forever <3 Toni Braxton.

Baked Falafel Balls & Trying Out Tae Bo Again

I really like falafel but attempts to make the dish at home have been frustrating to say the least. I don't have a deep fryer and frying in a pan is a royal pain--not to mention the mess it makes. It's so annoying that I rarely make falafel. So I was intrigued when my sistren spoke about baked falafel balls from The Whole Foods Market Cookbook. I borrowed the book from the library and the first recipe is the baked falafel balls (this is the exact recipe in the book). I followed the recipe word for word [except I didn't have cilantro (not too fond of the taste) and used dried parsley]. The balls came out really well and I think we'll be having lots more falafel around here. I have some tweaks for next time, though. First off, I would punch up the spices and add a tad bit more salt than I did. They were kind of dry too so I would sweat the onions and garlic in a bit more olive oil (about 3 tablespoons instead of 1). We always eat falafel with ketchup so I didn't attempt any tahini/yogurt sauce (there's a vegan recipe from Tofu Cookery that I sometimes make but we're cool with ketchup). To eat them, we put them in mini whole wheat pita bread from Trader Joe's, put ketchup on and then stuff the pita with mixed greens. Really delicious. They were gone in minutest. These falafel would actually make really good burgers. Those falafel in the picture are not my falafel although mine looked pretty similar. The photo is by Sharon123 on recipezaar.com . . . I really need to make a little more effort to take pictures. LoL.
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On to Tae Bo . . . I gave Billy Blanks' Tae Bo another shot this morning and did Billy Blanks' Tae Bo Cardio. Not bad. It wasn't as frenetic as the other one I tried but I didn't feel like my heart rate got high enough for long enough. I felt it was more of a strenghtening type workout than cardio. Even though some of the participants were sweating profusely, I was sweating as much as when I vacuum with Z2 on my back in the carrier, i.e. not much. So I would say this workout is pretty much for the beginner. Also, I wish Mr. Blanks would realize that I am seeing a mirror image of him doing what he's doing, in other words, he needs to do the opposite of what he's telling me to do. And that counting? It really is annoying. But it's a solid workout . . . a nice little change in the routine.

You know, I'm so proud to say I'm no longer a beginner. Denise Austin's Blast Away 10 Lbs. is really becoming a breeze these days--I can think about lots of other things while doing the workout. And since I'm getting up naturally at 4:30 these days . . . My sistren who recommended the falafel also uses Power90X and recommends it (isn't she such a resourceful and useful sistren!?!). I don't know if I actually have the time to do this and I still enjoy my other workout DVDS and doing my yoga. But it's something I'm thinking about.

The Soul

Yesterday was a lovely day. It wasn't sunny but it wasn't windy and it wasn't too cold. The playground was full of children with all that exuberant, joyful energy. It was great. Z2 fell asleep on the swings and was asleep so soundly that I transferred him to the stroller and he hardly stirred. I had the chance to chat with Z1's friend's mom who I'm cool with and the conversation turned to something that I am always interested in: the soul. She mentioned that she has been able to communicate with her father who has passed on and that she had done a past life regression (which I so totally want to do one day). It was really a good conversation and I was pleasantly surprised to find out that on these things we hold similar ideas/theories.
I believe that the soul is immortal and essentially energy--never created and never destroyed or else only able to be created or destroyed by the Almighty Jah. Different cultures and different traditions offer up ideas about the soul particularly about when the soul enters the body. Is it at conception? Or is it at birth? I tend to think that while a baby is in the womb, the soul is free to go in and out of the body. Once birth happens though, it becomes married to the soul inseparably until death. Being newly married, babies have a strong memory for what it was like to be spirit and so for a long while, children have one foot in the physical world and the other in the spirit world. Growing up necessitates that most of us plant both feet firmly in the physical world or at least moreso.

If it's true that the soul only becomes permanently connected to the body at birth, abortions and miscarriages do not hold as much gravity to me. I am sincerely pro-choice and wish that every woman who wants to have her baby can and every woman who doesn't want to can choose not to. Yes, abortions and miscarriages are not times of rejoicing and jubilation and it's not like we should be all excited about miscarriages and encouraging abortions. But, in my mind, once you believe that a soul in indestructible, at least not by human interference, it makes the weight . . . different if not easier to bear.

I wonder, though, if souls which did not make it through a woman the first time keep trying to come through her or do they choose someone else. Why would a soul, which I believe "knows" to a large extent, then try to come through a way that it knew wouldn't come to fruition? I think souls map out their course before they take on flesh (probably or maybe in conjunction with the Most High). I think a soul might like to try different things. Experience things just for the experience. Everything is in divine right order--just like the rest of the universe and since a soul is an inextricable part of the whole, I think divine order applies to your soul, my soul and every soul.

I wonder do our children who have come through us, have they been born to us before? Were we born to them? Were we connected in some other way in a different life? Sister? Brother? Spouse? Mistress? Cousin? Friend? Enemy? Victim? Healer? Teacher? When our soul dissociates from our flesh, will we recognize other souls we have been connected to before? Will we know our descendants? Will we know our ancestors?

Of course, these questions have no answers that we can really know but in trying to figure out these things, in thinking about how life present and eternal works, I think we can derive great joy, power and strength to make the most out of this gift of the here and now.

Photo Credit: "Window to my soulIExplored" by Joyful Reverie on Flickr.com

Sizing Up

So now that winter is drawing to a close is the perfect time for me to start getting the clothes Z1 will wear next fall and winter (he's pretty much set for summer when his wardrobe mainly consists of t-shirts and jeans/shorts). Right now, he's 3 1/2 and wears a 4T. I'm guessing by the time he's 4+ he'll be in a 5T/6 (small). So I'm scouring various thrift stores on half-off days and other sale days and getting some really good deals on quality shirts and pants for him. I have to take down some of his old clothes I have in storage to make sure that Z2 is good to go for this summer and next winter. Z2 was born in the winter while Z1 was a summer baby so sometimes I have to plug some holes in Z2's wardrobe. This winter, thankfully, that just meant a few more underclothes (long johns, undershirts and socks). Since I enjoy shopping the thrift stores, this is a great activity for me. This past Saturday I found a Land's End Turtle neck for him and before that on Wednesday, three pairs of cargo pants--I think I spent about $6. I hope to keep doing the thrift store thing and also to find some great things at the upcoming rummage sales at various churches in the county as well as yard sales (will be looking at Craig's List for announcements).

My preparation plan for this week is two-fold. First, I need to get the rest of the supplies I need for canning Although I have religiously avoided WalMart, I really can't seem to find any other local place where I can get all my supplies. I will keep looking though. What I'm hoping is that I score something big at a rummage or yard sale in terms of canning supplies but also yarn and needles and stuff. Secondly, I need to figure out how to shut off the gas, electric and water to the house. Okay, our basement is unfinished and it is basically dusty, dark, and otherwise spooky. I only go down there to do laundry. Occasionally, I have to go down there to fiddle with the boiler if it's cut off or the fuse box if one blows. I do this as quickly as I can and then run back upstairs. Anywho . . .found this: Utility Shut Off and Safety. Now I have to physically go down there with the hubby and locate these things.

I'm still plodding away at my first attempt at sock knitting. If I can put some time into it, I should be finished sock one in a day or two.

Yesterday we started our plants. The last frost date is around April 15 and so hopefully we'll be out there soon. I'm as excited as a little kid and I'm a bit surprised. We're starting this garden for very practical reasons but it is still fun. I'm reading lots of books and learning the ins and outs. I don't know if I'll ever be a master gardener but so far, it's good. I really want to do some flowers/herbs too but I don't want to get overly ambitious. One step at a time. I'll post a picture of how everything looks soon and give a detailed list of the plants we'll be trying for.

Just a small update on what I'm doing. :)

This week's preparation goal . . .

Was to find out places where I could safely fish that are close by. It seems that fish caught in the wild are very toxic and the emphasis is more on sportfishing than on fishing for food. That is a real shame. I'm turning my focus to beans and legumes.

Here are some emergency preparedness/self-sufficiency/survival resources:
Survival Podcast
Causubon's Book (I added a gadget to my sidebar: 100 Ways to Prepare for Peak Oil)

I like both of these because they appeal to your common sense and intellect.

Book Review: World Made by Hand by James Howard Kunstler

I read James Howard Kunstler's blog and from reading that, I was not necessarily interested in a work of fiction by him (his style can be a bit caustic and overly sarcastic) but my library had it so I borrowed World Made by Hand. I was a bit cautious because I really don't need any more gloom and doom predictions but it was okay in that regard. I can't say that the book is a great work of literature but it was interesting and problematic in ways that are difficult for me to overlook and, unfortunately, will forever color how I read Kunstler's other writings.

When we read we bring our own identities and experiences to what we're reading so of course I kept that in mind. But as a woman, the book was highly offensive and as a Black person, it was equally offensive. In this work that imagines a post-oil future, the world has returned back to the way things were in the early 1800s. Women are only good for sex and domestic duties. This is a male-dominated world where women are only valuable for what their bodies do not for who they are. Even to this day, this is a struggle women are still fighting but without all the modern living distractions and societal emphasis on inclusion, equality and political correctness, it just intensifies things. Apparently, no female doctors, lawyers, law enforcement, engineers or high level corporate executives have ever existed or else they were all wiped out by the flu. Hell, even a women being able to skillfully angle a fish gives the main character some pause. Women are notable because of their beauty (or once being beautiful) and their ability to bake bread and cook well. Black people are only relevant as participants in race wars. Seriously, there are NO BLACK PEOPLE whatsoever in Kunstler's futuristic imaginations. So, the only people who really matter in this futuristic world are White men.

Otherwise, the story was just okay. It lumped along in some places and beleaguered some points to the point of exhaustion. Kunstler keeps on referring to "the old days" and trying to remind the readers how totally different this world is from the one we are living in today. Unfortunately, for any of us who have traveled to third world nations, especially if we've visited remote villages, the world Kunstler imagines is one that already exists there. Maybe a tad bit better. In this town, at least, there's running water and the soil is fertile enough where anyone with some gardening know-how can grow something. Electricity is not a given but it flickers on every once in a while (eventually it goes out permanently). I was not impressed by "difficulty" of this world Kunstler imagines and, as the main character states toward the end, things did fall back into normality. To be fair, it seems that this town where the story takes place is one of the more fortunate areas of the country where some semblance of order exists. Elsewhere there is pure chaos, violence and, of course, race wars. (Ah, those pesky Negroes.) But this town has held their little society together and at the end seems to be on it's way to getting better.

I couldn't help but to draw comparisons between Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower and this novel. Parable of the Sower is ten times more brutal yet, in my mind, the writing is much more artistic and skilled and inclusive. Even though these books both imagine a world so totally different than the one I live in now, it's just so interesting to me that White male privilege would still carry over in Kunstler's futuristic world while in Ms. Butler's futuristic world, those privileges are hardly relevant anymore. It seems the futures we imagine are informed by our current realities.

Some interesting similarities were, of course, the obvious absence of cars. In WMbH, all cars have been stripped for their metal in the "Great Collection". In PotS, they're just gone and the protagonist marvels at a world where one person had to have a 3 car garage to house the cars. In both stories, self-sufficieny in food production is a must. The fruits and vegetables they eat, they plant and I for one, take some small joy in the fact that in both these stories, the Earth is still giving, still producing. The meat they eat, they catch or raise and butcher. Ironically, in both books, wheat is a difficult grain to come by. In WMbH, the people substitute corn bread for wheat bread/cakes and in PotS, there really are no substitutes except for acorn bread which it doesn't seem many people know how to make. In both books, community is essential to survival. Those who are not part of a strong community are doomed--no way around it. Community is the only thing that provides safety and some security. Another interesting similarity is that religion and questions about God feature regularly in both books. In WMbH, there's an enigmatic, ultra-religious sect that moves into town with plenty of loyal, hard-working followers. In PotS, the main character is obviously going to be the originator of a brand new (and equally enigmatic) religion, builds followers and eventually settles on some land that will clearly be the religion's headquarters (I haven't read the sequel to PotS and I'm not sure I will).

I enjoyed World Made by Hand for what it was. It was a creative and well-rounded story despite its problems. It was funny at times (like when the main character tries to describe to a young child what a car was) and made you really think at others (because there was indeed brutality and violence and makes you hope that the changing times will bring out the God in people and the Devil in them). Overall, especially compared to Parable of the Sower, the futuristic world of Kunstler's is not that bad. It's livable or at least I could imagine myself living in it. Not so with Butler's future world where gated communities provided a only a semblance of security. That security only lasts for about a quarter of Butler's novel and we are plunged right into the violent, chaotic world outside of the gates. Kunstler keeps his entire story, for the most part, close to the fairly orderly town.

Anyway, I'm ready to read a novel that imagines a post-oil future that hasn't gone to hell in a hand basket. I hope to stumble across one. Maybe I'll have to write it. :)