Why I Think Not Owning a Television Makes Life Better
I don’t own a television or have internet at home.📺 I do have a smartphone but I get most of my news from the radio or podcasts that I download at work or on the wifi.
I prefer to get my news and entertainment not by the screen but by listening. 📻 Radio is kind of special – with no pictures you have to use your mind to fill in the details. You don’t have the prejudices that images put in your mind, your free to imagine the characters as you see fit.
You can bring a radio virtually anywhere you go. It’s safe to use while driving. Headphones allow you to use on the bus and in most public places without distracting others.🎧 Radio can take you to far away lands without ever leaving where you currently are.
Even when I get older, settle down, maybe finally own land and the off grid cabin of my future, 🏠 I highly doubt I’ll ever have television or Internet at home.
Land and Legacy Podcast – Farming Practices Old and New
"On this week's For Love of the Land Podcast Adam sits down with his Grandpa to discuss the evolution of farming practices since the 1950s. There is no question much has changed from our understanding of soil health down to implements and farming practices that we use on a daily basis.
Deep tillage was a common practice in those days as there was a big push for preparing a proper seedbed. Herbicide usage has drastically increased over time, as well as the use of a brush hog. To understand where we are heading in land management, it is important to understand where we've been. Evolving is a must as we move forward with farming in a more sustainable manner."
West Kill Valley from John Robb Leanto
The Senate just passed the decade’s biggest public lands package. Here’s what’s in it.
"Perhaps the most significant change the legislation would make is permanently authorizing a federal program that funnels offshore drilling revenue to conserve a spread of sites that includes major national parks and wildlife preserves, as well as local baseball diamonds and basketball courts. Authorization for the popular program, the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), lapsed months ago due to the partial government shutdown and other disputes. Liberals like the fact that the money allows agencies to set aside land for wildlife habitat. Conservatives like the fact that taxpayers don’t have to foot the bill for it. Congress is now set to reauthorize the fund in perpetuity, though it will not make its spending mandatory. Congressional funding for the program has “fluctuated widely” since its inception in 1965, according to a 2018 Congressional Research Service report. Less than half of the $40 billion that has piled up in the fund during its five decades of existence has been spent by Congress on conservation efforts."
"The bill would also be a boon for another constituency — hunters and anglers. Bow hunters would be allowed to bring their weapons through national parks when trying to reach areas where it is legal to hunt. More important, it makes all federal lands open to hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting unless otherwise specified."
Camping at Cole Hill State Forest, January 2018
In January of 2018, I camped up at Cole Hill State Forest in the back-country during mid-January. It was cold but not too bad. Nowhere fancy, but it was a nice night out in the wilderness.
I built a small little fire and sat as the sky got dark.
I had soup and rolls for dinner.
The tent was warm.
The next morning I hiked back to the swamp.
It was nice little mini-mid winter camping trip. More of a vacation-ette then a real trip, but still sometimes you can’t have the most exotic trip ever.
I was prepared yesterday
