By Dan Pursglove
Here in Seymour, there weren’t too many who were sad to see 2008 slip into the past. New Year’s celebrations were bountiful, champagne flowed freely and other libations were abundant in our little area.
Was this a celebration of the demise of 2008 or the arrival of the new year? The year past pretty well beat most of us up in this area at the foot of the mountains.
Do we have to put up with the same results of 2008? No, without drastic changes we will survive 2009 and could even come out well. Look to the past for the future.
Some of us remember the 1930s, or the “Great Depression.”
For some in Seymour, this was an opportunity to grow themselves and actually make something of themselves. Others were not so successful but still fared well.
Enter the family garden. This is how many of our mountain folk ate as well or better than before the onset of the depression.
Some even made a little money from their gardens or used what they grew as barter for whatever was available. Others made a change of vocation from gardener to small farmer.
With a little planning and a little book-learning, you will be able to feed a family of four or five from a well-planned 12-foot-by-16-or-20-foot plot.
Go to your local Sevier County Library for books on gardening - one I suggest is the “Square Foot Gardening” by Mel Bartholomew. There are many others.
Don’t let lack of a garden plot deter you. Mix your garden in with your flowers or shrubs. Find every available spot. Here in Seymour, I have seen some beautiful, well-tended gardens.
There are other things you can do here in the Knoxville area. Learn to make clothing repairs, check out the Good Will or Salvation Army or other such thrift places.
Exchange with family or friends, take care of what you have, learn to do with less and only buy on sale. Learn how to make simple home repairs (remember barter.)
Change your own oil, and even though gas prices are down, drive less and smarter. Slower saves gas and tickets. What do you have to show for an expensive traffic ticket?
Go to a Seymour-area church if you can, and give thanks to God for what you do have.
Remember, God has to share his bounty with more of us. He is probably training us to become better stewards of what he is letting us use.
Dan Pursglove is a 20-year resident of Seymour who is eager to offer and receive musings about many subjects. Contact him at dansseymourmusings@gmail.com