Barbara Kingsolver

Props are due to Ms. Kingsolver for writing an excellently written book, "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle"

Barbara Kingsolver's experiences with agriculture are one and the same with my own.  Never having a farm of her own before.  She is in awe of the experience she is thrust into, and loves every second of it.  I did not grow up on a farm, but have worked on several throughout my life, loving every moment, every sweat that has soaked my shirt, and every injury that occasionally comes along with the grueling life of a farmer.

Barbara specifically notes the mood and culture difference from southwestern Virginia and Arizona.  While visiting Phoenix, Arizona last January I can was opened up to a whole new culture, seemingly sprung up in the middle of a desert, surviving only because of recent human technologies, such as irrigation.  And now moving to Virginia Tech and Blacksburg in southwest Virginia I am experiencing a culture identical to what she saw.  One that is open to and friendly to its neighbors, compared to Arizona, which seems to be too busy to care about others.

Each person has their own particular desire on place to live.  Some enjoy the city life, while others love the peaceful nature of the countryside.  But each of us should still be aware of where our food comes from, and not just consume haphazardly.  This is something that needs to be addressed across the nation to better educate the citizens and to keep them aware that their actions are sometimes hurting their food supply.