Have you ever known someone who actually moved to the country and worked the land? Well, meet the Ritchies, Ralph and Fern.
The space they needed to follow their dream would have cost a fortune in the city. Besides, city zoning restrictions would have ruled out the life they wanted. In a rural area, space was possible, but could they just live on it and work there? That would have been okay for some, but not for this couple. They would use the land, having started with almost no knowledge of how to accomplish its use. It may have been Murphy’s Law that said, “Having space, why not fill it?”
Here is the autobiographical story of a lifetime of rural living, right up to the end of the farm. Actually, the story continues and includes the move back into the city.
How much of the story actually happened? Was it a work of fiction? Or maybe the tale was stretched a bit to make a story of the adventure?
There are three stories between the covers. Every year Ralph had written a letter to family and friends. The letters give the story a time frame. For a reason unexplained even to himself, Ralph took many photographs of the things they built and of the results of many projects. The photographs are a visible record and final proof of their lifetime adventure. The third story is the written account of what they did and what they learned.
Whoever said, “Farming is Easy”? You will have to read the story to find out where the title came from.
Here is a unique book. It took a lifetime to gather the story. You will learn how two city kids solved a myriad of problems and accomplished plenty. It was no gift; there were no shortcuts. They worked hard for their dream.
Ralph had written and been published before. Some time during these years the writing gained another purpose. They would write to transfer what they learned to future generations.
Dissatisfaction with the publishing by others led them to publishing their own works, long before the words, “self-publishing” went into the dictionary.
The personal computer only made it easier.
Electrostatic copiers liberated them from the problems of the printing press.
Finally, publishing became their livelihood and another adventure began. With over 35 books still in print of the 70 plus they have written, this book becomes the latest one on their bookshelf.
Perhaps this book will be your inspiration to move out into the country? Take a look at this book. There’s plenty of inspiration in there. This book also proves that it can be done. That third story in there tells how to do it.
Table of Contents
Preface
Foreword
Introduction
The Letters. Introduction. The page numbers of the letters are prefaced by the year each letter was written.
Part I. Places and Environment
Letter 1987. Move To Oregon
Ch 1. The Move- Beginnings
Suburban to Rural. Location. Discovering Our Acre. The Land. Water Supply. Assessment. Building, Earning A Living. Growing Food, Chickens. Rabbits. Geese. The Studio. It Takes Time.
Letter 1989. We Begin To Build.
Ch. 2. Climates and Water
Ontario. Ontario Airport. Encinitas. Mohawk Valley, Oregon. Springfield, Oregon. Drilling Wells.
Ch. 3. Weather and Calamities
Fires. Mud and Flood. Brush Fires. The Rains.
Brush Fires In Encinitas. Drought Years. Our First Well. Water Scarcity. Geese In A Drought. Mohawk Valley, Oregon. Flooding. Soil Problems. Head Start. Flooding In Mohawk Valley. Evacuation. Animals. The Return. Animals. The Well And Flooding. After-Flood Disaster. Panic. Freezes. Alaskan Express. Roads and Driving. Driving. Winds. Other Calamities?
Letter 1990. Landscaping
Ch. 4. Earthquakes
Early Years. Together. Precautions. In Oregon.
Ch. 5. Emergency Preparedness
Water. Food. Clothing and Shelter. Paying For What You Need. Other Needs. Suggestions.
Letter 1991. The Freeze. New Books
Part II. Animals
Ch 6. Fun and Humor With Animals
The Skill of Cartoonists. Observation. Animals and Sexing Rabbits. Chickens. Wild Birds. Goats.
Letter 1992. Doing Things
Ch. 7. Rabbits
Equipment. Cages. Going Commercial. Rabbit Milk. Breeding and Genetics. Family Identification For Breeding. Shading and Cooling. About Rabbits. Sexing Rabbits. Behavior. Male-Female. Rabbits and Suicide.
Production Mating. Toys. Lab Rabbits. Testing Rabbit Health. Economics. Breeding. Escaped Rabbits. Fertilizer. Conversion Efficiency and Fertilizer. Rabbit Feed. Feed Sharing. Alcohol. Rabbit Problems. Bad Feed. Water. Cage Sterilization. Baby Rescue. Nests. Predators. Dead Animals. High Heat. Water Contamination. Cooling The Rabbitry. Bad Air. Water Shortage. Learning. Thanks. Conclusions.
Letter 1993 New books The Farm. Building.
Ch. 8. Geese
First Lesson. Next Try. The Flock. Goose Eggs. Hatching. Goslings. Helping Hand. Goose Diet. Goose Society. Mating. Cold Weather Geese. Watch Geese. Goose Dog Trainers. Challenge A Goose. Geese As A Threat. Fly time. The Goose-Pig Game. Goose Antics. Adoption. The Pond. Handling A Goose. To Catch A Goose. Oregon Geese. End of The Geese.
Letter 1995. The Farm.
Ch. 9. Goats
Rosie. Protection. Milking. Get Well Quick. Milking Rosie. Getting Rid of Kids. Economics.
1996. Flood From The Freeze
Ch 10. Pigs
Pig Uses. Pig Care. Cleanliness. Predators. Gardening. Butchering and Slaughter. Transporting A Pig. Pig Toys. Pig Hides. Economics.
Ch 11. Sheep
Why? Raising sheep. The Wool.
Ch 12. Beef Cattle
Raising Cattle. Dividing The Pasture. Pasture and Horses. Acquiring Animals. Bring Up Baby. Retrieving Baby. The End of Baby. But That’s Not The Whole Story. Economics. Conclusion.
For Fun
Ch. 13. Kills
Guns. Being Over-run. First Kills. First Kill and Butchering. How Others Did The Deed. About Rabbits. Lab Rabbits. The First Pig. Baby. But That’s Not The Whole Story. Hides.
Ch 14. Predators
Illegal Aliens. Reflective Window Film. Watch Geese. Guns. Other Problems. Security. Traps. Wild Dogs. Fox. Coyotes. Rattlesnakes. Rats. Gophers. Ferrets. Wild Visitors. Bugs. Fox In Oregon. Cats. Dogs. Conclusion.
Letter 1997 Move Into town. Auction.
Part III. Farms and Farming
Ch. 15. Farms and Farming.
About Farming. Raising and Preserving Food. Growing From Seed. Encinitas, California Farm. Mohawk Valley, Oregon Farm. Springfield, Oregon Residence.
Letter 1998 Our 50th Anniversary
Fern and Ralph Ritchie, 1995
Ch. 16. About Foods
Self Sufficiency. Baking. Bread. Dairy. Contrasts.
1999. Y2K Possibilities.
Ch. 17. Barter
The Great Depression. Consulting. The Studio. Only The Beginning.
Part IV. The Studio and Making A Living
Photographs of Fern and Ralph Ritchie, 1975
Ch. 18. The Studio
Studios West. Main Studio.
Letter 2000. Living In The City. Y2K Outcome.
Ch 19. Artists, Students, Associated Artists, and Apprentices
Preface. Classes At The Studio. Associate Artists. Apprentices.
Ch 20. Safety Measures.- Accidents.
Safety. Accidents. Another Accident. Near Misses.
Ch. 21. Moving
The First Move. Getting Into It. Too Many Moves. After Eighteen Years. The Really Big Move. The Final Move.
Letter 2001 Anderson Progress
Ch. 22. Gardens, Fairs, Horticulture
Garden Shows. The Beginning, They Liked Our Work. Competitions. More Fairs. Encinitas Gardening. Sculpture Garden. Mohawk Valley. The Vegetable Garden. Landscaping.
Ch. 23. Machinery And Equipment
Learning. Tractors. Tractor Two. Tractor Three. Tractor Four. Home Appliance Repair. New Equipment. Compressed Air. Hot Water Storage. The Ritchie Trolley. Heat Recovery. Print Shop.
Letter 2002 Barns. Solar Wells. Flue Fire. Books
Ch. 24. Energy and Conservation
Why? Beginnings- Ontario Home. Air Conditioning. Hot Water System. Encinitas Studio. The Studio. Water. Solar Projects. First Energy Crisis. Alcohol and Automobiles. Methane. Rabbits. Garden Pig. Geese. Home Design. Oregon. Mohawk Valley, Oregon.Part 5. Conclusion,
Photograph of Fern and Ralph Ritchie, 1998
Ch. 25 Conclusion, Not The End.
“Farming Is Easy”. The Photographer. Time To Quit? The Rest of The Story.
References. Libraries. Our Books
List of Plates
The Plate number is the chapter number. Next comes the Location and finally the contents. The plates follow each chapter.
Plate 1. Encinitas. Location Landscape
Plate 3a. Mohawk Frozen Pipe Flood
Plate 3b. Mohawk Flood
Plate 3c. Mohawk Flood
Plate 7. Encinitas Rabbits
Plate 8. Mohawk Geese
Plate 9a. Encinitas Goats
Plate 9b. Encinitas Goats
Plate 12. Beef Cattle
Plate 14. Encinitas Predators
Plate 15a. Encinitas Garden
Plate 15b. Encinitas Produce
Plate 15c. Mohawk In The Beginning
Plate 15d. Mohawk Greenhouse Structure
Plate 15e. Mohawk Cold Frame
Plate 15f. Mohawk Greenhouse Landscape
Plate 15g. Mohawk Greenhouse Landscape
Plate 15h Mohawk Landscaping
Plate 15i. Mohawk Landscape
Plate 15j. Mohawk Pond
Plate 15k. Mohawk Sun Room and Pump House
Plate 16 Mohawk Root Cellar
Fern and Ralph Ritchie, 1975
Plate 18 Encinitas Studios West
Plate 18a. Encinitas Gallery
Plate 18b. Encinitas Sculpture Garden
Plate 18c. Encinitas Studio Inside
Plate 18d. Encinitas Weaving Loft
Plate 19a. Artists At Work
Plate 19b. Artists At work
Plate 21a. Encinitas Moving
Plate 21b. Loading and Unloading
Plate 22a. Encinitas Horticulture
Plate 22b. Encinitas Fair Gardens
Fern and Ralph Ritchie, 1995
Plate 22c. Mohawk Greenhouse Horticulture
Plate 22d. Mohawk Bromeliad Blooms
Plate 23a. Encinitas Machines
Plate 23b. Encinitas Machines
Plate 23c. Mohawk Tractors
Plate 24a. Solar Applications
Plate 24b. Encinitas Conservation
Fern and Ralph Ritchie, December, 1998
Plate 25a. Incredible Edibles Library Cover
Plate 25b. Emergency Procedures Library Cover
Plate 25c. Energy and Conservation Library Cover
Plate 25d. Ceramic Library Cover
Plate 25e. Other Books
copyright 2004, 249 pages, 175 photos on 50 plates.
ISBN 0-939656-70-1, $51.95
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December 13, 2008