Just over 24 ours ago, my mother passed unexpectedly. What a great life she lived. Strong, independent and determined, and a later in life a devoted Christian. She will be missed and celebrated in the coming week and days to come. I am sad and angry all within moments of each other.
She spent the last 45 years on a 20 acre farm in rural Monon, Indiana where I was raised and referenced in a few of my earliest blogs. Taking care of 3 boys and a daughter as well as the various animals, pets, plants and chores. I loved her and didn’t like her sometimes. Now I just miss her.
Without turning from my concern with the land, air and water, including our basic food source stability and nutritional source of our health quality, I will intertwine my mother’s live, passing and compare/contrast them in this writing.
From what I believe, know and understand, my mother had many a great day and several not so good days. Her last day prior to the event, was a great day with a friend. As the living earth is concerned, it as well has had many great and not so great days. Storms, floods, earth quakes, fires, droughts with many being natural and more and more becoming unnaturally caused or contributed to, by man and corporations.
When we became distanced from the food that we consume to maintain or even improve our health, we not only allowed others to determine what is good for us, but produce and provide it as well. Without us to see where it directly comes from or speak with the farmer or grocer directly involved with its growth and preparation.
Growing up, my mom taught us in part how to plant the seed, how far apart and deep each should be to grow well. We also learned how to hoe and pull the weeds (and not the plants!), in order to allow the plants to grow. We did not put weed killer on the ground.
When the human body is damaged, our first response today is to look to a prescription to reduce or stop the damage. Well that is a pharmaceutical relationship that is symbiotic to the food industry that I have written about in previous blogs. I know my mom had many vitamins and supplements in one of the kitchen drawers that she would say this does this and this one improves this… and perhaps she was right and some supplementation was and is needed.
We haven’t supplemented our land with the natural nutrition it needs and was created with. We have created a malnourished body of land that is compounded by the weed subduing herbicides and crop growth enhancing fertilizers that are killing us. In one continuous study in Boone, County Iowa, Oats and Clover rotations reduced the need for Herbicides and Mineral Nitrogen fertilizer by 95%.
My mom has lived on the same land for 45 years and the last 25-30 was near approximately 1 million chickens in an egg farm, surrounded by Soy and Corn farms. She has a well drilled for her water source. I know when growing up the water was not the best tasting, but I honestly believe the water has been tainted. And in many areas of this country with the runoff into the Mississippi River from farms, down to the Vermont sized dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico. Nitrate pollution of water, saturated chemical foods, either consumed by the animals we eat, or directly by the human being. You. Me. My mom.
Thank you mom for every single word, lesson, and the hugs and kisses. You are missed and forever loved. Say hi to Bud for me (and God)
life as we know it 
Yes Ma is the strongest woman I will ever know taught us a lot God Needed Somebody to plant a garden and maybe build a house which she could do that too Mom I miss you so much
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