| dc.description.abstract | This is a collection of essays loosely grouped under the subject of "nature writing." Each work focuses on a specific place and experiences I have had in the natural world. I focus on western Kansas, where I was raised in a farming family until I was 22. A couple essays mention my latest home, Lawrence, Kansas, and describe some of the differences between the two places. All essays exemplify an appreciation and awareness of the natural world while considering the implications of agricultural land over-use and a loss of my ancestors' way of life: earning money by living off the land. Several of the essays discuss the conflict farmers face who care about the land, and their dilemma to make a living and afford land and equipment, without over-using or abusing the land that provides them income and happiness. I am writing from the perspective of a farmer's daughter, the fourth generation of my Volga-German family in the United States, and the first not to be a farmer. Throughout, I explore my ideas and inner conflicts in regard to what is being done to the land in the name of Capitalism. An overarching theme is the interconnectedness of land health with the health, physical and mental, of humanity and animal life. Awareness and imagination are encouraged and developed through my personal experiences and talks with my father, and our experiences with the landscapes of Kansas. Readers can expect to witness nature's cunning, intricacy, and power, while learning some historical and geological information about the state. I also touch on ideas of craftsmanship and quality, honesty, respect, and tradition in regard to work ethic. The essays describe how minor interference can affect the biotic community in ways humanity is incapable of fully understanding. I attempt to capture tiny pieces of the endless puzzle that make up the intricate natural world not only so I can be more aware of my surroundings, but with the hope that others will gain understanding as well. Through exploring the significance of weather, place, plant use, and land health, I aim to dig deeper into the intuitive connections humanity has always had with the earth. I aim to help change humanity's "crisis of morality" Wendell Berry describes as our shortfall, because as he says, it is not a crisis of technology humanity faces. | |
