It's the Land, it is our wisdom
It's the Land, it shines us through
It's the Land, it feeds our children
It's the Land, you cannot own the Land
The Land owns you.
— Dougie MacLain, Solid Ground
I have always sought the edges of society. Seeking to live near, but not too near, urban areas.
i have been attracted to locations that are harder, perhaps even harsh, than what many people would seek out to live and thrive.
In my youth, i was fascinated by those areas between the roads on maps. As i grew older, those areas between roads in southern Wisconsin became areas between the roads in northern Wisconsin. These areas were large wooded areas, not farmland.
I moved to Austin, Texas in 1999 to work in the dotcoms. It was an adventure learning new land, the Texas Hill Country is a wonder filled and magical place. But after 10 years i felt the call of the north once again.
I returned to Madison, with my bean chéile, but Madison had changed. We ended up in northern Minnesota. Even with annual trips to Texas for Karen to visit her family, and trips to Madison to visit mine, where we now feels the most like home.
My challenge now is how to relate the wisdom of John Moriarty and Martin Shaw into where i am, not the Connacht of Moriarty or the Dartmoor of Shaw.
I love where I live, and it is enhanced by knowing Dougie Maclean is here too, that he walks amongst us. Today misty drizzle soaks lichen covered bare branches. A wood fire will lift my spirits.