Life on the Mesa

I watched this for the 2nd time last night on satellite.

My grandparents lived like that 75 years ago. My great great grandparents homesteaded out in the worst part of New Mexico they could find. They lived much the same as these folks, except with a lot less, and they got by. Grandma's usual response to people wanting to live what they think is a simpler life like this is "why on earth would anyone want to live like that?" I guess if you grow up with it and eventually you find something a little more reliable and a little more comfortable, you tend to have more appreciation for the things of man, and a bit less for being able to do whatever you want. Grandma's response to all that freedom was "freedom to do what? You worked 16 hours a day and did without a lot of things city folk would take for granted. How is that better?"

I guess if you have a govt check to rely on every month, and handouts of food and water, then life on the mesa might not be as hard as it was for Grandma.

Sometimes hard work can feel rewarding. I like the idea of the "simple life" but I also like the idea of the modern appliances. I like to try a mixture of the two.

Living out in remote areas sounds great, but I want to take some of my modern toys with me.


Nothing wrong with hard work.

Even more so when it’s for yourself. Working hard for others (a job) does not generally pay much if any better then not working so hard.

When working hard for yourself, it has a seeable reward and result.

I guess the big difference for Grandma vs. those out there today is food stamps, welfare, food banks, pensions, disability and various other forms of govt. subsidy. Grandma says the only thing they got from the government back then was time to prove up on the land.

Sure makes life easier knowing you don't have to provide for yourself I reckon. Grandad worked for the Hill Ranch most of the time, till the Feds took it over to go blow a bomb up in the 40s, that was outside of Carthage where they were living at the time, so I've been told.