I am a 35 yr.old nurse, and I was brought up in Summertown, not very far from The Farm. I was 10 yrs.old that summer that all the beautiful multi-colored buses came rolling down the highway, headed to the Farm's present location.I sat in the swing in the back yard, and, counted them as they passed down the road!I have never lived there, but, I have many friends there, and visit every week. I get most of my organic food at The Farm Store!I am also a bass guitarist, and, have played at alot of Farm benefit concerts.

i grew up for only 4 yrs on the farm but was privleged to go back and rediscover the place which there was no rat race or class of soiciety. My parents especially my father Alan and Jane Graf, talked abt the times they had and the friends that went with that time. I am only 21 now and am just living life as i want too. I somtimes just sit back and rember a certian 7-11 there, and i smile a quiet smile remembering the time way back...........

Welcome Annette. I knew Alan and Jane, wonder what they're up to these days? I seem to remember that Alan had moved from Austin to become a lawyer in Oregon several years back, is that right?

Yea - "AlanG"! He and his group played at the Farm, last summer; I do recall that it was during 7-11! Great music, too! We were all glad to have them!

I'm a 26 year old college student. I read about the Farm in what Stephen called a "republican publication."... some magazine ran by Whittle Communications. The article wasn't very positive, but I knew enough to know what was going on or at least what had gone on at the Farm. I split one weekend and just went there. I took a videocamera back to the junkyard and made a little tour of all the old buses. I also met Aaron Christopherson and we hung out for a while. It was a good thing that I had the vidcam., a I was able to tape a little bit after my car's engine threw a rod on one of the exits in Nashville at midnight on the way back!! I still have the tape, BTW. I went back 4 or 5 times after that. Call it whatever you want, but I get a really good positive feeling about the place. Once I get another one of my buses running, I'll probably try to make it down there again...

I had to copy and paste this from the 'apps' conference. Response 134 of 135: Andy Fieldflower (mindspace) Tue, Feb 10, 1998 (18:17) 4 lines Hi there! I live in Sweden, and am interressted in a site about 'the Farm' these days! Know that I have been in here before, but I don`t know under what pseudonym, so....! I`m a member of the LYCAEUM! http://www.lycaeum.org And there my 'Pseudonym' are mailto://arba@nym.lycaeum.org (end copy and paste) Welcome Andy, I hope we get to hear more about this LYCAEUM, you have peaked my curiosity! You've found the Farm discussion place, dive in!

I visited the Farm while I was attending college in Sewanee in the mid-to-late 80's; can't remember the exact year. My (then) wife and I met Ida Mae Gaskins and her husband, who happened to be dealing with a recently deceased Volvo, if I remember correctly. My wife was very impressed with the Gaskinses and the farm, I less so, although I appreciated its otherworldly air. It was a hot summer day, and we drove by the swimming hole, where many were beating the heat. I was impressed by the musical stage, sort of geodesic arrangement. I was also impressed by the general air of leisure and no-hurry of the people there, just whiling away a hot day in the most natural way. I sit here in my office in a high-rise building in downtown Chicago, with my expensive shirt and tie and my Italian shoes and my big paycheck, and I remember that day and the woman who was then my wife, and I wonder at it all, how one day lay on the path, inexorably, to the other. How strange.

are you happy now? strange indeed.

This would probably be more interesting if I had a clue what was being discussed.

This whole conference is about a large communal Farm in Tennessee. Mostly vegetarian.

O K

Hi. I am Roan Carratu. I lived on the Farm or it's 'secondary' Farms in a bunch of states from 1974 to 1983. I learned more on the Farm than anywhere else I ever lived, and still live by the spiritual vows I took then. I work with the New Civilization Network and the forming Foundation, and the instigator of an email list about the Farm which is not quite going yet. The members may check into here soon, since I notified them of this club. I regret nothing about the Farm Experiment, and consider it, slightly modified, to be the civilization of the future. It was too socially/politically naive, but the premise was and is the only survivable proposal for sane living I have ever found, so far. Experiments don't fail, they educate, and always lead to further experiments... -- Peace and Good Health, ------------------------------- Roan Carratu Business Site: http://www.OurMoment.com Home Site: http://www.bibbs.com/roan GeoDemocracy Site: http://geodemocracy.webjump.com Farmlist Site: http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Andes/3262 Email: roan@bibbs.com roan@worldtrans.org worldmind@geocities.com webmaster@OurMoment.com

Great that you're checking in, Roan. What are you doing nowadays? And what is your current connection to the Farm? Do you visit there? Do you still have friends on the Farm? Who did you "hang" with when you lived there? I think it's great that you're maintaining a listserv mailing list and I've just started to follow it.

Hi, this is Frank from Dogwood Blossom and the Austin Farm...I lived on Dogwood at about the same time Roan did...then I did the Austin Farm during the early dairy scene...we got it going...the other guy who was going to make tofu left...and we opened...sold a lot of good tofu. I left 'cause of a hep outbreak...had to close the dairy... I understand later Farm Foods of Texas re-opened doing an ice-bean thing. I split and did the carnival...went back to school...got a BSET and now do computer work for a church software company. -and still live by the spiritual vows I took then. I don't...I'm a gun owning omnivore...I voted for Pat Buchanan for President. but The Farm as a church still influences me to this day. and my diet is still different...I still eat GTNY (red star)and think of brown rice,"fancy" beans, and a salad as being a nice dinner...(it -IS- a good dinner...but ask your general omnivore about it)...I own a pressure cooker and know how to use it. -I regret nothing about the Farm Experiment, I do not regret my Farm time. It was an educational experience. I learned a lot.

Are you a big tall guy? I'm trying to remember if I ever ran accross you in Austin, when did you leave Austin and where (what town) are you living now?

Hi! Christina Moon (formerly Tina Long) here. I lived on the TN Farm from 1977 till I left in 1983. I have 5 kids, Sean, Jeff, Peter, Erin & John. My ex's name is David Long. He worked in the Book Publishing Co. I was a midwife. I now live in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, in the woods, on a mountain top. I am now a Hospice Midwife/RN. All 5 kids live near enough that we get to see each other fairly frequently. I am interested in reconnecting with Farm folks & continuing the discussion......... Blessed Be! Christina

What's the view like from your mountaintop?

Hi This of course is my real name,not a pseudonym. It makes me laugh to think maybe Im wrong and Im really someone else. Oh well-- Im a beginner on the web. I got an address at the library and may be bumped off at any minute. Its luck i found my way to this chat. Im very thrilled and hope I can get back tommorrow to see if I get any responses. I joined the Farm in l980. Lived at Fourth South for almost a year, then moved next door to Fourth North, Also lived with James and Bea Staggs at First Road House with Leslie and Pamala next door. I spent a year and a half at the New YOrk Farm and some months at the DC Center before returning to the Farm . I did canning, dairy, gate, and worked at the Recording Studio/Tape Co. I have alot to say , but for a long time I was too mad to do anything but turn everyone off----even folks who agreed with me. I tried going to the "offical farm site" but not much there. Finally got connected through a link to the Farm Net News and got a sample copy, and a way to t is site. I sure look forward to communicating with ex Farm folks who want to talk more then the party line. I was stunned to hear of John Iburs death. I was close with the Iburs when I lived in TN, but have lost touch with all my friends there for some years now. I live in Ithaca, New York now at 3l8 Plain St. 14850 2750361 , e-mail detwilerc@Yahoo. Ill be wrinting more if I can get back here.

Wow, Christine, glad you found this via the FNN of Karen Flaherty. I talked to Karen for about a half hour day before yesterday thanks to the miracle of http://www.dialpad.com. The net and apps like dialpad are letting us renew long lost relationships. Why were you so mad? I really hope you find your way back here.

Hi Terry Was really amazed to find my letter featured. I'll think about this a little bit and respond to your question, "why was I so mad", soon. I didn't read the Farm Net for many years, so alot of my stuff has probably been covered before, but I did return to the Farm from the New York Farm at a time when most other folks were gone or heading out.(after the coup) I observed some real disturbing things that alot of people didnt. By the way, do I know you? Im back at the library on 15 minute express so have to go now, but will be in touch. I realize It was wrong to call this a chat. Is there a chat going on other then here with ex Farm members? Thanks again===your response has made my week. Christine

HI Well, Im back. Its been hard for me to pin it down in words I want to say about why I was so mad, but Ill give it a try. I felt that when I joined the Farm and sacrificed many many things worth more then just the money and the car that I gave the Farm, the I was entering into an agreement---a legal agreement as well as spiritual. We owned all things in common. I felt angry that a group of people could plot behind other peoples back and just announce that everything was changed because they said so. I felt that the "new Farm---Firm,whatever" accomplished the restructuring of the Farm by being bullies and indimidating any one else who didnt agree with them. The children of God are not worldly wise,and most folks just rolled over and left. There was also the factor that the leaders of this coup were people who had been entrusted with positions of power, heads of businesses, bank,etc. They knew the change was going to happen (because they were engineering it) way before the general populace and were a le to financially prepare for it. An example of this would be how Robert Moore of Solar Electronics would buy a new car for the business before the change then after the change also be the one who owned Solar Electronics (because he said so) and have a car to drive whenever he wanted to even if it wasnt technically his. (or his to have to pay for) I wouldnt put it past him to somehow have this covered making it part of the Farm debt to be paid off with common funds. Im not saying he did this, but I think he did. Then there was the deal with the soy dairy. The Foundation would sell these business at their descretion (LEGALLY COMMUNIALLY HELD BUSINESSES) for whatever and to whomever they wanted to. There was supposed to be open bidding for the soy dairy but the announcement to that effect was for such a short time period that people like Romona and Jeff lost the chance by just being out of town for a few days. To add insult to injury Ron and Michele Lee came up with a big part of their down payment by se ling off every bit of stainless steel they could scam from canning and the bakery.(all the big cooking pots,sinks etc.) Im sure in the "real world" this is a piddeling amount of money, but Im sure the deal they made with the Foundation was quite generous, because thats how things were in those days. You kissed ass, you got stuff. You complained and you were ostercized and told, if you dont like it here, why dont you just leave. Well, I got to run. Im being bumped off here. Ill add more later Christine

I notice that this site doesnt get hit very often. Oh well, I guess this is really doing me some good to say these things so I might as well finish even if no one else reads this except perhaps for you Terry. Id like to add a few more things in answer to why I was mad. I was mad about how some people who left the Farm blackmailed those behind by threatning to talk to authorities about things we agreed not to talk about and in return got vehicals. Also those who left the Farm and were allowed to sell the houses on the Farm (our legally common-owned houses) from a distance because their money had gone into said houses and they had pals on the board or at least were able to indimidate the board into allowing them to do that. Of course legally no one got to own a house prior to the coup but fairness and legality was not in operation at that time. It was who you knew, what you knew, and how good you were at psycologically bullying that mattered in those days. Also it makes me really mad to read comments bout how a big reason the farm failed was because some people were doing all the work and some folks were hardly working. I dont know Matthew McClure.( see item"Why the Farm Failed" ) He was one of those high holy hippies. At least I never saw him down at canning scrubbing compost buckets. But I definetely think hes a jerk and an apologist for a group of thieves. People had to work hard on the Farm because if you didnt youre household would be up into your thing on a daily basis and you wouldnt have a place to live if you didnt come up with it to be fair. I never saw many hard working people in my life as on the Farm. This lie about all the loafers on the Farm particulary pisses me off because so many of us were willing to do the menial never noticed dirty jobs and hard physical labor so guys like Albert (his highness Bates) could develope their personal dreams. I believe the New Firm folks use this lousy excuse so often as one of the reasons they needed to take over the Farm because its the numbe one reason capitolists, parents and other people of little faith give for why they think communes cant work,and they knew it would be readily believed.(though I think its bullshit) Im mad because I feel the property in TN was illegally stolen from my kid, from many hippy dreamers and visionaries in this generation, and unfortunately from probably seven generations to facilitate creating a planned community for the benefit of a few and their children. Of course if you remember your teachings the Farm is not a physical place. Also because everything that was done was quite illegal, maybe someday some Farm person with a good lawyer will be able to do something about what happened there. Im sure collectively we dissidents would have many stories that would help. I know suing the Farm sounds really square, but dont forget Ghandi was above all a lawyer and won most of the freedoms for people that he did through the courts, by insisting the law that was already there must be followed. So, by for now. I do ant to write about one more thing Im mad about if I dont get thrown off the spring. I appreciate the chance to do this.I actually feel like Im channeling or something. Hope someone writes back. Christine

I have to agree with Christine on many things most especially about the hard working "little people" on the Farm. I was never a signed on member like her and I guess that was mainly because I didn't want to give up what little I had being a slum girl from the big city that never had too much growing up. But I did spend some time there from 1979 to about 1983 when all the bad stuff happened and some very close friends of mine that worked their butts off and were on the caravan, etc. were very hurt by the way everything unraveled. I still find it very hard to say anything negative about the Farm in general and people like Ina May in particular who I know to be a high and spiritual lady and a true revolutionary along the lines of Gandhi and Mother Teresa but then I never had any dealings with Stephen whatsoever and really only thought of him as Ina May's husband. lol I regret not one minute I ever spent on the Farm or with Farm folks and if I had it to do over I would probably spend more time there. Go ng there to have my children was the best thing I ever did and I treasure the memories more than I can express.

"all the bad stuff"? What happened and what went wrong? And what could have happened differently for things to have turned out better?

"all the bad stuff" the stuff that Christine was talking about which I wasn't really privy to, however, I take her word for her side of it. "all the bad stuff" is also the bad stuff I knew about personally like friends of mine that worked very hard doing all kinds of Farm stuff and when it reorganized they had to leave because they had been doing non-traditional jobs ON THE FARM instead of traditional 8 to 5 jobs with a paycheck. And I don't really know what could have happened differently for things to have turned out better, as I stated I was never a signed on member just a friend that observed various things. I have only the best feelings about the Farm myself as I also stated.