In one of his Just a Few Acres Farm videos, Pete was repairing a plow and mentioned the coulter. Being a Wendell Berry nerd, I recognized that as one of the surnames in Port William. That led me down a rabbit hole. Let’s be clear: the following is pure speculation based on internet research and could be wrong.

Coulter A blade or disc set ahead of the plowshare that cuts into the soil, resulting in a neater furrrow.

Feltner Appears to be an Americanized version of a surname with roots in the German word feld, meaning “field.” Could have agricultural connections?

Beechum Beech-Nut tobacco was a popular, early chewing tobacco brand. I have my doubts about this connection, though: 1. It’s admittedly a stretch, and 2. Beech-Nut was acquired by the James B. Duke tobacco empire and we all know how uncle Wendell feels about Duke.

Wheeler The draft horse in the position nearest the front wheels of the wagon.

Pettit Possibly derived from an Old French word meaning “small.” This was the last name of the money-obsessed man who married Old Jack’s daughter Clara, who rejected her father’s way of life and cared nothing about what he loved.

Burley Coulter This is a particular character’s full name, not a family name. Burley is the type of tobacco grown in Kentucky and surrounding regions. Burley Coulter is in some ways the heart of the Port William membership. Sometimes wayward, not a traditional family man, he comes to feel the value of the membership keenly. “The difference ain’t in who is a member and who is not, but in who knows it and who don’t.”

Meet Ralph, our garage cat. He started showing up a few months ago. His hair was terribly matted and had to be painful, so one day we caught him and shaved off the matted bits. He wasn’t happy about it, but maybe he appreciated it because he started showing up regularly, especially once we started feeding him.

As winter approached, we set him up with a bed and heated mat in the (detached) garage, plus a cat door so he can come and go as he pleases. We like having him around.

Almost a month ago, I dumbed down my smartphone. Here’s my report.

The immediate effect was about a one-third reduction in my overall screen time (my iPhone and iPad taken together), so even retaining some of the time-waster apps on my iPad made significant progress. This is because:

1. The iPad cannot be used comfortably in bed, meaning I’m futzing around online less before going to sleep.
2. The iPad cannot be used at work without raising, ummm, concerns with my boss. While I wasn’t wasting a lot of time on my phone at work, it wasn’t zero.
3. As expected, this means that I mainly use my iPad at times when it’s “okay” to waste a bit of time, e.g., sitting at home.

A few weeks ago, I was looking over the books I had read this year and it’s an embarrassingly small number. I’ve been reading much more over the past month. To be fair, though, that may be due to the change in seasons, i.e., I always read more in the winter.

I did not track how many times I picked up my phone before and after the change, but I feel like it is far less. I leave it behind more often without noticing.

It hasn’t caused any serious inconvenience. Because it’s still a smartphone, I can use it for work-related tasks that would be more difficult (not impossible) with a true dumbphone.

It’s happened a few times that I wanted to look something up but couldn’t. The solution is easy enough: set up a reminder to look it up later.

While I was never the worst screen addict, I was too easily slipping into distraction when I could have been doing something better. (Note: not “more productive”–that’s a fool’s game. “Better.") So with minimal inconvenience, I have decreased screentime and increased reading. I call that success.

Nothing original below. To the contrary, I’m trying to remember that less alienated era I grew up in. Some of these I’m doing and some I’m working on. Please suggest additions.

1. Don’t talk about politics or religion. Never bring it up yourself and if the other person brings it up, redirect the conversation.
2. The only exception to the above is local news. This encourages engagement with the concerns of the community, which actually affects your life.
3. Don’t gossip, even if it is local.
4. Get to know your neighborhood by walking it. This gives it texture and shape in your mind.
5. Embrace small talk; it signals openness between people who may not have much in common.
6. Take note of the elders around you and watch out for them.
7. Avoid cash exchange. Practice the gift economy.
8. Be outside more. That’s where most neighborly interactions happen.
9. Try to remember names. Failing that, “neighbor” signals a warm heart despite a blank mind.
10. Consider the health of your neighborhood as a whole.
11. Wave.
12. Welcome new neighbors with baked goods.
13. Feed the birds and stray cats.

One of the good things I learned from my upbringing in the Holiness church: going it alone.

I keep running across people looking for validation in their spiritual path. I get it. We all love validation. We want someone to help us along, encourage us, tell us we’re not crazy.

At the same time, there’s a valuable lesson in “I’m gonna pray if I pray by myself; I’m gonna stand if I have to stand alone.”

(Aside: That’s a pretty bland recording of the song. I’ve never found a good recording of Holiness singers. You’d only ever understand what Holiness music can be at its best by hearing it live. It’s as if the Holy Ghost refuses to enter recording studios.)

I remember women who had faithfully prayed for years for their lost husbands and lost children dancing in the aisles during that song, a Spirit of defiance having overtaken them. They would return to their tearful prayers soon enough but in that moment they were prepared to leave even their dearest ones behind in pursuit of their goal.

I’m quite aware of the dangers of spiritual lone wolfism. At the moment, however, we seem to be in a time of increasing conformity; the Romantic Spirit is waning. I don’t blame anyone for turning to the more established sources. Lord knows I’ve felt the draw too. Nevertheless, some of us still feel the call of individualism. For those with ears to hear, let them hear.