Monthly Archives: October 2008

Documenting a Life: Hermit Dick Proenneke "Alone in the Wilderness"

October 24, 2008

No Most Memorable Hermits list would be complete without Dick Proenneke (1916-2003) whose hermit life can frequently be viewed during PBS pledge-drives. “Alone in the Wilderness” tells Proenneke’s story of life alone in Alaska, relying on simple hand tools and his own physical labor to build  his cabin and sustain himself with little outside assistance – no small feat [...]

Deciduous Deficit: Lonely Vine Maple Trying for Vibrant

October 22, 2008

This lonely little vine maple is doing it’s best to show off this year. Our property has such an abundance of evergreen trees, most of the deciduous trees are barely visible in their fall glory.  In wetter years, like this one,  the overshadowed deciduous trees don’t even get glorious – the leaves just turn ugly yellow-brown and drop.  Garaj Mahal (shop building) in the background;  Dodge-the-Cat sniffing about lower left.

By Trish | Posted in Cats, Family, Home | Tagged , | Comments off

Curiously Close to the Mark – Hermit Brain Types: Griz is a Whiz, I am a "Peculiar Being."

October 19, 2008
j0187587

This album contains 1 items.

A few posts back I quoted Chinese hermit Han-Shan whose explanation of the hermit life included “our minds are not the same/if they were the same/you would be here” which reminded me that a few years ago Griz and I had the opportunity to complete Jonathan Niednagel’s Brain Type Questionnaire. Niednagel’s Brain Typing is a sport psychology [...]

Off-To-Be-a-Hermit Humor by Cartoonist Kevin Pope

October 12, 2008
liveanimals

This album contains 2 items.

One of the best farewell greeting cards I ever received was this one by cartoonist Kevin Pope in the early 1990′s. I actually did quit my job (though I never did wear live [or dead] animals on my head).   Griz and I took off on one of our periodic sailing-into-the-wilderness adventures aboard S/V WaterBrother. By the time we returned, Griz [...]

Definitely Keeping Low Profiles: Two 19th Century Female Hermits

October 9, 2008
deathoffemalehermit

This album contains 2 items.

Here’s two short, telling articles from The New York Times archives. This one was published July 12, 1880: Other than being a reclusive hermit, we don’t really get any explanation of why Julia’s considered a “peculiar being.” That was probably peculiar enough. “Why she chose a hermit’s life is not known?” If my only available means of support were servant (unmarried), servant [...]

Where Have All the Female Hermits Gone?

October 8, 2008
goatwoman3

This album contains 2 items.

Thought it was about time to include a woman on the Most Memorable Hermits list and discovered (with the exception of a few within religious orders), it’s hard to find historical records of the female of the species. I could launch into a long, feminist diatribe here, but I won’t – just the basics: Until the last [...]

China’s Han-Shan: Another Most Memorable Hermit

October 8, 2008
songsofcoldmountain

This album contains 1 items.

Han-Shan was a curmudgeonly Zen mystic/philosopher born in the early 700′s, and is one of China’s most revered poets. His name translates to “Cold Mountain.”  Han-Shan lived in a cave at the base of Hanyen, (Cold Cliff), in Chekiang Province and wrote his poetry on stone slabs and tree trunks. Three hundred of the poems survived and are [...]

Remembering Old Joe Ross: Most Memorable Hermit No. 5

October 1, 2008
goatman2

This album contains 1 items.

He lived with his goats in a primitive cabin off Horn Creek, deep in the forest near the Harts Lake Loop Road, Pierce County, Washington.  He would occasionally hitchhike into McKenna for groceries – his source of income was unknown, possibly a meager pension.  Bearded, with a worn felt hat and old sweater, I never [...]