…Is just around the corner in the mountains of sunny California. What the NY Times did not mention in their recent article on the big bad Mexican drug cartel firestarters is that it ain’t just the “illegals” enjoying the fertile soil and sunshine for growing purple sticky punge. Year round, but mostly during harvest season, scores of people from all walks of life head to the hills to work on both LEGAL and ILLEGAL farms. It is so common that it’ll be mentioned on the radio (“hey trimmers, this one’s for you”) and local businesses stock up on supplies (use your imagination). There is a sense of community, with pilgrims returning year after year, some staying on to help grow the next season’s crops or maybe starting farms of their own. Sure, the money is a factor (it beats most desk jobs in more ways than one), but also the many gatherings, the return to nature, and the meeting of like-minded individuals lend to what many would call a “lifestyle”.
No doubt things can go wrong as in any situation. In this case, a campfire lit by those “believed to be low-level workers for a Mexican drug cartel” sparked a 90,000-acre wildfire. Yikes!
–ebeans
Elephantbeans 