Since Boxing Day I’ve been on Facebook and in a moment of weakness decided to play an online game there called Farmville. Virtual farming allows one the vicarious pleasure of growing crops and tending cattle without the bother of getting one’s nails and knees dirty or shovelling the proverbial. Some of the game’s conventions stretch reality to the limit such as the thought of harvesting wheat after 3 days or placing 5 bulls in the same pasture. Keeping sheep and goats unpended and not seeing them attack nearby crops is novel as is the fact that crops don’t seem to need watering. Moving combines, barns and villas around at the click of a mouse gives one a feeling of power. One of the more interesting aspects of the game is the ability to visit neighbour farms to chase off foxes, crows or weed; fertilize crops; and feed the chickens. Seeing how others arrange their farms serves as inspiration for this pop analysis.
Seeing your neighbour’s farm is like walking into a friend’s home. Are they neat freaks, do they arrange their books in order, are there pictures on the wall, do they wallpaper, paint or use wood panelling? The first thing one notices is whether the farm plots are arranged in an orderly grid or are haphazard. Are their cattle fenced in separate pens, are they frozen in place or do they roam free. Well you try collecting eggs from a moving chicken. Sheep dart willy nilly and kittens tend to hide. It hadn’t occured to me that my chickens should be sorted by colour until I saw that someone else had done so. Same with my calves but who thought of making them green? Are the orchards neatly arranged or do their owners believe in a mixed forest ecology? Is the farm spacious or are the elements packed in?
Some farms remind you of a teenager’s bedroom but then some of the farmers are teens. Are the crops tended or allowed to wilt? Do the proprietors like crops, animals, orchards or a combination of all three. Do they add ornaments, place flowers, and collect topiaries. Is there a small village of outbuildings and extras or just the bare essentials? Is the farm well planned or were the elements just thrown together as they were acquired. And then there are the annal retentive and obsessive compulsives who have everything arranged in geometric proportions.
What my neighbours emphatically demonstrate is the power of their imaginations, artistry, and architectural planning. The beauty of some farmscapes is breathtaking. The artistry of some bowls me over. Some show the inspiration of antebellum estates that would gladden Scarlet O’Hara’s heart. Others demonstrate architectural wonders I would not have thought possible. Some people are willing to play the game in a small way and just enjoy dabbling on a ‘hobby farm’; while others will go to any lengths to get ahead in the game. Zynga, the game’s creators will allow you to spend real cash to advance faster than patient farming will allow. One can see signs that some farmers have so invested. And others who obviously tried it out and abandoned their farm.
You will notice that I have taken care not to mention names here but for those who are able by all means drop a line mentioning what you think my own farm tells about the owner.
Seeing your neighbour’s farm is like walking into a friend’s home. Are they neat freaks, do they arrange their books in order, are there pictures on the wall, do they wallpaper, paint or use wood panelling? The first thing one notices is whether the farm plots are arranged in an orderly grid or are haphazard. Are their cattle fenced in separate pens, are they frozen in place or do they roam free. Well you try collecting eggs from a moving chicken. Sheep dart willy nilly and kittens tend to hide. It hadn’t occured to me that my chickens should be sorted by colour until I saw that someone else had done so. Same with my calves but who thought of making them green? Are the orchards neatly arranged or do their owners believe in a mixed forest ecology? Is the farm spacious or are the elements packed in?
Some farms remind you of a teenager’s bedroom but then some of the farmers are teens. Are the crops tended or allowed to wilt? Do the proprietors like crops, animals, orchards or a combination of all three. Do they add ornaments, place flowers, and collect topiaries. Is there a small village of outbuildings and extras or just the bare essentials? Is the farm well planned or were the elements just thrown together as they were acquired. And then there are the annal retentive and obsessive compulsives who have everything arranged in geometric proportions.
What my neighbours emphatically demonstrate is the power of their imaginations, artistry, and architectural planning. The beauty of some farmscapes is breathtaking. The artistry of some bowls me over. Some show the inspiration of antebellum estates that would gladden Scarlet O’Hara’s heart. Others demonstrate architectural wonders I would not have thought possible. Some people are willing to play the game in a small way and just enjoy dabbling on a ‘hobby farm’; while others will go to any lengths to get ahead in the game. Zynga, the game’s creators will allow you to spend real cash to advance faster than patient farming will allow. One can see signs that some farmers have so invested. And others who obviously tried it out and abandoned their farm.
You will notice that I have taken care not to mention names here but for those who are able by all means drop a line mentioning what you think my own farm tells about the owner.
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