In a super-sanitized theatre earlier this year, we viewed the movie LAND, the story of a lone women who seeks solace in nature to heal unbearable wounds
BLURB (no spoilers!)
From acclaimed actress Robin Wright comes her directorial debut LAND, the poignant story of one woman’s search for meaning in the vast and harsh American wilderness. Edee, in the aftermath of an unfathomable event, finds herself unable to stay connected to the world she once knew and in the face of that uncertainty, retreats to the magnificent, but unforgiving, wilds of the Rockies. After a local hunter brings her back from the brink of death, she must find a way to live again.
The land grounds us, provides stability under our feet,
nourishes our souls and feeds our bodies.
The 9.1 acres in Bainbridge, owned first by the the Horsts and then passed into my family through Grandma Fannie Longenecker, whose mother was Mary Horst. When my Mennonite father Ray Longenecker died, my mother continued to contract with farmers to till the soil, usually with corn, and then receive a portion of the proceeds. (Photos below courtesy of my sister Jean Fairfield.)
In 2015, when my mother’s estate was settled, the acreage was sold to the village of Bainbridge, the sale administered by Steve Mohr (the shadow in the photo below). Although original plans included building a community center, the land in the last year or two has been farmed, with the village collecting the proceeds. At this time, farmer Lester Zimmerman is planting and harvesting a field with tomatoes. We have come full circle! At least for now.
Note from Steve: “The Longenecker field is looking good. 9 acres of tomatoes as promised. Note the stones in the one picture. All round river stones. At one time the Susquehanna River covered what is now the village of Bainbridge.”
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If you have read Mennonite Daughter: The Story of a Plain Girl, the photos will make Chapter 17, “Tomato Girl Gets a Bike” come to life.
Helping Daddy cultivate the field in Bainbridge, 1950s
What does land mean to you?
Is there a special property in your heritage?
Any books or movies with the theme of “land” you can recommend?
“This land is your land, this land is my land.” What a great connector land has been for our writing journeys, Marian. As I prepare to go back to the land of my birth, I will do so with new eyes. I am looking now at the poster I carried in the women’s march of 2017 in DC: “Mennonite Grandma says, ‘The earth is the Lord’s.'” That’s the title of John Ruth’s history of Lancaster County Mennonites. So much more to say about this . . . but now on to sorting and packing.
You’re up bright and early, as usual, Shirley, sorting and packing and noticing my blog.
Yes, from the Alpine pastures of Switzerland to Penn’s Woods, land has been a huge “character” in our heritage. No wonder it figured large in each of our memoirs. Thanks once again! 🙂
Good morning, Marian! It must make you feel good that your family’s land is feeding a village.
I know of the movie, but I haven’t seen it yet.
Yes, Merril, it’s a pleasant surprise that land we thought would accommodate a community center is returning to being farmed, better for the environment too.
You’d enjoy the movie, I think, because of the great acting and the wide vistas of the Rockies. 🙂
Wonderful, Marian! I hope the land will remain as farmland and not be disturbed with a building.
Well, we don’t own the land anymore, so we don’t have a “say,” but Mr. Mohr was mighty pleased to tell us the acreage is back to growing tomatoes and even boasted the fact with some photos. 🙂
It must be very gratifying to see that your family’s farmland is still being farmed. The special property in my heritage is Edgewood Road in Lexington, Massachusetts. The entire street was once “Edgewood,” my great-great-great grandparents’ estate, replete with a very grand, very Victorian house, all gone now, the land parceled out and out of the family. As for me, I am very tied to the land of northern New England. I need it to maintain my equilibrium.
Liz, I like that you feel the pull of a specific setting, and region of the country. Now when I see your face online I can picture you in a New England setting. I like too that your attachment is emotional as is mine, needing it to maintain equilibrium. 🙂
🙂
I love the quote, The land grounds us, provides stability under our feet,nourishes our souls and feeds our bodies. Coming from a rural background, I believe this is true. My dad sold his ranch about 6 years before he passed away. The last time I drove by, there were llamas in the yard. It was always a place for animals so it seemed fitting.
Yes, I recall you have a Canadian heritage, steeped in farming too. How wonderful that you can picture a pastoral scene still with llamas in the yard. Thanks, Darlene! 🙂
Marian — I enjoyed the photos. That’s one heckofa lot of tomatoes!
When I think of LAND, I think of doing a walkabout—hiking, observing, and enjoying what I see. As a pilot, when Len thinks of LAND, it’s a place to take off from and view from the air.
Yes, 9.1 acres will produce a lot of ketchup and tomato sauce. ;-D
You poionted out two different perspectives on “land.” I enjoy nature walks every day, but I’ll let landing planes up to pilots…can’t wait to fly again. Safely, of course. Thanks for checking in today, Laurie!
Great post, Marian!!! Wonderful photos! That movie also sounds intriguing. As for books, I immediately thought of HATTIE BIG SKY by Kirby Larson: https://www.amazon.com/Hattie-Big-Sky-Kirby-Larson/dp/0385735952. It is about homesteading. I loved it!
I love being near trees and hearing birds.
I just clicked on the link you sent and am very impressed: over 300 Amazon reviews + mostly 5-star ratings. I see it’s part of a series too.
Thanks for checking in today, L. Marie, lover of trees and birds and (very soon) budding bushes too. 🙂
Marian, our land is a precious , soul-nurshering gift that keeps giving as shown in those fields of tomatoes! Wayne and I treasured our farm—like a family member— and grieved its loss. But it is now in the hands of a lovely couple whom we know will take good care of it. Loved hearing that your land has come full circle.The movie LAND sounds fascinating.
Kathy, I remember your sending me a Christmas photo with grandsons in front of the Pooler barn. I also recall a blog banner with a path through the fields. You and I will always be attached to the land with sweet memories and memorable photos. Thanks, Kathy! 🙂
I Praise God for loving me enough to bless me with the Longenecker family. A city girl to country Mennonite life all the love values and life lessons that I learned. I love country life, actually I’d love to buy a ranch now to have two goats and a chicken coop for just our joy. I learned to hike in Pennsylvania to ski and enjoy all the fields that are breath taking. I always say that Pennsylvania is truly Gods country. In all its Beaty and splendor. Nice picture of you and dad on the tracker. So nice to know the field is still being farmed.
You made the choice to take a bold step in your life when your children were very young. Yes, you have been blessed, but you have also blessed others with your own example. Mother and Daddy were so very happy to have you all in their lives after we moved away from home. Thanks for stopping by today, dear Gloria. I’m glad you have some time to enjoy life more with fewer responsibilities now. Yay!
Thanks, Gloria. 🙂
Two things visually catch my eye: your cute mad face picking tomatoes–I’ll have to go back and read your account. The other is the single front tire/wheel on the tractor for cultivating your father used. I’m guessing it was made for two tires, but he removed one so as to not have a wider packed track in the field?? Do you remember or know? Now you’ve got me curious.
The movie sounds interesting and spellbinding. It reminds me of the book I read recently, Merle’s Door, about a dog and his owner in the Wyoming Rockies near the Grand Tetons. I think I blogged about it. Anyway, such a wonderful setting.
Melodie, I think I was mad because my hand smacked into a rotten tomato, OR perhaps the hot sun was drilling down on me too hard. I know I didn’t feel cute at the time.
Your reference to Merle’s Door led me to do a search on your blog, which led me to this post: one of two parts: https://findingharmonyblog.com/2019/01/19/amish-boys-first-trip-to-florida-1944/
As always, thanks! 🙂
These are great pictures, Marian. It is lovely to see them having read your book. The movie also sounds interesting. I don’t watch movies or television at all. I suppose Gone with the Wind was about land and a love of it.
You’re right about Gone with the Wind being about the land: a Southern plantation during the American Civil War. A lot of love in that movie, including a conflicted romance.
You’re smart not to watch TV, often a time-waster. No wonder you get SO much done: baking, writing blog posts and BOOKS. Readers: Here is one (of a series) that combines story and baking: https://www.amazon.com/Chocolate-Sugar-Crystal-Caves-Cookbook/dp/1912416476
Thanks, Robbie! 🙂
That sounds like a good movie, Marian. We haven’t been to the theatres since Covid, but can maybe get it on demand on our T.V. You don’t look particularly happy harvesting tomatoes on Cliff’s painting, but it looks like you’re enjoying the tractor ride with your daddy. I think my father really missed the land and his horses when we emigrated to Canada. He never did get a car or learn to drive! It was a sacrifice he made for our family.
Like you, my father instilled in me a strong work ethic for which I am so thankful. He was self-sacrificing too, just like your father, whom I have grown to admire through your blog posts. I’ve used the happy photo of me riding with Daddy before. It surprises me that several photos are taken in fields: Mother in the tobacco field, Aunt Ruthie and me hoeing weeds among the tomato plants, and this one. Someone remembered to take a camera. 😉
I think you would like the movie, LAND, filmed either in the Canadian or the American Rockies. Some of it takes place in rough winter but also shows spring flowers, which must be emerging through the soil in your neck of the woods. As always, thanks for bringing your perspective to the theme today, Elfrieda.
Marian, I remember very well your hard work in your family’s tomato fields and really felt your the young you. It is lovely, however, to see the real farm in these photos. I can only imagine the memories they must have brought back for you.
The film ‘Land’ sounds right up my street and I’ll look out for its release here. As for recommending a story with a imilar message, I really enjoyed Diane Cook’s The New Wilderness, a bit harsh and even brutal sometimes, but beautiful nonetheless. I hope you’ll get a chance to read it.
Yes, Fatima, I never expected to see the field planted in tomatoes again, but there you have it. I looked up the book you suggested and see it’s an award-winning, debut novel with well over a thousand reviews – wow! https://www.amazon.com/New-Wilderness-Diane-Cook/dp/0062333135
Thanks for the recommendation! 🙂
Ah, Pennsylvania farmland! Wonderful story, Marian. Finally, I will get up there after more than a year (darn COVID!) this spring. Anxious to see scenes like this.
Oh, whee! How lucky, thee! A trip to PA this spring.
I like seeing photos, but being there with the lovely limestone-infused soil under my feet would be even better. Safe travels to Pennsylvania this spring. Enjoy every minute. 🙂
It’s good to hear from you again, Lorrie, all best!
Long live the Longanecker acreage. I wish we had ways to speak of land as alive, as animate, as alive.
I agree, Dolores! The land is alive: a character in our stories, and real acreage that supplies food to the hungry as it nourishes our souls. Thanks for reading and commenting here, my friend! 🙂
I can almost smell those tomatoes, Marian. I have fond memories of the farm I grew up on. My favourite “land” part of it was a small stream and pond. The trilliums grew there by the hundreds in the spring. I miss it very much every May.
I didn’t know you grew up on a farm; I guess I must not have been paying attention – ha!
Streams and ponds supply sounds, sometimes trickling or bubbling. I have forgotten what trilliums look like, so I googled it. I wonder if yours look like any of these: https://www.google.com/search?q=image+%22trillium%22&lr=&as_qdr=all&sxsrf=ALeKk01E7yW4-EKcIIy7AIQ3k9IgUMBbdA:1618492565723&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=lUFUXDNE9PQHrM%252CdI9QaDiqLOgxpM%252C_&vet=1&usg=AI4_-kRNXXW1a0QORFG9gxDuoDJ-pA3nRA&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwig_s3TqoDwAhVMRTABHYXoCd0Q9QF6BAgWEAE#imgrc=lUFUXDNE9PQHrM
Your mention of trilliums remind me of the irises Mom planted. We don’t see them in Florida, except in bouquets. Thanks for all this inspiration, Arlene! 🙂
Yes, that is exactly what they look like. They are the official flower for the province of Ontario, where I live.
🙂
Nature heals our insides and our outsides. This post made me realize that. What a beautiful circle you show us here, from your tomatoes fields (and young you) to the planting and harvesting for an entire village. You must feel full up from joy that your family is part of this ful(filling) healing. I’ll look for the movie. Robin Wright is a good actor – I think I first saw her in Forest Gump. I don’t have a particular ownership of land, but have learned to appreciate the land of my ancestors (England) and family (New Jersey) more. AS a high schooler I couldn’t wait to leave the small town in southern NJ where I grew up. Now I have a greater appreciation for the small town values/family/support/church that I was given there.
You describe so well the circle I’ve traveled too. I couldn’t wait to leave Lancaster County, PA, even though even back then it was referred to as the “Garden Spot of America.” I don’t regret my journey but have always loved to return to little old E-Town, where I grew up. Now, all my close relatives are gone, and one sister lives near Philly, but we have friends including cousins still there if I choose to visit.
Thanks for the “review” of your geographical journey, which reminds me of the T. S. Eliot quote: we can “arrive where we started / And know the place for the very first time,” that too a circle of awareness.
Thanks for always inspiring here, Pam! 🙂
It’s so interesting, Marian, and I suppose happens with age. The longer we’re around, the more we see that what goes around comes around (I never understood that quote, but maybe now I do…) ;-0
Me too, I think!
My father still owns a small wood lot, the remaining piece of land purchased well over 100 years ago. My great-great grandmother dug a tree from it and planted it at the adjacent cemetery when her husband died. The tree became a tall, split pine, which had to be cut down in the late 1990s. The RCEME used it to train during WWII and my grandmother got to visit once. She would smile, telling the story of one soldier being reprimanded for cursing when there was “a lady present”. A neighbour tapped trees and made maple syrup for years, which he shared with us. Now his grandson is growing mushrooms there. I would love to buy it to keep it in the family but I”m not sure we’d be able to afford it. I’d love for it to remain untouched for years to come.
I love your history of the tall, split pine. I think you have created a future blog post with this one. I enjoyed the tiff with Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal on your blog yesterday. As a human, I can relate to the couple – ha! Thank, Jenn.
I’d like to see the movie you saw and will keep on the lookout for it. As for shows about land, we’ve been watching a British drama called Land Girls that is on Acorn. It’s soap opera-ish, but fascinating. The story revolves around young women in England during WWII who end up growing food on land owned by the aristocracy. Much thwarted love, of course, but ultimately educational about the era.
Ally, we have Acorn too, and I’ve seen Land Girls advertised there. This is the nudge to look into it! thanks! 🙂
I remember that part of your story in Mennonite Daughter, Marian. Such fond (and not so fond, regarding bikes and a certain person) memories! Land to me means nature, which I love. And then there’s an interesting, negative, experience with land in Baja recently, but I will elaborate on that in a future blog post.
It seems to me your land is our planet, which you roam more freely than I do. Now you have enticed me with your interesting, but negative, experience with land in Baja recently. I look forward to reading about it.
I think that we’ve both discovered that readers relate to our negative experiences even more than the positive ones because challenges are more intriguing than a pleasant, humdrum life. In May I will write about the 18-month experience living with two babies in a travel trailer. Yes, I lived to tell the story – ha!
Looking forward to that story, Marian, as I’ve only heard snippets about that so far. 🙂
Coming down the chute, May 12 🙂
wonderful news about your family land!
Thank you, Fiona!
Family land! How did I miss this? I’m here now (on your blog and on my land). I feel like I know your farm, or at least the feeling of it from your book, but also from my experience. About 40 years ago, I visited my family land in Missouri. The house and barns were gone (they were beyond repair) and a new home had been built by the new owner, but I recognized the grove of catalpa trees that shaded the new house and the front pasture where grandpa kept a small herd of sheep. It was hard for my dad and uncle to give up the land they’d plowed as boys. So far, my sons and I hang on, but nothing is forever. The best thing Vic and I did was sign a conservation easement on this land so it’s protected from development even after we die or it’s sold. The deer and turkeys are glad about that, too. Tomatoes! We’re having another April snow, so it’s hard to imagine them, but they will come.