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baseme?nt floor disapp?eared under piles of potato?es, squash? and pumpki?ns, and the barn began to fill with apples? and pears. It was amazin?g. 开春后，有过两次泛滥?。一次是河水外?溢，我们不少田地?被淹了几个星?期。接着一次是生?长季节到了，一波又一波的?农产品潮涌而?来，弄得我们应接?不暇。我们的冰箱里?塞满2/75页了樱桃、蓝莓、草莓、芦笋、豌豆、青豆和玉米。接着我们存放?食品罐的架子?上、柜橱里也开始?堆满一罐罐的?腌渍食品，有番茄汁、葡萄汁、李子、果酱和果冻。最后，地窖里遍地是?大堆大堆的土?豆、西葫芦、南瓜，谷仓里也储满?了苹果和梨。真是太美妙了?。 8 The next year we grew even more food and manage?d to get throug?h the winter? on firewo?od that was mostly? from our own trees and only 100 gallon?s of heatin?g oil. At that point I began thinki?ng seriou?sly about quitti?ng my job and starti?ng to
freela?nce. The timing? was terrib?le. By then, Shawn and Amy, our oldest? girls were attend?ing expens?ive Ivy League? school?s and we had only a few thousa?nd dollar?s in the bank. Yet we kept coming? back to the same questi?on: Will there ever be a better? time? The answer?, decide?dly, was no, and so -- with my employ?er's blessi?ngs and half a year's pay in
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accumu?lated benefi?ts in my pocket? -- off I went. 第二年我们种?了更多的作物?，差不多就靠着?从自家树林砍?斫的木柴以及?仅仅100加?仑的燃油过了?冬。其时，我开始认真考?虑起辞了职去?从事自由撰稿?的事来。时机选得实在?太差。当时，两个大的女儿?肖恩和埃米正?在费用很高的?常春藤学校上?学，而我们只有几?千美金的银行?存款。但我们一再回?到一个老问题?上来:真的会有更好?的时机吗,答案无疑是否?定的。于是，带着老板的祝?福，口袋里揣着作?为累积津贴的?半年薪水，我走了。 9 There have been a few anxiou?s moment?s since then, but on balanc?e things? have gone much better? than we had any right to expect?. For variou?s storie?s of mine, I've crawle?d into black-bear dens for Sports? Illust?rated, hitche?d up dogsle?d racing? teams for Smiths?onian magazi?ne, checke?d out the Lake Champl?ain 'monste?r' for Scienc?e Digest?, and canoed? throug?h the Bounda?ry Waters? wilder?ness area of Minnes?ota for
Destin?ations?. 那以后有过一?些焦虑的时刻?，但总的来说，情况比我们料?想的要好得多?。为了写那些内?容各不相同的?文章，我为《体育画报》爬进过黑熊窝?;为《史密森期刊》替参赛的一组?组狗套上过雪?橇;为《科学文摘》调查过尚普兰?湖水怪的真相?;为《终点》杂志在明尼苏?达划着
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小舟穿?越美、加边界水域内?的公共荒野保?护区。 10 I'm not making? anywhe?re near as much money as I did when I was employ?ed full time, but now we don't need as much either?. I genera?te enough? income? to handle? our $600-a-month mortga?ge paymen?ts plus the usual expens?es for a family? like ours. That includ?es everyt?hing from music lesson?s and dental? bills to car repair?s and colleg?e costs. When it comes to insura?nce, we have a poor man's major-medica?l policy?. We have to pay the first $500 of any medica?l fees for each member? of the family?. It picks up 80% of the costs beyond? that. Althou?gh we are stuck with paying? minor expens?es, our premiu?m is low -- only $560 a year -- and we are covere?d agains?t catast?rophe. Aside from that and the policy? on our two cars at $400 a year, we have no other insura?nce. But we are settin?g aside $2,000 a year in an IRA. 我挣的钱远比?不上担任全职?工作时的收入?，可如今我们需?要的钱也没有?过去多。我挣的钱足以?应付每月60?0美金的房屋?贷款按揭以及?一家人的日常?开销。那些开销包括?了所有支出，如音乐课学费?、牙医账单、汽车维修以及?大学费用等等?。至于保险，我们买了一份?低收入者的主?要医疗项目保?险。我们需要为每?一位家庭成员?的
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任何一项医?疗费用支付最?初的500美?金。医疗保险则支?付超出部分的?80,。虽然我们仍要?支付小部分医?疗费用，但我们的保险?费也低--每年只要56?0美金--而我们给自己?生大病保了险?。除了这一保险?项目，以及两辆汽车?每年400美?金的保险，我们就没有其?他保险了。不过我们每年?留出2000?美元入个人退?休金账户。 3/75页 11 We've been able to make up the differ?ence in income? by cuttin?g back withou?t apprec?iably loweri?ng our standa?rd of living?. We contin?ue to dine out once or twice a month, but now we patron?ize local restau?rants instea?d of more expens?ive places? in the city. We still attend? the opera and ballet? in Milwau?kee but only a few times a year. We eat less meat, drink cheape?r wine and see fewer movies?. Extrav?agant Christ?mases are a memory?, and we combin?e vacati?ons with story assign?ments... 我们通过节约?开支而又不明?显降低生活水?准的方式来弥?补收入差额。我们每个月仍?出去吃一两次?饭，不过现在我们?光顾的是当地?餐馆，而不是城里的?高级饭店。我们仍去密尔?沃基听歌剧看?芭蕾演出，不过一年才几?次。我们肉吃得少?了，酒喝得便宜了?，电影看得少了?。铺张的圣诞节?成为一种回忆?，我们把完成稿?约作为度假的?一部分?? 12 I suspec?t not everyo?ne who
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loves the countr?y would be happy living? the way we do. It takes a couple? of specia?l qualit?ies. One is a
tolera?nce for solitu?de. Becaus?e we are so busy and on such a tight budget?, we don't entert?ain much. During? the growin?g season? there is no time for social?izing anyway?. Jim and Emily are involv?ed in school?
activi?ties, but they too spend most of their time at home. 我想，不是所有热爱?乡村的人都会?乐意过我们这?种生活的。这种生活需要?一些特殊的素?质。其一是耐得住?寂寞。由于我们如此?忙碌，手头又紧，我们很少请客?。在作物生长季?节，根本就没工夫?参加社交活动?。吉米和埃米莉?虽然参加学校?的各种活动，但他俩大多数?时间也呆在家?里。 13 The other requir?ement is energy? -- a lot of it. The way to make self-suffic?iency work on a small scale is to resist? the tempta?tion to buy a tracto?r and other expens?ive labors?aving device?s. Instea?d, you do the work yourse?lf. The only machin?ery we own (not counti?ng the lawn mower) is a little? three-horsep?ower rotary? cultiv?ator and a 16-inch chain saw. 另一项要求是?体力――相当大的体力?。小范围里实现?自给自足的途?径是抵制诱惑?，不去购置拖拉?机和其他昂贵?的节省劳力的?机械。相反，你要自己动手?。我们仅有的机?器(不包括割草机?)
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