Preface

In the Introduction, I said that the story of Dogpatch of the North begins in March 1999, but stories don't really begin that abruptly. Events leading up to the arbitrary starting point provide the context and background for the story. I do not attempt to fully explain those events here, but to hastily sketch one or two points that seem germane:

I had been a fairly commonplace working man in the computer and construction industries in the years preceding 1999. The steadily growing motives to pursue a more radical and counter-cultural life of sustainablility, non-consumerism, and tax resistance are described in this blog's Introduction, especially the paragraphs entitled "Tax resistance" and "Consumerism", and in other blog notes.

In contrast to these noble and lofty motives, the concrete events preceding March 1999 are quite lamentable and full of sin and selfishness. Without recounting the hateful details, I will simply say that my wife Lenore and I separated in early 1999. Not to make excuses, it could have been worse. There were no traumatized children, and we were still on basically amicable terms, and settled things without too much wrangling. We arranged to sell our duplex, split the proceeds, and continue in a more-or-less friendly but independent fashion.

This is germane in that it explains my situation: possessing a little liquid cash, and an opportunity to make a major change of direction. It's also germane because Lenore comes into the Dogpatch story quite often, and because her void comes into my story as well, making the sweet moments less sweet, and the trying moments more difficult.

So, anyway, in early March, I was helping to get Lenore settled into her little house in town (Superior, WI), and looking for ways to use my modest wad of money to pursue the tax resistant and non-consumerist ideal. To that end, I placed the following ad in the local free shopping paper:

WANTED TO BUY: Inexpensive fixer-upper house on 5 to 40 acres of land. Ph. xxx-xxxx