Maureen Newman
I was born and raised in a tiny village five miles outside of Oxford, England. Despite the close proximity to the bustling university town, the village of Forest Hill had few amenities. Sure, we had a village shop, which also housed the post office, two pubs, and a butcher shop. There were five farms and lots of wide-open fields. The village folk were almost all members of the same families who had lived there for generations. We had no schools. All the children went to school in nearby towns. A few families had cars, and some had telephones. We walked a lot or rode our bicycles, or there was always the bus to take us to town.
When I was really young, we would walk the long trek through the village carrying our enameled jug to fetch milk straight from the farm. Sometimes we watched as the farmer milked his cows. Eventually, our milk got delivered each day, except on Sundays, in silver-capped bottles. Modernization! Things changed slowly in our little village.
The house I grew up in was built by my grandfather. He and several other men handmade the cement blocks that ultimately formed the three-bedroom bungalow with a huge farmhouse-style kitchen. That house was one of the first in the village to have electricity because my grandfather built his own generator. I have great respect for that man. He sure knew how to provide for his family. But I don’t think he was necessarily an exception back then, at least not in that community, as it was a lifestyle of “if you don’t do it yourself, it won’t get done.”
Looking back, I realize that by watching him and others like him, I had an education that turned out to be as important, if not more so, than any college degree. I learned not to be afraid to tackle anything and most of all to be self-reliant. Over the years people would say, “How did you learn to do that?” Oh, I don’t know, I picked it up somewhere!
Nowhere has this survival instinct been brought more to the forefront than since my move to Borrego Springs five years ago. I soon discovered that finding reliable help in this community is challenging, to say the least. Beyond that, the climate and physical location present unique complications. Not just the brutal heat of the summer months, but also the huge windstorms and torrential rains. We don’t get a huge amount of rain annually, but what we do get tends to come in a few horrendous storms which threaten to cut off the community. Then, of course, we have utility companies that are less than totally committed to providing the service for which they are paid quite handsomely. And let’s not forget the desert wildlife, i.e., the snakes, scorpions, spiders, etc. There are times I felt as though I am living as some sort of pioneer woman. Those lessons learned from my grandfather and the attitude of the folks back then have proven indispensable.
Over the years I have crossed paths with and come to know a lot of well-educated, intelligent people, and in a number of ways I have pitted some of them. Despite all of their “college learning” they have often found themselves hopelessly out of their depth in times of trouble. Having been denied the experience of learning do-it-yourself, they are not equipped to dig themselves out of a hole. For example, I have a friend who is totally lost in a Home Depot, though she has several college degrees and is highly intelligent. She is also lost in Joanns. Don’t misunderstand me, I value the college education I endured. I believe book learning is extremely valuable and, in many cases, absolutely essential. However, hands-on do-it-yourself has come to my rescue far more often than my college classes. Those of us who were lucky enough to learn how to improvise, do-it-yourself, and to have a grandfather like mine, are rich beyond belief.
Born and raised near Oxford, England, Maureen Newman is known for her love of exotic birds. She is considered an expert in having worked with exotic birds for almost forty years and has written numerous articles for various bird magazines. She moved to Borrego Springs five years ago where she maintains a sanctuary for exotics with special needs. These are birds that are considered difficult to place as pets because they have behavioral or medical issues.