... aka meet your neighbor at the back fence to swap goods:) This was a common practice in days of yore. Imagine being a new settler and having very few provisions ... or a young couple starting off ... You have some seeds or plant starts or too much sourdough starter. Your nearest neighbor has too many onions to plant or too much lye soap, etc. Our pioneer great grandparents would have surely traded or sold goods to their neighbors. Most people had a very limited income. Health insurance was unheard of. The area's doctor made frequent house calls and often took eggs in exchange for his medical expertise. School teachers were paid a small stipend and took up room and board with a student's family. And to think ... big government was not around to intervene and dole out social services. People relied on one another ... their families ... neighbors ... friends ... churches ... guilds ... to help meet needs. In light of the mess of the current generation ... and a government that is trying to spend it's way out of debt ... we may need to return to the creative ideas of our ancestors to help make ends meet. To rely on mankind instead of a wasteful government system.
Food for thought.
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