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SPRING '97
I've been living here for 20 years.
I found this place in a newspaper.
That's how it all started.
Alone?
BORN IN 1909 I've not had any regular help.
I've built a shed and a workroom.
The workroom was a terrace when I first came here.
And an anteroom too.
The roofs I've renovated from felt to steel.
That's about it.
There are lines across the yard.
They are there, so I can find my way around.
My sense of direction is so bad I can get lost in my own yard.
I might wander way off before finding a familiar place.
Venninen has taken up gardening on a cliff in his yard.
The stairs up the 65 ft cliff he has also built himself.
I'll cover this ridge with soil, and then plant something.
Who built this winch?
I did. Someone else might be embarrassed for building this piece of scrap.
What kind of operation was it?
At first, I used to carry everything here in a bucket.
Such as sand and other ingredients for casting.
It was too heavy. I needed a lift.
It took me a few days to build it.
It's five times faster to work now.
What's wrong with the soil down there in the yard?
This is just a hobby without mole trouble.
Down there the moles eat my potatoes.
They eat roots and everything but not up here.
Anything else than potatoes?
I'm not planting them anymore. Potatoes are so cheap nowadays.
What then?
Flowers are always nice to look at. Something for the posterity.
- Next the bucket goes down again. - Right.
I always count the cycles, especially when lifting.
- How many cycles is it? - 33.
Then it hits the tip coming up.
Overdoing it would lift the whole winch up.
Some of these I recognize. Others I have to taste.
If it tastes right, I'll pick it up.
Rowans have recognizable leaves.
Their pomes are good too.
Birch.
Birch foliage is best when it has just come out.
It has a high nutritional value, and it doubles as a medicine.
And it tastes good too.
How does one know what's edible and what's not?
By tasting.
I've never become sick.
Dandelion tastes bad, doesn't it?
It has a strong taste, but it's not bad.
It has its own taste.
Nettle would be an icing on the cake.
I've been a vegetarian for over 40 years now.
I've left out all nutrition with decomposition bacteria in it.
It includes eggs, meat, and fish.
Venninen blends sprouted grains, plants, and foliage.
Root crops he uses with their tops.
Bananas, berries, and sauerkraut suit for seasoning.
He only drinks water, several quarts a day.
How many meals is that?
One jug is enough for three.
In addition to bread and cheese.
A vegetarian must stay a vegetarian.
It only matters to a vegetarian.
Vegetarians benefit from vegetables more than others.
Dinner's ready.
Delicious. Do you want a taste?