Mr. Harrison followed a minimalist style of living. On three-fourths of an acre he had almost all the world he needed and was hardly reminded of the world he didn’t need. He was content to stay at home, having in younger years, he said, “seen all the scenery I care to see.” If he stood in the iris garden, with the pine trees, the chicken coop, and the house surrounding him, the whole outer world was almost totally blocked from view. Or rather, I think now, the outer world was condensed and concentrated into his tiny kingdom…. He needed to buy very little to support his way of life. He had everything he wanted: his own food, his own well and rain barrels for water, his own combination of recreation and work, his own exotic scenery, his own business of selling iris bulbs.
Gene Logsdon
“Maybe God is a Pure Red Iris” in Gene Everlasting
