HOUSEBOUND FREEDOM - Recently Updated Pages

From HOUSEBOUND to (Financial) FREEDOM

21times — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 06:27:16 CDT

Day 1 (was) July 13th, 2008

This OPUS is dedicated to all those who are HOUSEBOUND from
lack of funds to get out and about. Let's use OBA to change all that.

You are all welcome to our HOUSEBOUND>>>>FREEDOM Project. To participate you need to buy "Stop Being a Victim"

It costs $5.00 and is the first step to Freedom. You need to have that so we
are all on the same wavelength. Do that first.Go to Stop Being a Victim
Then send your OBA User Name to the following e-mail address: housebound@safe-mail.net (All OBA friends and partners are welcome.
Send me your OBA user name and e-mail)

Please consider the proposal made here and join us.
There is a business plan on the internet that will bring forth friendship, partnership and prosperity
for all who recognize the value of the offer they see before them. Are you such a one?

OK. When you have your entry credentials verified you can contribute your expertise to help us all achieve our goal. As you can see the only thing you really need is your OBA user name whether you joined from the link above or are already an active OBA business owner.

When each contributor brings in one other new HOUSEBOUND FREEDOM member we shall soon be liberating millions worldwide, based on the solid online business principles of OBA.

What really are the the solid online business principles of OBA?
Have you ever heard of "Stacked Income"?

We also include a $5.00 e-book that explains stacked income. Stacked Income is the driving philosophy of OBA. It's where just one initial action starts in motion a series of reactions that produce one income stacked on the first one and another on top of that. And all you have to do to initiate that is obtain one $5.00 e-book!

You need a product that is deliverable instantly and is renewable in the sense that you have an endless supply of them. OBA has four such products on the first line.
They are the subject of the $5.00 participation item in paragraph one.The Products

What so few people understand about starting their OBA - Online Business Alliance is that the business set-up has no cost for you. All the business infrastructure is supplied free of charge. To stock your business with e-products is just $5.00. It is so amazing that it is just unbelievable.

To see what I mean look at this explanation

Glimpse Into Tomorrow will show you how bad things will be when you get older and think you can live off your pension. It also of course offers our solution.
That's why it exists. $5.00, too.

The fourth option in the $5.00 way in to OBA is an incredible piece of Audio Sofware.
You have probably seen it for sale for $97, or $69, or $47, or $19.99.

Now let me tell you what the casual surfer will never understand. We show Splash pages of all 4 of these products and sell them for $5.00 each. The customer pays and is then in for the surprise of their life. They can have just the item they bought and be very content with the value for their money.
OR
They can choose to accept our offer to start their own OBA business. That's it my friend. No hidden charge. The OBA business doesn't cost a penny. And what's more you get access to all those e-products. They are yours to use and yours to sell and the $5.00s come directly to you and you are in business.

And what is more important you have landed on the tip of the OBA iceburg.

Please join me on Twitter (Follow me/I'll follow you)
Twitter your biz to millions online

No donations please.
No cups of coffee.
Instead collaborators are invited
to buy one of the $5.00 digital products.
After all, many good people want to help
but not everyone wants an online business.
Go here to do that. Thank you

LOTS TO VISIT. TAKE YOUR TIME
Home (You are here)
THE OBA BUSINESS PLAN
Project
Tool box
Editorial
OBA Research
Foot
Bread money
Free Wealth Report
Emotional Freedom Technique
Attract Abundance with a cheque
Bunch of Banners
Promote your blog with this
Magic or Cash
Audio software and free business set up
Band Aid from Hiram Abif
Organize 50 Traffic Exchanges

The only way to OBA is TOGETHER
OBA has the perfect business plan
Do you know a perfect business plan when you see one?

Advertising my OBA biz and getting money. I love it.

That magic code looks interesting doesn't it? So much money. Wish I had a link for that.

keywords, content make money online,online business,online buisness,work at home,workathome,workfromhome,work from home,online businesses,internet buisness,free internet marketing report, internet marketing, free preview online, work at home,online business, internet business, internet marketing business opportunity, home business,network marketing,mlm,affiliate program.

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HOW TO PROFIT WITH OBA Online Business Alliance

21times — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 14:38:28 CDT

OBA has the ideal online business plan.

The site is already set up.
Your stock of digital products costs $5.
You recieve all $5.00 payments directly into your payment processor.
Adspace #1 earns you $20.00 for each lease.
There is much more to OBA
Find out more about OBA by visiting this page HERE

You will quickly discover that I am always
on hand to help you with your OBA business.

JamesP

(And if I should be sleeping there are over 5,000 others around
the globe eager to beat me to it.)

Housebound HOME Page
You know that you can write an ABUNDANCE CHEQUE/CHECK don't you?
If you have a (Personal) Problem or know anyone who has one here is the relief. It's not magic but close.

OBA Treasure Map

21times — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 08:53:52 CDT

Click HERE to learn more

The $5 business is a reality

21times — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 10:52:13 CDT

Are You Looking For A Legitimate Way To Make Money Online?

If you're the kind of person who understands that success requires effort... and you're willing to put forth the effort to succeed if you can just find an honest, legitimate business...I have good news!
OnlineBusinessAlliance may be just what you're looking for.
Why?
Because we have everything you need to start and run a profitable business on the Internet.
Everything?
Yes, everything!
See for yourself!
100% Commission On All Products

OnlineBusinessAlliance offers unique, high-quality, in-demand, digital products that are extremely easy to sell and profitable.
How profitable?
You keep 100% of the sale price!Not only that, but you get paid INSTANTLY! No more waiting weeks or months to get paid. No more "mix-ups" because someone thought you had three sales when you really had thirty. Your money... a full 100% of the sales price... goes directly into YOUR pay processor account! Nobody touches your money but you!
It can't get much better than that... can it? Keep reading!

Low Cost = Low Risk
If you think you have to spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars to start a business with excellent profit potential, think again!
When you purchase one of OnlineBusinessAlliance's original ebooks for a total cost of just $5... (yes, that's five dollars)... you get the ebook you bought (of course) PLUS resale rights to that ebook (with 100% commissions on every sale) PLUS every other ebook in our Digital Products Catalog PLUS resale rights to those items as well (with 100% commissions on every sale) PLUS a complete business that's ready to start making money for you TODAY!It can't get much better than that... can it? Keep reading!

Complete Training and Support Tired of being left to figure everything out on your own? Tired of working alone... and failing alone?
That won't happen with OnlineBusinessAlliance! When you become a Business Owner with OnlineBusinessAlliance, you'll have instant unlimited access to our amazing Owner's Business Center where you'll be able to interact with REAL PEOPLE in real time... 24/7/365... no matter where you live!
We're NOT talking about a "support ticket" system where some staff person may or may not answer your email sometime this week or next with a copy & paste answer so they can close your ticket. We're talking about hundreds of people just like you who are actively building their own business as an OBA Business Owner... people from all over the world including many of our most successful, most knowledgeable Business Owners! These people KNOW what works and what doesn't... and they're waiting to help YOU succeed! What's that mean for you? It means honest answers and reliable information within minutes... not days or weeks! It can't get much better than that... can it? Keep reading!

Unlimited Profits Provide Life-Changing Potential As an OBA Business Owner, you'll be able to add to your profits by owning your own Internet Advertising Business! We make it simple with our exclusive OBA AdSpace Leasing Program. What's that? Simple. You've noticed the advertising space that's sold on every website and in every back office on the Internet. Banners and ads, ads and banners! They're everywhere you look!The truth is this... those spaces aren't really "sold"... they're leased for a specific period of time. When that time runs out, they're leased by the same advertiser or by a different advertiser. That's passive, hands-free, automatic recurring income!How would YOU like to have some advertising space that would pay you again and again and again... automatically... without you having to do anything?Now you can!!!As an OBA Business Owner, you'll be able to participate in our exclusive OBA AdSpace Leasing Program... where you can lease AdSpaces for a one-time cost and then sub-lease those AdSpaces again and again and again... automatically... without you having to do anything?Aren't you tired of the program owners making all the money from filling YOUR back office with banners and ads? Isn't it time YOU started making that money?With our OBA AdSpace Leasing Program... you'll be able to lease an AdSpace for a one-time cost of just $30... and then sub-lease that same AdSpace again and again and again... automatically... without you having to do anything... and you'll earn $20 every time that happens!And here's the icing on the cake... when you lease one AdSpace, you'll receive an UNLIMITED SUPPLY of AdSpace!That's right! For a one-time cost of just $30... you'll receive an UNLIMITED SUPPLY of AdSpace that you'll be able to sub-lease again and again and again... automatically... without you having to do anything... and you'll earn $20 every time that happens!It can't get much better than that... can it?
Oh yes it can!We've just barely scratched the surface! There is so much more waiting for you as an OBA Business Owner, it'll take you days just to let it all sink in! But don't worry about that... you'll get all the help you need and answers for all your questions!
If you're a "Bottom Line" kind of person, here's the Bottom Line...You have found the best business available anywhere... online or off... that you can start for just $5. You'll have all the help you need, and you'll be able to make as much money as you want... IF you're the kind of person who understands that success requires effort... and you're willing to put forth the effort to succeed. If you're that kind of person, you've just found the
honest, legitimate business you've been looking for! If you'd like to get your business started now,
all it takes is the purchase of any ONE of the e-books
or software packages below.
After making your selection you'll have everything you
need to start and run a profitable business on the Internet. Take Your Pick!

Click HERE	Click HERE
Click HERE	Click HERE

Can I Really Get An Entire Business For Only Five Dollars?

21times — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 16:26:04 CDT

Can I ReGet An Entire Business For Only Five Dollars?

Absolutely! See for yourself!

Look at everything you get for just $5!!!

You get a Complete
Turn-Key Internet Business!

Everything is already set up and waiting for you! We've done all the heavy lifting so you can have your new business up and running just minutes from right now. We spent years developing this business
so you don't have to!

You get an
UNLIMITED SUPPLY
of high-demand products!

Can you imagine having an UNLIMITED SUPPLY of products for your business to sell? Whether you sell 500 or 5 million, you'll NEVER have to pay a dime for more products! How much could YOU make selling products
that you don't have to pay for?

You get to keep
100%
of the sale price!

Your customers buy from your websites and send all the money to you! You get to keep 100% of the sale price and you get paid instantly and immediately! No waiting for weeks to get paid. No "mistakes" about how much you've earned! 100% commissions paid instantly?
It just doesn't get any better than that!

We pay the overhead!

That's right! We pay for the web hosting and maintenance for your Internet Business. There are no set-up fees or monthly fees of any kind. You'll be in profit FAST because you have
no overhead expenses to pay!

You get a Complete
Internet Marketing System!

You'll have a full suite of professionally designed websites, splash pages, lead-capture pages, banners, and ads. You'll also have top-of-the-line marketing tools such as rotators, trackers, and even a full-featured AutoResponder completely set up with a series of pre-loaded messages coded to send subscribers to YOUR websites! This is Internet Marketing at its "Plug and Play" best!

You get a Complete
Online Back Office!

You'll be able to manage your Internet Business from anywhere you happen to be! All you need is a computer with access to the Internet and you can manage your business in real-time. What good is success if you're chained to a desk?

You get a Fully Automated
Worldwide Delivery System!

Since all of our products are digital products, you'll never have to worry about costs associated with such things as production, packaging, warehousing, order fulfillment, or losses due to damage during delivery. Your products can't dent or spill or spoil or freeze or melt or rust. Since they can't be lost or damaged, there's no need to insure them! And they're delivered within seconds to your customers anywhere in the world automatically and at no cost to you or your customers! Real-time worldwide digital delivery means
more profits for your business!

You get UNLIMITED
24/7 ACCESS to
the ABSOLUTE BEST
Training and Support System
in existence!

Let's face it... you're going to have questions. There will be times when you need reliable information fast. That's why we've assembled the most powerful business support community in the world. These aren't minimum-wage "support staff" who may or may not reply to your help ticket this week or next. These are real people who are actively building a business exactly like yours! They know what works and they know what to avoid, and since they're located in every time zone around the world, they usually answer questions within minutes! Don't you deserve to have the very BEST
in Training and Support?

You get a business with
UNLIMITED INCOME POTENTIAL!

We've saved the best for last! Your Internet Business starts with selling high-demand Digital Products, but that's not where it ends! We'll also show you how you can expand your business (and your income) through a process known as "Stacked Income". What is Stacked Income? It's a way to increase your income without doing any more work! Based on the same solid real-world business principles that form the foundation of some of history's greatest business success stories, Stacked Income will enable you to multiply your income and accelerate your success without spending ANY additional time or doing ANY additional work! That's right! You'll learn how to make MORE MONEY
without doing any more work!

Want to learn more? Here's how! Order your copy of Stacked Income for just $5.
That's a huge 80% discount off the retail price of $25.

See what others are saying about Stacked Income
Click HERE
But don't buy it there or you won't get the discount! Use the link below to SAVE $20 NOW!

When you purchase STACKED INCOME
for just $5 you'll receive everything else
AT NO EXTRA COST!!!

$5 - Impact Audio Software and Resale

21times — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 14:54:41 CDT

"Would You Like To Grab Your Visitors By The Ears, Dazzle Them With Professional Quality, Streaming Web Audio That Makes An Impact, And Watch Your Profits Soar ... You Can Do It, In Just Minutes - With Impact Web Audio!"

I'll show you exactly how you can create professional, streaming web-audio players with just a few clicks of your mouse ... even if you don't know a single line of HTML code, and have never recorded a single audio file in your life!

It is estimated that the average consumer is exposed to more than 3,000 advertisements and commercial messages every single day. If you want to stand out from the crowd, and have any chance of being heard above the noise, you have to make an impact! Don't let "website scrollers" kill your sales message, and with it, any chance at making the sale. You may not be able to choose what parts of your website your visitors read, but if you're using audio, you can be in complete control of what they hear. It's time to break the silence, and finally start putting the power of the human voice to work for you.

Dave Gray

Here's another terrific offer from your friends at OnlineBusiness Alliance! Whether you're looking for a simple, user-friendly way to add high-impact audio to your own website, or you're looking for an honest business that will allow you to create a life-changing income, you're in luck because you just found BOTH of them!

From: James Phillips
Re: Web Audio That Makes An Impact! Dear Online Marketer, What if I could show you a way to grab your visitors by the ears, virtually forcing them to not only hear most important marketing messages, but actually listen to them? And, what if I could show you how to do all that, with just a few clicks of the mouse? It's no secret that using streaming audio on your website can be effective, but if you weren't blessed with a voice for radio, your plain-jane tone could be killing your sales. What you need is a way to start using the same time-tested "tricks" that professional broadcasters and sound engineers have been using for years to take their clients "normal" audio, and turn it into gold.

Impact Web Audio Uses The Same "Trick" That Professional Broadcasters And Sound Engineers Use To Take 'Normal' Voices And Turn Them Into 'Gold'!

So how do they do it? Simple, they add a background loop behind the voice track that masks all the imperfections, and makes them virtually disappear. That one simple, yet amazingly effective "trick" can dramatically improve the rhythm of your marketing message, and bring your "ho-hum" audio to life. Now look, this method of improving voice-based audio tracks has been used by the professionals for well over 50 years, but up until now, it was nearly impossible for the average person to do. Until just recently, adding a background loop to your voice-based audio required specialized audio editing software, a wealth of technical knowledge, and even then, could easily cost you hours of your valuable time. With all those obstacles to overcome, is it any wonder that so few marketers were using this deadly effective technique?

What Makes Impact Web Audio The Perfect Solution?

This easy-to-use application was designed by marketers, for marketers, making Impact Web Audio the perfect solution for all your online marketing needs. Impact Web Audio is obviously a superior solution. It is the only point-and-click program, designed specifically for marketers, that puts the power of a professional audio engineer to work for you. Still not convinced? Just take a look at this amazing list of features. After you see everything Impact Web Audio can do, I think you'll agree that it's clearly the best choice :

All In One Solution - Record your audio, add a background loop, and create your Flash based audio player using this all inclusive program. No expensive, confusing external software needed!
10 12 Professional Background Loops - The background audio loops included with Impact Web Audio were designed by the Internet's audio marketing expert, Mike Stewart! When it comes to marketing online with audio, there's absolutely no one better than "The Internet Audio Guy".
Instant Streaming Audio - Your audio starts in seconds, not minutes, regardless of whether your visitors are on dial-up, or a high-speed connection. Make your impact right away.
Automatic Fade-Up & Fade Out - Wrap your voice-based marketing message in a perfect introduction, leading with anticipation, and closing with ease. It's point-and-click easy to give your audio the professional sound that will blow your visitors away.
Exclusive "Affiliate Jump" Technology - Let Impact Web Audio automatically forward your visitors to the website of your choice at the end of your audio. Send your conversions through the roof using this exclusive technology for affiliate promotions, teleseminar playback, and more!
Customize Your Audio Players - Impact Web Audio lets you customize your audio player, choosing from 6 stunning player styles, allowing you to choose any color under the sun, and letting you size your player to fit in even the tightest of locations.
Run Multiple Players On One Page - While this might seem obvious, you'd be shocked at how many audio solutions don't allow you to put multiple players on a single web page. With Impact Web Audio, that's never a problem.
Use Existing Audio Files - With Impact Web Audio, you can either record a brand new audio file within the program itself, or make use of any existing .mp3 or .wav audio file on your computer.
No Monthly Fees - Why pay another company to host your audio messages when you don't have to? With Impact Web Audio, you host the audio on your own web server, and never have to worry about your audio going offline, or paying outrageous bandwidth fees.

Are you starting to see how using Impact Web Audio can help you build trust, increase conversions, and take your business to new heights?

"Impact Web Audio" Is Point-And-Click Easy. If You Have A Microphone, And Can Copy and Paste, You Can Add Streaming Web Audio To Your Website In Minutes!

Impact Web Audio is a simple Windows™ application that will guide you through the entire process of creating and adding professional quality, streaming web audio to your web pages. Simply point, click, and create ... It really is that easy!

Impact Web Audio - Step One

In step one you either choose to use an existing audio file, or record a new one in Impact Web Audio itself. Once you've either recorded, or selected your audio file, simply click the next button and move on to the next step.

As you can see, Impact Web Audio includes a built-in sound recorder, which means that you'll never need to buy any extra software. This is truly an all-in-one solution.

Impact Web Audio - Step Two

Step two allows you to choose one of the 10 12 pre-loaded background loops that will be used to enhance your voice-based audio track. Each of the background audio loops was created specifically for online marketing by one of the Internet's most respected audio marketing experts, Mike Stewart. Once you've selected your loop, you set the volumes, the fade-up and fade-out options and let Impact Web Audio handle the heavy lifting.

Everything is done with just a few clicks of the mouse! Select your loop, set your options, and all the heavy lifting is done for you.

Impact Web Audio - Step Three

After you've selected your background loop, it's time for you to choose your audio player style, and customize it. Customizing the player couldn't be easier, just a few simple clicks, and in seconds you'll have a player that will look great anywhere on your website. As you can see, Impact Web Audio allows you to choose from six stunning audio player styles, and choose any color you wish. You can even enter a custom color, using standard HTML color codes, and perfectly match the audio player to your website or graphics.

If you'd like, you can adjust the size of any of the audio players. And, you can even choose whether you'd like a 3 button player, or just a single button.

Impact Web Audio - Step Four

In step four, it's time to decide whether your audio is going to start playing the instant a visitor hits your website, or if you'd like your visitors to press play to start the file. Step four is also where you can take advantage of Impact Web Audio's exclusive "Affiliate Jump" technology. If you'd like to send anyone who listens to your audio to a website, after the audio has finished playing, all you have to do is check one box, and enter the website address.

As a built-in safety meausre, Impact Web Audio lets you preview your "Affiliate Jump" URL so that you can be absolutely sure you're sending your visitors to the right place, before it's too late!

Impact Web Audio - Step Five

Now that you've set all your options, Impact Web Audio goes to work creating your audio player, and even shows you a working preview. In this step, Impact Web Audio automatically converts your audio files, creates your fade effects, and generates a streaming audio player based completely on your needs. This preview step is very important, allowing you to eliminate any mistakes, and then go back and make changes if necessary.
This step takes all the guesswork out of the equation. If you're not happy with your Impact Web Audio player, or decide that you'd like to make a slight adjustment, just click the back button and make your changes without losing your work. Once you're done, simply upload everything to your website and be ready to see your conversion rates soar! As you can see, this really is a point and click solution, and will allows you to make a dramatic impact in seconds.

Impact Web Audio - Step Six

Next up is saving your Impact Web Audio player, amd the newly created audio files to your computer. To save your player, simple choose a project name, browse your hard drive for the just the right spot, and click save. Saving each audio player with a new "project" name allows you to place multiple audio players on the same page, without having to worry about conflicts. You can also use these "project" names to help you keep things organized.
Impact Web Audio allows you to save your audio player to multiple locations, with different project names, just in case you'd like to use your audio player on more than one website.

Impact Web Audio - Step Seven

The last step in the process should get you excited, because it's now time to add the Impact Web Audio player code into your web page. And yes, you guessed, it, we've made this a snap too. To add your audio player to a web page, just copy the automatically created Impact Web Audio player code, and paste it into an HTML document. Once you're done, just upload everything to your web server, and your visitors will be hearing your audio messages in minutes.
If your web page isn't quite ready yet, or you haven't created a web page to add your Impact Web Audio player to yet, don't worry. Impact Web Audio automatically creates an HTML page that contains the code you'll need, and saves it to your hard drive so that it will be there when you need it.

Impact Web Audio Crushes The Competition And Stands Head-And-Shoulders Above The Rest!

Let's face it, in the software game, there are always competitors out there, but Impact Web Audio is the obvious choice. You just won't find another audio application that is as easy to use, and that comes loaded with so many outstanding features designed specifically to enhance your marketing messages. All of the files required to make your Impact Web Audio player work work are stored on your own web server, so you're not at the mercy of another host, and you'll never have to pay any monthly fees. If your web site is online, your audio player will be online too. And best of all, Impact Web Audio is the best value on the market. You could easily spend several hundred dollars on expensive audio editing software, but with Impact Web Audio, everything is included! Once you purchase Impact Web Audio, it's yours forever and you'll never have to spend another penny.

Here's How You Can Start Using Impact Web Audio Immediately, And Watch Your Profits Shoot Through The Roof!

At this point you're probably thinking that, "Software that does all this, and gives me such an outrageous advantage over my competition must be expensive. And, since you're not charging me any monthly fees, you're probably going to charge me an arm and a leg up front to make up for all those lost fees." Well, that's not going to happen here here! What if I told you that you could download, and start adding profit-pulling, streaming web audio players to your website in just minutes for less that $100? Would that be fair? Well, I'm going to do even better than that! You're not going to pay $100, you're not going to pay $90, or even $80 ... If you order right now, you can download your copy of Impact Web Audio for only $47 $5! That's right! Due to this Special Offer, for the low price of only $5.00 you’ll receive this powerful, feature-packed software that allows you to virtually grab your visitors by the ears, and force them to pay attention to your most important marketing messages! You'll be creating professional streaming web audio players that could dramatically increase your conversion rates in just minutes. You'd normally expect software with such a robust set of features to cost you three or four times as much, and that doesn't even take into account the monthly fees you'll save. But, with Impact Web Audio there are no hidden fees, no monthly fees, and nothing else you ever have to buy. The one-time low price of only $5 puts you in complete control of creating your own high-impact, streaming audio players. It's time for you to move beyond text, and start putting the power of the human voice to work for you. With all the marketing messages people are bombarded with daily, you can't afford to just sit back and hope your visitors are reading your website, you must take control! Order Impact Web Audio right now at the incredibly low price of only $5 and you'll be making an impact where it matters the most ... your bottom line! To Your Success,
James Phillips P.S. I almost forgot! With your purchase of Impact Web Audio, you'll also receive a website exactly like this one, already set up, hosted, and coded to your choice of pay processors so that you can also SELL Impact Web Audio and your customers will send 100% of the sales price directly to you! We pay the expenses and you get all the money! You'll also learn how you can create a life-changing income simply by advertising this website!

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Classic - The Man Who Planted Trees.

21times — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 19:13:20 CDT

I unashamedly love this story. I've read it 50 times at least. If you haven't read it and you haven't planted a tree in your life, yet, now is the time to do both.
JamesP

JEAN GIONO

The Man Who Planted Trees

Translation from French by Peter Doyle

In order for the character of a human being to reveal truly exceptional qualities, we must have the good fortune to observe its action over a long period of years. If this action is devoid of all selfishness, if the idea that directs it is one of unqualified generosity, if it is absolutely certain that it has not sought recompense anywhere, and if moreover it has left visible marks on the world, then we are unquestionably dealing with an unforgettable character.

About forty years ago I went on a long hike, through hills absolutely unknown to tourists, in that very old region where the Alps penetrate into Provence.
This region is bounded to the south-east and south by the middle course of the Durance, between Sisteron and Mirabeau; to the north by the upper course of the Drôme, from its source down to Die; to the west by the plains of Comtat Venaissin and the outskirts of Mont Ventoux. It includes all the northern part of the Département of Basses-Alpes, the south of Drôme and a little enclave of Vaucluse.
At the time I undertook my long walk through this deserted region, it consisted of barren and monotonous lands, at about 1200 to 1300 meters above sea level. Nothing grew there except wild lavender.
I was crossing this country at its widest part, and after walking for three days, I found myself in the most complete desolation. I was camped next to the skeleton of an abandoned village. I had used the last of my water the day before and I needed to find more. Even though they were in ruins, these houses all huddled together and looking like an old wasps' nest made me think that there must at one time have been a spring or a well there. There was indeed a spring, but it was dry. The five or six roofless houses, ravaged by sun and wind, and the small chapel with its tumble-down belfry, were arrayed like the houses and chapels of living villages, but all life had disappeared.

It was a beautiful June day with plenty of sun, but on these shelterless lands, high up in the sky, the wind whistled with an unendurable brutality. Its growling in the carcasses of the houses was like that of a wild beast disturbed during its meal.
I had to move my camp. After five hours of walking, I still hadn't found water, and nothing gave me hope of finding any. Everywhere there was the same dryness, the same stiff, woody plants. I thought I saw in the distance a small black silhouette. On a chance I headed towards it. It was a shepherd. Thirty lambs or so were resting near him on the scorching ground.
He gave me a drink from his gourd and a little later he led me to his shepherd's cottage, tucked down in an undulation of the plateau. He drew his water - excellent - from a natural hole, very deep, above which he had installed a rudimentary windlass.

This man spoke little. This is common among those who live alone, but he seemed sure of himself, and confident in this assurance, which seemed remarkable in this land shorn of everything. He lived not in a cabin but in a real house of stone, from the looks of which it was clear that his own labor had restored the ruins he had found on his arrival. His roof was solid and water-tight. The wind struck against the roof tiles with the sound of the sea crashing on the beach.
His household was in order, his dishes washed, his floor swept, his rifle greased; his soup boiled over the fire; I noticed then that he was also freshly shaven, that all his buttons were solidly sewn, and that his clothes were mended with such care as to make the patches invisible.
He shared his soup with me, and when afterwards I offered him my tobacco pouch, he told me that he didn't smoke. His dog, as silent as he, was friendly without being fawning.

It had been agreed immediately that I would pass the night there, the closest village being still more than a day and a half farther on. Furthermore, I understood perfectly well the character of the rare villages of that region. There are four or five of them dispersed far from one another on the flanks of the hills, in groves of white oaks at the very ends of roads passable by carriage. They are inhabited by woodcutters who make charcoal. They are places where the living is poor. The families, pressed together in close quarters by a climate that is exceedingly harsh, in summer as well as in winter, struggle ever more selfishly against each other. Irrational contention grows beyond all bounds, fueled by a continuous struggle to escape from that place. The men carry their charcoal to the cities in their trucks, and then return. The most solid qualities crack under this perpetual Scottish shower. The women stir up bitterness. There is competition over everything, from the sale of charcoal to the benches at church. The virtues fight amongst themselves, the vices fight amongst themselves, and there is a ceaseless general combat between the vices and the virtues. On top of all that, the equally ceaseless wind irritates the nerves. There are epidemics of suicides and numerous cases of insanity, almost always murderous.

The shepherd, who did not smoke, took out a bag and poured a pile of acorns out onto the table. He began to examine them one after another with a great deal of attention, separating the good ones from the bad. I smoked my pipe. I offered to help him, but he told me it was his own business. Indeed, seeing the care that he devoted to this job, I did not insist. This was our whole conversation. When he had in the good pile a fair number of acorns, he counted them out into packets of ten. In doing this he eliminated some more of the acorns, discarding the smaller ones and those that that showed even the slightest crack, for he examined them very closely. When he had before him one hundred perfect acorns he stopped, and we went to bed.
The company of this man brought me a feeling of peace. I asked him the next morning if I might stay and rest the whole day with him. He found that perfectly natural. Or more exactly, he gave me the impression that nothing could disturb him. This rest was not absolutely necessary to me, but I was intrigued and I wanted to find out more about this man. He let out his flock and took them to the pasture. Before leaving, he soaked in a bucket of water the little sack containing the acorns that he had so carefully chosen and counted.

I noted that he carried as a sort of walking stick an iron rod as thick as his thumb and about one and a half meters long. I set off like someone out for a stroll, following a route parallel to his. His sheep pasture lay at the bottom of a small valley. He left his flock in the charge of his dog and climbed up towards the spot where I was standing. I was afraid that he was coming to reproach me for my indiscretion, but not at all: It was his own route and he invited me to come along with him if I had nothing better to do. He continued on another two hundred meters up the hill.
Having arrived at the place he had been heading for, he begin to pound his iron rod into the ground. This made a hole in which he placed an acorn, whereupon he covered over the hole again. He was planting oak trees. I asked him if the land belonged to him. He answered no. Did he know whose land it was? He did not know. He supposed that it was communal land, or perhaps it belonged to someone who did not care about it. He himself did not care to know who the owners were. In this way he planted his one hundred acorns with great care.

After the noon meal, he began once more to pick over his acorns. I must have put enough insistence into my questions, because he answered them. For three years now he had been planting trees in this solitary way. He had planted one hundred thousand. Of these one hundred thousand, twenty thousand had come up. He counted on losing another half of them to rodents and to everything else that is unpredictable in the designs of Providence. That left ten thousand oaks that would grow in this place where before there was nothing.
It was at this moment that I began to wonder about his age. He was clearly more than fifty. Fifty-five, he told me. His name was Elzéard Bouffier. He had owned a farm in the plains, where he lived most of his life. He had lost his only son, and then his wife. He had retired into this solitude, where he took pleasure in living slowly, with his flock of sheep and his dog. He had concluded that this country was dying for lack of trees. He added that, having nothing more important to do, he had resolved to remedy the situation.
Leading as I did at the time a solitary life, despite my youth, I knew how to treat the souls of solitary people with delicacy. Still, I made a mistake. It was precisely my youth that forced me to imagine the future in my own terms, including a certain search for happiness. I told him that in thirty years these ten thousand trees would be magnificent. He replied very simply that, if God gave him life, in thirty years he would have planted so many other trees that these ten thousand would be like a drop of water in the ocean.
He had also begun to study the propagation of beeches. and he had near his house a nursery filled with seedlings grown from beechnuts. His little wards, which he had protected from his sheep by a screen fence, were growing beautifully. He was also considering birches for the valley bottoms where, he told me, moisture lay slumbering just a few meters beneath the surface of the soil.
We parted the next day.

The next year the war of 14 came, in which I was engaged for five years. An infantryman could hardly think about trees. To tell the truth, the whole business hadn't made a very deep impression on me; I took it to be a hobby, like a stamp collection, and forgot about it.
With the war behind me, I found myself with a small demobilization bonus and a great desire to breathe a little pure air. Without any preconceived notion beyond that, I struck out again along the trail through that deserted country.
The land had not changed. Nonetheless, beyond that dead village I perceived in the distance a sort of gray fog that covered the hills like a carpet. Ever since the day before I had been thinking about the shepherd who planted trees. «Ten thousand oaks, I had said to myself, must really take up a lot of space.»
I had seen too many people die during those five years not to be able to imagine easily the death of Elzéard Bouffier, especially since when a man is twenty he thinks of a man of fifty as an old codger for whom nothing remains but to die. He was not dead. In fact, he was very spry. He had changed his job. He only had four sheep now, but to make up for this he had about a hundred beehives. He had gotten rid of the sheep because they threatened his crop of trees. He told me (as indeed I could see for myself) that the war had not disturbed him at all. He had continued imperturbably with his planting.
The oaks of 1910 were now ten years old and were taller than me and than him. The spectacle was impressive. I was literally speechless and, as he didn't speak himself, we passed the whole day in silence, walking through his forest. It was in three sections, eleven kilometers long overall and, at its widest point, three kilometers wide. When I considered that this had all sprung from the hands and from the soul of this one man - without technical aids - , it struck me that men could be as effective as God in domains other than destruction.
He had followed his idea, and the beeches that reached up to my shoulders and extending as far as the eye could see bore witness to it. The oaks were now good and thick, and had passed the age where they were at the mercy of rodents; as for the designs of Providence, to destroy the work that had been created would henceforth require a cyclone. He showed me admirable stands of birches that dated from five years ago, that is to say from 1915, when I had been fighting at Verdun. He had planted them in the valley bottoms where he had suspected, correctly, that there was water close to the surface. They were as tender as young girls, and very determined.
This creation had the air, moreover, of working by a chain reaction. He had not troubled about it; he went on obstinately with his simple task. But, in going back down to the village, I saw water running in streams that, within living memory, had always been dry. It was the most striking revival that he had shown me. These streams had borne water before, in ancient days. Certain of the sad villages that I spoke of at the beginning of my account had been built on the sites of ancient Gallo-Roman villages, of which there still remained traces; archeologists digging there had found fishhooks in places where in more recent times cisterns were required in order to have a little water.
The wind had also been at work, dispersing certain seeds. As the water reappeared, so too did willows, osiers, meadows, gardens, flowers, and a certain reason to live.
But the transformation had taken place so slowly that it had been taken for granted, without provoking surprise. The hunters who climbed the hills in search of hares or wild boars had noticed the spreading of the little trees, but they set it down to the natural spitefulness of the earth. That is why no one had touched the work of this man. If they had suspected him, they would have tried to thwart him. But he never came under suspicion: Who among the villagers or the administrators would ever have suspected that anyone could show such obstinacy in carrying out this magnificent act of generosity?

Beginning in 1920 I never let more than a year go by without paying a visit to Elzéard Bouffier. I never saw him waver or doubt, though God alone can tell when God's own hand is in a thing! I have said nothing of his disappointments, but you can easily imagine that, for such an accomplishment, it was necessary to conquer adversity; that, to assure the victory of such a passion, it was necessary to fight against despair. One year he had planted ten thousand maples. They all died. The next year,he gave up on maples and went back to beeches, which did even better than the oaks.
To get a true idea of this exceptional character, one must not forget that he worked in total solitude; so total that, toward the end of his life, he lost the habit of talking. Or maybe he just didn't see the need for it.

In 1933 he received the visit of an astonished forest ranger. This functionary ordered him to cease building fires outdoors, for fear of endangering this natural forest. It was the first time, this naive man told him, that a forest had been observed to grow up entirely on its own. At the time of this incident, he was thinking of planting beeches at a spot twelve kilometers from his house. To avoid the coming and going - because at the time he was seventy-five years old - he planned to build a cabin of stone out where he was doing his planting. This he did the next year.

In 1935, a veritable administrative delegation went to examine this «natural forest». There was an important personage from Waters and Forests, a deputy, and some technicians. Many useless words were spoken. It was decided to do something, but luckily nothing was done, except for one truly useful thing: placing the forest under the protection of the State and forbidding anyone from coming there to make charcoal. For it was impossible not to be taken with the beauty of these young trees in full health. And the forest exercised its seductive powers even on the deputy himself.
I had a friend among the chief foresters who were with the delegation. I explained the mystery to him. One day the next week, we went off together to look for Elzéard Bouffier, We found him hard at work, twenty kilometers away from the place where the inspection had taken place.
This chief forester was not my friend for nothing. He understood the value of things. He knew how to remain silent. I offered up some eggs I had brought with me as a gift. We split our snack three ways, and then passed several hours in mute contemplation of the landscape.
The hillside whence we had come was covered with trees six or seven meters high. I remembered the look of the place in 1913: a desert... The peaceful and steady labor, the vibrant highland air, his frugality, and above all, the serenity of his soul had given the old man a kind of solemn good health. He was an athlete of God. I asked myself how many hectares he had yet to cover with trees.
Before leaving, my friend made a simple suggestion concerning certain species of trees to which the terrain seemed to be particularly well suited. He was not insistent. «For the very good reason,» he told me afterwards, «that this fellow knows a lot more about this sort of thing than I do.» After another hour of walking, this thought having travelled along with him, he added: «He knows a lot more about this sort of thing than anybody - and he has found a jolly good way of being happy!»
It was thanks to the efforts of this chief forester that the forest was protected, and with it, the happiness of this man. He designated three forest rangers for their protection, and terrorized them to such an extent that they remained indifferent to any jugs of wine that the woodcutters might offer as bribes.

The forest did not run any grave risks except during the war of 1939. Then automobiles were being run on wood alcohol, and there was never enough wood. They began to cut some of the stands of the oaks of 1910, but the trees stood so far from any useful road that the enterprise turned out to be bad from a financial point of view, and was soon abandoned. The shepherd never knew anything about it. He was thirty kilometers away, peacefully continuing his task, as untroubled by the war of 39 as he had been of the war of 14.

I saw Elzéard Bouffier for the last time in June of 1945. He was then eighty-seven years old. I had once more set off along my trail through the wilderness, only to find that now, in spite of the shambles in which the war had left the whole country, there was a motor coach running between the valley of the Durance and the mountain. I set down to this relatively rapid means of transportation the fact that I no longer recognized the landmarks I knew from my earlier visits. It also seemed that the route was taking me through entirely new places. I had to ask the name of a village to be sure that I was indeed passing through that same region, once so ruined and desolate. The coach set me down at Vergons. In 1913, this hamlet of ten or twelve houses had had three inhabitants. They were savages, hating each other, and earning their living by trapping: Physically and morally, they resembled prehistoric men . The nettles devoured the abandoned houses that surrounded them. Their lives were without hope, it was only a matter of waiting for death to come: a situation that hardly predisposes one to virtue.
All that had changed, even to the air itself. In place of the dry, brutal gusts that had greeted me long ago, a gentle breeze whispered to me, bearing sweet odors. A sound like that of running water came from the heights above: It was the sound of the wind in the trees. And most astonishing of all, I heard the sound of real water running into a pool. I saw that they had built a fountain, that it was full of water, and what touched me most, that next to it they had planted a lime-tree that must be at least four years old, already grown thick, an incontestable symbol of resurrection.

Furthermore, Vergons showed the signs of labors for which hope is a requirement: Hope must therefore have returned. They had cleared out the ruins, knocked down the broken walls, and rebuilt five houses. The hamlet now counted twenty-eight inhabitants, including four young families. The new houses, freshly plastered, were surrounded by gardens that bore, mixed in with each other but still carefully laid out, vegetables and flowers, cabbages and rosebushes, leeks and gueules-de-loup, celery and anemones. It was now a place where anyone would be glad to live.
From there I continued on foot. The war from which we had just barely emerged had not permitted life to vanish completely, and now Lazarus was out of his tomb. On the lower flanks of the mountain, I saw small fields of barley and rye; in the bottoms of the narrow valleys, meadowlands were just turning green.
It has taken only the eight years that now separate us from that time for the whole country around there to blossom with splendor and ease. On the site of the ruins I had seen in 1913 there are now well-kept farms, the sign of a happy and comfortable life. The old springs, fed by rain and snow now that are now retained by the forests, have once again begun to flow. The brooks have been channelled. Beside each farm, amid groves of maples, the pools of fountains are bordered by carpets of fresh mint. Little by little, the villages have been rebuilt. Yuppies have come from the plains, where land is expensive, bringing with them youth, movement, and a spirit of adventure. Walking along the roads you will meet men and women in full health, and boys and girls who know how to laugh, and who have regained the taste for the traditional rustic festivals. Counting both the previous inhabitants of the area, now unrecognizable from living in plenty, and the new arrivals, more than ten thousand persons owe their happiness to Elzéard Bouffier.

When I consider that a single man, relying only on his own simple physical and moral resources, was able to transform a desert into this land of Canaan, I am convinced that despite everything, the human condition is truly admirable. But when I take into account the constancy, the greatness of soul, and the selfless dedication that was needed to bring about this transformation, I am filled with an immense respect for this old, uncultured peasant who knew how to bring about a work worthy of God.

Elzéard Bouffier died peacefully in 1947 at the hospice in Banon.

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