In the beginning here there was nothing. No Thompson seedless vines, no plum or peaches. The nectarines outside the window did not even exist as a species. There was no house. No wells, pumps, or pipelines. No roads, no town, no neighbors. In 1878 there was no gas, propane, or electricity here, no power other than wind, horse, and muscle.
From Fields Without Dreams by Victor Davis Hanson