Home, home on the ranch

Regarding the Home Forum essay "Family Cohesion on the Ranch," Aug. 29: It is refreshing to read the story of a family that is pursuing the "good life" and succeeding. One hears so much today about the need for both parents to work full time to make ends meet; yet in many cases this is necessary only to maintain the lifestyle promoted by television and shopping malls.The author's family is fortunate to have the range of skills and interests to maintain this atypical lifestyle. But our economy does not furnish many opportunities of this kind. If we placed more value on land stewardship, as well as on cultural and economic self-reliance, we could repopulate and revive depressed rural areas, while relieving some of the pressure of overdevelopment elsewhere. To accomplish this we need government policies favorable to family farms, small businesses, and community stabilit y. Jennifer Quinn, Riverdale, N.Y. Letters are welcome. Only a selection can be published, subject to condensation, and none acknowledged. Please address them to "Readers Write," One Norway St., Boston, MA 02115.