November 12, 2015
It's been a VERY busy few days, and it doesn't seem like it's going to get any less busy, at least until December. We've been continuing on with the "Beyond off the Grid" webinar series, and Tuesday was GREAT! There was a discussion by Amber Bradshaw, of thecoastalhomestead.com. The topic was "How to Make your Own Household Cleaners." For years, LouAnn has wanted to purify the our lives, eliminating most of the unpronounceable chemicals, and doing without chemicals and additives that we can and should do without. Unfortunately, it hasn't always been easy to convince our children (LouAnn's three children, my stepchildren) to join us in our spirit of purity.
For a time, living purer and healthier was not a battle that was worth the cost of infuriating our children. In the past, we tried to have homemade soap and cleansers, homemade laundry detergent, drying our clothes on clothes lines, eliminating 99% of processed foods, etc., etc., etc. Many of these projects met with fierce resistance from our children, especially the boys, who have been immersed in our "immediate gratification" world and can't see the benefits of a purer, simpler lifestyle. Well, at this point, the boys are grown and about to graduate college, the little lady is a teenager, and LouAnn has decided that we WILL go forward with our ideas. We no longer have cable television in our home, we are eating healthier, we are planning to begin our homestead, and this webinar by Ms. Bradshaw was WONDERFUL for some product education. I always thought that ammonia and bleach were required chemicals in a "back to basics" cleaning closet... apparently, I am mistaken. Vinegar, Baking Soda, Washing Soda (which I can make myself). Alcohol, and a few herbs and essential oils seem to be all that is needed besides good old H2O.
So... we made homemade all-purpose cleaner, homemade glass/window cleaner (WOW! MUCH MORE EFFECTIVE than Windex,) are getting ready to make our own laundry detergent, dryer balls, and personal hygiene products. My darling wife has gone on a mission to dispose of as many AWFUL chemicals as she can in our home, and hopefully, we can get our children to "get with the program" as we go to homemade soap and shampoo, homemade dish detergent, etc... etc... etc... My dream is that step by step, we will be able to take a few steps back from this ways of a world that has become too toxic, too superficial, too relativistic... just too... TOO! For my own self, I hope that over time, I can keep on strengthening my relationship with my son (he lives in PA now), because out of our three boys, I think he is the only one who might appreciate the pure lifestyle, and the hard work and rewards that are such an integral part of the mindset of that lifestyle. But, whether LouAnn and I are the first generation of many to return back to basics, or the first and only generation of our family to take this venture, WE ARE taking it.
Oh... as a humorous aside, I have REALLY got to learn how to be a better blessing to my wife in the kitchen. I made some homemade bread on Tuesday... just so-so. Along with her wonderful cooking of our meals (I married somebody just this side of a country gourmet) LouAnn made some apple crumb this week and banana bread yesterday... DEFINITELY NOT so-so! My wife is a FABULOUS cook, and I feel so inept sometimes at how wonderful she is at domestic life, and how my only skills seem to be "guy" things. She is plenty capable of "guy" things as well. As a friend of mine said last week, "Lee, you married up." He's right.
Yesterday, we watched two webinars - one was about chickens by Maat Van Uitert (thefrugalchicken.com). Chickens are something that we want to raise on our homestead, so she will be a fount of useful information for us. I also took a look at Maat's website, and the Frugal Homesteading part seems to be worth checking into. Then, we watched a webinar by Tammy Trayer (Trayerwilderness.com), and all I can say is, "WOW!!!!!!!" She, her husband, and son, moved from Washington, DC to raw acreage in Idaho (sight unseen) and over the past five years, through determination, ingenuity, and some genuine elbow grease, have established a PHENOMENAL homestead. Solar electricity, hand tools both in and out of the home, running their own sawmill for their wood, cooking with solar, heating with wood, building outbuildings, raising animals, hunting and gathering, and starting their own garden. They go shopping about once every three months! I DREAM about being able to have my family live that simply, and hopefully, God will bless my family as much as he as blessed the Trayers.
Now, it's time to take care of my Mom and Dad. Dad is having a difficult time physically and emotionally, which obviously affects Mom, so LouAnn and I are spending a few days with them to hopefully help right their ship.
Thursday, November 12, 2015
Monday, November 9, 2015
Georgia, Mount Dora, Wal-Mart and the Web... Wattaweek!
November 9, 2015
WELL! The past few days have been invigorating. I had a road trip to Athens, GA. On the way up, I kept seeing all of these ramshackle barns and farmland and the thought was "I want it NOW!" I know that I have to wait until the situation is right, but the city-slicker in me wants immediate satisfaction. Anyway, the rains came and washed out my tournament before it even began. So, it was back home to Jacksonville, the day after I left.
Yesterday, for a spur-of-the-moment excursion, my beloved and I excurded to Mount Dora, Florida. Mount Dora is a favorite spot in the state for antiquing or flea-marketing, or crafting, or whatever else you want to call it. We're kind of oddities there... we don't actually go there to buy anything, but to get all kinds of ideas. For example, I love to do woodwork, and am looking forward to re-establishing my workshop in my new home in Ohio when we get there. There are a few MAJOR pieces of furniture that I've been promising LouAnn and Kourtney. LouAnn is going to be the proud recipient of a large butcher block table and a china cabinet. Kourtney is gonna get her canopy bed. Also, there are going to be other projects that come along. So... we go through all of the antique shops (there is a phenomenal indoor flea market that we love to visit, and Renninger's is a wonderland for me) and I look at all of the old woodwork. I see how I am going to use old-tyme design in my craft projects for my family.
Today, LouAnn was the proud recipient of a badge of honor. She has officially been rejected by a member of today's society, and she proudly wears the badge. Here's the story. In our desire to return to making less of a mark in our daily lives upon nature, LouAnn took some reusable grocery bags to Wal-Mart. While in the produce section, she pulled out a cucumber and put it into the cart. She took out some multicolored peppers and put them in the cart. A lady looked at my darling wife and asked, "Aren't you going to put them into bags?" LouAnn responded, "No." The lady asked why, and when LouAnn explained that our cloth bags were an attempt to be more environmentally conscious, the lady just looked at her strangely and said, "You're WEIRD!" Yippee for my weird wife! I should craft her a scarlet W for all of her grocery bags!
Today is the start of a week-long series of webinars sponsored by Beyond Off Grid. Some of the information is very interesting. Some of the information is FANTASTIC! Some of the information is kinda lame, in my opinion. But... it's all information, and at this point, I'm willing to take on ALL information. Speaking of information... I know LouAnn has some homesteading groups with which she is associated on Facebook, etc. If ANY of you folks look upon this blog and can take pity on a future complete homesteading neophyte, I'll be more than happy to accept guidance and tutelage. So... if you've got it, BRING IT! I'll take all the help I can get.
Yours in our return to nature,
Lee
WELL! The past few days have been invigorating. I had a road trip to Athens, GA. On the way up, I kept seeing all of these ramshackle barns and farmland and the thought was "I want it NOW!" I know that I have to wait until the situation is right, but the city-slicker in me wants immediate satisfaction. Anyway, the rains came and washed out my tournament before it even began. So, it was back home to Jacksonville, the day after I left.
Yesterday, for a spur-of-the-moment excursion, my beloved and I excurded to Mount Dora, Florida. Mount Dora is a favorite spot in the state for antiquing or flea-marketing, or crafting, or whatever else you want to call it. We're kind of oddities there... we don't actually go there to buy anything, but to get all kinds of ideas. For example, I love to do woodwork, and am looking forward to re-establishing my workshop in my new home in Ohio when we get there. There are a few MAJOR pieces of furniture that I've been promising LouAnn and Kourtney. LouAnn is going to be the proud recipient of a large butcher block table and a china cabinet. Kourtney is gonna get her canopy bed. Also, there are going to be other projects that come along. So... we go through all of the antique shops (there is a phenomenal indoor flea market that we love to visit, and Renninger's is a wonderland for me) and I look at all of the old woodwork. I see how I am going to use old-tyme design in my craft projects for my family.
Today, LouAnn was the proud recipient of a badge of honor. She has officially been rejected by a member of today's society, and she proudly wears the badge. Here's the story. In our desire to return to making less of a mark in our daily lives upon nature, LouAnn took some reusable grocery bags to Wal-Mart. While in the produce section, she pulled out a cucumber and put it into the cart. She took out some multicolored peppers and put them in the cart. A lady looked at my darling wife and asked, "Aren't you going to put them into bags?" LouAnn responded, "No." The lady asked why, and when LouAnn explained that our cloth bags were an attempt to be more environmentally conscious, the lady just looked at her strangely and said, "You're WEIRD!" Yippee for my weird wife! I should craft her a scarlet W for all of her grocery bags!
Today is the start of a week-long series of webinars sponsored by Beyond Off Grid. Some of the information is very interesting. Some of the information is FANTASTIC! Some of the information is kinda lame, in my opinion. But... it's all information, and at this point, I'm willing to take on ALL information. Speaking of information... I know LouAnn has some homesteading groups with which she is associated on Facebook, etc. If ANY of you folks look upon this blog and can take pity on a future complete homesteading neophyte, I'll be more than happy to accept guidance and tutelage. So... if you've got it, BRING IT! I'll take all the help I can get.
Yours in our return to nature,
Lee
Monday, November 2, 2015
The Current Chapter in Our Adventure
November 2, 2015
Hi. I'm Lee, the male half of our dynamic duo. LouAnn is our homemaker extraordinaire, resident husband and child psychologist, our gourmet cook, our complete domestic engineering crew, and my biggest cheerleader.
My job is logistics, the bulk of the driving, the mechanical engineering, the financial engineer, the chief grunt work laborer, and to be available for whenever she allows me "in her kitchen." The rest of the time, I go away from home and am a softball umpire, along with officiating other sports sometimes.
I was born in Brooklyn, NY, weaned in Queens, NY and grew up on Long Island. Then, I moved to Pennsylvania for four years, and have been down in Florida for the past 12 years. A few months ago, I stumbled into a career opportunity that allowed us to begin a journey back to LouAnn's roots, country living.
We have talked occasionally about reducing all of our "citification," and now, my career seems to be taking me into Ohio, which would mean a two-three month road trip each spring. In addition, our middle son, Michael, is graduating from the University of North Florida in December. Real estate prices in Florida are completely obscene, and rentals are ridiculously expensive as well. So, the opportunity arrived, and we have decided that a more rural, off-the-grid life is our destination, probably in Eastern Ohio.
A few weeks ago, we ventured up into the Columbus and Youngstown areas, and found that real estate closings are approximately 45-60 days in the area. So, we were a bit early to go house hunting. Our lease at our present home doesn't expire until the end of February, so we aren't looking to close until about the end of January. As a result of finding out we were early, we stayed for a couple of days in Ohio visiting LouAnn's sister and brother-in-law. Then, we came back to Florida for our return to family and my return to work. We are planning to return to Ohio to house hunt, leaving Florida on Black Friday.
LouAnn has been really good at getting me foundational reading material for what we hope will be a family farm. My initial joke about the idea of starting a farm was, "How much does a cow eat? I haven't a clue, but it's a HECK of a lot." So, as it sits now, our plans are as follows:
Our goal is a fixer-upper of a home with between 5 and 10 acres of land in Eastern Ohio or the Western Edge of Pennsylvania. The first year in our home will be most likely spent doing fixup and setup work around the house.
Our eventual goal is to have a cow/calf combination for milk and meat, some chickens for meat and eggs, and some pigs for pork and profit (along with the animals' completely natural fertilizer and grass cutting ability.) We intend to grow enough food to be provided with veggies throughout the year, along with growing grass, alfalfa and feed crops for the animals, using wood from the acreage to feed our wood stove or wood stoves (I LOVED wood stove heat when I lived in PA,) and using the products of our labor to make as much of our sustenance natural as we can.
We have been reading labels, and seeing the artificial nature of our world, and have realized that so much of our world has contaminated the lives of us and our children. It is time to reject the crazy nature of what our world and society has become. It is time for us to go "back to the basics." I hope you enjoy our trip along with us.
'Til next time,
Lee
Hi. I'm Lee, the male half of our dynamic duo. LouAnn is our homemaker extraordinaire, resident husband and child psychologist, our gourmet cook, our complete domestic engineering crew, and my biggest cheerleader.
My job is logistics, the bulk of the driving, the mechanical engineering, the financial engineer, the chief grunt work laborer, and to be available for whenever she allows me "in her kitchen." The rest of the time, I go away from home and am a softball umpire, along with officiating other sports sometimes.
I was born in Brooklyn, NY, weaned in Queens, NY and grew up on Long Island. Then, I moved to Pennsylvania for four years, and have been down in Florida for the past 12 years. A few months ago, I stumbled into a career opportunity that allowed us to begin a journey back to LouAnn's roots, country living.
We have talked occasionally about reducing all of our "citification," and now, my career seems to be taking me into Ohio, which would mean a two-three month road trip each spring. In addition, our middle son, Michael, is graduating from the University of North Florida in December. Real estate prices in Florida are completely obscene, and rentals are ridiculously expensive as well. So, the opportunity arrived, and we have decided that a more rural, off-the-grid life is our destination, probably in Eastern Ohio.
A few weeks ago, we ventured up into the Columbus and Youngstown areas, and found that real estate closings are approximately 45-60 days in the area. So, we were a bit early to go house hunting. Our lease at our present home doesn't expire until the end of February, so we aren't looking to close until about the end of January. As a result of finding out we were early, we stayed for a couple of days in Ohio visiting LouAnn's sister and brother-in-law. Then, we came back to Florida for our return to family and my return to work. We are planning to return to Ohio to house hunt, leaving Florida on Black Friday.
LouAnn has been really good at getting me foundational reading material for what we hope will be a family farm. My initial joke about the idea of starting a farm was, "How much does a cow eat? I haven't a clue, but it's a HECK of a lot." So, as it sits now, our plans are as follows:
Our goal is a fixer-upper of a home with between 5 and 10 acres of land in Eastern Ohio or the Western Edge of Pennsylvania. The first year in our home will be most likely spent doing fixup and setup work around the house.
Our eventual goal is to have a cow/calf combination for milk and meat, some chickens for meat and eggs, and some pigs for pork and profit (along with the animals' completely natural fertilizer and grass cutting ability.) We intend to grow enough food to be provided with veggies throughout the year, along with growing grass, alfalfa and feed crops for the animals, using wood from the acreage to feed our wood stove or wood stoves (I LOVED wood stove heat when I lived in PA,) and using the products of our labor to make as much of our sustenance natural as we can.
We have been reading labels, and seeing the artificial nature of our world, and have realized that so much of our world has contaminated the lives of us and our children. It is time to reject the crazy nature of what our world and society has become. It is time for us to go "back to the basics." I hope you enjoy our trip along with us.
'Til next time,
Lee
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)