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I guess the point I am trying to make is that the way we live under normal conditions is one thing, but we have a fallback position available that's not as desirable but it's workable.
So many yupsters have houses they can't heat at all without mains power for example. They don't have a fallback position, aside from "on their butts".
The one thing I need to get cracking on is either an onsite generator or even better a manual well pump installed in parallel to the existing electric one.
The $ we spend on "non-self-sufficient" things like citrus is quite small, it adds a lot of value, so we keep doing it.
One problem with the lifestyle of rural dwellers of a century or so ago is that they didn't have much in the way of health care, I'm not real eager to "authentically kick the bucket" if there is a modern remedy.
One thing to keep in mind is, today we have more options for things. For instance at my place I heat my house with only propane. For some it may seem silly as I got plenty of land with wood on it, but for various reasons, it is just prohibative to heat with wood.
So instead I cut pulp, logs or firewood and sell it to the papermills, sawmills or people who do burn wood and use the money to buy my propane. For me it is a lot more cost and time effective. In the end I am heating my house via wood, just in a way that my forefathers never could.
It is the same way with property taxes, I have always cut wood and taken the money to pay the property taxes every year, now I am switching over to raising sheep. With logging, I got 30 years or more invested in having the individual trees grow, but the amount of time it takes to harvest those trees and sell them is really short. In contrast, with sheep I have to spend time every day taking care of them, but I only have to wait 4 months before I "harvest" my lamb crop...no waiting 30 years from them to grow.
The point here is, in heating my home, or paying my property taxes, I am self suffecient, but they are in untraditional in what they accomplish. For other homesteaders on here, the point I am trying to make is that you do not need to shear your sheep, wash/card/rove/spin/weave the wool to darn a pair of undies for you and the Mrs, you can raise an extra lamb, sell it and buy your undies at Walmart and still ultimately have it come from the homestead.
One thing to keep in mind is, today we have more options for things. For instance at my place I heat my house with only propane. For some it may seem silly as I got plenty of land with wood on it, but for various reasons, it is just prohibative to heat with wood.
So instead I cut pulp, logs or firewood and sell it to the papermills, sawmills or people who do burn wood and use the money to buy my propane. For me it is a lot more cost and time effective. In the end I am heating my house via wood, just in a way that my forefathers never could.
It is the same way with property taxes, I have always cut wood and taken the money to pay the property taxes every year, now I am switching over to raising sheep. With logging, I got 30 years or more invested in having the individual trees grow, but the amount of time it takes to harvest those trees and sell them is really short. In contrast, with sheep I have to spend time every day taking care of them, but I only have to wait 4 months before I "harvest" my lamb crop...no waiting 30 years from them to grow.
The point here is, in heating my home, or paying my property taxes, I am self suffecient, but they are in untraditional in what they accomplish. For other homesteaders on here, the point I am trying to make is that you do not need to shear your sheep, wash/card/rove/spin/weave the wool to darn a pair of undies for you and the Mrs, you can raise an extra lamb, sell it and buy your undies at Walmart and still ultimately have it come from the homestead.
I think this is the 'model' for much of early America--local barter economy with different households specializing in the things they were best able to do and then sharing the 'pooled' resources with one another. I'd call it a 'cooperative society.' In my mind, this is the way things should work. It's gone way beyond that over the years... and turned into what we have today.
I think this is the 'model' for much of early America--local barter economy with different households specializing in the things they were best able to do and then sharing the 'pooled' resources with one another. I'd call it a 'cooperative society.' In my mind, this is the way things should work. It's gone way beyond that over the years... and turned into what we have today.
It still works that way here thankfully. As my Uncle said last fall, "if a farmer can help another farmer today, they damn well better do it, because there may be a day when that farmer needs something".
We don't always get along, but we do always try to work together.
Yes we might snicker behind their back at the way they set up their farms, or wonder about the why he grows his corn the ay he does, but to be honest with you, we just give them a wave as they borrow a 1/4 million dollar tractor for the week and take off down the road with it.
A rose hip tea is loaded with vitamin C. There are wild roses all over Maine. Along the coast there are beach plums down as far as South Carolina. From time immemorial the most self sufficient people have been coastal people. Maine people used to migrate to the coast in summer to fish and clam until after the spawning runs were over. Then they would winter in the deep woods out of the wind, just as the deer do. The hunting was good and a moose will feed a lot of people for a long time.
There are a few who are totally independant, but they own the land they live on and make it work for them. When they come to town they bring things they spent 6 months or more making and sell it for taxes and luxury items they may want.
You guys are right they do not come on line, nor do they want to.
I know one family in Maine somewhere, that do, and in winter they can't get out if they want too. The road is barred and there is 26 miles to go before they would get to a plowed dirt road.
They don't live like most other people, that is fer sartin'.
My friend makes real wood canoes, and a lots of brown ash back packs. His wife makes smaller brown ash baskets, and nice hooked rugs in wool.
They make other assorted woods lore items to sell, and do it up right too, with no junk store bought parts.
One thing they can do, and I have done, and could do again is live with out lots of other people. That part takes some real getting used to.
At this point I have done something my friend hasn't, and that is getting used to people again.
When I go shopping for food or tools which is as much about as I see people, I sometimes wonder why they don't charge me a quarter!
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