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Off the Grid/Homesteading Skills:  what you know now  |
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marlee
True Blue Farmgirl
1650 Posts
Marlene
DeRidder
Louisiana
1650 Posts |
 Posted - Mar 10 2012 : 4:42:51 PM
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Hi Marly, it has been hanging up there almost 7 yrs. She said she will keep it right where it is. That's wonderful that you still have it.--Marlee
God is the painter, he paints the picture. And his son builds it, for he is the Master Carpenter! |
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Bear5
True Blue Farmgirl
13055 Posts
Louisiana/Texas
USA
13055 Posts |
Posted - Mar 10 2012 : 9:27:26 PM
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When my parents died, none of my other five sisters wanted the wash board. I thought that was great because I wanted it. I certainly would not have thrown it in the trash.
Tomorrow it will be on the wall next to my washing machine.
Marly
"It's only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth- and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up- that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had." Elisabeth Kurler-Ross |
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batznthebelfry
True Blue Farmgirl
1257 Posts
Michele
Athol
Ma
USA
1257 Posts |
Posted - Mar 11 2012 : 03:34:40 AM
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Love the wash board comments, last year I was in a 'antique' shop & found 2, I bought both & gave one to a neighbor girl who likes to wash things outside & thought it might help her...I love mine but forget to grab it when I am washing what I can 'bucket' items...I am so used to just doing them by hand I forget I have a wonderful old washboard to help...guess it would help if I put it somewhere else so I would see it...lol....
Glad to hear about getting the water tubs & wiring up out of the way Lorena, yes I hope she can get the area cleaned for the animals...I know thats something I need to do with my chicken coops....thank goodness mine are small areas & never take more than a couple of hours but I can remember cleaning out a huge sheep barn we had growing up & that took days!....at my age it would take weeks now...lol but I am wise enough now I hope I would definitely be using power equipment instead of just a pitch fork & hope my driving skills wouldn't take out a barn wall :)....Michele'
Chickens rule!
The Old Batz Farm
Hen #2622
http://theoldbatzfarm.blogger.com |
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FARMALLChick
True Blue Farmgirl
978 Posts
Lora
Alexandria
IN
USA
978 Posts |
Posted - Mar 13 2012 : 1:09:59 PM
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When we moved to our farm, I had the biggest ideas for being self-sufficient. Somethings I learned along the way were -
1) When the income is gone and it comes down to feeding the animals vs. feeding the family - the animals have to be sold (horses/llamas) or eaten (chickens/rabbits).
2) If you ARE both working full time, who's tending the garden? (mowing, feeding, cleaning...)
3) Buy property with your head, not your heart. I love my property, but should have done some research first - and slept on it.
4) Be prepared for ANYTHING.
5) Observe the neighbors BEFORE you sign a purchase agreement.
6) When planning a garden, consider where the water source is before you have to carry it.
7) Also, when planning a garden, make it bigger than you think you will need if you really want to put up anything because critters don't care that you put out a few extra plants for them - they think it is ALL theirs.
8) Can or dehydrate more than you freeze - electricity can be very unpredictable.
9) Set lofty goals, but be realistic - know your limits.
10) Don't be afraid to ask for help.
11) Don't be shy about offering help - all they can do is say no
12) Remember that while there will always be folks who have way more than you - there are even more who have way less.
I'm just sayin.....
Lora
If it ain't red, leave it in the shed.
www.CountryFriedAcres.etsy.com
www.farmallchick.blogspot.com
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alterationsbyemily
True Blue Farmgirl
686 Posts
Emily
Thomasville
PA
USA
686 Posts |
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FARMALLChick
True Blue Farmgirl
978 Posts
Lora
Alexandria
IN
USA
978 Posts |
Posted - Mar 19 2012 : 2:51:42 PM
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Yeah, as it happened when we bought the place, we were both working full time. He has since closed his mowing business and is working part time. I on the other hand, am working almost double time. Thank goodness I like my job! I get home about 7 pm so that doesn't leave much time to do anything - including eat! (not that I couldn't stand to lose a few!)
Lora
If it ain't red, leave it in the shed.
www.CountryFriedAcres.etsy.com
www.farmallchick.blogspot.com
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AnnieinIdaho
True Blue Farmgirl
437 Posts
Annie
ID
USA
437 Posts |
Posted - Mar 21 2012 : 12:42:45 PM
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Hi Sisters,
My reply may not be all that popular and I add it with a preface that I don't necessarily mean resorting to violence or disrespect of others views and personhood.(Unless you are being attacked) We see in the news here in Henderson a man shot someone who was intruding through his window and was killed will now most likely be charged for trying to protect his home. We see the news story of the teen recently killed by the man thinking the teen was a criminal. Laws not clearly defined and people wanting to be safe and protect themselves. And lawlessness is often clearly being rewarded here in Nevada. Anyway, that's my preface now to topic response: When I was younger I wish I had known that "when the fight is not fair...it is fair to fight". I learned this in a model-mugging course. Basically, in a more user friendly mode nowadays, I just keep strong boundaries, don't let people get too enmeshed with my life, and don't let people try to triangulate me into their problems with others. I try to associate with people who are really "in my camp", "on my team" and avoid energy zappers. When you spot manipulators, then you better be ready with some boundary skills. Just go forth and enjoy each day, taking what is good, but be willing to politely "stand your ground" or leave. It would have saved me a lot of energy, puzzlement in others behavior, and misdirection of my efforts that could have been used to foster my own well being and goals. Of course, if you are really attacked, you best fight for your life with all your might like a war hero. You will have some injuries. Also, please carry an RFID wallet if you have a credit card or debit card with radio frequency chip in it. Twice in the last month I have been physically pushed in Von's market by someone with a reader in their pocket and my number was wirelessly grabbed and a credit card made and used. The police will do nothing because the bank reimbursed me I am no longer considered a victim. I now have an RFID wallet, but have started using cash to buy anything. There just are people out there that are basically lazy and will steal from you and no longer have to physically lift your wallet or purse. Just remember we can still be good natured and kind at heart but have fighting spirits to keep the good. My work each day is keep joyful and not to let them taint my spirit. May the Lord Bless Us and Keep Us...and May Harm Stay Away From Your Door. Remember.."When the fight is not fair, it is fair to fight." This is not easy due to politics, laws, lawsuits and apathy. Be strong. Be well. Be Safe. Be Joyful.
Annie in Henderson
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batznthebelfry
True Blue Farmgirl
1257 Posts
Michele
Athol
Ma
USA
1257 Posts |
Posted - Mar 25 2012 : 2:36:45 PM
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You make such a good point about when to fight & to walk away....another good point to add to this is keep your credit cards in foil in your purse..this will protect them from being scanned by someone. sounds silly but it works & it will not harm the credit card info that is on it.
thur my life I have had to back away from people who were users after I figured out they wanted something from me that was not true friendship. I am a hardheaded woman but also very understanding so I tend to get a lot of people who want to use me as a sounding board & seem to pick up on my willingness to help....There is nothing so frustrating to be asked for help, show up & then have to do all the work cause they just disappear..lol...
I have also learned that to open my mouth takes more than it did when I was young, I am more apt to just walk away when I feel attacked than to stand there & dish it out.....less headaches....
unless it involves my animals or hubby then I may be a mean rooster to tend with :).
I grew up with a lot of violence with my dad so sometimes its hard to back down, but now that bones are less willing to take a hit & never ever get to the point of throwing a punch even after being hit if I can keep from it...yeah I know that sounds really really bad, must be the Indian in me..lol.lol.lol.
anyway thank you for putting up your comments they are something very important & I am glad you wrote it :)...Michele'
Chickens rule!
The Old Batz Farm
Hen #2622
http://theoldbatzfarm.blogger.com |
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oldbittyhen
True Blue Farmgirl
1511 Posts
tina
quartz hill
ca
USA
1511 Posts |
Posted - Mar 25 2012 : 3:48:48 PM
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Annette, It is a tuff world we live in, and I know I would fight to the death to protect my family, I was raised to be one who will protect what is mine, with the same energy the person who is stealing/threatening or what ever from me , i.e., yelling, throwing a punch if need be, or showing my gun, and even shooting next to them if they don't back down, and flat out putting a bullet between their eyes if they point a gun at me or mine...that being said...if someone is in a bad way, come to me and ask, I will give them , without a second thought, whatever they need to survive, and take them and their family in if need be...I also stock pile (for lack of a better phrase)a minumim of a years worth of food and supplys that my entire family (grown kids and their families), plus extra, in order that we will survive...I also keep cash very well hidden on my property (my kids know where it is), cause you might not have bank access. We have propane generators , we keep the trucks full of gas, and store 5 gallon cans, which we rotate constantly, cause it will go stale...I think all should prepare for the worst, natural disasters, and civil unrest, and if we never have to use that prepardness, wow, that would be great, but its there if you need it...
"Knowlege is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad" |
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batznthebelfry
True Blue Farmgirl
1257 Posts
Michele
Athol
Ma
USA
1257 Posts |
Posted - Apr 08 2012 : 08:17:21 AM
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Tina your thoughts on 'prepardness got me really thinking the other day after I saw another storm disaster on the news & realized that maybe I hadn't done everything right by just having food, ect....I have about 20 5gallon buckets with the gama lids which hold flours, sugar, cornmeal, oats ect but after seeing a area of the states flooded realized that if this was to happen to us everything in those buckets would probably get damaged & have to be thrown out....I now see that just having them stored is not enough they have to be sealed as well to be truly protected....So my goal this year is to start buying the heavy duty seal like bags that fit into the buckets so the flours ect go into that first....even my bags of rices & beans that come from the stores aren't really sealed well & will need to be done...so all these years I thought I was doing the right thing by just having the extra food items but now see that certain disasters could take that all away....even a minor house fire could damage these is the fire dept hosed down that room...so Tina you did a very good thing with your comments cause I am sure others are doing what I am doing not realizing its not enough....Every year i grow more afraid of the banks & what if we can't get to our money....I am about ready to go back to the total cash system of my youth...our money is automatically deposited into our checking acct but I am thinking of taking as much out of it each month & keeping it in the house, hidden of coarse that is not used for bills I have to write checks for.......so we always have easy access to it in an emergency...right now its like pulling teeth when we need it right now & have to wait to drive to the bank once it opens...its 45 minutes away from us.....3 yrs ago I got ride of all our credit cards which has been a big blessing...no buys unless we have the money so we are no longer buried in that debt....
I am just so thankful I have set up this system when we moved here food wise as my hubby is now unemployed after coming back from Afghanistan...we get his monthly Army Reserve pay for his 2 days a month work thur that & Unemployment which takes care of the house payment & gas in the car....I made sure while he was in Afghanistan to stock up even more since I eat little...sometimes my grocery bill was around $100 a month or less.....so I was able to build up a good stock pile of different things for us to have once he got back cause I knew it would be a while before he was able to get another job....right now all I have to buy is milk, butter & fresh fruits or veggies once or twice a month...our last food bill was just under $60, 2 weeks ago where normally with him I spend $100 or more a week.....Thank goodness for the way i was raised cause it sure has helped me over the years....Michele'
Chickens rule!
The Old Batz Farm
Hen #2622
http://theoldbatzfarm.blogger.com |
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Jess_Quinn
Farmgirl in Training
36 Posts
Jessica
Gleason
TN
USA
36 Posts |
Posted - Apr 18 2013 : 10:51:57 AM
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I am still in the starting out process and it bugs me to no end how many people have told me that I have always "dreamed big", that I have good ideas (with the tone that the life I plan to live is just an idea and that it won't ever work), etc...I'm learning new things day by day and hopefully I will be able to put my new knowledge into a sustainable practice.
"He makes the grass to
grow for the cattle, and herb for
the service of man, that he
may bring forth food out
of the earth" Psalms 104:14
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EastTXFarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
731 Posts
Victoria
Farmgirl #549
TX
USA
731 Posts |
Posted - Apr 30 2013 : 07:25:28 AM
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For me it was realizing that blood relationships can be toxic and its ok to let them go. I know that sounds horrible but I was not able to admit it until my late 40s that my mother is a toxic person for me. I realized that no matter how hard I tried I was never going to be good enough for her but I am good enough for me and at the end of the day that's what counts. I do still check on her to ensure she has what she needs but I do not allow her to talk down to me, put my family down or manipulate me in any way. I no longer feel the obligation to make everything ok. That has simplified my life more than anything else I have ever done I just wish I had been brave enough many years ago to say stop, it is not ok for you to be so hateful.
www.facebook.com/victoriascottagebakery
Begin each morning with a song in your heart. |
Edited by - EastTXFarmgirl on Apr 30 2013 07:28:22 AM |
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Madelena
True Blue Farmgirl
1919 Posts
Mary
Central
TX
USA
1919 Posts |
Posted - Apr 30 2013 : 6:15:23 PM
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I thought it was interesting that we flipped from being over-extended on the farm to modern problems of too many people who mean us harm. A co-worker used to have a sign in her office, "Trust everyone, but cut the cards". Guess that says it all.
Hubby thinks I am some sort of fanatic, wanting to store away some food, etc., for a possible emergency. But, those little things seem to crop up more and more (or maybe we just know about them because of TV).
Texas had some unique situations, A few years ago wild fires almost destroyed the town of Bastrop, TX and recently the fertilizer plant in West, TX exploded. When the majority of the town is evacuated, your relatives, neighbors and friends will not be a position to help you. We talked to some people this week end who evacuated during the fires.
What would you do if there was a knock on the door and you were told you have 15 minutes to pack and start evacuating? DH who normally thinks I am a Henny Penny sort of person started to think a little different after the West disaster.
And what would we gather in 15 minutes? The dog and cat and their food, our meds, important papers, some food, $$$ (opps.. usually it is sitting in a bank somewhere, very little COH. Hmm) Family pictures or maybe those little SD cards. The time would go soo fast. I might be lucky to find my purse and the cat.
DH suggested keeping some totes near the door with important stuff (my, that was a change of tune!) and actually making a list of evacuation routes. I was watching a Storm Chasers show one afternoon, and one city told the people who lived on the North side of town to get underground or evacuate south as their was a EF 5 tornado on it's way. Guess it would be good to have several ways to escape and not BUMPER TO BUMPER on clogged highways.
I think my self talk has help me to see that I need to put these ideas in to a real family plan and share with my kiddos so they can decide what would work for them. I certainly have enjoyed learning from this blog.. thanks for whoever came up with the idea !
"There is no unbelief: Whoever plants a seed beneath the sod and waits to see it push away the clod, he trusts in God." (Kate Douglas Wiggin) |
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msdoolittle
True Blue Farmgirl
1143 Posts
Amanda
East Texas
USA
1143 Posts |
Posted - May 01 2013 : 07:58:24 AM
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What I know now is to take things a day at a time, and keep life as simple as possible. I just don't get in a hurry anymore. My husband and I believe that life is like traffic. We're all gonna end up at the red light (the end) at the same time, no matter how much of a hurry you are in!
So true, Victoria! Similar situation here. I now choose not to live my life under anyone's thumb. My DH and I have a rule regarding extended family, and that is: "Limited Contact". It keeps us both sane, so that we can give our own little family of 4 all of our attention rather than get caught up in the nonsense.
And to add to what Mary was saying, we have 2 little totes with important papers and also a little stash which includes a flashlight, scanner, whistle, and batteries under the stairs in case we need to either take shelter or grab and go. I learned the value of this when our house almost caught on fire 2 years ago and I was grabbing stuff as fast as I could (Yes, the current issue of MJF mag came with me as I was grabbing a photo book). I really need to add some water and packaged food to our little shelter. You just never know. With the terrible drought a few years back, we were freaking out about wildfires here because everything was on fire! At that time, we created a big tub that houses 2 tents, a Coleman stove, and other camping necessities. It's made to be a grab-n-go thing, and it was very comforting having that around.
FarmGirl #1390
www.mylittlecountry.wordpress.com |
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Lanna
True Blue Farmgirl
330 Posts
Lanna
A little town in Idaho
330 Posts |
Posted - Jun 11 2013 : 6:07:02 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by Melina
Hardest lesson for me was that animals can be a real burden, especially if you aren't ready for them.
I have people keep telling me I should get chickens and such, but I keep telling them I'm just not ready for that kind of thing - no place to put them, and I'm having a hard enough time keeping our bed linens constantly washed. :) One thing at a time. I also know I'm just never going to have critters like cows - I'm horrible at mornings, and you know, I'm cool with visiting my milk farm once a week to pick up my milk. Plus it'd be hard to keep a cow on my quarter of an acre house lot in a neighborhood that we plan to stay in for quite a while.
Madelena, there's a ton of fun sites with go-bag lists and 72-hour kits and such. I have various sized totes in my minivan under the seats (I still need my cargo space for regular use!) - have extra (dried) food/snacks, water, changes of clothes for each of the kids, a spare blanket or three... Then in one of our easy-to-grab-from closets we have our emergency kits with more goodies in backpacks for us all to wear, and then the heavier stuff in rolling coolers. Because a) who doesn't need coolers sometimes? and b) having something that rolls is pretty handy so you don't throw your back out carrying it.
I grew up around my Depression-era grandparents, and you bet their pantry had more than three days worth of food. Darn tootin'. I've inherited that, ahem, particular trait. My current problem is making sure I've got things all put away in the smallish space we've got (a year's worth of canned peaches and tuna and green beans and jam takes up space! as does a whole cow in the fall!). We pack a lot into our little suburban house (we homeschool, my hubby works from home in a very technical job, I do a bunch of canning/preserving/DIY medicine, we have a 1200+sf garden plus fruit trees, oh, and there's four kids that keep growing).
On the flipside of that though, I've been able to bless (I hope!) folks through the years... My standard MO with friends is to gift food. If you've had a baby? I'll show up with a hefty bag of freezer goodies, snacks, lunches *and* dinners. A friend's family just lost their job and they have nothing in their pantry? I'll pull out what I can to help them out for a week or two. Having a bad day? I might swing by with some banana sour cream muffins or some jam and fresh bread or something else from my freezer. Or my twice-widowered neighbor, I just bring him food every so often because I know he's not a practiced cook (his wives always did the cooking), and he seems to have been happy with the muffins and Bourbon Molasses Chicken and such that's crossed his threshold so far (plus I like checking on him, I know he gets lonely from time to time). :D
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Lanna, homeschooling mama to four little monkeys that still try to jump on the bed |
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Off the Grid/Homesteading Skills: what you know now |
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what you know now
