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Off the Grid/Homesteading Skills:  Best advice you have received so far  |
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batznthebelfry
True Blue Farmgirl
1257 Posts
Michele
Athol
Ma
USA
1257 Posts |
 Posted - Oct 28 2011 : 10:16:36 AM
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Can you tell I am Loving this new section 
I know all of you have had someone who lives simpler or homesteads who made a impression on you advice wise....& I also know there are those like me who would love to hear it & maybe learn something new.
One thing told to me, which for the life of me I can't remember who said "just because its simpler doesn't mean its not hard"..
.well I think we have all by now figured that out, but somethings I tend to forget that to have what I want, I have to work harder physically to get it....I have to think thur things/ideas step by step so I can mentally see if I can even attempt to do it...
will it be worth it in the end? Is it really that important to what i want or need? Is the cost of it time wise worth the actual doing of it? & the big one if I do it will I use it.
By thinking this way & seeing things worked out in my head it has really helped me.....Yes sometimes my brain is exhausted before I even get to the project...
I have also learned spur of the moment ideas are sometimes best left alone from experience.
I think sometimes I forget, that even in the old days, they planned out everything to the last detail when they found a site to build on & to survive thru all the weathers,dangers & hardships....I have found that somethings I do build or make I like but then realize they are not in the best area for my needs....& then have to take the time to move them, tear them down & re-do them...so now as I age I really think before I attempt something that I know has to really work for me in the long run......Michele'
Chickens rule!
The Old Batz Farm
Hen #2622 |
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Annika
True Blue Farmgirl
5602 Posts
Annika
USA
5602 Posts |
Posted - Oct 28 2011 : 11:36:45 AM
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In my child hood, there were many, many older relatives, now long passes away, that would tell me that anything worth having, was worth working for. So, since homestead/simple/off grid living isn't mainstream America, it's going to be hard work. Worth it? heck yeah!
Michele, I plan and plan and sometimes wing it anyway. I'm learning to be a smarter fox these days tho' and not doing things impulsively, that will take a bunch of work later. I currently have a mound of two dump trucks full of top soil sitting in my yard that I bought spur of the moment a couple of years ago, that my health has been to poor to move, and is now packed down and hard as a rock. Lots of work next spring!
If it is what is going to make your life the most meaningful and enjoyable in the end, then all of the hard work is definitely worth it, but it WILL be hard work!
Annika
Farmgirl & sister #13
http://thegimpyfarmgirl.blogspot.com/
http://pinterest.com/annikaloveshats/
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. ~Leonardo DaVinci
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natesgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
1735 Posts
angela
martinsville
indiana
USA
1735 Posts |
Posted - Oct 28 2011 : 1:50:50 PM
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I have been told by my grandparents many times to slow down, think it through, and keep it simple. I think that is the best advice for every aspect of life.
I was talkin about a root cellar with lights and temperature controlled vents and thermometers that read out in there and in the house and emergency temperature alarms and the whole works, even a humidifier!
Grandpa said, "Slow down. How much will all of this cost? Think it through. Will you recoup that money in food savings truly? What happens when the power goes out in a storm in the winter? Keep it simple. Will you be able to service any of those gadgets should they break?"
I was agast! I hadn't put any thought into any of it! I now am plannin a root cellar with a thermometer on the wall that is connected to the back room of the house by a wire to transmit the temp to an inside one. I will have a pan of water by the cold air vent to keep it moist and a hygrommeter on the far wall from that. I'll be in there every few days anyway to check everything out and collect needed supplies. I will keep a battery powered lantern by the door with the root cellar basket for seein with.
Grandpa is always right!!! We use our genorater all year long bein so far out in the country. Everyone around here jokes that if a bird poops on the lines we're out of power for three days. The gadgets were gonna cost me more than the root cellar itself and I wouldn't be able to fix them or replace them if I was retired or without outside income.
He told me how to run the wire underground and how to insulate it so I would get a true reading in the house. His runs for almost 1/4 mile and keeps a true temp. It's also been there for nearly 20 years and still works. The one I was gonna get is supposed to be replaced every 5 years!
He is so smart and so good at makin things work. I will be too with enough experience. Someday!!
Farmgirl Sister #1438
God - Gardening - Family - Is anything else important? |
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Lieberkim
True Blue Farmgirl
839 Posts
Kimberly
Sunnyside
WASHINGTON
USA
839 Posts |
Posted - Oct 28 2011 : 3:40:52 PM
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Isn't it amazing what we can learn from our elders?!?! I can't think of anything profound at the moment to share, off the top of my head. My Daddy has often said, Sh*t happens. In other words don't stress cause things are gonna go wrong. Just keep working it through. I think the greatest words of advise I have ever received were usually quoted from Scripture. Those are life long, eternal bits of wisdom. :) But I love listening to the older generation tell stories. I'd sit and listen to my grandfather talk about his days trapping and his dog team etc. Or his cowboying days. The horses he'd break that no one else could get on. etc. My Daddy has always been my hero and his wisdom awes me. Any time I'm stuck and don't know what I should do I call him. He's an old fashioned jack of all trades who can make almost anything work and having been raised in isolation on a stump ranch (aka POOR) he knows how to make do. Like your grandpa, Angela, he would have told me to slow my roll. That's all very nice but not very necessary. Make something that lasts, works and has value. Keep it simple.
I hope someday I can impart some of this wisdom on to my children and grandchildren. Maybe they'll enjoy the stories of my horse logging days, riding my horse through bear infested woods, operating heavy equipment in the oilfield, working cattle with my rancher friends etc. And maybe I can help slow their roll too. :)
Excuse the mess & the noise, my children are making happy memories |
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neeter302
True Blue Farmgirl
257 Posts
Anita
Hanover
Indiana
USA
257 Posts |
Posted - Oct 23 2012 : 07:31:14 AM
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| Love reading your posts. It's a fine line between over-thinking and impulsive actions. I too get a headache with overthinking things and trying to make decisions what's right thing to do. Sometimes I think SO much and dream so much that I don't take ANY action & then nothing gets done at all! I guess some of my elder's advice would be "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all", Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without and all that glitters is not gold. Lordy how I wish I'd listened to their wisdom. |
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SandraM
True Blue Farmgirl
295 Posts
Sandra
Coldwater
Michigan
USA
295 Posts |
Posted - Oct 26 2012 : 06:26:40 AM
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One of the peices of advice that we got when we moved to our homestead and wanted to add sheep was before you plant or buy anything, put up good fences.
We took the advice and I have never regretted it.
I love to read and research so I try to get my hands on everything I can before I start anything new.
Some things still don't work out but I at least try to get as much information as I can.
Sandra
www.mittenstatesheepandwool.com |
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rphelps4
True Blue Farmgirl
620 Posts
roxanna
westport
indiana
USA
620 Posts |
Posted - Oct 26 2012 : 07:21:41 AM
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| You know what they say "haste makes waste", I would rather do something one time and take longer to complete than to do it several times and get all stressed out and mad! Roxanna |
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Bonnie Ellis
True Blue Farmgirl
2474 Posts
Bonnie
Minneapolis
Minnesota
USA
2474 Posts |
Posted - Oct 26 2012 : 7:17:15 PM
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I'll add one more: "Plan Ahead" and always be thankful.
grandmother and orphan farmgirl |
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Melina
True Blue Farmgirl
435 Posts
Melina
USA
435 Posts |
Posted - Oct 27 2012 : 08:12:58 AM
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Oh Sandra, you're so right about the fences. We learned that one with our first goat!
Strangely, the best advise I've gotten lately is from a county commissioner who came to talk to our group about disaster planning. She very eloquently got the message across that "You're On Your Own" or YOYO. She talked about the various dangers we face as citizens, how little the government can and will do in an emergency, and what should be in your bug-out bag. I've taken it to heart.
The morning breeze has secrets to tell you. Do not go back to sleep.
Rumi |
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Annika
True Blue Farmgirl
5602 Posts
Annika
USA
5602 Posts |
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rphelps4
True Blue Farmgirl
620 Posts
roxanna
westport
indiana
USA
620 Posts |
Posted - Oct 27 2012 : 08:48:49 AM
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| Great advice Annika. Roxanna |
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Oct 27 2012 : 4:05:31 PM
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When I got married, my mother told us to surround ourselves with people we love, and not to sweat the small stuff. Since then, it has become my mantra. :)
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
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Cherime
True Blue Farmgirl
1222 Posts
Cherime
Wasilla
Alaska
USA
1222 Posts |
Posted - Oct 28 2012 : 08:34:19 AM
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My Grandpa told me not to worry "the first hundred years is always the hardest; from there it's a down hill slide". The older I get the more I appreciate that.
CMF |
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hialtfarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
72 Posts
Terri
WA.
USA
72 Posts |
Posted - Nov 20 2012 : 04:37:07 AM
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K(eep) I(t) S(simple) S(tupid)
KISS..    ..
"LOVING" life at 4000 feet..."LOVE" is a very splendid thing... |
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Off the Grid/Homesteading Skills: Best advice you have received so far |
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Best advice you have received so far
