Is a Self Sufficient Lifestyle Only Feasible if Healthy and Strong?

[cadams]

A recent Countryside magazine featured an article from a woman who was in her late 50s or early 60s, can't remember exactly, who has MS~pretty advanced. She lives alone. She has to crawl around and do her chores! She kind of outlined how she gets in wood and cares for the place and puts us all to shame. The article was titled something like "Homesteading and No Excuses".

I think its all in just how bad you want to stay independent.

http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Homes...+heard+a+story+quite+like+this...-a0193452649
here the link to the story. I'll never gripe about having RA again.

 

[Tatter]

Anyone can be self reliant, IF they have the drive to do it. I've met many in my area who wish they could be like me, but wishing and doing are two totally different things. One must have the drive and the desire to be such and its sort of like a relationship...a 2 way road meaning you need to want the life and want to work at getting it. If one just desires it (1 way road), nothing becomes of it. My grandmother way back in the late '80's was tiny, standing at 4'9, crippled with back problems and being 87 years old, was self reliant and still managed to walk to the grocery store 4 miles away to get supplies. She would rise up at 4amish, work till it got dark, and do it all over again the next day. Not ever did she give up because that is how she was raised, and lived all her life and though she was seasoned for it, with her limitations, she choose not to give in. So, anyone can be self sufficient but you need that drive to accomplish the wish to make it come true.

 

[NovaAman]

I would love to learn to live completely off the grid, but, I do not have the time or money to go to learn the skills I would need. So I will have to learn in steps.

 

[Tatter]

You don't need lots of money...heck, I sustain myself financially by making soap and it doesn't bring in that much. I learn from books, from experimentation, lots of reading and trial and error. I have a LONG ways to go to make myself completely off the grid, but it does take steps to get there. I put away $50 - $100 each month for a year, then spend that amount the next year on items like solar panels, wood for a windmill, fence posts for the future use of having animals. The days of putting all your cash towards something is sort of gone so we all must make due to make a living some how and do it in a method that doesn't drain us dry at the same time.

 

[Beekissed]

No...you don't need a lot of money. Do these people look like they have a lot of money?

 

[Denim Deb]

Is that your parents, Bee, and the cabin you grew up in? Very nice.

 

[Beekissed]

That's the first cabin they built....not so nice, but it was shelter and was warm. They then built a larger, much more pretty cabin right down slope from that one. Yes, that was my parents at the start of their homesteading adventure.

 

[Denim Deb]

That's the first cabin they built....not so nice, but it was shelter and was warm. They then built a larger, much more pretty cabin right down slope from that one. Yes, that was my parents at the start of their homesteading adventure.

And, that's what's important.

 

[rhoda_bruce]

As to the firewood issue: There are a few woman friendly chainsaws, which I think might be useful if we talking about someone with limited strength...man or woman. I live in an area that is prone to having very severe storms, so Mother Nature drops trees for us. The first thing we do with these trees, is take the branches in small log sizes, to lighten the load off of the trunk. There is a lotta heat that can come off of just the branches. You cut them in 14 inch logs and if they small enough, they don't even need splitting. You can take them slightly thicker and need only one or 2 swings of the splitting mull, rather than taking from the trunk and barely being able to pick it up and then it will need lots of splitting.
Gardening....Container plant, so you can do it at your leasure.
I believe there is a lot a good strong body would be useful for, but I think its in my blood. I gotta do as much for myself as my body can manage. I'm with you though. I'm not as strong or young as I used to be. Shame, because I have learned so much......

 

[Denim Deb]

You'd be amazed at how much wood you can get w/a 14" electric chainsaw and a small generator. Because of my Meniere's, I can't use a gas chainsaw-the smell makes me dizzy, but I bring home a ton of wood that I cut w/my little saw and generator. I've gotten to where I don't like it any bigger around than like 10" diameter, though. It's easier for me to handle, and easier (normally) to split.