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

[Marianne]

Thing is, no one is completely SS. We all have things that we can and cannot do due to either physical or time limits. For me, I try to do as much as I can. This is in spite of having Menieres, IBS, L4, L5 nerve irritation to my left leg and being 50 yo. I've changed in the past few years, too. I've gotten to the point that where I still want to heat w/wood, and don't mind cutting and splitting it, I prefer logs that are 10" and under in diameter. I don't want to mess w/the larger chunks, or the stuff that's hard to split.

eww...err...50...yeah...that's my next #...coming up just around the corner.

Don't feel bad Moxie... I'll be doing the same. I'm actually looking forward to it. A couple of years ago I didn't think I'd make 50!

Turning 50 isn't bad!! I actually still looked pretty good back then, was still pretty active, etc etc. At 55, my body said it'd had enough abuse and the aches really kicked in. I'll be 60!!!! in Feb. Now THAT bites!

 

[FarmerChick]

We actually didn't start the SS lifestyle until a few years ago. We sure aren't young, but all the extra labor helps keep us that way..or so we keep telling ourselves. We know our limitations, but still keep plugging along.

A guy that we buy some firewood from when we don't have enough is 82, still cuts an amazing amount of wood year 'round and splits all of it by HAND using a 12 lb maul. Wow. He still works 32 hours a week, too. He's just one of several people we know that will never retire. They all say that as soon as you retire, that's when you get old.

After we met him, DH quit talking about getting a log splitter and bought a maul instead.

that is my Dad. wouldn't stop unless a house falls on him or something

me, I could retire in a heartbeat and would not get old one bit. in fact if I had freedom and some cash and no responsibilities my butt would be getting younger as I travel the country

I know how to retire. My Dad didn't. He is a must work. just doesn't have that desire to travel anymore and all that...I sure do have that desire and can't wait to retire full time and have a blast.

but truly....staying active....any way, whether hard work or hard play is key. move move move and stay interested.

 

[so lucky]

This is just speculation on my part---and maybe wishful thinking, but regarding whether people were healthier back in the old days: We seem to have made a trade-off with the medical advances. True, we don't die in great numbers from things like yellow fever, the plague, or other epidemics because of modern medicine and knowledge. But we are so unhealthy, as a society, due to our life-styles, that our longer years are not that rewarding. Imagine what our collective healthy life expectancy would be if we could revert back to the healthy diet and lifestyle of our forefathers, but use the many medical advancements for those non "self-created" illnesses like yellow fever, small pox, and so on. Now I will go get on the treadmill like I promised myself.

 

[dragonlaurel]

Thanks for reviving this thread. This has been on my mind sometimes. Hubby is disabled but my health is mostly good and I am fairly strong. Having a small farm/homestead is still important to me, so I'm interested in ways to make some of it easier, or safer to do. I want to build a small (roughly 1000 sq ft) cob home and make it passive solar- with a wood stove for backup heat. Cob is not as heavy labor as some building styles and it's very durable. Low maintenance will be handy later too.

Still figuring out how I'd physically manage a farmstead. I've had a couple injuries that set me back before. This really counts when nobody can fill in for you- or come to your rescue. (Btw- the worst injury was from running for a bus and landing totally wrong when I fell. ) I was single then and had to work hard every day while still hurting. Recovery took a couple months so I play it safer now.
I thought of a few things that would make it easier.

I want to have fruit trees, a big garden, chickens and some dairy goats, and might do some sheep too. I prefer not having animals that are much bigger than me, in case they get an attitude. Hubby wants cows too but I'd probably be doing the chores . . .
The fruit trees would be mostly semi-dwarf for easier picking.

Heavy clay already got me used to raised beds for planting. They work great here since they drain better. I will want a wider frame later on, so I can sit while planting or weeding. Rigging a trellis inside the frame is easy. I used bamboo poles tied into a teepee shape with twine. No bending to search for and pick the cukes.

Water spigot or hose needed in garden area and barn/shed to make life easier.
Good wheel barrow/yard cart for heavy loads.
Watch where water flows after rain and fix drainage where needed to avoid flooding.
Make a safe path to chore areas and make safety rails for anywhere ice patches would be likely (near spigots), etc.

 

[Britesea]

I think you are going about it the right way- thinking of what you might need to help you as you get older and dealing with it now. If I were you, I would avoid owning a buck- they can get really difficult to handle when they are in rut. My husband is a solidly built guy, but his buck dragged him clear across the yard once, when it saw another buck it didn't like and wanted to challenge it. He had his arm around Charmer's neck, and his heels dug into the dirt, and it didn't slow Charmer down one bit.

 

[lorihadams]

I think it is doable if you know your limitations and work around them. I have issues with my lower back so I have to be careful how much stuff I lift. I get hubby to help with moving bags of feed or whatever. I am grateful that we have our barn in the place we do cause I am able to back the truck up to the door and move the bags of feed into the barn myself if needed.

My mother has back/hip issues as well and my dad did raised beds for her to garden in and built them up 3 ft tall so she doesn't have to bend over as much.

My papa did the same thing for granny and put the beds up close to the house so it was easy for her to go out the back door and pick stuff.

I don't think I will ever have a 2 story house. I miss having a basement but I don't miss having to go up and down stairs. At granny's old house her washer/dryer was in the basement and the stairs were very steep. She ended up throwing her laundry down the stairs or sliding the whole basket down the stairs and then walking around the house to go in the basement to do the laundry. When papa got home from work he toted everything back upstairs for her to put away.

I'm grateful that we have family that will help us out too. If we need help then we know we have certain family members close by that will lend a hand.

Back in the "old days" families tended to be larger so that you had more farmhands to help out.

I think that if you are creative and flexible you can find ways to make this kind of lifestyle work for you. If you physically aren't able to garden then buy your produce from local farmers and put it up yourself or do container gardening on a small scale so you can have a few fresh pots of tomatoes or lettuce or cukes and get the big stuff from others locally.

Lots of people in the city are trying to be SS without the benefits of large amounts of land to work with and they are making it work so why can't we learn from them if we have physical limitations?

 

[me&thegals]

This is just speculation on my part---and maybe wishful thinking, but regarding whether people were healthier back in the old days: We seem to have made a trade-off with the medical advances. True, we don't die in great numbers from things like yellow fever, the plague, or other epidemics because of modern medicine and knowledge. But we are so unhealthy, as a society, due to our life-styles, that our longer years are not that rewarding. Imagine what our collective healthy life expectancy would be if we could revert back to the healthy diet and lifestyle of our forefathers, but use the many medical advancements for those non "self-created" illnesses like yellow fever, small pox, and so on. Now I will go get on the treadmill like I promised myself.

Totally agree!!

 

[Beekissed]

Me too!

 

[Team Chaos]

My husband and I got hit by a drunk driver a few years ago and it really messed our backs up- we're in our 30s. It was a pretty brutal reminder that you're not promised forever and you've got no guarantees that you'll have the body/ability that you planned on having either. Sometimes physical therapists ask me why I keep farming if it hurts and I can't help but smile when I tell them that it hurts to walk, to sit for long, to carry laundry baskets and trash, to shovel snow etc. and I'm not giving those things up, so I'm not giving up the good stuff either.

 

[snapshot]

I hope we don't have to be in great health! We are in our mid 50s. Neither one of us is on any medications but if we had to run a good distance from zombies/anyone or thing, we would be toast! We will be starting to homestead within a month so we will see how it goes!