Well, hey there. I have a bit of a journal over on back yardherds but I wanted to start one here. I’m not rightly a farmer or anything of the sort, but I would love to whip this hobby farm into a homestead. So, I think sufficient self might be a better fit for my journal. When I was a kid/teenager the family started building a hobby farm. Since then most of the animal responsibility has turned over to me, now in my early twenties. We live on a little less than two acres. A good portion of that is fenced in for the goats, geese, chickens, and ducks. I currently have two tiny raised beds and a brand new garden in the making. There are some fruit trees we planted years ago and they’re starting to bear fruit. We got our first two plums last year.
Aside from that, I’d like to say I’ve been on here reading journals for a little while and I’m inspired by what y’all have accomplished.
3. How would you define self sufficiency? Being able to feed, shelter, and generally care for yourself without the help of government or macro society. I would consider neighbors and small communities helping each other self sufficient though.
4. What would you do with your spare time if you had any resources you needed? What is spare time? Probably get cattle to feed my family and others.
5. Have you ever built a house , or other types of building? Do you want to? Large chicken coop, goats shelters, small stuff.
6. Can you weld? Steel, aluminum, MiG, TiG, stick, Oxy-Acet? Would love to learn.
7. Who or what inspired you to become more self sufficient? Have you seen the world lately?
8 Cloth or paper? Cloth please and thank you.
9. In what ways are you self sufficient now and in what ways would you like to learn more? Well, I’m not. I would like to learn everything. My gardening skills are subpar, my animal husbandry doesn’t cover everything I want it too, and self sufficient power is no. Existent. Yet.
10. In what way(s) will you never choose to become self sufficient? Never say never. The world is getting rough, I don’t put myself above killing my own animals or things like that.
11. Are you interested in stocking up for future needs? Absolutely. Need more storage space.
13. Can you drive a farm tractor or a semi? Nope. But I’d like to learn.
14. Do you make crafts or useful items? Would you want to teach others how to do these? Yes. I can crochet, basic sewing, and a few other things I can’t remember right now. I teach anyone who wants to learn.
15. Can you have legally livestock where you are at? Do you have any? What kinds? Pretty much, mostly limited by space.
16. Can you operate a lathe? Metal, wood? No.
17. Do you like to garden? If so, what do you enjoy growing? I don’t mind it. Planning and harvesting are my favorite parts. Digging not as much.
18. Do you fish? Bait or explosives? Not really. But I know how, bait only.
19. How much space/land do you have or rent? City? Country? Country, but that’s becoming less so everyday. A little under 2 acres.
20. Are you a Novice, Technician, General, Advanced? ARRL? Don’t know.
21. What is your self sufficient specialty? Or what one would you like to learn? I would like to learn them all. Medicine and mechanics particularly interest me.
22. If you could create a degree and curriculum, what would you major in and what classes would you take? All of it. I have far too many interests.
23. Do you do wood work? framing, finish, cabinet? I have a book on cabnitery, does that count?
24. Are you interested in herbal medicine? Yes! I want drying racks on my ceiling.
25. If you could live any place you chose, where would it be? Love the lyrics that say “roots of an oak and a tumble weed soul”.
26. Do you use a wood stove for heating or cooking? Unfortunately there’s no fireplace in my house. I’m looking at an outdoor clay oven though. I also recently got into grilling and small smoking. I would love to be able to actually smoke meats for preservation.
28. Are your family or friends also interested in self sufficiency? Family likes the idea of it (got me interested) but I don’t know how much they like the practical aspects of actually doing it. Some friends absolutely, others think I’m weird.
29. Do you like to cook? Are you interested in whole foods and natural foods? raw milk? farm fresh eggs? Ehh. I don’t particularly love cooking or take great pride in it. But I don’t hate it. Of course I’m interested in actual food! Who isn’t?
30. What was your MOS? Not sure what that means.
31. Do you forage or hunt for part of your food needs? No. I was supposed to go hunting with my neighbor last year but ended up not being able to. I want to this year and I hope to take the buckskins home to tan. Never done that either, but why not try. Sounds like a lot of work, but simple enough.
32. What skills do you have that help you be more self sufficient? I can can food. I know the basics of animals. Kinda able to garden kinda not. This is why I read.
33. In which fictional universe would you most like to live? Ooh, don’t know. There are some that are pleasant and some that are adventurous. Too hard to decide.
34. Do you have solar panels? Plans to use solar energy? No, they’re starting a solar farm not far away though. Still not sure how I feel about that though.
35 What is the mass/weight ratio of a European swallow carrying a coconut from the tropics to England? The real question is why is a European swallow migrating? And why from the tropics to England? They shouldn’t be in the tropics in the first place.
36. Have you ever lived completely off grid? Would you like to? No and yes.
37. In what do you trust? Jesus Christ as my Lord and savior.
38. Do you make things yourself to save money? As much as I can, which is mostly food and occasionally clothing. Though most of my threads are from a good thrift shop, so it’s less practical to make my own for now.
Aside from that, I’d like to say I’ve been on here reading journals for a little while and I’m inspired by what y’all have accomplished.
3. How would you define self sufficiency? Being able to feed, shelter, and generally care for yourself without the help of government or macro society. I would consider neighbors and small communities helping each other self sufficient though.
4. What would you do with your spare time if you had any resources you needed? What is spare time? Probably get cattle to feed my family and others.
5. Have you ever built a house , or other types of building? Do you want to? Large chicken coop, goats shelters, small stuff.
6. Can you weld? Steel, aluminum, MiG, TiG, stick, Oxy-Acet? Would love to learn.
7. Who or what inspired you to become more self sufficient? Have you seen the world lately?
8 Cloth or paper? Cloth please and thank you.
9. In what ways are you self sufficient now and in what ways would you like to learn more? Well, I’m not. I would like to learn everything. My gardening skills are subpar, my animal husbandry doesn’t cover everything I want it too, and self sufficient power is no. Existent. Yet.
10. In what way(s) will you never choose to become self sufficient? Never say never. The world is getting rough, I don’t put myself above killing my own animals or things like that.
11. Are you interested in stocking up for future needs? Absolutely. Need more storage space.
13. Can you drive a farm tractor or a semi? Nope. But I’d like to learn.
14. Do you make crafts or useful items? Would you want to teach others how to do these? Yes. I can crochet, basic sewing, and a few other things I can’t remember right now. I teach anyone who wants to learn.
15. Can you have legally livestock where you are at? Do you have any? What kinds? Pretty much, mostly limited by space.
16. Can you operate a lathe? Metal, wood? No.
17. Do you like to garden? If so, what do you enjoy growing? I don’t mind it. Planning and harvesting are my favorite parts. Digging not as much.
18. Do you fish? Bait or explosives? Not really. But I know how, bait only.
19. How much space/land do you have or rent? City? Country? Country, but that’s becoming less so everyday. A little under 2 acres.
20. Are you a Novice, Technician, General, Advanced? ARRL? Don’t know.
21. What is your self sufficient specialty? Or what one would you like to learn? I would like to learn them all. Medicine and mechanics particularly interest me.
22. If you could create a degree and curriculum, what would you major in and what classes would you take? All of it. I have far too many interests.
23. Do you do wood work? framing, finish, cabinet? I have a book on cabnitery, does that count?
24. Are you interested in herbal medicine? Yes! I want drying racks on my ceiling.
25. If you could live any place you chose, where would it be? Love the lyrics that say “roots of an oak and a tumble weed soul”.
26. Do you use a wood stove for heating or cooking? Unfortunately there’s no fireplace in my house. I’m looking at an outdoor clay oven though. I also recently got into grilling and small smoking. I would love to be able to actually smoke meats for preservation.
28. Are your family or friends also interested in self sufficiency? Family likes the idea of it (got me interested) but I don’t know how much they like the practical aspects of actually doing it. Some friends absolutely, others think I’m weird.
29. Do you like to cook? Are you interested in whole foods and natural foods? raw milk? farm fresh eggs? Ehh. I don’t particularly love cooking or take great pride in it. But I don’t hate it. Of course I’m interested in actual food! Who isn’t?
30. What was your MOS? Not sure what that means.
31. Do you forage or hunt for part of your food needs? No. I was supposed to go hunting with my neighbor last year but ended up not being able to. I want to this year and I hope to take the buckskins home to tan. Never done that either, but why not try. Sounds like a lot of work, but simple enough.
32. What skills do you have that help you be more self sufficient? I can can food. I know the basics of animals. Kinda able to garden kinda not. This is why I read.
33. In which fictional universe would you most like to live? Ooh, don’t know. There are some that are pleasant and some that are adventurous. Too hard to decide.
34. Do you have solar panels? Plans to use solar energy? No, they’re starting a solar farm not far away though. Still not sure how I feel about that though.
35 What is the mass/weight ratio of a European swallow carrying a coconut from the tropics to England? The real question is why is a European swallow migrating? And why from the tropics to England? They shouldn’t be in the tropics in the first place.
36. Have you ever lived completely off grid? Would you like to? No and yes.
37. In what do you trust? Jesus Christ as my Lord and savior.
38. Do you make things yourself to save money? As much as I can, which is mostly food and occasionally clothing. Though most of my threads are from a good thrift shop, so it’s less practical to make my own for now.
