Nina Jay

elle sagenev wrote:As it turns out I went into labor on Thanksgiving Day. Craziness ensued but I am home with an infant that is gorgeous and everything is good.

Congratulations, Elle! (Where is the heart emoticon when I need it?) I'm so happy to hear this news!

elle sagenev wrote:Just had a minor incident where I was out worming the pigs and got some Agri-mectin in my mouth. Very little, no effects but boy did I panic and call poison control.

That's what I would do to, call poison control. Very wise thinking, that's what I think.

elle sagenev wrote: I drive my hubs nuts. I might just get rid of these pigs. I never considered my kids getting worms from them until hubs freaked out about it and now I'm freaked out about it.

I don't know what to say about this but perhaps you could tell your hubs I said "Hi"? Drive him even more nuts? Who's Nina Jay from Finland?

elle sagenev wrote: Anyway, Had my baby and we're great! Home for the month of December so probably won't be around much.

Lots of heart emoticons!

So while this was more of a Tiny House issue than a off-grid situation, I do mention it. Granted it would not be an issue if a person had a big home and was off-grid I know.  

I think it could be, in cold countries at least :-) Even if the house is larger, sometimes in the winter off-gridders may not want to heat all of it. So there could in practice be actually quite a small living area even in a big house.

Heating is a chore. Even if it's not that expensive when using wood heat and even with rocket mass heaters. Somebody has to do it and in a day that already has quite a lot of chores, in the long cold winters, sometimes I just didn't feel like lighting up the fire. Easier to move to a small portion of the house for the winter.

COLD

Half way out of the dark.
See if I know how to upload a photo :-)

Lately I have found interesting forms of barter that I didn't use to think were barter, but I know realize they can be thought of as barter, too.
Such as bartering advice to psychotherapy and bartering advice to advice.

For example, some neighbours give me advice on how to build things and what to do with our animals, if they are sick. And what to do with the old buildings: which building is worth renovating, which is too far gone, what are the most crucial things I need to repair first.
I give advice on how to write and use email and how to speak with clarity and conviction. And sometimes (in rare cases) I empathically listen when they talk about their childhood traumas. The latter is such a special form of service that it of course cannot be done with just anyone, it has to be a special long time acquaintance with whom I have built trust over a long period of time.

It's true the government can do almost anything. Speaking as someone who lives in a very regulated economy called The Welfare State.

However, I have found that they very rarely bother to actually force a citizen do something. All government officials that I have come across with personally have just given me advice, helping me to follow the rules but not punishing me. If I work with them, they are mostly willing to compromise. Even though the rules are very strict in theory. This is just my experience and I do realize that I may have been lucky and things could have gone differently.

Today I'm very grateful for my friends, in the "real world" and online!

My favorite gratefulness quote is an excerpt from a simple rock 'n roll song:

I used to worry 'bout the money comin' in
Now I stick it in the charity bin
I used to whine and I used to complain, but we...
We've all seen a little rain

Take a look at the life you lead
What you got is all you need
The blind bleeding the blind in greed
What you got is all you need


- Monroe, Ginger

I so agree! Budgets are like condoms. (I don't like condoms or budgeting.)
But I do do a lot of budgeting and just like Travis said, it reveals the truth: where the money actually goes. It is often surprising, even after many many years of budgeting.

Another important budgets (besides a monetary one) that come to my mind are:

- The budget of your wants and needs
- The budget of your values

What I mean by these rather clumsy terms that I invented is taking also into account what you and your family truly wants and needs. And what are your most important values.

Sometimes I grow food that I think will save us a lot of money, only to realize that no one else but me wants to eat it.
Sometimes I grow food that my family wants to eat, but growing that food doesn't really align with my values.

Thank you Dennis Bengham,  your message warmed my soul.
I think my requirements now, although they sound minimal on the surface, are actually quite tough ones. I expect nothing less than an emotionally healthy, mature man. This of course means that I need to be an emotionally healthy, mature woman myself. It's a process and I'm working on it

I'm now divorced with two kids, homesteading alone for the time being at least. I don't know what is going to happen to our homestead, it's all in the open yet.
I manage by cutting down everything to minimum. I only do the things I enjoy and buy the rest from the shops for the time being. I work at money-making projects from my home.

As for possible future man, I know I'm not going to choose him based on his practical skills. It would be wonderful if he had those skills and was interested in homesteading, but it's not essential. In fact, the only thing that I now consider essential is that the man appreciates me for who I am, values me and my personality and has at least some empathy. And supports himself of course too. He does not need to support me or my kids, I support us (and my ex-husband hopefully will help financially). I want a soulmate and a companion. I don't know whether I will find one but until I do, I'll keep living life to the full as well as I can. It is a struggle some days