For over 5 years I've had a pretty clear vision of my dream. I want to live off the grid. It's not that I want to hide from the government or anything like that, it's just that I don't like having to depend on electric companies or water companies to survive. Ever since then I've been trying to learn how to do things that will help my later on in my homesteading life (hopefully in the not too distant future). I don't know if you remember the first time I made pumpkin pie from scratch, but I didn't use electricity to do it. Making things from scratch and using the power of my muscles to mix and puree everything is something that I've been trying to do more. When I have a large garden, I will be able to make many awesome and delicious things without having to deal with chemicals and overly processed foods.
Anyway, I can knit, understand the basics of crochet. I am learning to sew and have a manual/treadle sewing machine that I'm excited to learn to sew on. I can cook. I recently learned how to can via the water bath canning method. I can garden, and I love plants! I am kind of a minimalist. And the list goes on... I'm working really hard on preparing for the shift.
In my current living situation, I don't get out socially very often. Besides walks in the park (which I haven't been able to do for the last 4 weeks because of my foot surgery), I don't really see other people all that often. That being said, I've often wondered if I could manage to go a week without showering. I decided to save this experiment for a time when TC was out of town for work. Well, I did it. I didn't shower or take a bath for a week. Let me be clear: I washed everyday and washed my hair give or take every three days. It wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. Since then, I have significantly cut back on my showering. When we got our water bill, it had decreased by 2,000 gallons that month. 2,000. Well, a month or two after I made the effort to cut back on my showering, I went in for foot surgery. I am so glad I had that practice because after the surgery I couldn't shower or bathe for 2 weeks. By that time, I was a pro.
I still have a lot to learn about livestock and critters, tools and machines, large crops and pruning, shearing sheep and spinning yarn, hunting and field dressing... but I feel like I'm off to a good start. I would eventually like to be able to do everything I need to without electricity.
Anyway, I can knit, understand the basics of crochet. I am learning to sew and have a manual/treadle sewing machine that I'm excited to learn to sew on. I can cook. I recently learned how to can via the water bath canning method. I can garden, and I love plants! I am kind of a minimalist. And the list goes on... I'm working really hard on preparing for the shift.
In my current living situation, I don't get out socially very often. Besides walks in the park (which I haven't been able to do for the last 4 weeks because of my foot surgery), I don't really see other people all that often. That being said, I've often wondered if I could manage to go a week without showering. I decided to save this experiment for a time when TC was out of town for work. Well, I did it. I didn't shower or take a bath for a week. Let me be clear: I washed everyday and washed my hair give or take every three days. It wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be. Since then, I have significantly cut back on my showering. When we got our water bill, it had decreased by 2,000 gallons that month. 2,000. Well, a month or two after I made the effort to cut back on my showering, I went in for foot surgery. I am so glad I had that practice because after the surgery I couldn't shower or bathe for 2 weeks. By that time, I was a pro.
I still have a lot to learn about livestock and critters, tools and machines, large crops and pruning, shearing sheep and spinning yarn, hunting and field dressing... but I feel like I'm off to a good start. I would eventually like to be able to do everything I need to without electricity.
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