The Campfire Trail: September 22 - DIY Homestead

September 22, 2022

Day 356 of the Adventure

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I began watching a series of videos called "5 Fires". The premise of it, I believe, is a challenge to get out and engage yourself in nature more. In that process, there would be a greater sense of freedom, accomplishment, confidence and peace. I can certainly appreciate the emphasis on "Doing" rather than just "Dreaming" about an experience. I think that also applies to moving into a more Self-Sufficient lifestyle. I've often mentioned times when we were a young family when the practice of frugal self-sufficiency made the difference between food on the table or not. Almost all of our life involved living in a town somewhere and not having the ability to spread out on a homestead type of property. Our "Homestead" consisted of a back yard garden, a series of rabbit hutches in a lean-to off the back of our tool shed and a wood stove to keep the winter utility bills from eating us alive.

I believe for those who are experiencing similar challenges today (and who isn't), that a fundamental change of focus could easily make the difference between thriving and simply surviving. Notice I didn't say a radical change of lifestyle, just a fundamental change of focus. A focus on improving self-sufficient abilities and skills within the boundaries of other things that cannot be easily changed. As a beginning family, we felt we had no ability to live a "Homestead Life" on an acreage or farm property, no matter how large or small. Instead, the focus became, how can we accomplish those types of things right where we were. In town, on a small footprint of land, restricted to activities that were "acceptable" to town living.

It worked. We probably reduced our food bill by a third, our heating bill easily by two thirds and the stress of making ends meet by a lot. I don't even know how to quantify the stress factor. I even remember the month we installed our wood stove, the gas company sent someone around to make sure our gas meter had not gone bad. Upon discovering that we had installed a wood stove and seeing the monumental pile of firewood we had accumulated, his only response was, "Ah, I see why your meter acts like it quit working!" His exact response was not "Carry On", but it was a "Carry On and have a Great Day" type of response. I believed he recognized that we had taken a step toward self-sufficiency without really speaking those specific words, and I got the impression that deep down, he was in approval of it.

How this relates to the "5 Fires" series is "Stop Dreaming and Start Doing". Doing something to move yourself towards your dream. Sit by a fire with pen and notepad in hand. Figure out that dream or that thing that you would do for yourself......if you would just do it for yourself!

Carry On

Adventure Quote: “You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt; as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear; as young as your hope, as old as your despair." ~ Douglas MacArthur

Base Camp Coffee of the Day: Highlander Grogg (Buterscotch/Rum flavors)

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