Quote:
Originally Posted by MeanDean
Here's an interesting and recent article on homesteading that appeared in Mother Earth News this past Saturday entitled " The Christian Homesteading Movement"
And I quoteSo my question is, how much does the author, Hal Smith's observations in the rest of the piece describe your homesteading setup, regardless of whether or not your a CHM or just a HM'r? |
Well to answer your question MeanDean, our set up is not much like the Christian Homesteading Movement, (though the official name has been changed to the Catholic Homesteading Movement). When I first met Richard Fahey and his family, I had written a letter to them to ask if they would teach us about the wild plants in the area that were safe to eat. He invited us to supper, and to his surprise, we were closer to his and his wife's ages than to his kids'! After that we became friends.
Our homestead is only 4.5 acres with an old farmhouse surrounded by the state forest, which we are remodeling. We are off the grid but use solar panels to run our electrical appliances and lights, computers, etc. We grow as much of own food as possible, but do purchase most of it. Our three horses are riding horses.
Their homestead is about 90 acres, their house is a log cabin built in the old style, they use about 1 kerosene light, no flashlights, cameras, radios......or computers are even allowed on their property. The women have to wear long dresses when they come for classes. For couples who live together but are not married, if you come for the homesteading week classes and are staying over, you cannot stay in the same area and sleep together.
When we told them we had a composting toilet (at the time of our first visit there we were using a SunMar composting toilet, but since then have switched over to the sawdust toilet), Richard Fahey said to my husband, "what is wrong with an outhouse?" In fact, we did have and still do have an outhouse and will keep it, as it "grandfathers us in" to being allowed not to have a septic. We like having a indoor bathroom.
They also cook on a hearth, which, give me my wood cookstove any day! I do also have a propane cooking stove, but use my wood cookstove all year round. I use both and like it that way.
They do not drive vehicles but walk to town (7 miles away) or even catch rides with people. We have a truck, but did live for 8 months without any vehicle and we live 6 miles from town. Having horses makes us have to have a truck for hay and feed. I'd like to have it changed over to electric though. And we are working on cutting our fuel useage right now. Changing to electric things such as weed eaters and lawn mowers. Course at CHM they do not even mow or trim anything. They use horses for work or transportation. They have cows, goats, chickens, etc. but no fences. Their animals are trained to be tied. No fences.
All I can say about them is that they are very content with their lifestyle. I see it every time I visit them. Their son was visiting them from college and he walked all the way home from Ohio and he enjoyed it. He said he could take a bus if he wanted. I love their meals and it was all stuff grown in their gardens. And Richard Fahey is indeed a very successful business man and seems to have lots of friends in our area. He runs a business with no telephone, computer or anything but a BIG mailbox.
I like to combine the old fashioned ways with high tech........it is the way of the future!
katlupe
