"Living off the land" or "Just having enough room?"

[cbcansurvive]

My last post actually prompted a thought. It seems that some on the homesteading forums are truly "living the dream" in the sense that they are making a living off of their land or at least working for themselves in some respect and spending much of their time on their land, still others are retired of course. Then there seem to be other folks who have full time jobs but who chose a homesteading lifestyle to just have enough room to "do their own thing." I think my wife and I fit this category best. We both have full time jobs out of the house and probably will until we retire. My wife is a teacher and I have toyed with the idea of going back to the classroom myself (I hold a teaching license but took a different career after college), so we could work a small farming operation or other home based business during summers, but for right now I am out of the house all year long. Even if I do continue that, the homesteading life is still our goal for the following reasons:

-We heat with wood for a number of reasons. Cost is of course our first concern. I don't pay for wood now because I find it where and when I can for free, but it would be nice to be able to harvest from our own land.

-We are animal people. We have one dog now but wouldn't mind a few more-we had the opportunity to rescue a hunting dog that was being given up recently but just couldn't because we don't have the space right now.

-We'd like to start raising chickens/turkeys for eggs and meat but where we live now has an ordinance against the practice on properties less than 5 acres.

-We're hunters. Right now I drive over an hour south to a piece of private land that I have permission to hunt because the public lands are too crowded-treestands/trail cameras on public land may as well have a sign on them that says "STEAL ME!!!" Being able to get to my treestand in the morning without picking up the keys to my truck would be priceless to me-not to mention it would be more efficient.

-We are outdoor people. It would be nice to be able to enjoy solitude without getting in a car, driving to a park, and then hiking to a spot where no one else happens to be that day. Also, we like our quads-we'd like them even better if we had a place to ride them whenever we wanted. We'd also like to be able to target shoot without bothering anyone or have a bonfire if we feel like it. A pond for swimming would be nice too.

-We just want to be isolated. I really think there is something to be said for being able to look out of every window and door in your home and to see nothing but undeveloped land in all directions. I hate the fact that I look out my front window and practically watch my neighbor's TV from my living room. Likewise I don't like having homes on either side of me and behind me. I feel like I'm on display all of the time and it just doesn't seem like its the way people (or at least people like me) were meant to live. I envision myself coming home from work one day, pulling off the road onto a gravel driveway, and literally disappearing into the woods until the next morning.

-We want it for our kids. Our parents caution us that our kids will lament that there's nothing to do and that whenever they want to play with so-and-so from school that we'll have to drive them. I don't mind. I also remind my parents that when I was a kid, though they didn't own it, our house was surrounded by 100+ acres of woods and swamp that I spent 80% of my time in while other kids in the subdivision across the county highway were playing video games.

So there it is-those are our reasons for wanting to "homestead" even though we may not be homesteading in the truest sense. Just curious if there are others out there of a similar mindset.

[ronbre]

well we have lived here for 39 years now, on the same property but different houses due to lightening.

hubby is mentally and physically disabled due to some head injuries, and others, so we are "retired" so to speak. I take care of him and the property. Our son moved in to a house on property we gave him next door to us. I love our life, but sure would be nicer if hubby was more able to do things.

he isn't

we don't get all of our food off of our property cause he can't hunt now, and i have a limited carb diet, so i eat a lot of meat and eggs that i can't raise.

we have a lot of amish nearby which helps.

i love my property, wouldn't sell it for a million bucks..really i wouildn't..

well unless i could get a place nicer than what i have and my son has..but anyway..probably wouldn't.

i love it here..

[MushCreek]

We bought our land over 3 years ago, and our focus has shifted considerably, even though we don't even live there yet. We first bought the property strictly to have more room. I grew up in a semi-rural area, and have missed it since I moved away. We weren't homesteaders; far from it; but enjoyed a large garden and some farm animals. We decided it was time to escape the city to have room to go back to our country roots without being hassled for it.

That was then; this is now. For a variety of reasons, I think the civilization that is the United States has had its day in the sun, and we are in the decline that seems to strike every great empire. This has started to accelerate in recent years, to the extent that I have developed a survivalist mind set, and have adjusted my life accordingly. I now see our property as a life boat of sorts, and I plan to do a lot more with it than simply enjoy the view and peace and quiet. I think there's a lot of this going on, at least in people's minds, if not yet in their actions.

[Pam6]

I have nearly all the same reasoning. I want to be able to raise all of my own food for my family. I want to have a business on my land that supports my family also, whether it be greenhouses, beef, milk, fish, or plants etc. I want my children to be next door so we can work together.
We already live out of town, on just two acres though, and my children do not lament about playmates. I have 6 kids, they have plenty of playmates. They would love being able to hop on the four wheeler or go cart and just go! Or go canoeing, swimming, and fishing in our own pond. I am not sure they would ever be in the house if that was the case.
I have a 4 year count down and then I will be making dramatic changes in my life! Putting this house up for sale and finding a larger piece of property. 4 years is when my oldest graduates and will be working and pulling in an income and the kids (all but 1) have agreed to contribute and work together for a BIG place for all of us to live on. Plus this house should be paid off and we will be able to sell it and use it as a down payment on the property. The younger children and I will be getting the business going while the oldest and DH help around their full time jobs. As we make enough with the business they will be able to quit and help full time. We discuss our plan daily and set goals for ourselves so we can obtain this dream!

[cbcansurvive]

Originally Posted by MushCreek

We bought our land over 3 years ago, and our focus has shifted considerably, even though we don't even live there yet. We first bought the property strictly to have more room. I grew up in a semi-rural area, and have missed it since I moved away. We weren't homesteaders; far from it; but enjoyed a large garden and some farm animals. We decided it was time to escape the city to have room to go back to our country roots without being hassled for it.

I can completely identify with this. I don't want to have to worry about a crowing rooster bothering someone, my dog chasing a rabbit into someone else's yard, or someone complaining because I'm siting in a new slug gun on a Saturday afternoon.

Originally Posted by MushCreek

That was then; this is now. For a variety of reasons, I think the civilization that is the United States has had its day in the sun, and we are in the decline that seems to strike every great empire. This has started to accelerate in recent years, to the extent that I have developed a survivalist mind set, and have adjusted my life accordingly. I now see our property as a life boat of sorts, and I plan to do a lot more with it than simply enjoy the view and peace and quiet. I think there's a lot of this going on, at least in people's minds, if not yet in their actions.

I might disagree about this time period being the United States' "fall" as in the fall of Rome, etc...but I do agree that this is the time to become more self reliant, which is certainly one of my motivations.

[LadyJane]

"-We'd like to start raising chickens/turkeys for eggs and meat but where we live now has an ordinance against the practice on properties less than 5 acres." cbcansurvive



Do you mind me asking what state you live in that requires that much land to raise chickens/turkeys?

[ErinP]

That is pretty much our rationale, too.
We own 40 acres of western Kansas prairie.

It's big enough to run a few horses and cows on it and plant a big garden. It's entirely too small to actually support us. At least not without getting REALLY creative...

But I run an online fabric store and DH is a cowboy at a local ranch. It works just fine for us.
We have space, we have privacy (DH's buddies at work tease him that we must run around naked out here, because we're so far off the road) and we can be as self-sufficient as we want without the neighbors talking about how odd we are.

[celina]

you described my DREAM, i grew up on 800 acres...most was wooded..and it was amazing..the quiet..the peace...i CRAVE the peace in my heart i had....i'm in a big city now..sigh...but we are organizing our finances so we can buy land up north in a few years..and use it as our getaway until dh retures or semi-retires

as far as self suficient..it would be an exploration and depending on the state of the world....but mostly i want the peace and the freedom to BE...my kids crave it as well...my mother always taught me to be weary of 2 legged predators over the 4 legged variety...the 4 legged are way more predictable...

[cbcansurvive]

Originally Posted by LadyJane

Do you mind me asking what state you live in that requires that much land to raise chickens/turkeys?

I live in NJ, but it's not the state that mandated it-its the particular town that I live in. There are basically two sides of the town-the north side of the county highway and the south side. I live on the north side in a 1950s era subdivision where the lots are 1/4 to 1/2 acre. The south side is all farms and wooded lots larger than 5 acres. Some years ago people on our side began to keep chickens in their backyards so the council passed an ordinance against it after neighbor complaints started piling up. This goes back to my basic premise that human beings just need more space in general. My wood furnace can't smoke too much if there's no around to see/smell it. My chickens can't squawk too loud if there's no one around to hear them. My equipment shed made from pallets can't be too unsightly if there's no one around to see it, etc... I can't blame folks who aren't of the same mindset as me for feeling the way they do about these things-likewise I can't blame towns like mine for passing laws the way they do about these things. This is why we are choosing to isolate ourselves.

[Lyra]

My dreams all included getting out of my urban area and having the homestead shack/farm out in the middle of nowhere with lots of land and animals. My perspective has done a 180 in the last 6 months for various reasons.

One main reason is because of how hard the economy has been hit in the extreme rural areas. Now I want to find a house in a small walkable town. So I have conformed to being a "Just enough room" type.

[Txrider]

I like being out where I can do what I want, privacy and no municipal rules and busybodies and drama.

I also want cheaper taxes and to go back to a simpler cheaper lifestyle without debt and providing more for myself so I have to buy less food and such.


So it's a bit of both, "Just having enough room" is half of it... and important. I have no desire to totally "live off the land" either though, just partly live off it and provide meat and veggies and honey for myself, maybe a bit to sell for a bit of spare cash here and there.

[7thswan]

That's funny you called it "living off the Land". That's what we called it in the 70's when I first started. I didn't know it was called "homesteading" until I found this site.

[ErinP]

Originally Posted by Lyra

My perspective has done a 180 in the last 6 months for various reasons.

One main reason is because of how hard the economy has been hit in the extreme rural areas.

Actually, as an FYI, a lot of extremely rural areas haven't really felt the recession at all. In fact, if you look at the unemployment rates for states on the Great Plains, you'll see that we're still pretty low. Those that ARE feeling a crunch (Colorado, for example) tend to be the urban/suburban areas of those states.
Not the rural...

[geo in mi]

Your desire has been around a long, long time,

Oh, give me land, lots of land, under starry skies above,
Don’t fence me in.
Let me ride through that wide open country that I love:
Don’t fence me in.
Let me be by myself in the evenin’ breeze,
An' listen to the murmur of the cottonwood trees.
Send me off forever but I ask you please,
Don’t fence me in.

Just turn me loose, let me straddle my old saddle,
Underneath the western skies.
On my cayuse, let me wander over yonder,
Till I see the mountains rise.

I want to ride to the ridge where the west commences,
An' gaze at the moon till I lose my senses,
I can't look at HOBBLES an' I can't stand fences:
Don’t fence me in.

Instrumental break.

(Oh, give me land, lots of land, under starry skies above,)
(Don’t fence me in.)
(Let me ride through that wide open country that I love
(Don’t fence me in.)
Let me be by myself in the evenin’ breeze,
An' listen to the murmur of the cottonwood trees.
Send me off forever but I ask you please,
Don’t fence me in.

Just turn me loose, let me straddle my old saddle,
Underneath the western skies.
On my cayuse, let me wander over yonder,
Till I see the mountains rise.

I want to ride to the ridge where the west commences,
An' gaze at the moon till I lose my senses,
An' I can't look at harbours an' I can’t stand fences:
So don’t fence me in, oh no,
Now brother, don’t you fence me in.

Music by Cole Porter, lyrics by Bob Fletcher

[Txrider]

Originally Posted by 7thswan

That's funny you called it "living off the Land". That's what we called it in the 70's when I first started. I didn't know it was called "homesteading" until I found this site.

Living off the land to me is more of mountain man type thing, total hunter gatherer style living. No society needed.

Homesteading to me implies much more making a living off the land but selling meat and goods, and buying some goods from town type living. Still part of society.

[MO_cows]

Homesteading means different things to different people, and there are many different levels of homesteading. To me, it means that people want to be involved in their own food chain to some degree.

I don't think the answer for everyone who is dissatisfied with living inside city limits is to "move to the country". If everyone did that, it would just become another form of sprawl. The influx of people would change things until it wasn't really the country anymore! There isn't enough "countryside" for EVERYONE to live on an acreage anyway. And most people don't need to in order to fulfill their goals.

IMHO, the ultimate answer is to work to improve city living. There's a lot to be said for civilization, just need to work on the problems rather than give up on it altogether. Lots of municipalities have adjusted their zoning to allow for backyard chickens nowadays. There are community gardens in vacant city lots. Newer development is more pedestrian friendly, there are more farmers markets than ever before, etc. These improvements have been made because people stayed in the city and worked to improve their cities, not because they bailed out.

People who want to grow a garden and keep a few chickens should be able to do so on a city lot. It would be a big help to a lot of low-income people to do this.

Don't mean to discourage the OP. If your heart is set on country life, then give it a try, just be prepared for the services and conveniences you will be giving up.

[Terri]

I was never able to have the mini-farm that I dreamed of, because once I got the hang of selling stuff I got sick.

So, instead of having an income from my land, I am simply loving it. My apples were not sprayed and some have worms, so I will make and freeze apple sauce. My 4 chickens USUALY give us enough eggs, and the banty is setting. The kids are picking tomatos as I type to sell on an honor stand in the front yard. Today I intend to top off the raised bed for my root vegetables.

I am lovin' it!

[sgl42]

Originally Posted by geo in mi

Your desire has been around a long, long time,

the first book noted below was even a bit before cole porter:

http://journeytoforever.org/farm_link1.html

Back to the land -- a 140-year trend

"Ten Acres Enough: The Small Farm Dream is Possible" by Lynn R Miller, Ralph C Miller, Edmund Morris, 1864

"Three Acres And Liberty" by Bolton Hall, 1907

"Five acres and independence: a practical guide to the selection and management of the small farm" by Maurice Grenville Kains, 1935

and if you want to go back even farther:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cato_th...o.27s_writings

Cato is famous not only as statesman or soldier, but also as author. He was a historian, the first Latin prose writer of any importance, and the first author of a history of Italy in Latin. [....]

His manual on running a farm (De Agri Cultura or "On Farming") is his only work that survives completely. It is a miscellaneous collection of rules of husbandry and management, including sidelights on country life in the 2nd century BC.

--sgl

[MariaAZ]

Originally Posted by 7thswan

That's funny you called it "living off the Land". That's what we called it in the 70's when I first started. I didn't know it was called "homesteading" until I found this site.

Ah yes, I remember the days. A neighbor introduced me to this awesome new magazine, Mother Earth News, for people who wanted to move to farms and "live off the land." Like you, I didn't know it was the same concept now called homesteading until shortly before I found HST.

[FrontPorch]

I'm another one that didn't realize I grew up homesteading. I just figured I was a true blue farm girl. I can still remember the first time I entered a supermarket in the city while I was in college. Pretty sure my chin hit the floor. I had no idea there was such a thing. LOL

After spending a few years working in the city though I can certainly relate to the OP. I felt like I was part of a human zoo, where everybody walked by and eyeballed me and my belongings. Then 9/11 happened and I said, "That's it, I'm outta here!" Luckily I still had Dad's foxfire books and old Lehman's catalogs.