Days until Anniversary!!
Wrote this quick code to calculate how many days until our anniversary.
Back after long absence
I realized as I logged in today that in one week I would have been away from this site for 5 years. Much has happened in my life in those intervening weeks and months. I will will attempt to provide a bird’s eye overview before I continue in earnest.
My wife Tammy, to whom I had been married since 1980 began having hip issues in the Fall of 2016 and it got progressively worst, until in April we received the news that her cancer had returned, but this time in her bones. We pursued and endured multiple surgeries, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and months of recovery and rehab. All of this left her in a wheelchair and we continued with regular chemo and other supportive treatments.
Tragically, after a long and fiercely fought battle by us and our complete extended family, Tammy’s body could no longer hold out and she died on December 1, 2020 at right around 7 pm. Her spirit never wavered, but her body could not continue. Being people of faith, she had complete peace in her spirit and knew where she was going, and I know I will see her again.
Immediately after her death, I suffered the full weight of grief and was almost immobilized for a while. But with the help of my faith, prayer, counseling and lots of support from family and friends I am learning to build a new life in the midst of my loss. The loss never goes away, but my rebuilding is going well and I am at peace with myself.
During the time I cared for Tammy and we went down life’s path together, I was basically working full-time and being her caregiver full-time. There was no time for anything else in our lives but my work and her care. I gave up all of my hobbies during that time in order to focus on Tammy, and enjoy every minute with her that I could. Even though it was a big change for us both, I would do it again ten times over because we had some great memorable time together right until the end.
This summer I began cleaning up the property and working outside again. There was no garden this year because I could not get myself motivated enough to plant, but lots of maintenance tasks have been completed. We constructed a memorial garden for Tammy on the farm and the family and friends contributed things to put in it. It is still not finished and maybe never will be, but it is a wonderful reminder of her and all she lived for.
This fall and winter I will be planning and building some to prepare for next spring. Some of the projects on the drawing board are installing solar power and power backup, constructing a backup water purification system, constructing an outdoor kitchen, putting a roof over part of the deck, constructing raised bed frames, moving the berry garden, and constructing a chicken coop and getting new chickens. A big list I know, but developing a use plan for the property is important so you know where you are going and what goes where. Other potential projects include growing mushrooms, aquaculture, reworking the smart home system, setting up a new workshop for the 3d printers, laser engravers, and cnc routers, and others. I will do my best to document each project to share what I learn so that others may benefit from my mistakes and successes.
I am beginning to return to hobbies, and right now I am trying lots of things to find those things I want to keep working on. I am looking to strike some sort of balance between things that are just plain fun for me, and things that will teach me something and be beneficial to reaching the ultimate goal of being self sustaining here on the farm and sharing the knowledge with others.
That’s all for now but keep reading, I will be back soon.
Setting the Goals and Vision
Why do this? Why do I want to go down this road of small scale homesteading, learning new skills and how to apply them. Well, there are many reasons for me. Part of me really wants to change my lifestyle to something less technology based and more outdoors based. Part of me really wants to continue to make the changes to enable and encourage me to eat more healthily and be more active physically. Part of me wants to apply, practice and develop the skills I have learned over the years as a challenge to myself. Part of me want to feel like I am more self-reliant and self-sufficient. And part of me wants to get good enough at these skills to share the skills with others.
Boy, that’s a lot of parts and the real answer is much more complex. But that is the condensed version and I will continue to adjust and refine my vision and goals for my life and my lifestyle. I expect to experience moderate successes and spectacular failures, and I will learn at each step in the process. My hope is to become a better person in the process, and enable and encourage others to try things to pursue their dreams and desires.
The Adventure Begins!
For years now I have been reading and learning as many homesteading skills as I can find. I have made plans and had many false starts. I even moved my family to a beautiful piece of land in upstate SC, in the foothills. Recently my work responsibilities have shifted and I am now part of a large team and I am not overburdened. I now have time in the evenings.
I made the decision to start creating the homestead infrastructure and get the ball rolling. I now have the beginnings of a use plan for the property, and some large range goals for what to do.
I plan to document the plans, processes, successes and failures along the way in the hopes that our efforts will inspire, educate and empower others to follow their dreams of a homestead lifestyle.
To me, the homestead lifestyle starts with a mindset that you want to be more self-sufficient, eat healthier food, and learn self-reliance skills.
Thanks for sharing our adventures, and help us create a community to share ideas, support and encouragement.