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"Homesteading Adventures, A Guide for Doers and Dreamers"
A lighthearted but practical look at that elusive life called homesteading. Come along
as Sue and Steve share twenty years of homesteading experiences and projects. Laugh and
learn with the lounging long lanked JJ and his enthusiastic petite partner CindyLou as
they embark on their very own homesteading adventure. For doers who've done and dreamers
who are just beginning. From Gene Logsdon ("The Contrary Farmer", "Small Scale Grain Raising", etc.) -- "Very engagingly written, much good information delivered in a style and form that is fun to read."
TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword by Jd Belanger, Countryside magazine PREFACE I discovered JJ and CindyLou one autumn afternoon meandering through my mind. At the start they were two rather nondescript creatures with whom I began having regular rambling many-tracked conversations. They helped me pick and thresh the dry bean pods with much oohing and aahhing over the varied colors while wondering why I spent so much time keeping all the varieties separate, and wouldn't it be easier to just throw them all in together, it's getting late after all you know, and when are we going to make the bean soup? They supervised the pulling of weeds while speculating on what would happen to the garden if I didn't, and why didn't I just get that big old red tiller going and dig it all in, and wouldn't it have been easier if I had put more mulch on in the first place? They popped up amongst the apple peels and cores of applesauce making wondering if I really needed to peel the apples, and why didn't I dry the crop instead of canning it, but would it taste as good and would it take less time and what kind of apples were those anyway? And did I really mean to drop that core into the cooking kettle instead of the compost bucket? A load of firewood wasn't complete without them sitting on top pointing out the merits or lack thereof of cutting your own wood, or the route I had chosen, and did I really have to walk through those brambles? A walk up to get the mail was seldom a solitary trip, and the walk back down full of comments and discussions concerning the contents of the mail and wasn't the computer supposed to do away with the postal service anyway, and hey isn't that a letter from, oh sorry, wouldn't think of looking into your private mail you know, but how are they doing anyway? Over time JJ and CindyLou came into focus as the neophyte homesteaders you will meet through these pages. Fictional neighbors and friends, they have come through my life bringing fun, amazement, organization and chaos. By sharing our own homesteading experiences with them they've shared with me a new outlook and a different perspective. Though certainly of a fictional nature and not based on any real person or persons they have a tendency to reflect back at oneself ones own self. The good, the bad and the ugly. But more important, the funny. Even if you can't imagine getting excited about digging around in the wet cold mud for potatoes maybe you can come along anyway and laugh with us. Share in our adventures as we find treasures in the mundane and high scholarship in the everyday. Maybe catch a bit of what we've learned. As we catch a bit of the homesteading experience through the eyes and perceptions of the ever lounging simple speaking long lanked JJ and his enthusiastic song filled petite partner CindyLou. We've had fun with it all. And I hope you will too. Copyright © 1997 by Susan J. Robishaw INTRODUCTION Steve and I started our homesteading adventures some twenty years ago, even before our move north to the backwoods of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The satisfactions and challenges have followed us unabated since. We find ourselves living both in and out of the mainstream and it is a good way to live. A homesteading lifestyle is as varied and individualistic as the people who embrace it, and we are no different. I offer our experiences not as rules or dogma to live by but as a picture from which to borrow pieces, to add to a corner of your own creation, to select as a focus for inspiration and ideas. In the following pages I have shared practical details and wider overviews, actual experiences and philosophical thoughts; often through the humorous conversations with and between the fictional JJ and CindyLou. Though it would be the ideal it is, unfortunately, not practical or possible to talk and visit with everyone personally. But it is my hope that through this book we can continue the tradition that is so much a part of the homesteading world; the tradition of passing along experiences, skills, and knowledge gleaned from our years of living the 'simple' life. The information presented here, and prices where mentioned, are current to when the book was written. But we are participating in an ever changing world. While many of the ideas and suggestions are timeless, others change with the passing moments and years. Consider this a beginning, not a final statement, and get more information when necessary, or needed. Check the bibliography for source information. Since I am the speaker of the following story it may appear at times as if I am homesteading by myself. But that is not the case. Steve and I are partners in this adventure. Though there are projects and work we do by ourselves, generally we share the load and the fun, both in work and in play. Copyright © 1997 by Susan J. Robishaw HOMESTEAD DREAMS - - - - - - - - - - chapter one "JJ, I have an important announcement to make. Are you ready?" "How can I be ready when I don't know what you're going to say, CindyLou? I'm not a mind reader you know. And if I was it would be pretty darn uncomfortable around here. It's bad enough . . ." "This is IMPORTANT, JJ! This is going to cause a great affect upon our lives." "Well, I suppose I ought to know what it is then. Speech away, CindyLou." "We are going to adventure out into the wilderness, establish a homestead for ourselves and live self-sufficiently!" "Now CindyLou, first of all you can't do that anymore. There's no more wilderness and they don't allow you to homestead nowadays, and nobody can be sufficient unto themselves in this day and age anyway. Don't you read the newspapers? Besides, you don't have money to travel to any wilderness, assuming there was any, which there isn't, and if there was it'd be off limits to you, and probably something wrong and dangerous in there anyway, and . . ." "This is MY dream, JJ, and I will make it whatever I want. And it will do what I want it to do." "OK, OK, unruffle. You've been talking to Sue again haven't you?" "Look at this magazine that came in Sue and Steve's mail. It is about people who are doing the very thing I am talking about. They are all having their own wilderness dreams adventures right now. And it says right on the cover that they have been doing this homesteading for eighty years. So there is no reason why you and I can not do it too. Here, read it. But do not take too long. I want to get started today." "Do Steve and Sue know you been swiping their mail, CindyLou?" "I did not 'swipe' it! I simply picked up their mail for them. You are the one who is forever harping at me to expand my mind by reading." "OK, OK. So what do you have there? Whoa, did you take a look at that critter on the cover? Those sharp pointed weapons on his head look mighty dangerous to me. Think of the holes that guy could make in your mohair sweater, not to mention your body, and you thought that mouse was a problem. And it's not like we need more problems. Why . . ." "Read the words, JJ. And those are not weapons, those are the cattle's horns. Have you never seen a cattle before? This is an important crossroads in our lives, JJ, be serious! We do not have to have a . . . whatever kind of cattle that is, to be a homesteader. At least I do not think we do. I do rather hope we do not. He does look big. And he must shed something terrible." "Well, I myself can't quite see cozying up to a critter than could make pancakes out of parts of you with one sidestep. And when did you ever see a cattle anyway? Besides, I'm getting to feeling pretty comfortable here and I'm not of a mind to go gallivanting around looking for a place for you to have your adventure." "We, JJ, we. And we do not have to go anywhere. This is the New Homesteading. It is a lot like the homesteading in the past but now we are thinking wider and higher. We will homestead where we are, or where we can. Right here. This is our new homestead. This is our wilderness. This is where our dream begins. Behold!" "I behold a farmed out old field with a fallen down old shed splatted down in the middle of it. And if you behold that shed too close you're going to be looking like a pincushion full of nails. And that's not a pleasant prospect. Why, a rusty old nail could cause all sorts of . . ." "Look at those trees over there, JJ. They may not be big yet but they will grow tall and strong given time and care, which we will provide. You have to look wider, JJ. That old shed is a gold mine of valuable and usable lumber." "And mostly kindling. Not to mention work, and time and sweat and mosquito bites and black fly chomps and. . ." "So? What have you better to do, JJ?" "Me? Now see here, CindyLou, don't be dragging me into all this. Beside, what's the use? You can't live like that for long and why do all that work just for a lark? There's not none of us getting any younger you know." "Age is a state of mind, JJ. You can be as fit as you allow yourself. And it is
past time that we both allowed ourselves some good physical exercise. And this is how we
will get it. Look at Sue and Steve. They live 'that way' right now and they are very happy
at it." "Well, so are we. Do you know of anyone who is not different?" "There are lots of folks who don't want to be different, CindyLou." "Well, I do. And I want to find out more about this living with the Earth." "Can't argue with that I guess, CindyLou. Though I was thinking that we're living
a mite closer to the Earth right now than I'd planned. And if you get any closer to the
Earth, CindyLou, I won't be able to see you. Sorry, that just slipped out. Unruffle,
unruffle, I apologize. So, where do you plan on starting? No matter what, you can't just
go off and build yourself a wilderness dreams adventurous homestead life, or whatever it
was you said you were doing, without doing some good research first. You have to know
where to start. And I can't see starting anything in this old tent except claustrophobia.
Now if you hadn't had that little accident with your Mom's reeeealllly nice and
reeeealllly comfortable and reeeeallllly "We, JJ, we. We are going to adventure into a bigger and better life. And you do not need to bring up the RV. And I do not want to spend great big chunks of time 'researching'. If I let you get going in the library we will never have a homestead. We are going to do it right now." "Now, CindyLou, you know you have to think first. Dreams are OK and all but you know what happens when you just take off and do something without thinking or researching some first. Remember the hair color of the week scheme . . ." "There is no reason to bring up events that are past, JJ. I will consider some research first, as long as it does not take too long. But where to start I admit I do not know." "Well, it seems to me we might as well go talk with Steve and Sue. As you said, they've been doing this crazy thing for quite a time now. Then again, I'm thinking they might be a bad influence on you. They might be happy and all today, but how about tomorrow? Of course, who can even imagine what tomorrow will bring, if there is even such a thing as tomorrow. Did you hear on the news last night . . ." "A place to live. That is where we will start, JJ. It does not matter if tomorrow decides to come or not. We will still be, and I wish us to be on our homestead. So that is settled. Come along, JJ. Ohhhh, we'll find us a homestead, we'll laugh in the winnnnndd, find treasures in sunbeams, and life will begiiiiiiiiinnn." "For heaven's sake, CindyLou, volume down, volume down. You're waking the worms!" "The worms are already awake, JJ. In fact, they were singing harmony. You need to listen more, JJ. If you are not going to join in the singing, then you should join in the listening. 'See you later, future JJ and CindyLou Homestead. We will be back to meet all of you future neighbors soon.' We do have to consider the others living here, too, JJ." "Speaking of neighbors, isn't this spot here sort of real close to Steve and Sue's homestead? I thought they said they were happy not having neighbors real close? Have you told them you're thinking of moving in here permanently? " "Well, we will have to tell them of course. But we can do that later. We will slip it in at just the right moment." "Seems like we'd be better neighbors if we didn't try to slip anything anywhere at anytime, CindyLou. That's what's so wrong with the world today. Too many folks slipping things in when they think no one is looking. Only there's always somebody looking, and then things get worse, and . . " "Then we will choose another spot. Now let us go, JJ. Arise your body to a gentle jog anyway. We are going to have to be in very good shape for our homestead adventure you know. And we have a very lot to do." "I don't think I like the sounds of that, CindyLou, this is supposed to be a
vacation. Oh OK, you jog on ahead, I'll be along. My teeth can't handle the rattle
involved in jogging. Neither can my toes. Toes don't last forever you know. And healthy
teeth are important for any number of functions, not the least of which . . " Copyright © 1997 by Susan J. Robishaw How to Order - Comments - Back to top Updated 2/18/00 Copyright © 1997 by Sue Robishaw
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