Alright folks, ya''ll can be honest with me....I know my posts lately have been just absolutely boring as hell. I know it, I know it. *sigh* I've just seem to have had a lot on my mind since returning from out west and I've had a heckuva time trying to put those thoughts into words. There are many things that concern me right now and many things that I feel may not need to be put off much longer.Of course, work is a concern but that may have answered itself. I have heard through the grapevine that the company has gotten a couple of new jobs but whether or not I will be called back remains to be seen. It doesn't look real promising and the issues with my back may help persuade me to seek another way to make a living. In the past I have made a decent living off my art and this may be possible again. Maybe. The economy was in much better shape back then but, on the other hand, the exposure of the Internet was not as available either. I have just seen so many people put off living their life the way they really wanted to in order to work some other job just a little longer, or until they had a certain number of years or whatever and then right about the time they achieved whatever, they dropped dead or something else came up and they never got to do what they really wanted to.
Perhaps I have always fallen back to construction because I fear I will not succeed as an artist or fear the amount of self-promotion that will require. There is a certain amount of comfort in what you already know.
However, I really feel this 'now or never' kinda mood over me. I'm no spring chicken as Daddy Rabbit has reminded me. How long am I going to justify putting off what I claim to be what I want? Did that make sense?
I am thinking more and more these days also, that a more self-sufficient life may be quite prudent. Things are not going well for our country, I don't care what the government or media keeps telling us. Now, I do not consider myself to be a 'doomer' or some such but I do consider myself realistic. The repeated incidents of food supply contamination along with the mounting power of Corp. Food and Big Pharma leaves me a little more than wary of store-bought food and any other industry that claims to have our best interests in mind. I don't want those people dictating what I eat and I don't want to participate in the continuing suffering of animals raised under big corporation standards. Or lack of standards I should say. I've bitched and ranted about all kinds of stuff on here and feel that it is way past time to make a concerted effort to live out what I talk about. I have the resources and I can do better than what I have been doing. Things will not change for us socially or economically until we get involved and quit allowing ourselves to be herded like sheeple to the slaughter. Big Corp. owns our country now and I don't want any part of it. It's going to be a tremendous amount of work for me to turn this place into a working farm but I feel that is what I need to do. Perhaps I will have some help; perhaps not, but it doesn't really matter. As many of us who can need to work against what is happening to our food, our health and happiness.
14 comments:
What sort of farming are you considering? There is a wealth of information available depending on the direction you want to take. Just start asking as many people as possible about the type of farming you are thinking about (and try to develop the skill of sorting through the good and bad advice).
I raise cattle, some wheat and grain sorghum, and have both direct marketed beef and sold cattle as feeders. In a perfect world, I would direct market all of my cattle as beef (and that might be possible with a little more effort on my part).
One piece of advice I would give is to market your product based on its superior characteristics, not the inferior characteristics of the "competition". In my opinion, even if the beef in the store is poison, that doesn't say anything positive about my beef.
I would prefer that people buy beef from me because of what it is instead of what other beef might or might not be.
As a customer, would you rather buy great tasting beef that was born on my farm, fed grass (and maybe a little grain during winter), was slaughtered in a manner that was as stress-free as possible, and was then carefully crafted into the exact sort of steak that you desire.
Or, would you rather buy my beef because the beef in the grocery store might have stood knee deep in mud and manure in a feedlot?
Hey Rich! That's a good way of looking at the promotion of your product; I agree.
Well, maybe I didn't 'plain my idea enough..I don't have enough land to produce a product for selling, except maybe veggies or eggs or some such. I was thinking of the farm part mainly for my own consumption and my art (pottery) as my income. Once I got stuff going I might could produce something else for sale but not sure what that would be right now.
My friend, although I'm certainly not in the position to offer any advice based on experience...I think you would be better off at least giving it a shot! Working for yourself, especially doing what you really want to do sounds like the overall best way to go to me!
Either way, you know that you have the complete support of all your friends out here in the Blue Nowhere!
You seem to have a good idea of where you want to go, Annie. We really enjoy the produce we get from our little garden, even if at times it seems much more than we can eat. A small freezer is a wonderful thing! You should give doing what you want a go - you have lots of supporters here.
Hey Jim! thanks buddy! yeah, I am very grateful to all of ya'll for your support.
Hey Beatrice! yes, I just bought a mid-size freezer and plan on filling it up soon.
I'm thinking it's a go too.
I can really identify with your thoughts on being more self-sufficient. I, too, am not a "doomer," but on the other hand, I can't not think about the possibilities.
A few years ago I spent time long-distance sailing, and for that you make your little ship... well, I called it my "self sufficient island." Now, it's not *really* self sufficient, because of course you still need some supplies from land, and there are certain things you cannot carry enough of or make; but it was a thousand times more than way than I have been on land. Medical kit - check; sewing supplies - check; tools - check; dry food for 9 months -check, etc. Your fingers are constantly on the pulse of your power consumption, water supply, and that sort of thing.
That was a great feeling! When I came ashore it was soooo depressing to "take apart" that little self-sufficient island.
And on land you have so much more space to store and grow things. What you are thinking about doing is the main reason I would like to own some land. It seems like you are well-situated, too, because you have a good growing season, and although you need heat and (maybe) Air-conditioning for comfort, you don't need THAT much of it.
Plus, as you say, if it's something you've always wanted to try..... now kind of seems like the time. And you are so right in that you never know what might happen, and as a friend and I say to each other "LINADR," or "Life is not a dress rehearsal." It's SO easy to act like it is though, darnit. I find myself doing it way too often. And then there is the fact that our society is very encouraging of that behavior, and so you get all kinds of pats on the back for living for age 75 or whatever.
I'm sure glad that you do keep writing your blog. I have not read one boring post yet (and I went all the way back to the beginning!), and ... this is kind of selfish of me, but I get so much out of reading the part of your blog that show me I'm not totally alone in my feelings about life. Being a bit out of the typical lifestyle I can start to feel like an alien sometimes!
And then I get a lot out of the parts that are totally different from me, too, because they open up a window into things I don't normally take part in.
I wonder if there is a length limit to these comments?
Anon - R.
Oh for Pete's sake.... ER, can you delete my redundant comments?
On top of the fact that I blathered on, when I first submitted my comment all in one piece, I got an error message that there was too much content and it did not post. So then I divided it into two parts and posted those.
Now I come back to see that it DID post my first version, and now it is Blathering cubed! Sorry everyone :blush:
Groan,
Anon-R.
Of course ultimately it all has to be your decision but as someone who is also no longer as young as I used to be,(that's stupid, who is?), I'm facing the same decisions. My home is paid for, my car is paid for. I have enough land to grow a garden and raise some chickens. My only need for money is to pay for utilities and of course health insurance. If I had the talent that you do, I would seriously walk out on corporate America and take back control of my life. I think you can do it but like I said, the ultimate decision is yours. I know we don't know each other but I do feel a kindred spirit in you, (single woman, Alabama gal, independent spirit)and I have confidence that you can do this.
Annie,
It would seem that with your self sufficient can do anything abilities and attitude, you would be the perfect candidate for doing your art thing/farm thing/ or both.
I get the feeling your debt load is almost nonexistent too and since you are responsible only to yourself with proven skills ... it seems like you would be set up for success.
I hope you go for it.
Annies got the right idea. I have seen her place and the potential. Most people don't even come close to such resources.
It does take a gosh awfull amount of work. But, then, our pioneer ancestors had less. Or more, depending on how you look at it.
The crunch comes when the power goes off and does not come back on. The internet goes away. Etc, etc. I don't include TV because if you're subsistance living theres not time for TV. Besides its the vast wasteland.
[except for History ch., Nat Geo, Syfy] Maybe the cartoon channel. Yeah, you need some laughs now and again.
OK, we keep some of the cable stuff....
I have been waiting for you to work to this point. I had heard the echoes of it in your post for some time now. Now that you have felt the freedom of your own time, to go back to the "timed zone" is a hard and useless thing. You have a support network in place. Have many avenues for income- your art, maybe some indepedent carpentry, farmers market, writing, etc.. I think you will find sucess and happiness. Time to step through the portal into the new world.
Hey Anon-R! thanks for your comment! One of the main reasons I have written parts of this blog is so some people might see that they are not alone in their feelings so what you say does make me feel good.
Yeah, I think the way things are going you can't NOT think about some possibilities.
Hey Lisa! thank you for your vote of confidence! yeah, I have no debt really so if ever there was a time I could do this it would be now. BTW, I'm sure you have some significant talents yourself!
Hey FC! thanks man! yes, I have virtually no debt and am really only responsible for myself so it should be a win-win situation.
Hey Jack! well, we might keep a little cable stuff! lol! I have other things in mind for entertainment! heehee..
Hey Tammy! well, everything in it's own time ya know? but yeah, the time does seem right.
thanks!
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