Steve Palmer

Theresa, I think you are getting it. You will need the tools but they do not define you. Knowing safe firearm handling is a skill in the same realm as safely operating a lawn mower or chain saw. I am glad to see you understand what we Missourians have to deal with. In the area of the world where you are, there are some old timers who can be of very good help when it comes to homesteading. They will not understand the terms we use on this forum but they will understand the principles. They practiced permaculture in the past because that is how it was done. They will just call it farming.

My family are all gun owners and I cannot remember a time where they ever pointed a gun at anyone in self protection unless they served in the military, the difference was the guns were 16 inches in diameter or mounted on a jet aircraft. They live in Missouri, Iowa, Michigan and Arkansas. Not one of them fear guns and this is probably why none of them has had to think about shooting someone, there is a confidence that comes from being able to protect yourself and feed yourself, you will not owe anyone any apologies.

Woodgasifiers need the heat for gas production but after it is produced you can get heat from cooling the gas, engine cooling is a heat source, and then the exhaust is a heat source you can get heat from that. each one will be a unique system in itself that would extract more energy from the wood consumed to provide rotational energy. The question then would be is this energy extracted be useable for what you need it for.

You do already have your ideas, I would refer you to pauls video where there was a compost pile that heated for an outdoor shower. I am not sure it could be done any more simply than that. There are many versions of the solar water heater out there. They are not complicated and can be made easily and cheap. The drawback might be, not always having hot water exactly when you need it.

Sorry to say it guys but it is or becoming that bad in parts of Missouri, Iowa, Illinois but there is hope, it is not too hard to find the good people. Most have little hope in those depressed areas of the world. They were sold a bill of goods years ago by our Dept. of Agriculture to stop growing anything and raise cattle plus plant kentucky 31 fescue all over the place. It was not known that that stuff is almost worthless as a cattle forage or as the locals say a cow can stand belly deep in it and starve to death. As an added bonus for them the mines have closed which was a good source of work, coal, lead, and iron ore either played out or were closed due to pollution problems. Unless you have attached yourself to the government teat in corrections or other stuff what do you have, not very much. You cannot blame someone for finding anything to make the pain of reality go away even if will kill you. Most of the agencies in these areas just look the other way because there is no treatment or there is no one to send to even try to fix it. The rural counties in Missouri where i live have a tax base that is so low that that are lucky to even have the funds for a sheriff and a couple of deputies. It really pays to do the research on the place you have chosen to start a new life with a homestead, some of the places out there are not "city folk" friendly.

Theresa,
I have made a connection to where you are. I have it on pretty good authority, (my wife has lived near where you are), that the problem you have is on that is real similar to the one occurring in the meth capitol of the US which is just down the road from you about 3 hours. The locals really do not want to hurt you and would be really frightened by someone who, has a gun, who is a crazy city person who would shoot them for just being on your property. (legal or not) or you are somehow connected to the DEA, FBI, CIA, KGB or whatever 3 letter organisation you want to use. All of them are connected in some way so getting the word out that you are going to shoot the next person who comes on your property would be fairly effective. something else to keep in mind if there is nothing to steal they will leave you alone. Make all of the things you value not visible, if you look like you have something they will steal it and make sure your opinions of drug use is well known. We have had people who really worked pretty hard to "be friends" and came to our house just to have a look at our cabinets to see if we had any drugs they could steal. After finding out we dont bother with that stuff they really did not want to "be friends' so much any more. The meth addiction or other things they are on will make them brave to get the next dollar for the next high. Something else would be to make sure they think you have an arsenal of selected weapons that would kill with extreme prejudice any who would venture close to your well designed abode. All of this would not have to be true but they need to think that it is.

Unfortunately this will remain a problem that will never go away. My wife lived there more than 10 years ago and the problems in the rural areas have gotten worse as the time passes especially in the poorer counties in the midwest. You are an easy target since they view you as a "city slicker" so you will need to change the perception to crazy gun toten willing to shoot first and ask questions later person who would shoot them and have what is left prosecuted and turned over to the DEA. drawn, hung, quartered and sent to the four corners of the empire. If you need any help in the drawn and quartered department the wife and i may have a free weekend coming up.

Theresa, you really need to ask yourself some basic questions about homesteading, where are you doing this? If you are moving to a rural area the culture includes guns. They are not there because of robbers or criminals they are tools of farming/homesteading. You will have lots of trouble trying to use a self defense oriented weapon to clear your garden of pesky vegetable predators, however a proper predator weapon would be appropriate to make a bad person think twice about harming you or your family. You will be doing a service to your children to teach them what guns are used for, most of us who grew up with guns in our families used them as tools for entertainment by hunting or trap shooting the idea of actually shooting a bad guy was really way far back in the world of possibilities. We had dogs for the bad guys and they were very effective. The people of my age (50) have grandparents who remember using horses to farm with, most of those people could do more damage with a shovel or hay knife.

So with that being said guns are not the only weapons to use for self preservation. Archery is pretty deadly with the right person pulling the bow string. I am pretty sure I do not know of anyone who has managed to shoot themselves with a bow and arrow. It is a skill which has to be learned. This means spending time to learn how to do it, lots of time if you want to be good at it. If you do it well it is fun and there are others who share this love and it just adds to the numbers of people in your network. There are some other things but probably not really practical but still could be defensive. Hatchets can be thrown to take someone out, I have seen that done before in a reenactment, mock of course but still very deadly. Big knives work pretty well but if you lack strength they would not be a realistic option.

So if you are in a big city and homesteading there, do you really need a gun? They attract attention and where you going to go to teach your kids safe gun handling procedures. You would be better off with a dog and a baseball bat.

I certainly don't have a problem with language on the podcasts. The only problem i have is i ran out of the videos to watch and want more. Trust me i have made my own videos and know what a pain it is, but I just want more cobby rocket massy permaculture vids. I will beg if I have to.

Keep up the good work and don't change a thing, even if pigs are chewing on your feet.

According to an old timer who used to race small boats with 15 horse engines, the mix was ethanol and castor oil. I don't know the percentage but the power gains were pretty impressive over standard high test gasoline and two stroke oil.

This guy was over 70 in the late seventies and cast babbit bearings in the ford v-8 and 4 cylinder flatheads as his source of retirement income. I just love the advice from old timers.

In the hills and valleys of the Ozarks before everyone had a tv and a computer to entertain them there were house parties were people got together and played music, sang, and danced. I have been to a few of those years ago and it was real fun. Wish i could get that to happen again.

Level 1: is thinking about the environment. Bought fluorescent light bulbs. Is trying to do a good job of recycling. Reads an article or two. Buys some organic food. Their power bill is less than average.

I have thought about the environment, but I am not doing things to save the world, but because i am cheap. I have bought fluorescent bulbs and will keep using until LED is affordable, they have saved energy in my application, i am not going to argue with anyone the fact they contain mercury, however Southwest Texas contains more, it occurs there naturally.

Level 2: 30% of purchased food is organic

It depends on your definition of organic, everything comes from the earth, man processing or hybridizing food to be more productive has been done since the beginning of time. I prefer food that is what it is, meat is meat and not full of soybeans if I wanted soybeans I would roast them.

Level 3: Has an organic garden and 80% of purchased food is organic

No, garden yet but am working on it and refer to level 2 on food choices

Level 4: Grow 40% of their own food. Studying permaculture. Got rid of all fluorescent light bulbs

I am studying permaculture and am going to use old fashioned ways since I was trained in them as a kid on a farm. There is no point in being stupid about growing a garden there are natural ways to do things without spending money to make the weeds or bugs go away. I really like the idea of reusing stuff that would be trash to make gardens out of.

How an I doing I think not so well on the scale. I really hate labels anyway.