Alice Wegner

ISO - one non-smoking, drug-free individual, preferably female, no pets, with a small self-contained RV or pull-behind Casita type trailer.  

IN EXCHANGE for 20 hrs./ week help with my straw bale construction project (details about the work and the site provided to serious applicants), place to park, potable water source, electric hookup.  You need not have any experience with straw bale construction.  Requirements:  focus, willingness to learn, early riser, ability to follow directions and ability to lift 60 lbs.

The location is in Vermont.  There is currently no plumbing.  You may use (and maintain) the outhouse (compost bucket style), or use your own RV toilet system.  There is an RV park about 15 minutes away where you can pay to dump your grey and black water from your RV.  

If you are excited about learning straw bale construction hands-on and would like to have  a home base in VT for the summer with time to explore, this might be for you.   No money exchanges hands.  One-week trial to make sure we are mutually happy with the arrangement.  Open communication is essential.

Conversations starting now.  Opportunity would start in May (trusting the snow is gone by then!).  Thanks for reading.

I think I'll leave that one up to the boys to work out for themselves.  

I would be interested in knowing what town that was that planned for off grid, and if their efforts are documented.  I live in a <3000 pop. rural VT town with a sad "everyone for himself" attitude towards emergencies.  Our so-called volunteer Fire Dept. is run by self-interested scam artists.  I have real fears for the many elderly (and not so elderly) on back roads or in flood plains because there is no one to help if they get into a pickle.  It would be useful to present our small-imagination selectboard with an example of action by a town our size (with the cajones to plan in advance ).  Does the town have a website?

All this to say, hormones are a powerful force in our bodies and there are consequences for their presence and absence.  While we are having our level fluctuations the boys are also going through their own version of Men o Pause.  While we rage and sweat and crave, they lose muscle mass, get foggy brain, and cry easily.  Has anyone seen that?  It's like we switch roles - assuming you ever accepted those roles in the first place.  Makes for some exciting relationship challenges along the way.  Why isn't there a name for this for men?  Or is there?  Or can we make one up and start using it all the time so it catches on?

Hey Ned,  yes I've had those thoughts.  And I'm doing that thing with the small acreage homestead and recycled as much as possible for the house construction.  I've considered calling the "homestead" the Side of the Road Farm because nearly everything was found on the side of the road in a free pile.  I also peruse the free pile on trash day and can't stand when good stuff goes into the landfill.  Makes me crazy.  

Without knowing what age group you belong to, consider that the Boomers are aging.  The largest population spike in recent history is downsizing.  There's going to be a glut of used products going to waste because folks are tired and need to move on to the next stage.  They may not know how or want to deal with Craigslist or whatever.  Perhaps this is a decade to run a recycled stuff business?  It's a great way to raise money for local projects.

Also, I suggest you do the home building asap.  It gets harder as you get older.  Land isn't getting any cheaper.  If you want to Moose me about that and the pros and cons of recyclable building materials, I'm always happy to spill what I know.  

Is the thought dark that one person's excess is another's treasure?  All life has it's niche.  Everything that exists gets consumed, broken down into smaller components and changed into something else.  Except plastic.  Although, once all living things contain a certain percentage of plastic, we may evolve into other kinds of life form that allow us to survive what comes next.  We humans are so myopic.

Such a helpful post, ladies.  Thank you.  I'm mid-50's and every time my period shows up again I say "really? are you kidding me?" Apparently not.  It shows up with a gory vengeance.   I've had a few  "wardrobe malfunctions."  And spotting constantly.  
No one yet has talked about chocolate.  My only clue that Auntie Red is back is my libido kicks in and then I eat chocolate like my life depends on it and without really tasting it.  I do a lot of outdoor manual labor (construction) and so it's hard to know if the joint pain is from that or hormone fluctuation.  No hot flashes per se but always the cold feet and hands as I go to bed with kicking off the covers after midnight.  I started late so I figure I will end late.  I've always been a regular 28 days predictable with zero cramping but some lower back pain that is alleviated with exercise.  Sometimes I take baby aspirin before bed to get the flow moving if it seems stuck.  Thin the blood and address the back pain.  Oh, and then there's the red itchy painful flaky patches on the face.  Chin, forehead, in front of ears.  I've seen pregnant women have this so I assumed it was from hormones, stress, or both.  I'm learning what my skin wants.  Sometimes Aloe gel, sometimes neosporin, or Aquaphor always doing a morning and evening wash and lotion.  If I apply the wrong product to the wrong place I get pimples.  So - very much like returning to the teen years, only I'm not so cute anymore!  But much, much smarter.

Hi Lisa,

I am in year 3 of starting from scratch on a tiny homestead.  I have been living in a tiny house on wheels while I build the still small but larger than Tiny house.  

The BEST thing I did was get an electric mini excavator.  I dug all my own trenches and did my own foundation work.  Moved rocks for the french drain, and logs to be cut up into firewood.  I just finished the septic plan that would have cost thousands to have someone else to do.  

Another consideration aside from being able to work at your own pace and make decisions on the fly, is that contractors are in the biz to make money.  They will do things fast and efficient - which also means turning your new property into a moonscape.  Getting a small electric excavator means that you can surgically dig without crushing the soil and killing everything all around your build site.  It's quiet, and you can stop on a dime so as to not crush some bird or toad that is fleeing for it's life.  It has been very important to me to impact my little space as little as possible.  

I was able to install the electric pedestal just in time for the excavator to charge up.  No sloppy petroleum or exhaust fumes,  and very little maintenance.  Silent running and just as strong as the diesel and gas counterparts.  I can't see why it wouldn't be possible to charge it with solar and an inverter.

I'm about ready to sell mine since I have finished my major digging chores and the warranty still has three years on it.  Wouldn't make sense for you since you are 3000 miles away, but you may find one on the Left Coast.  

And regarding the water, I put in a dug well with both an electric pump, and a hand pump.  I don't regret that one iota.  The hand pump has a below the frost line bleed hole to drain the water down so it won't freeze in the pipe above ground.  When I lose electric I know I can still access water.  The thing that has not worked so great is the yard spigot like the one you picture.  For whatever reason I am having rust problems with that one.  It does not have a weep hole, so I shut it off in winter.  If you don't it freezes up and breaks.  

Happy Homesteading!
Alice

Bravo Rebecca.  Even in damp cold places humanure composting is not rocket science.  Joe's book is great.  He is on several podcasts too, in case someone wants the gist without reading the book. Cliff notes for composting anyone?

Ted - have you tapped into the Deep Springs community nearby?  There may be some young people both strong and smart who would welcome the chance to practice some community and homestead building in real time during breaks or after graduation.  https://www.deepsprings.edu/
  I'm sure that they would respond to someone named Edward Abbey