Bj Murrey

Sonya Montgomery wrote:I was off-grid for 5 years, living the dream on 11 acres. Just me and the critters. And then covid...  Going it alone is hard. I had two young people who would come help me on the farm. They moved back in with their parents during the pandemic. With no other income and living on savings, after the pandemic was supposedly over, I eventually sold the property, with the solar panels, RV, and generator, and moved down to the smog-laden valley below to live in an apartment and working an 8-5. I'm not loving my life. But not to worry, I'm working my way back.

You experienced a life few ever will. You lost nothing. You gained something amazing. And more is waiting for you when youre ready if you want it.

The cool thing about life is you get to choose how to live it.

I admire you did it - and admire that you can also return to the grind as required. Press on! This isn't the end.

Hi! I sent you a message :). Thanks for saying hello and your kind words. You sound like a full, well-rounded woman! Always appreciate talking with like minded Christians about nature and Gods grace. :) happy new year!

I'm a christian (seminary graduate too) in Texas, and used to live in Guatemala and looove Latin america, and have been off grid for 11 years now on a little homestead if you want to chat.

Ududah George wrote:My name is Oghenebrorhie Ududah and I'm from Nigeria, I'm really new to homestead stuff and I am writing this for the few who are truly awake. I have spent my life watching the world chase digital ghosts, inflated careers, and 'achievements' that belong to the people in power, not to us. I see a planet that is empty and unexploited, while the masses ....
I am ready to walk away...
I am looking for a woman who is...
What I am looking for:..
A woman who values freedom over convenience. Someone who understands that our ancestors weren't 'primitive,' they were masters of reality. If you are tired of the 'career' lie and want to be a matriarch of a new foundation, let’s connect. I am not looking for a girlfriend; I am looking for a co-founder of a new way of living.
If you are ready to be a pioneer, reach out. The earth is waiting, and he clock of the system is ticking down."

I feel your words, brother. I understand what you are saying. Let me offer a couple of things I've noticed since j began sharing your sentiments.

1. There is no uncorrupted place on earth, because if you find one, you are there, and you are corrupted. The only uncorrupted place anyone can find, is the peace within themselves. I'm a Christian, so for me this is the peace Jesus promised when we seek his kingdom, first, along with no one else and nothing else, and only then, does he promise to add all we need to sustain us. Because I know Jesus never promises that there will be no pain Or problems in this world, I can live my life in spite of them and not take them personally or try to control them.

2. Ready to walk away: do it. If you're ready, you dont need to find a woman first. Live the life now, you know you're ready for, and the woman who is interested in these things will find you, and see you doing them, and join you. But if you met one now, while not doing them yet, she might see someone who is a wishful thinker, only.

3. A woman will never fix you, or fill up what you think is missing. No person can ever meet the inner feelings of another person. We alone are responsible for the feelings inside of us. Learn to deal with the ones you have now or you'll discover that no matter the person in your life you always feel the same way inside. Its you, not them.

4. The world and the system aren't "ticking down". They are winding up and just getting started! The world will never stop or change for you but you can change yourself at any time no matter what the world is doing or not doing around you.

Most of the people in most of the world are just as lost, and have nothing figured out, as anyone else in the world. The thing we do is focus on what others have that we dont have, and then despair that we dont have it , and think we must be doing something wrong or they are doing it right. The reality is they have different problems from us, but only the details.

I went off grid, alone, 11 years ago, and I haven't met anyone to share it with either. But I'm not living my life waiting for them, I'm just living my life. If I find someone to join me in it, great! If not, that's OK too because I am living , I have a life. And I'm pursuing the kinds of things I value and in those valued pursuits I'm more likely to find a woman who shares similar values.

Just some thoughts. I wish you well brother.

Phil Stevens wrote:Biochar, no-till, and deep mulching. My soil is a fine-grain silt loam and although its fertility is decent and I've used lots of compost over the years, the big change happened when I stopped digging, started adding biochar, and got into deep mulch with wood chips. Biochar adds structure and aeration that the unamended soil here is lacking, keeping it better hydrated during dry periods and preventing it from getting waterlogged and going anaerobic when it's wet for long spells. Avoiding disturbance helps preserve that structure as it develops, and this means all amendments go on top now - e.g. mulch.

The partial exceptions I make to the no-dig rule are around harvesting root crops like potatoes and kūmara, but even with these I don't hav.....

Well said! I 100% agree. It sounds like we have similar native  soils. I could do more biochar for sure, but I heat my house with wood so I tend to use it all inside :)

For me in north Texas, its been composting everything I can in place, and supplementing as I can with wood chips and manure. I went from straight sand in an oak forest to a foot deep of dark black soil full of life.over 10 years. Not hard work, and totally worth it. I prefer adding soil on top rather than trying to amend it in ground. Just my experience.

I bet its much colder up north!

I love the perspective. And I definitely resonate with what you wrote. And the chokes out in my garden now, can vouch for me. :)

God bless you friend.

Hey brother, fellow Texan here with friends in Oregon. Going off of "generalized demographics" of both States, I'm presuming you're not liberal (unless from Austin area). If that is the case. Most of Oregon is so far to the left of even Austin, it might be culture shock. However there are many rural southern Oregonians who are more traditional conservative types but are numerical far fewer than anyone left of center politically. Not to be political here, just talking sociology. I'm from north Texas and every one of my liberal and conservative friends all over Washington and Oregon told me that there is no scenario I'd enjoy being there, because even if I mind my own business on my own land in a conservative area, the state is mostly liberal women judges who are big government types that want to legislate every aspect of life of any person in the state, down to even the water that falls on your roof which you're forbidden to capture and drink without permission.

Be aware. Texas is basically an entirely different country. Different laws. Different basic expectations of being left alone in peace, etc.

I wish you well in whatever your pursuits.