Michael Tyler

M Ljin, I snap my fingers and look with astonishment as your wish is:

Granted! You wake up with boundless energy, and the roosters now share it, so they start crowing at 3 a.m., and the whole farm is up with you.

I wish for machinery and equipment that fixes itself while I sleep.

Keep this post up. It’s a good thought, and people don’t say it often enough.

I’ve been fixing my own things for 28 years, and your third reason is the one I’d put first. If you can’t repair something you depend on, you take whatever price and whatever quality the last person in town decides to offer. Being able to say “I’ll do it myself” is leverage, and it’s also peace of mind.

I’d add two more. First, repair skills compound. Every fix teaches you something about how things fail, so the next one goes faster and you start catching problems before they cost you. Second, a fixer is useful to other people. Neighbors trade, barter, and help each other far more readily with someone who can do things, and that kind of community holds up better than any bank account.

It also fits reduce, repurpose, reuse. The best tools I own came from flea markets and yard sales, and most just needed a little attention to work like new.

Thanks for putting it into words.

I jumped out of airplanes for the Army, kept order as a corrections officer, and earned a Master’s in IT. Now I start tomato seedlings at dawn and call it a quiet life.

Quick resume: 28 years homesteading, three greenhouses (a fourth would be reckless, but I’m tempted), and every farm animal I could talk into living here. I fix things. I can repair nearly anything, but I’m still working on broken hearts.

I cook in cast iron, shop at flea markets, and believe reduce, repurpose, reuse is a lifestyle, not a slogan. I read the news too much and I’ll talk about it all day if you let me, though I’d rather talk about what’s growing in your garden.

Honest disclosure, because I value it: I’m separated, and the divorce is in process. I’m not rushing anything. I’d love some good conversation first- friends, chat buddies, or pen pals- and we’ll let the rest sort itself out.

Please tell me what you’re growing, what you’re fixing, or what’s making you laugh this week. I answer every thoughtful message.

(No money requests and no moving off the platform the first few messages, please. I’ll hold myself to the same.)

Love, and I’d say it without hesitation. Homesteading is who I am, but the land is just where I do it. The skills, the tools, and 28 years of practice all go wherever I go. A piece of ground can be rebuilt. A life with no one to share it with is harder to fix.

I think you’ve named the real issue. The people here have put years into their land, and moving feels like losing that work. But if someone is willing to make a sacrifice, I’d rather it be shared than one-sided. That could mean meeting halfway, trying a season on each other’s land before anyone sells anything, or one person moving while the other keeps a foothold for a while. Those give love a fair chance without asking for an all-or-nothing leap.

For me, I’m happy with what I’ve built, and I’m also open. If the right person comes along, I’d start again, and I wouldn’t see it as giving something up.

Thanks for asking this honestly. It’s a question a lot of us are sitting with.

John,

Thanks for the details. The tent-versus-shed point is well taken. A tent is a short-term answer, and the money is better spent on a shed that can become storage or a barn later. I’d build the shed first. I already have a camper, and after a long time homesteading, I’m well equipped to start again if I ever have to.  The only equipment I would have to add would be a small lumber mill.

When I wrote the original post, I was imagining starting over, kind of like being stranded on a deserted island with nothing but a toolbox. It’s a good exercise, because it strips away the equipment and forces you to think about what really comes first.


Thanks for the heads-up on checking the local newspapers.   I hadn’t considered checking back issues of the local newspaper.  That is such a simple thing I hadn't thought of, and I will add that to my move preparation list. (Just in case.)

As for the reptiles in Southern Georgia, they can’t be any worse than the ones in North Florida.

Ann,

That’s a good way to put it, and I agree it depends on the source. With catchment, you need a roof or tarp up before it can collect anything, so shelter comes first. With a well, water comes first, since drilling takes time to schedule.

Where I’m looking in southern Georgia, the soil is sandy, not rocky, and shallow wells look possible. That could move water to the front of my list and make it cheap and quick. I’d still haul water for the first few days, test any well before drinking from it, and plan the well, septic, and chicken pens together so the setbacks work out.

Have you gone through a well drilling process yourself, and how long did it take from the first call to running water?

Daniel,

To clarify my question: I was imagining what I’d do if I had to start over with nothing. It isn’t imminent for me, and if it were, I have 28 years of equipment and supplies that would come with me. That’s why my list starts with survival basics, not tools.

Mine would be:

Bell tent for shelter, with several 5-gallon water containers for personal use
Water catchment using a tarp and an IBC container
Waste management and a shower system for hygiene and trash
Protected storage area
Greenhouse, with water catchment using gutters and an IBC tote (seasonal vegetable starts for sale and personal use)
Chicken pens, for eggs to sell and eat, and for meat

Simple versions of most of these can be built in a couple of days, and some at the same time. My list comes from believing a homestead should help pay for itself, so I put income first. Plants and young chickens take time to grow, so I’d start them early.

One question on yours: I understand that a conventional outhouse is a code issue in many places. Have you checked the rules where you’d build? I’d also like to know what made you put power ahead of water collection, and how much of that is your climate.

For me, it comes down to my attitude and the way I view things.

I find the humor in the situation. Nearly every mess has something funny in it if you wait long enough, and laughing at it takes some of its power away.

I remember that “Nothing is forever” and “This too shall pass.” Hard seasons end, just like the growing ones do.

I focus on what’s mine to handle. I can’t control most of what’s out there, but I can take care of myself and my family with the skills I’ve built over the years. Being prepared for whatever comes means I can face it calmly, because I trust myself to figure out the next step.

I’m also grateful for the blessings I’ve received, and I try to remember them on the hard days.

And when it all feels like too much, I go to the garden or the greenhouse. Plants don’t care about the headlines, and they always remind me to take things one day at a time.

Ben,

Thanks, and my apologies for the thin post. I hadn’t put up a bio, so you were working with very little context.

You’re right to soften the line between watching and doing. I agree on starting small things from day one, like a garden bed, a compost pile, or a temporary shelter, while taking real care with anything irreversible, like clearing, grading, septic, or a well. I like building things that can be moved or repurposed, and I’ve dealt with land use rules myself, so I’d study those closely before buying anywhere.

I’m looking at southern Georgia and planning contingencies, so this is very helpful. What did you set up modularly in your phase one, and what would you do differently now?

I appreciate you taking the time to reply.

John,

Thank you, and my apologies. I posted before my profile was up, so you were answering with very little information. Here are the answers to your questions:

A fresh start would be a deliberate choice, and I’d do it in stages.  I am planning contingencies and was wondering what others may have experienced.

I haven’t bought land yet. I’m looking at very rural counties in Southern Georgia, which is humid subtropical, with hot summers, mild winters, and plenty of rain. I already have a homestead, which is my home base and an income, so this wouldn’t be a leap.

I like the 12x16 shed idea. I’d probably start in a tent or camper and put the shed up first, as storage now and a barn later. Good point on getting a well in early. I also like your First Axiom.

Thanks for taking the time to reply.