Spreading the word

I recently had an interesting conversation.  An ex employee of mine said he had been watching “Homestead Rescue” with his wife, and she commented, “Who would want to live like that?”   He responded to her, “Well, John does.”  

Of course, I took the opportunity to explain to him that the homesteads I have seen on that show do not reflect those I have encountered in person. Though, some of the challenges are similar. As we talked, it became clear that he had made a pretty extreme jump in logic. He drew the conclusion that because I had solar, I was a homesteader.  So, I then took the opportunity to explain to him what I saw as homesteading (Helen and Scott Nearing).  I also introduced to him the concept of Permaculture.  

Now, this gentleman is an accountant, and all aspects of his life are ruled by the calculator.  I don’t expect him to make any huge transformations.  He is pretty social.  So, hopefully he will get the word out just a tiny bit more.


Oh yes, I mentioned this site!

to me, the best example of a homesteader were some of our ancestors.

These folks were doing what we now consider homesteading way back in the 1700s.

The Homestead Act was created in 1862.  The first homesteader was Daniel Freeman according to the National Park Service.

https://www.nps.gov/home/learn/historyculture/people.htm

What we consider a homesteader is not someone who claimed land through the Homestead Act though I bet those folks did what we consider the term homesteading means.

Having animals, growing vegetables and living off the land.

Thanks for the comments..

John, it's nice to see someone once again giving credit to Helen and Scott Nearing. The Nearing's book Living the good life would be a good place to start for anyone considering homesteading or wondering what it was originally all about. With that book and a sense of purpose, a person or couple could practically build a homestead around it.
We did!
Rick and Rose.

Hi Rich,

I suspect some were disillusioned as they learned that the Nearings had an outside source of income. …Writing, public speaking, etc.  but this describes many homesteaders and Permies.   The Nearings successfully advocated for a means to maintain quality of life.  I certainly have worked in the mainstream on and off to build cash reserves.  Or to go with the philosophies of John Shuttleworth (Mother Earth), who I believe never actually homesteaded, success will be obtained when the principles are accepted by the middle class.

For those a tad younger than me, by all means check out these names. Also, look into the Have More Plan.  In all cases , do take a historic perspective when reading the material.