Hi! 50 single female here from Eastern NC

Hi! I'm fairly new to this lifestyle but feel more and more drawn to it. I'm a 50 year old single female and currently live in the coastal NC area. I currently live in a home that's in a HOA and I am very unhappy with my circumstances. I collect rain water, compost, grow herbs, recycle and do my own home renovations. I've started to set up solar power for my shed, assuming the HOA doesn't complain about it. I desperately want to move and become more sustainable and self sufficient. I want chickens, maybe a goat or two. I would love to grow my own food, incorporating food into the landscape or even looking at forest permaculture. I don't want to be in an HOA where people value groomed lawns over sustainability and our impact on the planet. I am very independent and have a career in the medical field. I enjoy home renovations and woodworking though I am simply a novice and self taught. I feel I can fix anything that I want to if I just put my mind to it. I am having trouble finding others that I can truly relate to. People around me are all about the modern conveniences, round up and throwing everything in the trash and let someone else deal with it. And while there are some modern conveniences that I really love, I feel that I can do better to have a more positive impact on the planet. Now that my baby has started college, I am less tied to this area. However I do love my job and I do own my home, which I am currently renovating. So, I am not ready to pack up and leave, but I keep feeling the desire to find a better way of life that is more in tune with nature. I am not a religious person, however I am spiritual. I don't really like the coast, I am here because of family. I prefer the beautiful mountains and fresh air. Anyway I look forward to exploring this forum and seeing what I can learn.

Welcome home to Permies Melissa!

Hi Melissa, always nice to meet a new Permie :) Welcome to Permies. How did you find us?

Hi Melissa, I'm in my fifties and recently moved to Northern Maine. My husband and I purchased 53 acres in Aroostook County. It's very beautiful here, but cold. We love winter because we snowshoe every day in the woods behind our home. We see all kinds of tracks and so much activity. I think I saw lynx tracks the other day!

We are building a community of people who practice permaculture and land stewardship. I would love to create a small community on our land, with connections to other communities in North America and even on other continents. The idea is we could all support one another and visit each other. We would all have people to help us with our projects and places where we could go visit.  

If that sounds interesting, please get in touch! jenniferdamashek@protonmail.com

Best wishes to you!
Jennifer

I am new to this site after finding it somewhat by accident looking for a recipe. I have always wanted to feel the land, but had to be satisfied with just growing herbs and flowers in pots. I kept saying when I retired I was going to get a small plot of land, build a little house, have some chickens and a goat, make a small garden, live off grid, bring all my books with me, and be happy for the rest of my life. The reality is that I was forced to retire early due to a disability, and I ended up moving from CO to the Berkshires in MA. I see from Jennifer's reply that she lives in Aroostock County, ME. I was actually looking at land up that way at one point (I will keep your email handy).  Long story short is that I am presently taking care of an older lady, and we've decided we need to create a garden and learn to can, etc. We are quite excited. We were thinking about adding some chickens in a mobile hoop house b/c there are a lot of wild animals that would be picking off the chickens! I am looking forward to getting ideas from postings, and can't wait to get to know others of like minds.

I was searching google for how to meet other people with similar interests and goals. I do not recall my exact search. Or maybe it was when I was searching for how to build my own small hot tub. But I was very frustrated with others around me not relating to my goals and desires.

Here are some examples of my encounters with the people around me.
I planted mint in an area at my old home where I thought the surrounding areas would keep them contained. My dad came by one day and thought he would help by putting weed killer on it.
I had some bushes that I was letting grow tall to provide a screen from the neighbors. My dad thought he would help me by cutting them down to the ground.
There was this guy at work that was flirting with me and showing some interest. He came up to me as I was watching some roofing videos so I could make some repairs. He asked what I was watching. And when I told him, he said "boring" and walked away. I immediately lost interest in him.
I was hiring a neighbor to keep my lawn mowed so that the HOA would be happy. As we are walking around the yard to assess the job, He was like, I'd put round up on that and that . . . Then offered to get me in on the neighborhood preemergent weed deal using Atrazine and MSM. I said no thank you. Atrazine is known to cause significant environmental side effects even in small quantities. And our neighborhood is directly connected to the Sound.
I try to buy organic produce when I can. I participated in a local farm CSA that used organic practices. I try to limit my meat purchases to pasture raised and other similar practices. The majority of people just look at me and say that's too expensive, I'll stick with the cheap food.
So, I am very very disappointed in society and people around me. I didn't know how to find others that have similar interests.

And as a single mom whose children are now grown, I am limited in my resources. But I own my current home. However I discovered a water leak that did some serious damage to the home. So I am forced to repair and renovate it. I could not sell my current property without first getting it into a sellable condition. Even after that, I don't really have the resources to just buy a property somewhere. But we will see at that time. Current goal is to remodel this one so that someone will want to buy it. Also, maybe the housing market will improve in that time. In the meantime, I am trying to figure out how to survive within the HOA restrictions but still find ways to live the kind of life I want.

Cat Knight wrote:Hi Melissa, always nice to meet a new Permie :) Welcome to Permies. How did you find us?

I get it. Sounds like you are at least two levels higher than they are on the  Wheaton Eco Scale. I think one of my first posts was very similar, about how people kept telling me I was crazy for what I planned to do on my property in NV.

Thanks for sharing that. Yes, my desires are to be higher up on the scale than I am able to at this time.

Cat Knight wrote:I get it. Sounds like you are at least two levels higher than they are on the  Wheaton Eco Scale. I think one of my first posts was very similar, about how people kept telling me I was crazy for what I planned to do on my property in NV.