Serena Hartwell

I’m happily in a relationship now but last year I posted in the singles forum here. It was eye opening! I was pretty naive in online dating (never had a profile anywhere before). For the most part everyone was kind and respectful, with a few standouts. Multiple wanted open relationships or even a “sister wife” situation that included other women, when I’d stated I’m looking for a partner, not partners. Maybe I needed to say monogamous only? For me that’s a hard no, but I know it’s rather common these days. The second thing that was upsetting was how many messages I received where it’s pretty obvious they didn’t read the post and just launched into a “sales pitch” about themselves. I mean let’s build a connection first, then cover those deeper topics! If a woman says “no longer looking” yet still gets messages, it makes me wonder if those men are listening? The bottom line is that I naively assumed it would be “easy” to meet a like -minded man and build a life together, haha. Little did I know! (I did meet the man of my dreams and we are building our homestead together, but it was only after I went on a dating app!)

Mark Wolo wrote:Hello from bc Canada.
Have you found a off grid partner?
Mark.
How can one message you?

Hello Mark,

I’m not looking for a partner anymore. I posted an update awhile back but it’s buried in all the messages. Best of luck on finding your person!

Serena

So I wanted to post an update on my current status as I continue to receive messages from lovely folks on here. I've had many wonderful conversations that started on here and been deeply inspired by all the people who are homesteading and making that wild and beautiful life a reality.

I'm currently dating someone so I'm not looking for a romantic connection. However, I am still very much interested in helping on a homestead. I've relocated to N. GA to be near family but am finding this is not in alignment with how I want to be doing my part on this planet. I'm hoping to find something for this summer to escape the heat and humidity here. I'd much rather be working with my hands in the soil doing something meaningful than nursing.

If anyone is looking for help with gardening, herbalism, foraging, building, etc. and is open to hosting myself and my 9 year old daughter in exchange for help on the homestead, feel free to reach out! I'd love to hear from you and be of use and connect with like minded folks.

Serena

Hi! I am 38 years old and currently live in the PNW. The older I get, the more I realize I want homesteading to be my whole life, and for it to never end. For me, that would be heaven!  

I want to put down roots, be close to nature, with a partner I trust and respect. To follow the rhythms of nature, have a purpose, be of use, connected to something greater than myself.  

Some of my long term goals are:  

Grow and preserve as much of my own food as possible.
Be as self-sufficient as possible.  

I'm seeking a like-minded male partner whose goals and values align with my own. Ideally, I'd love to join you on your homestead! Or build it up together from scratch. I am a quick learner and love learning new skills. I love to garden, forage, cook, and ferment all the things.  

I tend to be quiet, silly, playful, and positive. I have plenty to share and love discussing deep topics. I am more of a follower than a leader. I'd love to stay somewhere long-term, maybe forever if we get along well.  

I’m divorced and I have an 8 year old daughter, who means the world to me.  

Politically, I don't identify with either major party.  

Physically, I am 4'11’’ and 93lbs, with gray eyes, auburn hair, fair skin, and athletic body.  

I love hiking, foraging, cooking, gardening, rainwater collection, photography, mindful intimacy, meditation/yoga, star gazing, picnics, and camping to name a few of my hobbies.

I am open to talking to anyone, regardless of age or location, so if you feel we share mutual goals/interests, please message me! I'd love to hear from you

I second the recommendation for Aigle rubber boots. I have a pair that’s over 5 years old, with lots of life left and I wear them all the time. The only noticeable wear is on the heel from my uneven gait pattern. Seriously good natural rubber that doesn’t wear down easily, comfy, and shock absorbing.

Goldenrod makes a vibrant golden yellow dye.

Hi Faeryn!

Thank you for your encouraging words. Perhaps I chose my words poorly, because I didn't mean to imply that I need a partner in order to achieve my goals. Far from it.

Rather, I meant to convey that I am looking for like-minded folks to connect with who are living this lifestyle and have done so successfully. What steps they took to get there, with the cost of land being what it is and the amount of work it takes to build a homestead.

In my circle of family and friends, I don't really have anyone who truly desires to live a self-sufficient wholesome life. Some do parts of it, like gardening or have a few chickens, but more on the hobby level, not so much in an intentional way that I am seeking to.

It's been my goal to shift my life to a simpler, more fulfilling life for quite some time, in truth I've lived a pretty conventional life for the past decade or so.

So, in order to make the transition to the kind of life I want for myself and my daughter, I'm seeking connection and community with others who have achieved this dream. To learn from them, to get to see how they are building a homestead, growing food, and working to achieve their goals.

I enjoy learning from others and also sharing the work with others who also find joy in this lifestyle. Especially as a mom to a young child it seems overwhelming to me to attempt to purchase land and try on my own, though I admire the badass mamas who are doing it, and if the opportunity arose I certainly would be game to try it.

Serena

Hi everyone! I recently found this forum and I'm so glad to have found this community. So, I thought I'd introduce myself and hopefully pick your brains for some advice!

A little bit about me: I'm 37, mom to a 7-year-old, recently moved back to the PNW (Portland area) in hopes of buying a little homestead in the Columbia River Gorge area. Sadly, those plans fell through, but more on that in a bit.

I'm an RN (not currently practicing) and studying herbal medicine while homeschooling my daughter. More than anything, I love to garden, forage, preserve food, ferment all the things...and teach others about wild foods and how to be more self-sufficient. I love plants and being outside.  Both my daughter and I are dual US/Canadian citizens, and I'm open to moving. However, I love the West Coast, especially WA, OR, and northern Cali in the redwoods or just a milder climate than Canada in general.

I want to raise my daughter on the land, preferably out of the city, to have space to breath and time to focus on what matters, to build a homestead, and live as self-sufficient as possible. However, I am at a crossroads, and would love some life advice on my options...my former partner is no longer in the picture, and I don't have a clue how to proceed alone! I'm not afraid of hard work and am a quick learner, but I know my limitations physically, especially with building things.

Financially, I have no debt and decent savings. I would love to learn more about permaculture, creating a food forest, living off-grid, and to just get my hands in the soil. Ideally I'd love to join someone who already has a homestead, and help out in anyway I can. I grew up living off-grid, growing our food, milking goats, etc.

So, my question is, if you were in my situation, how would you proceed?

How did you get started, for those of you who have achieved your dream? I want this lifestyle more than anything, I don't want to just work to live.

I'm skilled in:
Foraging wild foods and medicine
Herbal medicine  
Preserving food, fermenting foods and drinks, healthy cooking
Gardening
Photography, and to a lesser extent, videography

I have considered Woofing/interning this summer to gain practical experience but can't afford to do it long term without income. Plus it's not super feasable with a child.

Any advice/recommendations are welcome! And sorry for the rambling post...

~Serena

Thanks for your thoughtful replies. I do understand that there’s a cycle and the young trees will now have access to the light shining through the canopy so they can thrive.

We had no ice this time, just extreme rainfall followed by strong winds. It just seems the trees are beginning to show signs of stress, even in seemingly lush and green Oregon. I love the PNW forests and the abundance of life they support…and don’t want to see it disappear though of course change is inevitable!

After the recent heavy rain and windstorms over the holidays, there are so many fallen trees in the forest. 100s of trees, so many that the forest is criss-crossed with them, some snapped like toothpics, others ripped from at the roots. These are seemingly healthy trees, mostly Douglas Fir, maybe some hemlock too. This is in northern Oregon, in the Mt. Hood forest and on Larch Mountain. Is this normal, a trees weakened from the drought, excessive rain weakening their connection at the roots, because of the strong wind gusts of 75 mph, or a combination of these?

This near the Columbia River Gorge, an area that routinely gets strong winds especially in winter.

I spend lots of time walking in these forests, and this has made me so sad to see all these beautiful trees downed. It reminds me of what happened in north California after the atmospheric river last year about this time, we lost 1000s of trees, mostly oak, pine, and fir. Any insights?