Off-Grid Living

Who else is interested in this?

It's appealing for me because I like the idea of self-sufficiency. Check out hurricane Katrina, look how many people were dependent upon agencies and societal expectations and they got fucked. Government dependency. Before anyone blows a cork, I feel for those victims, but that situation serves as an example.

Also,
I hate grocery shopping. I swear, I feel like cattle going to the feeding trough. Outside of excessive hunting, why does fishing and hunting require a license and tags? Makes no sense! Why does growing a garden in urban areas require a permit? Makes no damn sense!

Me. But I'm a weirdo like that.

Posted by venusianbull
Me. But I'm a weirdo like that.

Speaking to someone who has a similar interest, an observation for you.

Have you noticed how 10yrs ago this concept would have seemed radical and even a bit crazy? Now, it's creeping more and more into the everyday person's thoughts and for some, goals.

It reflects the economy, but it's funny and a bit frustrating how people will go from bastardizing a thought/concept/goal..w/e to embracing it.

Oh of course I have. It was a life style for the tree huggers, the hippies, the hopelessly vegan and or unwashed. My mother and her hubs while not completely off the grid did run a farm and sought a life style dependent more upon themselves.

Posted by ellessque
*not bastardizing*

if you were referring to me.

you said it didn't make any sense and i was trying to make sense of it.

living off the grid would be wonderful. do you have a plan? or is this just a thought?

it's not an easy thing to do. would you be hybrid? would you go all in?

would you teach others? would you charge for that or would it all be volunteer?

would you be completely self-sufficient or would you trade goods for other goods?

it's sort of how we started....until you throw in all the messy stuff, like currency.

Nah, I wasn't referring to you at all. I've observed this in speaking with people, observing people's reactions, watching other people interact, etc.

It's definitely not an easy thing to do. Easy to romanticize, but easy to do? Nah. It's a thought for me, I don't have the financial means to bring this into reality if I chose. Which is wild in and of itself. I'm busy lining other people's pockets just so I CAN LIVE. RENT/FOOD/GAS/INSURANCE...you get my meaning. How the fuck do you escape that?

Look at everything, and I do mean EVERYTHING. You have to purchase land, build a home ( or one is already there )..have it surveyed. Test the water table, make sure the barn is sound. Is there housing already there for the animals. Is the ground sweet and rich. Are there established fruit trees or not. Equipment you'll require. A tiller for one. Animal feed to purchase. Someone with the knowledge and skill to put up said things. Know how to butcher out animals. Big freezer or more to make sure food is sound. Solar panels if you want them. Woodstove, oil lamps, candles. The most real desire to bust ass every day and be bone shattered tired and falling into bed. Get up to milk animals, that never stops. Animal husbandry. Rudimentary veterinary care, calling in ( and paying for ) a large animal vet. Having your own animals to breed..or take them to GET bred. It goes on and on. Tip of the iceberg really.

It's owed to watch that video, seriously.

My point in posting it. As Elle pointed out, we are reaching the pinnacle of capitalism and the question remains, how much is too much? How many more homeless, unemployed, down-and-out citizens...CITIZENS of this country do we need before the situation becomes so bad that people have to do something. I fear we are headed along this path, people are apathetic up until the point that the reality of the situation is so damn bad that apathy is too high of a price to pay.

Posted by venusianbull
Look at everything, and I do mean EVERYTHING. You have to purchase land, build a home ( or one is already there )..have it surveyed. Test the water table, make sure the barn is sound. Is there housing already there for the animals. Is the ground sweet and rich. Are there established fruit trees or not. Equipment you'll require. A tiller for one. Animal feed to purchase. Someone with the knowledge and skill to put up said things. Know how to butcher out animals. Big freezer or more to make sure food is sound. Solar panels if you want them. Woodstove, oil lamps, candles. The most real desire to bust ass every day and be bone shattered tired and falling into bed. Get up to milk animals, that never stops. Animal husbandry. Rudimentary veterinary care, calling in ( and paying for ) a large animal vet. Having your own animals to breed..or take them to GET bred. It goes on and on. Tip of the iceberg really.

Tip of the iceberg, seriously.

It's easy to imagine that life, but far different to live it. Still, I fear that it will be the only way to live if things continue heading along the path they are for this country.

And don't get me wrong. I am as patriotic as they come, but the fact remains. Our country is not what it once was imo.

🙂 Yes.

And for those that don't know. That video is showing a small part of the Tianenmen Square incident in China. The Chinese government massacred some of their own citizens because those citizens were protesting some inequities.

Dead serious man. It's such hard work, but the most rewarding work ever. Really is anything so terrific as getting up to birds singing and looking out on something wholly yours, eat food that you raised yourself. Know it's the absolute best. It's very hard to put into words the peace I had at mothers place.

LOL And the fun from mucking about in the mud. I are a butt gardenener.

Here's something I learned recently, that would certainly be a deal-break to anyone ignorant of this fact.

Heirloom seeds produce plants that generate more seeds. Crop that grows from hybrid seeds will stop producing seeds around the 4th generation.

Yep. Seed swapping and heirlooms are cherished things. It's just good sense to save seed from one year to the next.

Oh come now dxp, surely I can't be the only woman here that digs this sort of thing. Honestly.

Me personally, I would sow my first generation of crop using hybrid sees because I HEARD that hybrid seeds will produce a greater 1st yield than heirloom seeds. Also, as far as I understand, it takes heirloom-based crop around 5 generations to yield, BIG, PLUMP and quality crop. Y/N?

That and they are engineered to be more resistant to pests and other diseases that naturally are a problem. Again, research. Before I even entertained a garden I sat down with my mother and asked which seeds were winners in her book. You go to people with years of experience. I still remember the peas, a variety called 'Wanda'. 🙂

Posted by venusianbull
That and they are engineered to be more resistant to pests and other diseases that naturally are a problem. Again, research. Before I even entertained a garden I sat down with my mother and asked which seeds were winners in her book. You go to people with years of experience. I still remember the peas, a variety called 'Wanda'. 🙂

Surprisingly hard to find people that are knowledgable on this subject. When I was younger, I used to hang out at retirement homes and listen to what some of the elders had to say. They always provided a thought or concept worthy of reflecting upon in an attempt to truly grasp the meaning.

I would love to talk to an ex-share cropper. :/

Farmers stick together too. Take care of the other. Good people. Elderly is always a terrific start, they lived it out of necessity. Simply what had to happen if you wanted to eat. If you want a really good book to plonk down and read that is chock full of good info seek the author Carla Emery. She and her husband homesteaded. It's got everything in there.

Not realistic.

Money isn't even the greatest obstacle. It is global over-population that is the real issue, which in turn is being the main cause of an ever increasing lack of fertile soil to answer the global food demand.

Most people aren't aware of how seriously scary over-population is becoming. Compare the numbers in the 1950's (3,3 billion people) to today (6,9 billion), that is more than doubling in only 50 years. The speed of increase used to be a lot less before that:


Population
(in billions) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Year 1804 1927 1960 1974 1987 1999 2012 2025+
Elapsed - 123 33 14 13 12 13 15+

in 1804: 1 billion

in 1927: 2 billion

in 1960: 3 billion


in 2012 = 7 billion

Without even mentioning the implications which that is bringing to the environment (atmosphere and climate change)

Posted by venusianbull
Oh come now dxp, surely I can't be the only woman here that digs this sort of thing. Honestly.

I dig it.

come from a long line of seed swappers/oh lovely gardenias - may I take a cutting?/striking roses from the rectory garden etc etc Bushrangers. Literally

Anyone of you with a bit of land should seriously think about getting some bees. Not sure how many you need to qualify for the govt rebate. Will look it up later.

Posted by Awakened
And for those that don't know. That video is showing a small part of the Tianenmen Square incident in China. The Chinese government massacred some of their own citizens because those citizens were protesting some inequities.

Oh were they actually protesting? I thought they had just gathered in a group.

In China even rice needs permission to gather in a group.

Wikipedeed it.

Not truly possible since you'll still be driving on government roads when travelling out, and going to government hospitals when you're sick.

Like it or not the government's still got their tentacles albeit smaller ones around you.

Travel to Africa or other third world countries if you really wanna slum it like a pro.

Farm life sounds seven kinds of transforming, though.

I'll have what VB's having 🙂

Africa is not a country.

Posted by BoomShakalakaBoom
Africa is not a country.

seagulls don't have eyebrows

Posted by ReallyNiceAriesPerson

Posted by BoomShakalakaBoom
Africa is not a country.

seagulls don't have eyebrows

click to expand

Snakes don't wear nail polish.

Posted by GemsRaGalsBestPal

Posted by ReallyNiceAriesPerson

Posted by BoomShakalakaBoom
Africa is not a country.

seagulls don't have eyebrows

Snakes don't wear nail polish.

click to expand

armchairs don't have elbows

I was pretty close to achieving this, and then my life kinda fell apart. Didn't have everything figured out yet but I was getting there. I still needed a windmill and a way to grow alfalfa. But I had 5 acres, chickens, milk goats, rabbits and horses. Close to the river (fish), within a couple days journey by horseback to a forest. Wood stoves. A well (which I needed the windmill for, and for hot water and refrigeration). Chickens live on seeds and bugs and produce meat, feathers, and eggs. Goats live on weeds and hay and produce milk and meat. Rabbits live on hay/grass and produce wool, fur, and meat. I know how to spin and knit (I need to practice). I know how to butcher my own meat and milk goats. I know how to preserve and tan hides. The horses would be able to haul back firewood, and live on hay and grass. I had dogs for protection for the property (plus it was 7 miles from civilization in Wyoming, not a lot of people to attack me) and the livestock, who could eat some of the meat. They also are useful for freight and transportation. I had a garden for lettuce, corn, squash, pumpkins, peas, whatever. Fertilized by rabbit poo.

So, when the government fails, I'd survive.

Its not that hard to find people who know about this stuff. www.homesteadingtoday.com

Posted by BoomShakalakaBoom
Africa is not a country.

Yeah, yeah speed typing error.

It's funny how you can leave out one or two words ("somewhere" and "in") and your sentence comes off as something else entirely.

Full marks for knowing what I meant but going the other way, though 😄

Posted by BoomShakalakaBoom

wow im just fucking raging here just sitting here fucking breaking shit FUCK i hate this PLACE

GM posted a thread on the Gem forum called UNGRIP about this dude living 'off-grid', its pretty awesome, check it out

Posted by ReallyNiceAriesPerson

Posted by GemsRaGalsBestPal

Posted by ReallyNiceAriesPerson

Posted by BoomShakalakaBoom
Africa is not a country.

seagulls don't have eyebrows

Snakes don't wear nail polish.

armchairs don't have elbows

click to expand

Panda's don't wear suits.

I like Mother Earth News. Good recipes in there too.

You Sky..rock.

Posted by ReallyNiceAriesPerson

Posted by venusianbull
Oh come now dxp, surely I can't be the only woman here that digs this sort of thing. Honestly.

I dig it.

come from a long line of seed swappers/oh lovely gardenias - may I take a cutting?/striking roses from the rectory garden etc etc Bushrangers. Literally

Anyone of you with a bit of land should seriously think about getting some bees. Not sure how many you need to qualify for the govt rebate. Will look it up later.

click to expand

You have no idea how badly I wanted a slip of the roses at Westminster.

VB, I could totally use some good cookin' for my dream home 🙂 And pie 🙂

LOL Be the camp cook, eh?