I was wondering what it was that you can remember, may have first inspired you to consider homesteading? For me, it was a family with four boys that lived so much differently than all the rest of us at church. They built their house without a mortgage. I can remember going over to visit and the "walls" were sheets hung up between the rooms against the studs. They had a cow, chickens, orchard, big garden. I loved going over their place to see all the life and activity that was taking place around them. It really gave me a taste for a home-centered lifestyle. The team of the city high school where my husband coaches comes up for a barbecue and to spend the night every year. You should see them trying to milk the goats, feed the chicken, wake up to a real rooster crowing. I often wonder if our lifestyle has inspired any of them?

-- Marie in Central WA (Mamafila@aol.com), February 14, 2002

Answers

When I was in about the sixth grade, I made a list of the things I wanted. Acreage, horses, cows, dogs, a barn, etc. I have ALL of the things I listed. Took years for it to evolve, and really, I didn't direct it this way as much as it sounds in retrospect.

I think having written it down does something to the cosmic likelyhood that it will happen.

-- Rose (open_rose@hotmail.com), February 14, 2002.

Being raised a city girl, I didn't come over to the "homesteading" way of thinking until I was about 24. In fact, before that, I never even gave a thought to where my food was coming from, or for that matter, how it got there! The awakening happened for me when I was 24 and met my current husband. He was raised in a rural area and his father still had a 1/2 acre, killer garden that, at age 70-something, he still took care of himself. One day, my husband brought me to his father's house and I was literally amazed at his garden! I had never seen one before (honestly!). I remember picking a green pepper off the vine, cutting it open and eating it on the spot. The really funny part was that I asked him, "how do you grow all this?" to which he responded that he 'planted seeds'. Unbelieveably, I asked him where he would get such things (haha, I know, I was really a die-hard city girl!) and he pointed to the pepper in my hands. It was literally a revelation to me when I made the connection that yes, the pepper grows from the little white seeds inside it! Truly amazing!

Nowadays, my husband likes to say that he created a monster! We bought 20 acres of semi-remote land, have a flock of laying hens (+ 1 rooster) and can't wait to have more animals and build our homestead. Somedays, I would just like to don a backpack and a rifle and just walk.....and keep on walking.

As far as inspiring others, I feel I have inspired others, including my daughter, if only in small ways. I like to think that I have planted seeds, as one day long ago, someone did (literally!!)with me.

-- Lisa (mountainlady@imbris.com), February 14, 2002.

I was born in the city but as long as I can remember "I was different".The most enjoyable times of my childhood was spent in the woods,hunting turtles and lizards(for pets). I had a garden when I was 10.I made my boyfriend when I was 16 help me haul river bottom dirt to my city home.My plans when I got out of nursing school was to go back and live in Paris, Tenn. where most my kin lived and buy a farm. My parents however,moved from St.Louis to Sullivan,Mo. and bought some acreage.I followed ,bought myself a farm,got a husband and bought another farm.I really have nothing in common with women who watch soap operas and shop at Neiman Markup.I rather talk about canning and goats.I think it is just born in you and thank God it happened to me. Terry

-- Terry Lipe (elipe@fidnet.com), February 14, 2002.

A book "My side of the mountain" inspired me to live a simpler life when I wass 11 years old. I beggan, then, to learn to live off the land, and studied edible plants, snares, etc. I became re-inspired when Y2K made me rethink my lifestyle, andd I wanted to be much more self sustainable. Thom Hartman's book "The last hours of ancient sunlight" also was a definate trail marker along the way- his book made me rethink many aspects of non- renewable living, and attempt changes accordingly.

-- Kevin in NC (Vantravlrs@aol.com), February 15, 2002.

My father was raised on a farm, when he died,[I was 8 yrs. old] My grandparents farm was the place I felt most safe and loved.

-- Thumper/inOKC (slrldr@yahoo.com), February 15, 2002.

A book entitled, Boxcar Children.

-- paul (primrose@centex.net), February 15, 2002.

I was also raised in the city and always liked the stories about the way the Indians and Colonials lived. My mother moved here when I was 17 yrs old and I vowed I would NEVER live that kind of life (must be the age) when I was pregnant with my first daughter I came to visit and fell in love and from that moment on I wanted to come here(WV) and now nobody that knows me can belive I have 63 acres and chickens and I want farm animals, after 9/11 I have been reading more and more about being prepared and when all that happened I had a sense of security that I would never have had in NJ. My children will learn so much about life and where things come from and that is priceless to me.

-- sonneyacres (jtgt12@ntelos.net), February 15, 2002.

It's in my blood. From my mama, who was raised in the hills of West Virginia. She only got shoes in the winter, rode horse to school, they had swimmin' holes, critters, big, big gardens, dirt roads, and no town anywhere nearby at all. I have always just been like this, like her, I can't stand the city. She never even had a driver's licence. You could always find her out sitting in the dirt planting something new. I miss her. I am my mama's daughter. But my son is a city boy, and my 2 brothers are city boys, I guess I'm the last in the line. Maybe my grandaughter will be like me and mama.

-- Cindy in KY (solidrockranch@msn.com), February 15, 2002.

Raised in the country, went to college and learned banking, stock brokering and other generally legal methods of stealing, and came home disgusted. Just wasn't for me. I do know some very respectable bankers, honest desent folk; but they all grew up in the country and/or farm today.

-- Ross (amulet@istar.ca), February 15, 2002.

It was the homesteading book by John Vivian. We were living in the city with everything being money, money, money.....when I stumbled on the book (to this day can't recall how I even ended up with this book). It got me thinking about self-sufficiency and what would happen if suddenly everything around us just wasn't there any more. How would we survive? I never realized that people could live today like they did in the "old" days..LOL! I know it sounds stupid, and yes, I knew people who grew tomatoes in the back yard and a bean or two....but I honest didn't know you could still grow most of your own food, bake your own bread, have fresh eggs, etc.

We finally got to the point where we decided we wanted our children to know the value of hard days work and to learn that eggs don't come in nice little syrofoam containers, milk doesn't come in a jug, and bull sh_t is not just a bad word -- but a real thing! We sold everything, and moved to a little homestead in another state. We have never regreted on second of it!

-- Karen (mountains_mama@hotmail.com), February 15, 2002.

For me it started with the Little house series as near as I could remember. Even at 8 and 9 I envied her life and that simpleness. I once told my mom that I wished I had lived then. Her answer was that I would never have liked it because there was no t.v., radio, bathroom etc. Even then I rationalized back, that of course it would be harder NOW because we are used to those things, back then I would have just lived it!

Anyway, I was always reading poineer, mountain men, and occasionally a pirate story for my adventerous side...

Hubby came from a do it yourself and hunting family. They valued a days work. We always belived in not being to wasteful, not buying what we couldn't afford, if did borrow for a major item we bought nothing frivoulous till the bill was paid etc. But it was a vague feeling we had but never put in words.

When we finally put in words we realized we were both looking for the same thing. Y2K helped make us focus a little on exactly what we needed as aposed to wanted.

So packed the essentials in a u-haul. Moved 1500 miles from all we had known to live in the least populated, cheapest state in the union. Voila.

-- Novina in ND (homespun@stellarnet.com), February 15, 2002.

Another major factor in making us talk/move was hubby's father passing at 53! We got the wake-up call that you can't waste your time waiting till you retire to live your life. You have to live now while you prepare for tomorrow! Whenever we stress what needs doing or planning, preparing, things not quite finished we just stop and say "...and we could be dead tomorrow" and it all gets back in perspective.

-- Novina in ND (homespun@stellarnet.com), February 15, 2002.

Smarty pants people who can add pctures !!!! Show off. I loved watching the Waltons, Little house , westerns and The Wilderness Family.Then came the teen years and well I lost my brain .After my first child and a neighbor I recaptured it all.My neighbor was a garden and animal nut and he got e going all over again .We looked for land we could afford for years .Then we found this place I told Hubby we are buying it he said no .I won ! We have been here 3 years and now want something more remote , go figure ?

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@hotmail.com), February 15, 2002.

At this time I am a Homesteader wannabe... Preparing, dreaming, and hopefully soon making the move. But, I grew up on a small farm. It was peaceful, I loved the gardening, the animals, the walks for hours in the fields and woods... The best thing to being in Heaven. I to as a very young man, still remember "My side of the Mountain". The independence! Today, my desire is the same, but even more - to be self-sufficient, to be away from the crime and all of the troubles of this World. The desire to return burns in my soul and my daily prayer is for this desire of my heart to soon happen!

-- Ken Rush (rushwiz@aol.com), February 15, 2002.

I grew up in San Jose, California and I have ALWAYS hated the crowds and the concrete. Then I ALSO read "my side of the mountain", and I was just fascinated! I need the city so DH and I can make a living, but I live on one acre on the outskirts. We were fortunate enough to get it before it became stylish and the prices went up.

-- Terri (hooperterri@prodigy.net), February 15, 2002.

The Waltons inspired me. The self-sufficient lifestyle they lived was a wonderful example!! In spite of the depression, they had all they ever needed or wanted and were so happy. Although I wanted to homestead in Alaska instead of down south. We got as far as Maine and found our dream homestead!! Been here 25 yrs. and plan to spend the 25+ here, also.

-- Marcia (HrMr@webtv.net), February 15, 2002.

The Y2k fiasco got my ex wife and I interested in ways to handle the potential troubles and I had the skills from being taught by my father as a child (under duress , as a typical teenager of course ). I remained with it as my faith in technology was reduced and it is an opportunistic lifestyle in many aspects. I can truthfully say I never wanted to live like this as a teenager, I was more interested in video games and being on the hunt for a new date than watching the Waltons or Little House and wishing I could live the life.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), February 15, 2002.

Spending time, as a young child, on my grandparents farm. They had one of those farms with a couple cows, a few pigs, some chickens, some crops and a great old house with a hand pump in the kitchen sink for water and a wood burning stove, an outhouse. Ah! Never really did like the outhouse. Anyway that's where it all started for me.

-- Nancy (nannyb@huntel.net), February 15, 2002.

I was a Marine brat. My Dad was in for 20 years, out when I was 15. We always lived in populated areas, and had no family who lived in the country. However, I wanted to live on a farm as long as I can remember. I don't know where it came from. After meeting my second husband, who grew up in the city of St. Louis, but longed for the country, I came to believe that one can just be born to be country. We were. About the time I was around 12, I became very worried that by the time I was an adult and able to buy a farm, there would be no land left. I decided that I would look for "For Sale" signs on our next car trip. So when our family drove from the base in California to visit Grandma that summer in St. Louis, I kept my eyes open for land. Well, you can imagine that I was quite satisfied, after crossing the West by way of Wyoming, etc! I was a horse crazy girl, and still am; horses brought me here and homesteading just seems like the right way to live.

-- Debbie in MO (risingwind@socket.net), February 15, 2002.

foodlion

-- julie (jbritt@ceva.net), February 15, 2002.

What inspired me? MY LAST BOSS!!!!!

-- woodsbilly N.C. Pa (coleenl@penn.com), February 15, 2002.

i love the last two posts. food lion. gota love 60minutes for that one. makes you want to raise your own food, especially the meat. randy

-- randy in missouri (rwybrant@coin.org), February 15, 2002.

I come from homesteading parents. I was raised on the same land my great grandparents owned. My parents today still homestead a part of it. My Dad owned a feed and hardware store. Sometimes when times were hard and folks couldn't pay their debts to him, he took various things in trade. He frequently came home at night with some kind of animal or equiptment. We always had fresh meat and vegetables even in the lean times. My Moma always spent the summers canning or preserving everything we needed for winter. She always sewed all of our clothes and quilts. I had the prettiest feed sack dresses around even though I was teased by the other girls at school. All they bought I think were shoes. I have no memory of going to stores as everything was homemade. When I grew up, I wanted no part of such a life and went for the city. I chased the wind (as my Daddy says) for many years. One day my eyes were opened and I again embraced homesteading life. When my friends and neighbors think I am crazy, I know I am not. I am just like my Moma and Daddy raised me.

-- Ria in Ky (MinMin45@aol.com), February 15, 2002.

My husband grew up on a dairy farm in WV, and, I grew up along the river in Ohio. From the first year we were married we have had a little garden of some sort, even, when we lived in a mobile home park we made a small garden in our yard.

There have been several magazines that I started getting that really got me into the homesteading frame of mind.

Gentle Spirit Magazine was one I really enjoyed, then, I came upon Carla Emery's Book on Country Living. Loved that!!

My most all time favorite help ,and, still is, is Countryside Magazine. It is certainly my favorite. Reading the stories of other homesteaders inspires me to keep on keeping on.

Marsha in PA--wife to Loren--Mother to 12

-- Marsha (Thankful4Jesus@excite.com), February 15, 2002.

i spent a lot of time on our family farm where my cousin lived and i only got to visit...we were going to get married and stay there and live off the land.

well, i didn't marry my cousin, but i never lost wanting to move to the country.

the real kick in the pants though was 3 months in st. petersburg, russia. i finally understood what real poverty was and have never truly thought myself poor again...and learned to be thankful for the leaky roof over my head that only housed my family, etc. to visit a city of 5 million and realize they were all homesteaders was AMAZING. they had "dachas" in the country where they grew much of their food for the winter to can and store away, brought chickens into their city apartments for 8 months or more out of theyear when they couldn't be at the dachas.....i realized truly what a twisted world view i had....and i was NEVER like most folks before going there...so you can imagine what i am like.....

i am grateful because it was the motivation to get me to actually get my act in gear before it was too late, and to start taking care of myself, my family, and others DIRECTLY instead of thinking about how great it "could be"

-- marcee (thathope@mwt.net), February 15, 2002.

Fate! I grew up here but moved away as a teen like just about everyone else around here. I lived in a near by city. got married, raised a family, Had a career and was very happy,I thought. Went for a ride in the country one weekend. Were on our way home and decided to go by our favorate campground to see if it would reopen as we had heard that it wouldn't. Saw this place on the river for sale. Just thought we would look around for fun. Next thing you we are moving, pulling up roots, not looking back. New job in new town. Then I wondered into a used book store on day on my lunch hour and found a stack of Countryside mag. Looked interesting so I bought a few. Went back and bought all 60 issues he had.They started in the 70s right after Jerry bought it. I was hooked! Thanks JD I owe you big time!

-- Corky Wolf (corkywolf@hotmail.net), February 15, 2002.

Yes, Yes, Yes, all those shows about life in the country and wonderful magazines got me and kept me interested in country life. I was raised to work hard, first in the rural city area, then a move to the country at the ripe age of 14. I loved it, cherished the walks in the woods, swimming in the creek, hiding in the haymow, getting shocked by electric fences, chased by sows, collecting blood from a pig, making a pet out of the steer, riding horses with friends, etc. After going to college, getting married, working at jobs that make you want to hide from everyone when you get home, and hating hearing neighbors within a mile or less, we were pushed out to the country in an 1800's log cabin. We have a herd of Boar goats, a couple of steers, pigs, chickens to come, 3 donkeys, cats, dogs, a pet pigeon raised from a baby but now laid to rest, and domestic black-spotted with white, and solid black female rabbits who mated, and continue to mate with wild rabbits. Self-employed and a public school teacher, we now have the privacy we need and the peacefulness after a hard- days work. Malls are seldom entertained (haven't been in one in 2 years - you ought to see the looks I get from my teenage students when I tell them this), T.V. with 5 basic channels; we live up in the hills of Southern Wisconsin - beautiful, and need a 4-wheel drive often after a good snow. Sometimes we still feel that we are being overtaken by weekend people from the city. When the road gets too populated, we'll find another isolated place. It's the best way of life we know to share with our children. C. Jacobson Feb. 15, 2002

-- Cheri Jacobson (jakeco@mhtc.net), February 15, 2002.

Stupid city people.

-- Susan in Northern LP Michigan (cobwoman@yahoo.com), February 16, 2002.