Off The Grid

[FedUpWithIt All]

5. Would definitely rather be off grid

When it was sunny, we were thrilled because it was filling our batteries. When it was raining, we were thrilled because it refilled our water supply. When it was snowing, we felt so accomplished as we threw another log onto the fire or ate canned goods from our garden. We loved raising livestock and gardening and we loved the daily progress of building.

It is VERY tough work but it is, if you're the type that appreciates living lightly, extremely rewarding.

We had settled onto 50 acres in WV. The benefits were plenty of year round running spring water, a pleasant and capable community and laws that were very open to the lifestyle. The drawbacks of our place was too much of the land was devastated from a recent timber job and was too variable in elevation to allow a quick recovery. There was too little rolling or flat land to work toward pasture development and the road we built, to one of the leveled spots, was 1/3 mi. and was requiring very frequent upkeep. We were working around these issues because we developed a deep love for the place but a health issue came up for me and my oldest daughter, who had remained in Ohio after 18, needed us here.

Our goal is to search out a better place to try again. In the meantime we are keeping with some things. We watch for items that we know were useful to us and read up on the improved ways to do things. We are starting another small flock of chickens this spring and have been planning this years garden.

I wish you luck in your own endeavors. Remember that the surest way to success with that type of lifestyle is good planning set up against great flexibility.