frustratedearthmother
Sustainability Master
Thanks so much for the pics! I love how 'superman' is on duty, lol!
Barefoothavens Journey - Everything Starts Somewhere.
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goatgurl
Almost Self-Reliant
just found your thread. what a lovely place you have! and an adorable 3 year old, I'm so glad he is feeling better. thanks for all the pictures, boy what a difference youall have made in a few short years.
rhoda_bruce
Almost Self-Reliant
I've never been to New Zealand but I lived in Lakes Entrance, Vic when I was really little. I'm a bit ignorant about the tribal issues....I would have just thought you were somehow just very dark complected, which could be explained any number of ways. Very cute children and very no-nonsense approach to self-sufficiency. Welcome to SS.
Denim Deb
More Precious than Rubies
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Congrats on getting the milking done!
Mini Horses
Sustainability Master
Glad DS is doing well enough to keep watch of the cow.
Good job for him!
Pepper is a lovely girl....but, we need pics of the calf, too. Do you bottle the calf or share time with cow & milk 1X day? Always wanted my own milk cow -- still do!! I love to do butter & it's great from cow milk. But, being only one here to use it all, I have milk goats. Great milk!! 1-1.5 gal day from one is a lot for me to use. Can't imagine what I'd do with the amount a cow gives.
Guess I will find out soon as 3 goats kid late Jan & 2 more in Feb. I make cheese, yogurt and use some for animal feeds. Have made butter but need to buy a separater to get enough cream at one time to make it worth the effort. Procrastinating because they are expensive but, feel it will be purchased very soon now.
Good job for him!Pepper is a lovely girl....but, we need pics of the calf, too. Do you bottle the calf or share time with cow & milk 1X day? Always wanted my own milk cow -- still do!! I love to do butter & it's great from cow milk. But, being only one here to use it all, I have milk goats. Great milk!! 1-1.5 gal day from one is a lot for me to use. Can't imagine what I'd do with the amount a cow gives.
Guess I will find out soon as 3 goats kid late Jan & 2 more in Feb. I make cheese, yogurt and use some for animal feeds. Have made butter but need to buy a separater to get enough cream at one time to make it worth the effort. Procrastinating because they are expensive but, feel it will be purchased very soon now.
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barefoothaven
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Thanks rhoda_bruce. Yes, our boys are handsome but I'm their mum so of course I'd say that lol.
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barefoothaven
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Where we live is a 30 minute drive from a place called Whangaroa. It's harbour & fishing are well known. Marlin fishing is great here. And there are some beautiful places in the bay. So many little settlements all around Whangaroa Harbour/Bay. We are not too far from a place called Waitangi where the treaty was signed between the Maori & English. Known as The Bay Of Islands.
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barefoothaven
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Maori words with "wh" are pronounced as a "f" Whangaroa is pronounced - fung-a-raw-a (but you roll the r.
Waitangi is pronounced - why-toungue-ee. It is such a beautiful spot.
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barefoothaven
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Welcome to SSWow, I can see why you guys fell in love with that property and decided to take on the challenges and pregnant too! It looks and sounds absolutely amazing...
Thanks sumi
We do love our home. It's our dream in progress come true!
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barefoothaven
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Morning from NZ
I just realized I was meant to fill out the questionnaire first, so here goes.
1. What state/province/country are you in and what is your climate like? - New Zealand, North Island, Far North
2. How many people are in your family? Marital status? - 5: Husband, Myself, 3 sons.
3. How would you define self sufficiency? - Being able to do for ourselves without depending on others for our needs etc.
4. What would you do with your spare time if you had any resources you needed? - Research, plan, begin.
5. Have you ever built a house , or other types of building? Do you want to? - Not a house yet, but we would like to build an eco friendly home one day. We have built a garage, chicken coop, and milking barn.
6. Can you weld? Steel, aluminum, MiG, TiG, stick, Oxy-Acet? - No but I've always wanted to learn how to weld. Its a very handy skill.
7. Who or what inspired you to become more self sufficient? - For myself, it was my Grandmother who I had never met (My dads mum). She was a homesteader. Baked every Sunday but couldn't eat any because she was a diabetic. Milked 100 cows by hand, ran a farm and household back in the days without power and had some of the strongest forearms I've ever seen on a women lol. Even though we have never met, I feel I have been passed down a lot of her strengths and knowledge, along with the want to live the way we do. It's imprinted on my genes
8 Cloth or paper? - Cloth
9. In what ways are you self sufficient now and in what ways would you like to learn more? We create our own power (off-grid), grow our own vegetables, fruit, chickens, eggs, pigs. Our goal is to get to a stage where we produce most of what we need in food, house needs etc.
10. In what way(s) will you never choose to become self sufficient? - I'd say at the moment we wouldn't be completely self - sufficient because of things like fuel, flour, sugar, medical emergencies. I know we can achieve those with a bit of prep but not at the moment.
11. Are you interested in stocking up for future needs? - Yes, and we do now.
12. Where do you end up when you sink into yourself, away from the outside world? - Mostly, in my vegetable gardens or outside walking in the bush.
13. Can you drive a farm tractor or a semi? - Not yet, but I will
14. Do you make crafts or useful items? Would you want to teach others how to do these? - I can do basic knitting and sewing by hand and on machine. I don't mind sharing what I know so that would be fine.
15. Can you have legally livestock where you are at? Do you have any? What kinds? - At the moment we have 2 pigs, 8 chickens, and 1 house cow who is due to calve for the first time. We lease our grazing land to our neighbors who give us beef in return. But we will start raising our own beef in the future once we are better prepared in knowledge.
16. Can you operate a lathe? Metal, wood? - No but I would love to learn.
17. Do you like to garden? If so, what do you enjoy growing? - I love gardening. As a child I was made to help my mother in her gardens and I couldn't stand it. My how things have changed lol. When you grow things for a need it takes on a whole different meaning. I grow tomatoes, climber green beans, pumpkin, cucumber, sweet corn, zucchini, carrots, silver-beet, collard greens, bak-choi, spinach, garlic, potatoes, leeks, kale at the moment. I love my leafy greens lol.
18. Do you fish? Bait or explosives? - Yes we fish when we get a chance. Bait is quite cheap here or we can get our own. We also have an interest in kayak fishing. I've purchased a few and started fitting them out with the basics. We would like to get more fishing iin once the main homestead needs are in place. I'm planning on a large smoker
19. How much space/land do you have or rent? City? Country? - We own 60 acres of mostly hilly, bush land. Quite dense in places.
20. Are you a Novice, Technician, General, Advanced? ARRL? - I'd say we are still in the novice range but this is our way of life so yea.
21. What is your self sufficient specialty? Or what one would you like to learn? - Gardening, cooking, preserving, strength, hard working. I'd like to learn more building skills, a bit of engineering. And hubby and I are planning on getting our gun licenses soon so I'd like us to learn more gun safety, tacking and hunting.
22. If you could create a degree and curriculum, what would you major in and what classes would you take? -'Homesteader & Self-Sufficient Basics.'
23. Do you do wood work? framing, finish, cabinet? - No
24. Are you interested in herbal medicine? - Yes
25. If you could live any place you chose, where would it be? - Here, or in a more secluded area with direct access to the sea. I use to say on an island but it would have to be wayyyyyy away from anywhere and we would have to seriously know our stuff.
26. Do you use a wood stove for heating or cooking? - Yes. We use our wood stove to heat our hot water, heat our home, and cook on and in. We also have a gas oven but I prefer using my wood stove. For me my wood stove is more efficient and food just tastes better
27. What would your ideal super hero/villain be? - Captain Planet crossed with a bit of God, with some Thor thrown in, along with a smidgen of Gaia...... Villain, hmmm... There's enough real life villains these days. I don't need to think of one.
28. Are your family or friends also interested in self sufficiency? - My husband is and my father & a few brothers. (I have 9 brothers and 2 sisters. I'm the baby)
29. Do you like to cook? Are you interested in whole foods and natural foods? raw milk? farm fresh eggs? - Yes, I love love love to cook. Usually when I'm in a good mood and cooking, if you hear me singing I'm happy happy.
30. What was your MOS?
31. Do you forage or hunt for part of your food needs? - Sometimes
32. What skills do you have that help you be more self sufficient? Practicality, Strength, Determination!!!!
33. In which fictional universe would you most like to live? The one without the violent gene. Where people learn to get along and we aren't treated as slaves and puppets for those higher up.
34. Do you have solar panels? Plans to use solar energy? - Yes, we have 6 at the moment.
35 What is the mass/weight ratio of a European swallow carrying a coconut from the tropics to England? - hahahaha
36. Have you ever lived completely off grid? Would you like to? - Yes, and yes, it's something you have to do to understand. It really does strip away the layers of a person and show them their strengths and weaknesses. Situations you think could break you and do, make you stronger and you learn from it. You become a more efficient machine. You really do start looking at things and thinking differently.
37. In what do you trust? - I trust that you'll be fine with me not answering this one
38. Do you make things yourself to save money? - Sometimes.
39. Has trying to be more self-sufficient changed your attitude or habits about money/spending? - Very much. Money is a pain in the arsenal. You learn to make do when living this way. You start learning to do things yourself. It's a matter of having to. We would prefer to trade
I just realized I was meant to fill out the questionnaire first, so here goes.
1. What state/province/country are you in and what is your climate like? - New Zealand, North Island, Far North
2. How many people are in your family? Marital status? - 5: Husband, Myself, 3 sons.
3. How would you define self sufficiency? - Being able to do for ourselves without depending on others for our needs etc.
4. What would you do with your spare time if you had any resources you needed? - Research, plan, begin.
5. Have you ever built a house , or other types of building? Do you want to? - Not a house yet, but we would like to build an eco friendly home one day. We have built a garage, chicken coop, and milking barn.
6. Can you weld? Steel, aluminum, MiG, TiG, stick, Oxy-Acet? - No but I've always wanted to learn how to weld. Its a very handy skill.
7. Who or what inspired you to become more self sufficient? - For myself, it was my Grandmother who I had never met (My dads mum). She was a homesteader. Baked every Sunday but couldn't eat any because she was a diabetic. Milked 100 cows by hand, ran a farm and household back in the days without power and had some of the strongest forearms I've ever seen on a women lol. Even though we have never met, I feel I have been passed down a lot of her strengths and knowledge, along with the want to live the way we do. It's imprinted on my genes
8 Cloth or paper? - Cloth
9. In what ways are you self sufficient now and in what ways would you like to learn more? We create our own power (off-grid), grow our own vegetables, fruit, chickens, eggs, pigs. Our goal is to get to a stage where we produce most of what we need in food, house needs etc.
10. In what way(s) will you never choose to become self sufficient? - I'd say at the moment we wouldn't be completely self - sufficient because of things like fuel, flour, sugar, medical emergencies. I know we can achieve those with a bit of prep but not at the moment.
11. Are you interested in stocking up for future needs? - Yes, and we do now.
12. Where do you end up when you sink into yourself, away from the outside world? - Mostly, in my vegetable gardens or outside walking in the bush.
13. Can you drive a farm tractor or a semi? - Not yet, but I will
14. Do you make crafts or useful items? Would you want to teach others how to do these? - I can do basic knitting and sewing by hand and on machine. I don't mind sharing what I know so that would be fine.
15. Can you have legally livestock where you are at? Do you have any? What kinds? - At the moment we have 2 pigs, 8 chickens, and 1 house cow who is due to calve for the first time. We lease our grazing land to our neighbors who give us beef in return. But we will start raising our own beef in the future once we are better prepared in knowledge.
16. Can you operate a lathe? Metal, wood? - No but I would love to learn.
17. Do you like to garden? If so, what do you enjoy growing? - I love gardening. As a child I was made to help my mother in her gardens and I couldn't stand it. My how things have changed lol. When you grow things for a need it takes on a whole different meaning. I grow tomatoes, climber green beans, pumpkin, cucumber, sweet corn, zucchini, carrots, silver-beet, collard greens, bak-choi, spinach, garlic, potatoes, leeks, kale at the moment. I love my leafy greens lol.
18. Do you fish? Bait or explosives? - Yes we fish when we get a chance. Bait is quite cheap here or we can get our own. We also have an interest in kayak fishing. I've purchased a few and started fitting them out with the basics. We would like to get more fishing iin once the main homestead needs are in place. I'm planning on a large smoker
19. How much space/land do you have or rent? City? Country? - We own 60 acres of mostly hilly, bush land. Quite dense in places.
20. Are you a Novice, Technician, General, Advanced? ARRL? - I'd say we are still in the novice range but this is our way of life so yea.
21. What is your self sufficient specialty? Or what one would you like to learn? - Gardening, cooking, preserving, strength, hard working. I'd like to learn more building skills, a bit of engineering. And hubby and I are planning on getting our gun licenses soon so I'd like us to learn more gun safety, tacking and hunting.
22. If you could create a degree and curriculum, what would you major in and what classes would you take? -'Homesteader & Self-Sufficient Basics.'
23. Do you do wood work? framing, finish, cabinet? - No
24. Are you interested in herbal medicine? - Yes
25. If you could live any place you chose, where would it be? - Here, or in a more secluded area with direct access to the sea. I use to say on an island but it would have to be wayyyyyy away from anywhere and we would have to seriously know our stuff.
26. Do you use a wood stove for heating or cooking? - Yes. We use our wood stove to heat our hot water, heat our home, and cook on and in. We also have a gas oven but I prefer using my wood stove. For me my wood stove is more efficient and food just tastes better
27. What would your ideal super hero/villain be? - Captain Planet crossed with a bit of God, with some Thor thrown in, along with a smidgen of Gaia...... Villain, hmmm... There's enough real life villains these days. I don't need to think of one.
28. Are your family or friends also interested in self sufficiency? - My husband is and my father & a few brothers. (I have 9 brothers and 2 sisters. I'm the baby)
29. Do you like to cook? Are you interested in whole foods and natural foods? raw milk? farm fresh eggs? - Yes, I love love love to cook. Usually when I'm in a good mood and cooking, if you hear me singing I'm happy happy.
30. What was your MOS?
31. Do you forage or hunt for part of your food needs? - Sometimes
32. What skills do you have that help you be more self sufficient? Practicality, Strength, Determination!!!!
33. In which fictional universe would you most like to live? The one without the violent gene. Where people learn to get along and we aren't treated as slaves and puppets for those higher up.
34. Do you have solar panels? Plans to use solar energy? - Yes, we have 6 at the moment.
35 What is the mass/weight ratio of a European swallow carrying a coconut from the tropics to England? - hahahaha
36. Have you ever lived completely off grid? Would you like to? - Yes, and yes, it's something you have to do to understand. It really does strip away the layers of a person and show them their strengths and weaknesses. Situations you think could break you and do, make you stronger and you learn from it. You become a more efficient machine. You really do start looking at things and thinking differently.
37. In what do you trust? - I trust that you'll be fine with me not answering this one
38. Do you make things yourself to save money? - Sometimes.
39. Has trying to be more self-sufficient changed your attitude or habits about money/spending? - Very much. Money is a pain in the arsenal. You learn to make do when living this way. You start learning to do things yourself. It's a matter of having to. We would prefer to trade
