I am reading the strangest book right now

[Beekissed]

I think I read an article back in the 70s in the MEN on this gal. My folks were really big into that mag back then and we kind of lived under the radar with our off-grid thingy as well, but not out of laziness. My dad became disabled that year and knew it was coming to that, so he sold up and bought a disused old 110 acre tract of woodland/old farm and went "back to the land". We lived on far less than these folks!!! Didn't kill any city birds for food, though.....

 

[Cassandra]

Regarding growing a garden in your front yard:

"If the neighbors comment on it, you can tell them you are conducting socioeconomic feasibility studies or to go screw themselves, as your temperament dictates."



Bee, I'm waiting for YOUR book.

Cassandra

 

[hoosier]

Cassandra - Thanks for bringing that to my attention.

Wifezilla - Thank-you for taking the time to find the link and posting it.

 

[Wifezilla]

No problem. I like free books

 

[dacjohns]

I'm on chapter 6.

 

[Beekissed]

Regarding growing a garden in your front yard:

"If the neighbors comment on it, you can tell them you are conducting socioeconomic feasibility studies or to go screw themselves, as your temperament dictates."



Bee, I'm waiting for YOUR book.

Cassandra

Pretty good wording for a teenager! I like her style!

I've discussed the book idea with my mom, as I think alot of folks right now would find it quite interesting how we managed to live off the land and support 6-12 people(as adult children and grandchildren came home to live here and there) in a 10 x 25 ft., or so, log cabin!

The first year was very hard, as we had little to no income whatsoever because Dad had to be off work for a year to become disabled. I remember sneaking a piece of bread and wrapping a canned hot pepper in it for a treat! The mud chinking we had put between the logs dried up with the wood stove and fell out and we were out there in the winter pushing insulation between the logs. It gets pretty interesting when you hear how many mistakes we made and how hard we worked to just live. But...what a healthy life!

 

[Cassandra]

I would totally read it, Bee!

Here was another line from Ms. Freed that I thought was funny enough to share. It actually relates to another recent post (of your's, Bee) about preventive health and SS living.

Ms. Freed is explaining how living the SS life is plenty healthy for most people without the added bother of expensive health foods and supplements and she remarks after several paragraphs of healthy living advice:

"If you're normal and healthy your body will tell you what it needs." ... "If you aren't normal and healthy then possum living isn't for you and your nutritional needs are outside the scope of this book."

So funny to me. Sorry! can't help you!

Cassandra

 

[Beekissed]

My book would probably be along the same lines....in your face and upfront!

 

[sylvie]

I'm laughing as I read this thread. I have a friend who could have been this girl. She found a roadkill skunk, skinned the pelt, made a purse and took it to school. She was an exceptional student and graduated at age 16.

Her DH was puttering around in the attic, foot came through the drywall making a big hole in the kitchen ceiling. She solved that by making a fake leg and foot with shoe and sticking it out of the hole. Kinda artsy.

Her family knows all the mushrooms that grow in the woods and consume them. I wish they had been my neighbors while I grew up; what a riot they would have been!
I'll have to check out this book and recommend to my friend who "lived the life".

 

[Cassandra]

I finished up the book a day or two ago. The last part of it had a section on avoiding legal disputes with people. She explained what basically boiled down to intimidating people into leaving you alone. She mentioned a couple of people who had been less than honest in business dealings with her dad and how dad had gone to pay them a visit late at night.

She mentioned it was very important that you only use these tactics against people who had done something wrong, saying their guilt would get the better of them and they would rethink their position on your problem.

I believe the actual way it works is if someone is doing something dishonest to you, they don't want the law involved any more than you do, so when they learn you aren't likely to take things lying down, they have to re-evaluate their investment in the situation.

But the last paragraph really had me rolling. While she naturally wouldn't suggest anyone do anything hurtful or dangerous to anyone and claimed to have no real idea how her dad communicated with these scoundrels...

She did hear that people were sometimes in their houses in the evening and had reason to suspect that houses have windows and had heard reports that sometimes there were bricks or large stones in the vicinity. it was also reported that people left their cars parked in their driveways and said cars often had their tires about them. And telephone wires were very thin and sharp knives are known to be a common item found in many places.

LOL The way she wrote it was just precious. I haven't quoted her above and I'm sure I don't do it justice, but it was really funny.

Cassandra

edited for spelling and stuff