New member Okie

Johnstead

Sustainable Newbie
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Jun 16, 2024
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Hello! My husband & I live in Oklahoma. Our children are grown and we are blessed with grandchildren that we get to spend a lot of time with on our little homeplace. We began living off grid in 2014 on our dream property. Sadly we had to give that up in 2017 and we moved 60 plus miles to a new county. We had to start over. My inlaws gave us an 1 1/4 acres to live on. Starting over is never easy and we were doing so with broken hearts and spirits. But, the three years we started living off grid was an amazing and special time for us. It made Starting over a little easier because we had gained some knowledge & wisdom in that time. We live about 7 miles from town, out in the country, with a few distant neighbors, everyone really keeps to themselves. There is about an acre between us and my father inlaw. We help each other out. It's quite and we like it. We have chicken's and ducks, that mostly free range, outside cat's that keep the mice and rat population in check. We have a 13 year old quaker parrot and a one year old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named "Penny". We have a small pond we've stocked with a few bass and perch. We live close to a a few lake's where we do a lot of fishing, crappie, bass and catfish when we have the time and it's not too hot!! I would like to have more, but our space and availability to grow is limited. My abilities are limited. I'd like to do so much more on our property and be more self sufficient. While also having less work. If that's possible. Lol I have autoimmune diseases, Lupus being the major one, that I'm on disability for. It's really impacted my abilities to be as self sufficient as I once was. So, I'm looking for ways to enjoy life, while doing all I can to be sustainable on our own, most days it's really hard. Summers in Oklahoma are the worst for me. The heat and sun do me in and will put me down for days. Like a wilted flower. We've even discussed moving to another state where the weather is milder during the summer without having aweful winters. So if you have any suggestions, Im listening. My favorite times of the year are spring and fall where I'm able to really enjoy the outdoors and do all that I can during that time. We have a very small cabin, so I don't have much room for storage or a kitchen I can do much cooking. No stove or oven. I need all the modern conveniences at my disposal. We purchased a utility shed a few years ago, we've used as a green house, storage, where we keep a brooder and incubator for hatching and a craft space for me. I do some sewing, painting, resin/epoxy crafts, a little bit of everything really. Im always learning something new. This fills my time when it's too hot for me outside and I'm too sick to do much else having this space is my sanctuary. I'd like to be able to do more and make this all a more sustainable place. It all has potential. I'm my own limitation and I need help. My husband is a store manager, so his time on our little homestead has become less and less. So it's mostly on me to keep things going and most day's it is so hard. So, I'm here for support and to learn from everyone here. Sorry this was so long. 😆 I may add more later. Thank you! 😊
 

Mini Horses

Sustainability Master
Joined
Sep 2, 2015
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coastal VA
Moving is never easy and often not wanted. Seems that's your situation. But glad your still trying for some self sufficiency. Hoping your health improves!

Welcome from VA. :frow
 

flowerbug

Super Self-Sufficient
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Oct 24, 2019
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welcome to SS from mid-Michigan.

whatever weeds i can control by using a scraper works pretty well and those i can't i'll smother in whatever way i can and then eventually put in ground covers that are easier to take care of. weeding some of the ground covers is easier and quieter than mowing and i can tolerate that much more than the mowing.
 

murphysranch

Super Self-Sufficient
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Oct 20, 2009
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Southern Washington State
I'm sorry you lost your dream, temporarily!! No stove or oven? I'm thinking you might be happier living in a fifth wheel, somewhere on someone's property as a caretaker or watch.

Welcome from Southern WA, where after two years I'm sick of the rainy winters, but need to stay put. And like Hinotori said, prices for anything are outrageous here.
 
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