I'm not sure about this journal thing, but I've been here at SS for quite awhile now, and thought I might give it a try 
1. What state/province/country are you in and what is your climate like? - SW Oregon, between the Coast Range and the Cascades - USDA zone 8b; Sunset zone 6 - warm, dry summers; damp, cool winters - but seldom snow, and then just for a few days at most.
2. How many people are in your family? Marital status? - Just me and DH
3. How would you define self sufficiency? - Being able to sufficiently care for oneself and family.
4. What would you do with your spare time if you had any resources you needed? - I'm retired, and have lots of spare time. I spend much more of it than I ought reading or on the computer
5. Have you ever built a house , or other types of building? Do you want to? - I've built 2 chicken coops, but nothing bigger
6. Can you weld? Steel, aluminum, MiG, TiG, stick, Oxy-Acet? - No, but I know people who can
7. Who or what inspired you to become more self sufficient? - My parents, I think. Both parents and grandparents, with whom we lived, did many things for themselves that wasn't the norm anymore in not-quite-town, but also not-quite-country, even back in the '50's and 60's
8 Cloth or paper? - Cloth, mostly
9. In what ways are you self sufficient now and in what ways would you like to learn more? - I cook, bake, sew, knit, spin, garden, keep chickens, etc - I miss not having room for a bigger garden, but I manage. Learning is ongoing - as needed I will learn.
10. In what way(s) will you never choose to become self sufficient? - I don't want, have never wanted, to become a farmer. Gardener yes, farmer, no
11. Are you interested in stocking up for future needs? More than I do already? No, not much; I have more than enough to get us through bad weather, a bout of sickness, a disinclination to go to the store; I shop mostly to replenish what I have. Don't need much more, and don't have space to put it.
12. Where do you end up when you sink into yourself, away from the outside world? - Usually in whatever reality I am reading about at the moment
13. Can you drive a farm tractor or a semi? - Never tried
14. Do you make crafts or useful items? Would you want to teach others how to do these? I can, and do. If someone wanted to learn I would be happy to teach them
15. Can you have legally livestock where you are at? Do you have any? What kinds? - Legally, anything but pigs; in actuality, 12 chickens (and 5 cats, but I don't suppose they count
)
16. Can you operate a lathe? Metal, wood? - Again, never tried
17. Do you like to garden? If so, what do you enjoy growing? - First love is herbs; second are the veggies and other edibles; third would come the flowers and non-edible shrubs
18. Do you fish? Bait or explosives? - No
19. How much space/land do you have or rent? City? Country? - We have 8+ acres in the country - however most of that is on a steep hill, and is covered with oak, madrone, and poison oak (but also pretty wildflowers in the Spring). Garden space is limited because of the hill and the deer.
20. Are you a Novice, Technician, General, Advanced? ARRL? Yes ... er ... No ... hm ... I don't know?
21. What is your self sufficient specialty? Or what one would you like to learn? I'm a pretty good cook, and don't need a kitchen full of gadgets to set a meal on the table.
22. If you could create a degree and curriculum, what would you major in and what classes would you take? That requires more thought than I'm willing to give it at present - need another cup of tea
23. Do you do wood work? framing, finish, cabinet? - DH and I teamed up to make bookshelves for our "library", and did an excellent job, if I do say so myself. Other than that, no
24. Are you interested in herbal medicine? - Yes
25. If you could live any place you chose, where would it be? - Very hard to say; I have loved everywhere I have ever lived, and would have a hard time choosing. I have no regrets about our move to Oregon 10 years ago
26. Do you use a wood stove for heating or cooking? - We have a small woodstove in the "library" for heating, but in a pinch I could cook something on top. It is downstairs from the kitchen though, so I wouldn't want to do it on a regular basis
27. What would your ideal super hero/villain be? Not quite a *super* or even *hero*, but I've always rather admired Pippi Longstocking
28. Are your family or friends also interested in self sufficiency? One friend, in theory but not in practice. Her stated wish is for both of us to share a house in our dotage - she will continue to work to bring in money, and I will keep the kitchen, pantry, garden
29. Do you like to cook? Are you interested in whole foods and natural foods? raw milk? farm fresh eggs? - Yes, yes, yes, and yes
30. What was your MOS? - Moss? this is a damp climate, we have a lot of it
31. Do you forage or hunt for part of your food needs? - Does picking juniper berries from the neighbour's tree count?
32. What skills do you have that help you be more self sufficient? - Greatest skill would be the ability and willingness to learn, and also the willingness to try things to see if they work. I like to do a lot of research into projects, but sometimes one just has to leap in and see what happens.
33. In which fictional universe would you most like to live? - Pern
34. Do you have solar panels? Plans to use solar energy? - This is Oregon, and we live on the north side of a hill
35 What is the mass/weight ratio of a European swallow carrying a coconut from the tropics to England? - 42
36. Have you ever lived completely off grid? Would you like to? - Not completely. My grandfather's house only got electricity a few years before I was born, and Winter storms took it out often when I was young, but never for very long. We only had fireplace heat, but we did have an oven, and lights, and such.
37. In what do you trust? - In my ability to figure things out
38. Do you make things yourself to save money? - All the time
39. Has trying to be more self-sufficient changed your attitude or habits about money/spending? - Not much; I've always been frugal, not to say cheap.
1. What state/province/country are you in and what is your climate like? - SW Oregon, between the Coast Range and the Cascades - USDA zone 8b; Sunset zone 6 - warm, dry summers; damp, cool winters - but seldom snow, and then just for a few days at most.
2. How many people are in your family? Marital status? - Just me and DH
3. How would you define self sufficiency? - Being able to sufficiently care for oneself and family.
4. What would you do with your spare time if you had any resources you needed? - I'm retired, and have lots of spare time. I spend much more of it than I ought reading or on the computer
5. Have you ever built a house , or other types of building? Do you want to? - I've built 2 chicken coops, but nothing bigger
6. Can you weld? Steel, aluminum, MiG, TiG, stick, Oxy-Acet? - No, but I know people who can
7. Who or what inspired you to become more self sufficient? - My parents, I think. Both parents and grandparents, with whom we lived, did many things for themselves that wasn't the norm anymore in not-quite-town, but also not-quite-country, even back in the '50's and 60's
8 Cloth or paper? - Cloth, mostly
9. In what ways are you self sufficient now and in what ways would you like to learn more? - I cook, bake, sew, knit, spin, garden, keep chickens, etc - I miss not having room for a bigger garden, but I manage. Learning is ongoing - as needed I will learn.
10. In what way(s) will you never choose to become self sufficient? - I don't want, have never wanted, to become a farmer. Gardener yes, farmer, no
11. Are you interested in stocking up for future needs? More than I do already? No, not much; I have more than enough to get us through bad weather, a bout of sickness, a disinclination to go to the store; I shop mostly to replenish what I have. Don't need much more, and don't have space to put it.
12. Where do you end up when you sink into yourself, away from the outside world? - Usually in whatever reality I am reading about at the moment
13. Can you drive a farm tractor or a semi? - Never tried
14. Do you make crafts or useful items? Would you want to teach others how to do these? I can, and do. If someone wanted to learn I would be happy to teach them
15. Can you have legally livestock where you are at? Do you have any? What kinds? - Legally, anything but pigs; in actuality, 12 chickens (and 5 cats, but I don't suppose they count
16. Can you operate a lathe? Metal, wood? - Again, never tried
17. Do you like to garden? If so, what do you enjoy growing? - First love is herbs; second are the veggies and other edibles; third would come the flowers and non-edible shrubs
18. Do you fish? Bait or explosives? - No
19. How much space/land do you have or rent? City? Country? - We have 8+ acres in the country - however most of that is on a steep hill, and is covered with oak, madrone, and poison oak (but also pretty wildflowers in the Spring). Garden space is limited because of the hill and the deer.
20. Are you a Novice, Technician, General, Advanced? ARRL? Yes ... er ... No ... hm ... I don't know?
21. What is your self sufficient specialty? Or what one would you like to learn? I'm a pretty good cook, and don't need a kitchen full of gadgets to set a meal on the table.
22. If you could create a degree and curriculum, what would you major in and what classes would you take? That requires more thought than I'm willing to give it at present - need another cup of tea
23. Do you do wood work? framing, finish, cabinet? - DH and I teamed up to make bookshelves for our "library", and did an excellent job, if I do say so myself. Other than that, no
24. Are you interested in herbal medicine? - Yes
25. If you could live any place you chose, where would it be? - Very hard to say; I have loved everywhere I have ever lived, and would have a hard time choosing. I have no regrets about our move to Oregon 10 years ago
26. Do you use a wood stove for heating or cooking? - We have a small woodstove in the "library" for heating, but in a pinch I could cook something on top. It is downstairs from the kitchen though, so I wouldn't want to do it on a regular basis
27. What would your ideal super hero/villain be? Not quite a *super* or even *hero*, but I've always rather admired Pippi Longstocking
28. Are your family or friends also interested in self sufficiency? One friend, in theory but not in practice. Her stated wish is for both of us to share a house in our dotage - she will continue to work to bring in money, and I will keep the kitchen, pantry, garden

29. Do you like to cook? Are you interested in whole foods and natural foods? raw milk? farm fresh eggs? - Yes, yes, yes, and yes
30. What was your MOS? - Moss? this is a damp climate, we have a lot of it

31. Do you forage or hunt for part of your food needs? - Does picking juniper berries from the neighbour's tree count?
32. What skills do you have that help you be more self sufficient? - Greatest skill would be the ability and willingness to learn, and also the willingness to try things to see if they work. I like to do a lot of research into projects, but sometimes one just has to leap in and see what happens.
33. In which fictional universe would you most like to live? - Pern
34. Do you have solar panels? Plans to use solar energy? - This is Oregon, and we live on the north side of a hill
35 What is the mass/weight ratio of a European swallow carrying a coconut from the tropics to England? - 42
36. Have you ever lived completely off grid? Would you like to? - Not completely. My grandfather's house only got electricity a few years before I was born, and Winter storms took it out often when I was young, but never for very long. We only had fireplace heat, but we did have an oven, and lights, and such.
37. In what do you trust? - In my ability to figure things out
38. Do you make things yourself to save money? - All the time
39. Has trying to be more self-sufficient changed your attitude or habits about money/spending? - Not much; I've always been frugal, not to say cheap.