One of my favorite parts about living on a farm or off of the grid is getting to work with the animals. Chickens are usually the first animal people get on a farm – or sometimes even in a backyard.
There are literally hundreds of chicken breeds out there. You could look at pictures and decide which ones you want to raise according to looks but I recommend looking into some things. Important factors to consider when choosing a chicken:
The Autumn Equinox is one of my favorite seasonal transitions to experience. Don’t get me wrong – I love all of the seasons and I appreciate the changes, but Autumn is just the bee’s knees.
Living off the grid provided me with several encounters with nature in many forms – whether it was the weather, creature critters or the growing forest. Some of my favorite encounters were with animals and I love them all. I was far enough out in the woods that spotting wildlife was as easy as finding a game on ESPN. I have so many experiences but today I will share with you a few of my favorites.
The Big Bear
No matter the lifestyle you are living, there are bound to be certain worries that come along with it. I lived “on the grid” for most of my life. In 2012 my little family and I decided to plunge ourselves into the woods and off of the grid. As I studied, practiced, and prepared for this transitional tidal wave of a shift, I realized that my worries and concerns would now be different in many ways. It was interesting then, and still is today, to sit back and compare the differences.
Before electricity, the fireplace or wood stove was the heart of every home. For those of us that live off of the grid, we know that fire is life, just as it was back then. Fire is everything: it provides heat for warmth and cooking and provides light at night.
Everything about fire serves a purpose in one way or another:
“I love not Man the less, but Nature more, From these our interviews, in which I steal From all I may be, or have been before, To mingle with the Universe, and feel”
Quote From Lord Byron: Childe Harold's Pilgrimage
When I first journeyed off the grid I had to learn about keeping food the so-called “old-fashioned way.” Shopping is a little different when you trade in your refrigerator for a root cellar. However, root cellars are actually quite efficient. It's not that you have to change the way you eat, you simply have to change the way you shop. Root cellars are underground storage areas that stay at cool temperatures, even in the summer.
Going off-grid is a big lifestyle change. So much is different in various ways; there's a lot of research and preparation to be done, but it's worth it! I knew going off-grid was going to bring me back to the basics and that was just what I wanted. I had a feeling that after things got rolling on the farm that I would start to see a decrease in spending -- I just didn't realize how much I would be saving!
It was in the summer of 2012 that my little family and I decided to unplug from the world as we knew it and return to the wild. We did extensive research over the years before taking the plunge. I gave up my job, house, many belongings and my purpose as I knew it. We found a place in Arkansas where there was an old round house in the middle of the woods. It was an adventure and a learning experience that brought me back to nature; an experience that put me more in touch with the natural world around me.
So you want to grow your own food? Organically? Great idea!
Right up until a hornworm eats your tomatoes...
Meet Manduca sexta, also known as a Tobacco worm, also know as a hornworm, also known as the One Worm To Rule Them All. Oh it looks cute enough, but don't let its cute little head fool you (the head is the thing on the left side), it will annihilate your tomato plants.