Making my daydreams real, one step at a time.

I have a dream, of living out in the countryside. I can see the neighbors house down the way, but I can't hear their conversations drifting through my yard in the breeze. I want to be able to build or adapt my home for my family, with my own hands. I want to be able to sustain my family with out having to run to town every day for milk, or be able to walk through the gardens and put together an entire meal. I want to see my children grow and thrive in the fresh air and sunshine, and learn the life lessons that only hard work and diligence can teach them.

I've started doing research, here and there. Pinintrest was a website I avoided like the plague, because I knew that it would suck me in, and I could easily get lost in the ideas and never make anything of it. After some reconsideration, and some self made boundaries, I have an account. I have discovered like minded people, sharing the websites and awesome ideas that I would need to plan the worlds best camp out, with other ideas that actually fit more in with becoming self sufficient. I've found various ways to build houses myself, above and below ground, and using the most simple resources!!

What limits did I set on myself? Well, I only get on there a few times a week, and only for about 20 minutes. I have to TRY ideas, and print out webpages and bind them for future reference. Why would I do that? Well, I figure being off grid might mean I am without internet for a while. I need to still be able to access the information that I am gathering, since my forgottery has improved so much over the years. I also have to review the ideas (here and on Facebook), so that later I know what worked and what didn't.

So, in trying the ideas, my garden is growing. I've several things to try on many aspects of the garden, for growing vertically, for pest control, for automatic watering, for healthier watering. This years garden is an experiment. I am hoping it goes well. The kids will love some of the summer projects... We will be building a "fort" of some sort or 3 *grin* We will be gathering cans to fill with water and paint black to make a solar radiator, we will dry foods in the HOT summer sun. We will go camping, so that they can try out the cool things that I've been working on and stashing away.... even if the camping is just in a friend's back forty.

It will all come together one day. I look forward to that day. I research a little bit more. I try more ideas and decide if they are keepers. I have to start living it now, if it's going to work later.