We’ve been at this about a decade now, learning by trial and error. Because of a major health crisis in the family, I’ve been introspecting even more than usual these days. That’s why I haven’t been posting much lately.
I thought it high time to deeply consider what our own health futures might hold, Hubby and I, while we are not under the immediate duress of old age and poor health. Health is one of the main reasons why we committed to this homesteading lifestyle. Other reasons are political, esthetic, quality of life and, for me at least, a sense of urgency to hold on to something precious for future generations—nature—before it slips completely from our lives.
Watching the impact of the Scamdemic not only on the economy, but also on our ‘health care’ system has demonstrated unequivocally that, despite the challenges and hardships, we’ve made the right choice.
Our ‘health care’ system, which is actually a disease promoting system, is beyond hope, in my estimation. (This one’s surely gone viral by now, but in case you haven’t seen it yet, it’s brilliant!)
The DEVOLUTION of covid vaccine efficacy
I truly believe the only way out of the mess this country has become is by reclaiming our natural rights back from the government.
However, that first means reclaiming our natural responsibilities—those ‘unpleasant’ aspects of life we’ve come to outsource to the government (and their corporate partners in crime) in the first place, which has made it ridiculously powerful, as all governments (and their co-conspirators) are wont to be.
We are trying to accomplish that by first demonstrating to ourselves, and then hopefully to others, that such a thing is possible, and also desirable.
But what if, due to our increasing age, we had to choose?
Limited strength, mobility issues, cognitive decline, all are serious potential threats to our continued lifestyle here.
Considering this I’ve made a few lists, ranking our current activities against future realities based on: Required inputs, health impact, pleasure principle, and bang for the buck.
It isn’t pleasant. I don’t want to give up any of it, ever! Bees, chickens, pigs, sheep, goats, veggie garden, fruit orchard . . . .
But, here goes.
- Kombucha, no caveats, it stands alone. If you can make tea you can make kombucha. It’s healthy, it’s fun, it’s delicious. Hubby no longer drinks beer or soda thanks to this amazing beverage, better for health and finances for us, and far better for the environment too, with almost no waste.
- Sourdough bread, and already we have caveats. I know loads of folks think they are gluten intolerant; I used to think I was too. Grains properly prepared are nothing like most store-bought breads, for health and taste. Around these parts you can’t even find good bread. In other locales you may be able to find it, but I’d guess the prices are scary. Making your own sourdough bread is time consuming, but it’s not difficult. Same goes for sourdough cookies, brownies, pizza crusts, etc. And, let’s face it, gluten-free products are not tasty, so there’s some extra incentive.
- Raised garden beds, and more caveats. Starting to garden at an advanced age is probably not going to be too successful. Of all we do here it claims the prize of Most: most expensive, most labor intensive, most greatest learning curve, most unreliable results. Still, I love it! So, continuing to garden with some foresight and adjustments is perfectly doable. I insist!
That short list makes me sad. It’s the bare bones and I hope such sacrifices will never be required of us—no more chickens, goats, big dogs, great big garden?!
I don’t even want to consider it, but there it is.
There are also many projects still on my list to successfully accomplish, which are in trial and error mode now. Like making all our own body care and household cleaning products and herbal medicines. Hubby has future hopes of making furniture, if his current to-do list will ever allow it. No time for poor health here!
So, another short list is in order. The three things, in addition to those above, that I hope and pray we never get too old for:
1. Bees — not even for the honey necessarily
2. Chickens — they are easy enough to manage, but they attract predators
3. Goats — mostly for the cheese making, but they’re pretty good company too
And the three things we would most likely not be able to continue into old age:
1. Slaughtering — tough work, no doubt about it
2. Orchard — even established ones are a lot of work
3. Pigs — high maintenance, yes, but so delicious
We have no intention of ever rejoining urban life. And as far as intentions go, avoiding nursing homes and hospitals is right at the top of that list as well.
I’d love to read any comments on how you’ll be avoiding the hospitals and nursing homes too! And, are you sick of ‘civilization’ yet?!
Kensho Homestead 
We are in a similar situation, except that my husband was disabled before we moved here. It’s a real trade off for him: less access to health care (even before the Scamdemic), simply due to the level of isolation, but it’s less stressful, which is better for him in general. Still, he does as much as he can. He and I have been wanting to live a more self-sufficient life since we were married, and it was only in our 50’s that we’re finally able to start. Everything we do has to take into account things like mobility and health. Our situation is a bit different, though, in that our adult daughters are living with us and helping in our “caretaker” role of the property, and it’s already been agreed with my brother, who owns the property, that they will continue after my husband and I are no longer able to. So when we plan things long term, we plan them knowing that our daughters will reap the benefits.
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I love hearing that, thanks for sharing! With a family plan like that it must be good peace of mind. Our system of mass profit extraction from the elderly in addition to their questionable care in homes is such a racket. Some traditional ways of living just make so much more sense!
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I didn’t know turmeric flowered, either. How pretty.
I saw that covid video, too. It showed up on ZeroHedge or TWJ or Gateway Pundit. Not sure. I had to laugh…
If you do any reading of the Weston A. Price Foundation or Cure Tooth Decay by the late Ramiel Nagel, all grains should be prepared so that you can digest them and/or not damage your teeth. Grains have phytic acid and lectins, as do beans and it can cause severe tooth decay. Even rice should be consumed fermented and/or with the bran removed. I’m battling a lifetime of bad teeth, as does my mother. My maternal grandmother lost all of her teeth at 40. Nagel covers the Indigenous preparations.
I live in a small town. It’s not TOO urban, which suits me fine. I don’t like big cities…too much dark energy. Luckily, we have a wise Sheriff and a police department that agreed that they would not get involved with the scamdemic “enforcement” nonsense.
Unfortunately, I live in the county that has UNC in the southern end (you know, the gain-of-function crowd…Ralph Bacic…Wuhan…) plus UNC hospitals/Duke hospitals (a branch, here). Those two are so evil. I’ve been in our local UNC branch, twice…and wish I hadn’t. They aren’t interested in anyone’s health. They are interested in MONEY. The main Duke hospital is across the street from the Durham VA building. They like to experiment on veterans. They are SICK individuals. I remember an ex of mine (back in the 90s) telling me that he wouldn’t take his cat to Duke.
You mentioned emailing. I guess your health emergency took precedence. Still look forward to chatting. You’ll find my email in your dashboard in the comments.
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I’m a big follower of Weston A. Price’s work, found it many years ago when getting informed about raw milk, but have not read Nagel yet, will add him to the list. It really surprises me that from dental records alone the mainstream medical establishment can’t figure out it’s poor nutrition that is so negatively impacting our health in the West. It looks so obvious to me! Do you listen to their podcast? It’s got some good material. Very interesting observations and comments, thank you for sharing! And yes, I’d still love to connect by email, going to get right on that! 🙂
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I got it! Will tend to that in a bit.
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What is TWJ?
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Oh. Sorry. The Western Journal.
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Great post, as usual! 🙂 I’m so sick of civilization. I’m 66 now, have some on-going health issues but continue to supplement daily – mostly herbs and a few vitamins and minerals…eat as well and organic as possible, and have a very good naturopath as my doctor to guide and assist from time to time. It is so very trying living in the city, but we are here and a bit too old to move out to the country, which I still would love to do, but alas, the strength, as you noted, does deplete as the years roll on. Just physically can’t do the things I could do just 5 years or so ago. I walk Henry almost every day, and do my stretching and exercises the body will allow. As far as the mental health goes….I just do my shitposting articles each day to keep me, somewhat sane. 😉 We’re about as “prepped’ as can be for city folks with limited space. So appreciate the info and thoughts you share, and hope the health issue your family has experienced, is getting better. As always…cheers to you and yours!
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Thanks dear Decker! I was thinking of you lately b/c I know you’ve had a loved one in a nursing home and what a shitshow that’s been during the scamdemic. It’s gotta be hard on y’all in a cold climate too, I’d guess. So glad you don’t have your head in the sand and falsely believe the government will save us all! Being as prepared as possible brings much more peace of mind than believing in saviors, no doubt! I’d love to find a good naturopath here, that is definitely an advantage to a popular urban setting, better chances of finding like-minded community and good help. So glad to get your views, thank you for stopping in!
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🙂 thank you!
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