Comparatively Speaking

When it comes to homesteading, comparatively speaking, I'm a lightweight!  I'm not talking body structure, here, but grit and pioneering spirit.  I didn't dig my own well, and there is electricity on the place.  I know there are several out there who start in the timber with a tent, but I didn't.  I was told specifically by YHWH to find land with a well, and most acreages that have a fairly recent well, also have electricity present.  Not all, but for the most part, if the well is less than 50 years old, it has an electric pump.  Wells around here are deep.

My home is all electric with a fireplace, and I am heading off grid with wind and solar.  For now, though, I am enjoying some of the modern conveniences, like an automatic washer and dryer, and even a dishwasher was built in, so . . . for the time being, I'm enjoying them.  I do have a wringer washer and a generator, as well as adding to the battery bank of the wind and solar system.  I'm preparing, but I refuse to make it more difficult than need be for now.  I've had a few opportunities to discover what I need to learn when the area experienced power failures.  This area has had some ice and wind storms that knocked power out for days at a time.  I feel, for now, preparing for the times coming, is more important than doing everything off grid before it becomes necessary.  That's my personal stand at this time, but KUDOS to those folks who are living by candlelight and washing their clothes by hand . . .

I'm not lazy, nor do I need every modern convenience, but I'm sure not going to throw them out!  This past week was a true milestone for me.  I actually did my laundry in my automatic washer, off grid!  It had been really windy and the inverter was at 5 lights!  It was exciting.  At 56 years old, I may or may not see the time when electricity is rationed or worse, simply unavailable to those who will not bow down to the system, so for now, I am grateful for the electricity.   Independence from the grid is my goal, be it for my later years, or for the generations to come.  Meanwhile, I am very thankful to be able to be a lightweight and head off-grid with some ease, incrementally.