So I just agreed to buy 46 acres of land (somewhere in TN). Cost: just under $50,000.
It’s right near my brother’s 88 acres. Yep; I’m homesteading too. I want to plant fruit trees and crops; I want simpler things, and concerns.
Unlike my bro, I don’t want a simpler world. But just like him, I don’t think this present one is viable.
Still…if you have post-Apocalyptic skills, email us. We hope to outlast the digital age.
World's Only Rational Man 
You were always a gentleman, Worme.
Except maybe when you posted that photo of the woman with the “butterfly” tattoo.
Even with no apocalypse, the land will be a beautiful thing to have in your life.
Thank you. Ah, Green Acres…
Seriously tempting.
I haven’t looked forward to back-breaking work in a long, long time.
Congrats Wormme … that is awesome.
yeah, I love all the advancements in science, along with learning some frontiersman skills. And having your brother close will be real helpful in sharing the experience, and sharing work that sometimes takes two. Sharing some equipment will be convenient as well, and then a place to keep that stuff out of the rain. And chickens, maybe a milk cow …
Then comes the little woman and a half dozen kids, to help repopulate after World War Z. Sounds idyllic. 🙂
Do you already have water and power, or will you be drilling a well, putting in septic?
They just dug a well, don’t have power to it yet. I think they have a 7,000 watt generator, not using it much.
They just got a dog–can’t remember the breed, but it’s one that’s rough on coyotes. They’ll get him a mate when he’s older. They want chickens to deal with the ticks, and I’ll want some bat sanctuaries for the mosquitos.
It’ll be at least a month before I even see what I’m buying–will be working 72-hour weeks til the end of October. I’m hoping to get more work immediately after, since my next scheduled job starts in late January. But if the worst case is that I draw unemployment for three months while working on my land, that’ll be fine.
I must have missed a chapter. Who are “they”?
Do you have a crew working for you? Or you mean your brother and he is close enough to share water? Up here in IL they will (or used to) bring power to you if you are building a house on land without power. It was only 400 feet for my place. You’re courageous for thinking of going without power, but barring some deep spiritual awakening complete with beautiful naked angels, I can’t imagine going that route. 🙂 I do have a couple generators and have gone a week without, but it’s noisy and expensive.
Solar and wind is cool, but the internet is really helpful, even for homesteading. Maybe you can connect via cell phone, or even DISH has internet now, but generating your own power dependably sounds like another large burden, and you are taking on plenty of new things already. And with any respiratory issues, keeping inside air humid in winter would be difficult if you burn wood inside, and in summer at least one room with AC is nice and healthy.
Anyway … just my thoughts. It’s an excellent adventure, but WWZ is being fought now and it is mostly an info war, with various blogs seeking out truth since our news agencies have become Pravda, and fascists seem popular.
Good that you have some work for now … those are long hours though. They don’t give out 99 weeks of unemployment anymore? In the old days of oil company mergers, I knew geologists that got fired but worked independently as consultants, or “private contractors”. Anyway, the companies liked not being committed to all the benefits, and they made better money. Hopefully you can keep finding gigs to keep you busy, if you don’t find something close to your homestead.
Guy that had cattle here a few years ago kept two little dogs here, and I had to chase coyotes off from them a couple times. Better to have a bigger dog … and they might also keep the deer and coons away from anything you grow. I put cages around my new fruit trees, but only the ones by the house and inside the electric fence compound did well. But I don’t have a dog cuz I like observing the wildlife. And three guys have been coming up from TN every year to hunt deer, since we grow them a little bigger here.
oh … and a daily beer or two is thought to help with the stones. cheers
Is the sleep routine OK now?
That’s actually one of my only two worries about going lo-tech. I’m finally getting enough rest, given the respirator and 8+ hours of time. So a lack of electricity might pose problems…though hard physical labor would probably tend to mitigate them.
And now that I’ve suffered a kidney stone, the other concern is of course powerful narcotics. I don’t want to take them, but nor do I wish to ever again be more than an hour away from their presence. I guarantee this: immediately after the government falls, my search for top-shelf cannabis and poppy seeds begins.
Oh heck! I’m ignoring my red-neck heritage. Let’s not forget moonshine!
It’s very good to hear you’ve been getting the 8+.
Must be a Trend! I’ve been drooling over Tennessee real-estate listings, went on a first-approximation scouting trip this summer, liked what I saw… but life’s hectic (though not as much so as yours), so I won’t be able to disentangle myself from existing obligations and such, sell my crackerbox here, and head for America, until probably spring.
I’m not looking for a homestead so much as a pretty nice house, plus a good-sized workshop so I can expand my high-tech business(es) beyond the back bedroom (something which has become nigh-impossible in the metropolis that was once Silicon Valley), plus some decent amount of forest (for privacy) and some farmland (just in case, and besides, a 5-acre hayfield would make a fine small-UAV test range). I should be able to trade the California crackerbox for that, with a modest pile of working capital and reserve cash left over.
I know of some recovering Silicon Valley guys now living in the Nashville area, working remotely, and enjoying the elbow room, scenery, and relaxed lifestyle while still being close enough to civlization. Just hope the companies that are building the big new office buildings in my neighborhood don’t bail on CA before I do.