Countryside & Small Stock Journal articles from November 1997

Countryside & Small Stock Journal archives from November 1997

They want to blend older technology with the modern. (water rams)(Brief Article)
November 1, 1997... Countryside: We want to blend older technology with modern technology to reduce energy costs. A water ram is one of the (older) devices we hope to use. I enjoyed the recent section on home water supply, but was surprised when the water ram...

Too many people are held back by unrealistic expectations.(homesteading) ("How can I get started without a grubstake?)(Cover Story)
November 1, 1997... In my opinion, most wannabe homesteaders today have unrealistic expectations. All Havenots should read Melanie Astarita's article in the July/August '97 issue of Countryside (81/4:58). In the 1970s there was a "back to the land" movement...

First-time saver takes home $20,800, and salts away $12,000 of it.(homesteading) ("How can I get started without a grubstake?)(Cover Story)
November 1, 1997... I read the Question of the Month and felt I had to respond in the hope that I can motivate and inspire some folks who were like me three years ago. First, so you know my situation, I'm 36, single and a nonunion carpenter. Three years ago...

He started at the ripe old age of 18.(homesteading) ("How can I get started without a grubstake?")(Cover Story)(Brief Article)
November 1, 1997... I started homesteading in 1970 at the ripe old age of 18. I had almost no money. I had a job, a desire to live the homestead lifestyle, and little else. I bought the first five acres the realtor showed me, because I could afford it. I...

Rent-free housing is a big help.(homesteading) ("How can I get started without a grubstake?")(Cover Story)(Brief Article)
November 1, 1997... I haven't actually gotten to the point of owning my own property, but do feel that I am on my way. I've dreamed of living in the country for many years now, and not finding others of my age group (I'm 35) who share this dream, have...

A view from the sidewalks: those doggone parking tickets!(homesteading) ("How can I get started without a grubstake?)(Cover Story)
November 1, 1997... MELISSA HIRSHSON LISSA@WORLD.STD.COM 71 GROVE ST. #11 Arlington, MA 02174 I'm a sidewalk dweller, and, like K. Beyer, am always careful to listen to how others find their homesteading life, because like K., I too work 40 hours a week to...

A better question: "how can I build a grubstake without a lot of money?"(homesteading) ("How can I get started without a grubstake?")(Cover Story)(Brief Article)
November 1, 1997... How do you get started without a grubstake? There are ways to do this and Countryside often runs articles about how individuals have managed. Rent with option to buy. Work for a farmer (sometimes a small dependency house is included as...

You have to want your homestead more than anything.(homesteading) ("How can I get started without a grubstake?)(Cover Story)
November 1, 1997... My "bromide" answer to the question of how to get started without a grubstake is this: You have to want the land more than anything else money can buy--more than a new car, new clothes, cigarettes, disposable diapers, bowling, a vacation,...

Yuppys become DOMOs (downwardly mobile professionals).(homesteading) ("How can I get started without a grubstake?)(Cover Story)
November 1, 1997... My husband and I look forward to the arrival of Countryside with the same eagerness my children have at Christmas time. It's always full of such great gifts and generous insights. We make a day of curling up on the couch together and taking...

We're proof that anyone can do it - even a large family with a low income.(homesteading) ("How can I get started without a grubstake?)(Cover Story)
November 1, 1997... Bill and Ilene Backes N6361 Highway K Wild Rose, WI 54984 920-622-5040 My husband and I are proof that anyone--even a large family with a low income--can attain their homesteading dream. We were missionaries in Panama for eight years and...

How they got a mortgage-free country homestead.(homesteading) ("How can I get started without a grubstake?)(Cover Story)
November 1, 1997... Bev Carney Stoughton, Wincosin While I might be considered one of the relatively older crowd (I'm 46), we started with nothing and now have our own mortgage-free country homestead, so perhaps our experiences will help. (Just for the record,...

Intentional communities work for some.(homesteading) ("How can I get started without a grubstake?")(Cover Story)(Brief Article)
November 1, 1997... Susan Frankenfield Deep Woods Community 24851 State Route 56 South Bloomington, OH 43152 The Question of the Month asks how ordinary working folks can finance their dream of living in the country. In addition to financial worries, most...

Some people just don't want to work.(homesteading) ("How can I get started without a grubstake?")(Cover Story)(Brief Article)
November 1, 1997... "How can I get started without a grubstake?" Let us tell you of our experiences with other people on that matter. In the late '80s we bought a large house (in need of repair) on 80 acres at a super price. We intended to work on it...

The hardest part of the last 12 years was saying "let's go!"(homesteading) ("How can I get started without a grubstake?)(Cover Story)
November 1, 1997... How do you move beyond the sidewalks without a grubstake? I'll tell you how it happened for us. Maybe our experience will help someone else escape the concrete. It started in the summer of 1984, when my wife and I with our one-year-old...

Living the dream: how we got here.(homesteading) ("How can I get started without a grubstake?)(Cover Story)
November 1, 1997... How can I get started without a grubstake? This question has been answered many times in many ways through the pages of COUNTRYSIDE. Those answers might not be titled "How to..." They are more like "Here's how or what I/we do." My...

Nickels and dimes add up.(homesteading) ("How can I get started without a grubstake?")(Cover Story)(Brief Article)
November 1, 1997... Marcy & Jim Lilly PO Box 86 Birch River, WV 26610 It is possible to move to a homestead without a grubstake--difficult, but possible. It all comes down to a few points. First of all, people need to do what I call "nickel and dime it."...

All you need is a plan - then go!(homesteading) ("How can I get started without a grubstake?")(Cover Story)(Brief Article)
November 1, 1997... After seeing the Question of the Month regarding grubstakes, I agree with Jd's initial thoughts as versed in the question, but think I can add to them. When faced with the issue of homesteading or a more independent way of life there are...

Not everyone in oil country owns an oil well.(homesteading) ("How can I get started without a grubstake?)(Cover Story)
November 1, 1997... Thirteen years ago my husband and I started our homestead search with one demand in mind. Why pay to rent a mobile home space every month ($75 in 1984) and have nothing to show for it? Even in 1984, land prices were very high here in Lee...

Out of the depths...a decision to "just do it" turns life around.(homesteading) ("How can I get started without a grubstake?")(Cover Story)(Brief Article)
November 1, 1997... The answer to how can I get started without a grubstake is very simple. You just do it! I realize that sounds a bit simplistic, but that is the answer. For years I just thought and planned and dreamed. I allowed a former spouse to...

Other perspectives on financial news.(homesteading) ("How can I get started without a grubstake?")(Cover Story)(Brief Article)
November 1, 1997... If you get all of your news from tv and mainstream newspapers and magazines, you know that everything is peachy keen. But if you believe that without question or reservation, you might be astounded by what thousands of other people...

When even the most basic skills are lacking....(homesteading) ("How can I get started without a grubstake?)(Cover Story)
November 1, 1997... "How can I get started without a grubstake?" I have a few thoughts. First, the answers from "generally older, relatively well-off people" and the "banal bromides or watered-down preaching about thrift and ambition" cause frustration on...

Seven steps on the road to country living.(homesteading) ("How can I get started without a grubstake?)(Cover Story)
November 1, 1997... I suppose there are as many ways to get out of the city as there are people who have done it. It took us longer than some because of our starting point: we lived in a city in a mobile home we were buying, but most of each payment was eaten up...

Getting out of the city via a small town or village.(homesteading) ("How can I get started without a grubstake?")(Cover Story)(Brief Article)
November 1, 1997... Making a move If you live and work in a large city, consider moving to an older rural town or village as a stepping stone to country life. Why a small rural town? Because the cost of living is much cheaper, and it will be easier...

Knowledge and memories of living in a different time are a great asset.(homesteading) (includes related article on shorefront property) ("How can I get started without a grubstake?)(Cover Story)
November 1, 1997... How hard can it be, I thought, to just pack up and head for remote pastures? That's all I did (back in '89) when I lost nearly everything in a failed marriage of 20 years. I had my truck, clothing and a few personal items (camping and...

How do we get started? "Get started" doing what?(homesteading) ("How can I get started without a grubstake?)(Cover Story)
November 1, 1997... Regarding the new question, "How can I get started without a grubstake?" I'd have to ask, "Start doing what?" My belief is that homesteading is a state of mind. You don't have to have a farmhouse or lots of land to homestead. I believe...

Things are different in an age of instant gratification.(homesteading) ("How can I get started without a grubstake?)(Cover Story)
November 1, 1997... I don't think most people of today would be interested in our method of moving to the country. In this age of instant gratification too many people want their dreams to be realized immediately. When we first married I had $300 in the bank...

Until you've really been poor, please don't preach "frugal."(homesteading) ("How can I get started without a grubstake?")(Cover Story)(Brief Article)
November 1, 1997... This Question of the Month hit close to home. I have also noticed that advice is usually given by those who have already made it in their careers or are financially secure. I was none of these. At the time I moved to my first place I was...

A view from "smack dab in the middle."(homesteading) ("How can I get started without a grubstake?")(Cover Story)(Brief Article)
November 1, 1997... Abby Stout 4873 Neola PL Eagle Rock, CA 90041 You asked, "How to get started with nothing?" so I had to write. I cannot tell you if we have done the right thing or not. We are smack dab in the middle of everything right now! My...

Confessions of a real estate broker:.(homesteading) ("How can I get started without a grubstake?)(Cover Story)
November 1, 1997... Kevin McCloskey PO Box 1738 Eastsound, WA 98245 I could not resist offering my personal experience and journey in trying to help people obtain their own home/ homestead dreams with little to no savings, and who come from simple means. ...

It's not an overnight deal.(homesteading) ("How can I get started without a grubstake?")(Cover Story)(Brief Article)
November 1, 1997... David L. Miller 4585 Hill Church Road Annville, PA 17003 I am one of those Havenots who has built his own homestead on a sprawling two acres (yes, a massive two acres). Everyone's idea of the ideal homestead is different. Our combined...

Here are some graphic examples of why paying interest sucks, saving is exciting, and time is of the essence:.(homesteading) ("How can I get started without a grubstake?")(Cover Story)(Brief Article)
November 1, 1997... What happens-if you invest $1,000 at 10% compounded annually, and don't touch either the principle or interest for 40 years; What if you borrow that sum, instead of saving it? Here's a chart with at least three meanings for homesteaders. ...

And then there's the IRS... (Internal Revenue Service)(homesteading) ("How can I get started without a grubstake?")(Cover Story)(Brief Article)
November 1, 1997... I'm enjoying the discussion about money in recent issues of COUNTRYSIDE. After 15 years preparing tax returns, I've learned a lot about how people spend their money and it's pretty interesting. One of the key questions of my job is "How much...

Plans hit a speed bump, but they keep on going.(homesteading) ("How can I get started without a grubstake?)(Cover Story)
November 1, 1997... My husband and I have been reading Countryside for four years, absorbing every article, then carefully putting each issue away for future reference. We've also spent those years dreaming of when we can get out of this superficial rat race. We...

A holistic perspective on off-the-homestead work.(homesteading) ("How can I get started without a grubstake?)(Cover Story)
November 1, 1997... A couple of years ago I lost my full-time job due to cutbacks. I lost my father at the same time. When it rains, it pours, and times were pretty hard. But hard times, like homesteading, I call for rethinking old paradigms. For...

"Homesteaders" come in some amazing varieties.(homesteading) ("How can I get started without a grubstake?")(Cover Story)(Brief Article)
November 1, 1997... We hear from homesteaders of all types through the mail, but letters don't always tell what a person is really like. Here are some observations from someone who has met a few of those people closeup. Are they really homesteaders? ...

Portrait of a homesteader.(homesteading) ("How can I get started without a grubstake?)(Cover Story)
November 1, 1997... This is an inspiring saga of how one woman became a homesteader, with hard work, guts, a little help, a little luck... and most of all, an attitude. What you can be doing right now--besides dreaming There is nothing wrong with dreaming....

When plans go awry....(homesteading) ("How can I get started without a grubstake?)(Cover Story)
November 1, 1997... Though I'd like to be contributing a more cheery "how wonderful our life is" story, this account is more aptly titled, "I was naive..." a word to the wise, if you will. Three years ago, my husband and I grew restless with our typical but...

High tech or low tech? They want the best of both!(homesteading)
November 1, 1997... I may not be a kid anymore... I have a house on five acres, a husband and three children, two rabbits, a college degree, two successful ax-careers, two vehicles, and three computers. But I'm a baby homesteader. I'm constantly in danger...

Raise chickens for meat - and make it pay!(homesteading)
November 1, 1997... RUSS GOATES 1029 W 9840 S SOUTH JORDAN, UT 84095 EMAIL: R.GOATES@JUNO.COM We had all of our meat chickens processed commercially last year. (It was worth every penny.) We also started a new flock of laying hens and ended up with less then a...

Yes, you can enjoy a goose dinner.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1997... In answer to Alex Williamson's article, "A goose dinner isn't worth the effort" (81/4:46), I want to say there are alternatives to his methods that will make goose well worth the effort involved in processing it for meat. He says to...

Making money with Boer goats.(homesteading)
November 1, 1997... TONY & LYNDA GARZA CROOKED FENCE FARM PO BOX 518 CARLSBAD, TX 76934 My wife and I bought 20 unimproved acres in west Texas six years ago. And we bought, at auction, a small two-bedroom one-bath house with a hole in the roof for $1,800. We...

Gulf Coast sheep breeder preserves their history.(Brief Article)
November 1, 1997... Several years ago, an association was formed by breeders of a critically rare North American sheep, the Gulf Coast sheep. These sheep, also known as Louisiana Natives, have the ability to withstand heat, to be footrot-free and parasite...

A few simple and practical subjects....(homesteading)
November 1, 1997... M. BEGLEY P.O. box 1302 QUINCY, CA 95971 I love this magazine! Everyone around me may think I am one fry short of a happy meal, but when my issue of COUNTRYSIDE arrives I am reminded so wonderfully that I am not alone in thinking that...

The creative homesteader.(homesteading)
November 1, 1997... My latest issue of COUNTRYSIDE is late and I'm re-re-re-reading the back issues to counter the frustration. (Does anyone else do this?) I just finished reading Ken Odle's article on kitchen tools (80/2:22) and was thinking about how spoiled...

Southward, ho! (homesteading in Bolivia)
November 1, 1997... How many times have you dreamt about what it would be like to be a turn-of-the-century immigrant homesteading in the American Midwest? Settling in a fertile new land, learning a new language by "doing business in town," and making fast...

The disappearing art of dowsing. (includes related article on determining the sex of unborn animals)
November 1, 1997... This is a change from the normal "how to" contributions I send Countryside to share with everyone. No one can tell you how to dowse, because it's not an exact science. Everyone does it a little differently. To most who practice the art, it is...

Make a homestead food dehydrator.
November 1, 1997... Swamp Fox estimates that if all parts are purchased new, this dryer could be made for about $200. Scroungers could do it for much less. For this, you'll get a heavy-duty dryer even the most serious homesteader can rely on. Preserving the...

Beer making. (home brewing)
November 1, 1997... This article was written in response to one that appeared here last January. It was held back due to lack of space, as well as the thought that most homesteaders have more time for projects like beermaking during the winter. However, I admit...

Land Scam.
November 1, 1997... Land Scam,"The incredible story of how modern day land barons, arrogant government officials, and wishfulthinking counterculturalists... took us for all we were worth", by William L. Seavey; 29 pages plus appendices; $6.95; Greener Pastures...