I love when I receive email from my readers and I do receive a lot of it. Last week I received an email from a man who read a couple of my articles. He had read the one about how hard it was to find good reliable help out here in the sticks and the latest one about starting with a portable building for a house cabin. He asked a pretty good question, “What if I just don’t have the skills to do the building and construction you talk about?”
I realize not everyone has been trained or even exposed to such things, but for me this is what I find the most exciting about the lifestyle. The constant learning and trial and error at skills I may not have is what keeps this lifestyle interesting for me. While I have had some training and plenty of practice in building construction, I don’t have all the answers to every problem we face out here. Continue reading
Last week I started this series of articles to hopefully give you a road map for deciding if this self sufficient lifestyle is really for you or not. As I addressed in that first article in this series, I think frugality is very important. In fact, it was the single most important point for both Ranae and I as we embarked on this lifestyle many years ago.
Deep in the heart of Texas the only thing close to as important as high school football is the elusive hunt for Bambi’s daddy. Deer season here began this past Saturday and the woods were alive with hunters on the chase for the prize mount and a freezer full of “free” meat. 
The weather where I live has been so wonderful lately. I love the fall in Texas. The mild temps and bright sunny days make me feel so happy and blessed. In the heat of summer it’s difficult to find the desire to sit on the porch and notice the little things in life. It’s so easy to miss so much of this beautiful place when it’s hot.