06/23/2019
I decided that It was time for me to reinvent my blog and give it a more sure fire direction and purpose.  I started a blog when I lived in Seattle just about my day to day stuff with random bits thrown in.  That blog never saw me posting regularly and had a very limited following. 

Last year I moved from Seattle to Grand Rapids, Michigan, transfering my job.  I had hoped to plug back into the regular family reunions and socialize more with my cousins and family while we all reconnected as many of us have not seen each other in over ten years!  I wanted to buy some land or a house with some acreage out there, where I knew prices were cheap.  Eventually I would have my own off grid homestead going.  However the reality was far from the dream.  

I found out that the family reunions were not even going on anymore.  My parents only came by to visit a few times in the seven months I was there.  Instead of a big Thanksgiving with all the aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents it was just me my parents, grandparents and one aunt.  So, not what I was expecting!  However I did start brewing my own shrub, kombucha, apple brandy, and perfecting my own homesteading and bushcrafting skills. 

I eventually started having issues standing at work and needed to go on light duty at work and have surgery done on one of my feet. That was when my employer tried to fire me.  If it wasn't for all my experience as a union steward and my union I would have been fired.  Instead of being fired I was forced into a move/transfer to the Washington D.C. area, in the middle of the government shutdown.  Since I was on furlough from work I was able to stay with my family in Michigan where I tried my hand at trapping, and skinning and preparing my own food. I caught a few critters.  I ate squirrel for the first time, I cured and tanned my first hides.  I started teaching my mom about kombucha and apple brandy.  I even helped her to get her very first batch of kombucha going.

When the government reopened I left most of my hunting and trapping gear at my grandparent's house and went back to work in the D.C. area.  Due to all sorts of complications with a transfer during the shutdown, surviving here was a major pain!  I had to dig into emergency relief funds from my Thrift Savings Plan for retirement.  In an effort to off set the eventual tax burden from taking that money out early I bought my first half acre in a HOA up in northern Michigan.  A old friend of mine that I went to jr. high school with told me about this great deal on land at the HOA he had inherited land in from his parents, $65 a lot!  Some are still going as cheap as $1!  The HOA has its pluses and minuses.  It has cheap land all sorts of amenities and the community events that I hope to utilize to restart the family reunions, it is surrounded by state land on three sides perfect for hunting and trapping.  Unfortunately they do have minimum square footage for the homes most of the lots the minimum is 600 square feet which is not too bad.  The HOA guidelines do limit the number of outbuildings you can have and do not allow for farm animals on the property.  Fortunately rabbits are a great meat source and are not technically considered farm animals, so I should be able to get away with that one. Most people out there have a well and septic.  I might be the first to do solar and wind power.  At least it looks like it could be a nice place to start things out for very cheap.  I have also started building up a small library of books to help with establishing my future homestead while I am here in DC.  It has been difficult working with very limited funds, but I do try to keep my space as small and functional as possible so that helps.  My finances are finally fixed but funds are still limited!

I have a futon for a bed, and use my microwave WAY too much, I have no dresser, and I use a mini fridge in my room for cold food storage.  However, just today I did get a batch of kombucha going, finally!  I am just starting to get settled in here, but now I am beginning to realize that I can't stand living in this area! everything is too new!  No one here buys used, or shops at Home Depot, or makes their own anything!  My current job may be government work, but the pay is terrible!  So I am looking to move into a new government job with a different agency either back in Michigan or back in Washington. I really do miss all my friends back in the Seattle area.  Out there it was much easier to find the things I needed or wanted for my future homestead.  I am also trying to get back to Washington, if I have to, with the same agency.  Currently my plan is to try and establish some sort of home back in Washington, live simply, possibly in a trailer, while building up my stores there and eventually build my cabin in Michigan.  once all that is done I will need to re-evaluate things.  I will probably always want a place in Michigan to stay at for family visits, but I do REALLY love my Pacific Northwest, both have some elements of home. It is going to be exciting to see just where this Homesteading Odyssey takes me!