March 12, 2014

Homesteading Wish List



Yesterday we celebrated giving our notice to move out of our beach home. As of June 1st we will be officially homeless, although we prefer to call it being "on the road" for a while. It is a very exciting time for us as we transition into the next phase of our lives.

For years we have been brainstorming what our ideal sanctuary might look like. Below is the  homesteading wish list that we have come up with.
  • 2 to 10 acres of land
  • a few acres of forest
  • a pond, stream, or river 
  • chickens
  • goats
  • rain barrels
  • wind turbine
  • wood stove
  • tiny home of 350 - 900 square feet
  • area for large garden near house
  • root cellar
  • fruit trees
  • solar panels
  • solar hot water heating
  • clean non-fracked well water
  • no mines, fracking, polluting industry or development of any kind in the area.
  • no extreme hot or cold weather
And if that is not enough, we want the land and home to cost less than $50,000 dollars. There is only one place in Canada that can provide what we want at the price we are willing to pay - the East Coast.

It looks like we are going to have a 6000 kilometre cross-country adventure in our near future. First though, we need to pare down our possessions to what will fit in the back of our truck, a space about the size of a small closet.

In order to achieve our homesteading goal we are going to have to go extremely minimal first. We are both looking forward to dumping our excess baggage and being light and free for a while.

Then, Sanctuary.

16 comments:

  1. Sounds like an adventure to me. I hope to experience living on the road at some point. Nomadic life sounds good to me, but I don't know if it turn out like I think it will. Would love to see a photo of all your belongings packed up.

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    Replies
    1. Gam Kau,

      We will definitely post a photo of all of our worldly possessions in the back of our small truck before we hit the road.

      Linda and I have a history of wandering, until we moved here almost 10 years ago. It will be interesting to see how we make out now that we are a decade older and will be traveling with a wheelchair for the first time.

      Part of the excitement is not knowing what each day will bring - infinite possibilities. There are also dangers, but we are pretty sensible people. Experience has taught us that the world is generally a pretty benign place when moving among the human family.

      We have received a lot of support from compassionate people everywhere we have traveled, domestically and internationally.

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  2. So exciting! You have have talked of wanting to go more minimal and here is the time. :D I hope you keep updating once you are both on the road via libraries and free wifi spots. Enjoy the adventure!

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    1. Adge Lockhart,

      We are looking forward to continuing sharing our adventure here.

      The last time we did this trip was in 2002 (Linda was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia and has family there). At that time we got to know public libraries across the country as we stopped in to email friends and family.

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  3. Anonymous3/12/2014

    Love an adventure! Can't wait to see what's next for the pair of you.

    I'm on another clearing out binge and am almost down to what would fit in a large backpack (excluding my bed). It is liberating!

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    Replies
    1. Impressive! I have been clearing out for sometime now, but have not reached that point. Sometimes I find myself accumulating all over again and have to start over. Argh. What was the toughest part of reaching this stage for you?

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    2. Miss Marla,

      Way to go on the clearing out. We have to take a page from your book as we clear out the unimportant.

      We decided that as long as we have each other nothing else really matters. Except the guitars. It would be fun to leave with nothing in the back of our truck but three guitars and two large backpacks. OK, maybe just two guitars.



      Adge Lockhart,

      It is a constant battle to keep the stuff from entering our homes because it is so easy coming in. It is the going out that is hard.

      I must admit, a large backpack is really cutting it down to the essentials. Linda and I did that when we went traveling for a year. We wondered what all the stuff we left in a storage locker back at home was for.

      We may not get it down to two large backpacks, but there will be no storage locker involved this time around.

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    3. Anonymous3/12/2014

      The hardest part was letting go of things that had sentimental value, it seemed like I was letting go of memories. Then I realized that memories are in my head, not in things.

      The entire process has taken me several years of really being able to let go of all the stuff, both mental and physical, that were weighing me down. It may seem cliche but it has literally been a weight lifted. That feeling is better than acquiring any thing.

      It's not about the actual number of things we own (I was caught up in that for a while) but about what makes us feel and live that freedom.

      Delete
  4. Light and free! Sounds like life unplugged from the rat race. I like the last thing on your list, no extreme hot or cold weather. Is there such a place? If so, let me know where it is! :-)

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    Replies
    1. Clamco,

      Our current location is pretty perfect for weather. Right on the ocean it is less hot in the summer than inland due to a near constant on-shore breeze. In winter it is a bit warmer than inland and at elevation. It has been a nice "Goldilocks Zone" to live in.

      The east coast should be much the same, except a bit colder in the winter. Everything between here and there is too hot in the summer, and too cold in the winter. Way too cold.

      Are you finding Florida too hot?

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    2. Actually we're in lower Alabama about 40 miles north of the gulf coast right near the eastern shore of Mobile Bay. Last summer was hot, but not as hot as normal (which is hard to believe) because there was a lot of rain. And it gets very humid. So humid that if you don't run the air conditioner, mold will start blooming in your house. The winter has been cooold! Again, not normal because of the polar vortex. We had that big ice storm in Jan which shut everything down for 3 days. So we haven't really experienced the weather that is usually expected here yet. Halfway through March and it's still chilly. Not sure this is the right location for us yet. Florida may have been a better choice, especially where jobs are concerned. There aren't many opportunities here for living wage jobs. Great place to retire though if you have money.

      Delete
  5. This is incredibly cool! I wish you the best on your journey. Looking forward to hearing more about your adventures.

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    Replies
    1. M.U.L.,

      Thank you for your wishes, and for riding along with us.

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  6. I read your blog all the time, and I'm excited to continuing reading as you make this cross country journey with only the possession that will fit in your truck. I have a similar dream that I have been nurturing for about three years now. This winter, after a chance meeting with a minimalist friend, I have a renewed interest in a huge purge. I downsized from a 2000+ sq ft house to a one bedroom apt. (approx. 325 sq. ft.) three years ago and it felt great, but I still have way too much. I recently packed up three boxes of books and two boxes of CDs. It felt great! I have a long way to go, but I have a similar goal of fitting my possessions in the back of my SUV for a cross country adventure. Best of luck to you, and I will be anxious to read about your downsizing and your adventures.

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    Replies
    1. Karen Smith,

      Ten years ago Linda and I jettisoned at least half of our possessions. It felt good as a start.

      Since then we halved our stuff again, and now we are down to the nitty gritty. Rubber tramping here we come.

      Let us know how your continued downsizing goes, and when you hit the road.

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  7. lol yes! If only....

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