Anyway, I intend to write more. then again, you know what they say about good intentions….

well I’ve accomplished a bit since last post. I was able to finish laying the ceramic tile in my kitchen. It looks pretty good, not the best, not the worst, but I came up with a pretty cool multi-colored and sized design that looks pretty cool.

I’ve also been spending a whole lot more time on my running water system, and am almost there.

I even got a small electric tankless water heater. The first few attempts at the gravity water system were a bit dissapointing, but after much trial and error I got it to a decent level.

 I decided to try out my small twelve volt RV water pump first. because it hooks directly to a deep cycle battery.

The pressure seemed decent enough for a couple of minutes, before it blew my PVC pipes apart at a couple of locations.

I’m just going to glue the whole system together well, and that should do the trick… we’ll see.

well there’s a few more things that have happened but I am incredibly tired and ashamedly must save any more writing for later.

I’m going to go pass out now.

 They were very frugal, non-materialistic, anti-government/establishment, for the most part pacifists (My father did possess a small stockpile of common firearms and weapons, to be used strictly for personal and family defense, or general survival come the revolution and/or tribulation.

They rejected mainstream society, and walked the walk, raising  and teaching us kids the same. Basically, they believed in achieving self-sufficiency to the greatest degree possible. they practiced these beliefs regardless of any consequences, of which their were many.

That dedication has lived on in myself. I always admired that about them, and do so more than ever today. My mother and Father worked for over 25 years to achieve this goal, and largely did so. Until that is, their house, the same house that I had helped renovate, build on to, and generally improve since the age of 11 years, burned to the ground on a mid-March evening not too long ago.

Since they had no insurance, it was a total loss. Having watched the representation — the symbol – of two and a half decades of determination, work, pain, and accomplishment vanish in a quite literal, and very real puff of  smoke. My mother tragically commited suicide several months later.

I carry on with this righteous ideal because of my own personal passion, and of course for my beautiful mother. This is not however,a blog about my childhood and tragic life experiences so, on to the object of my passionate purpose.

Me? well, for the purposes of this text, I’m 31 years old. I own 20 acres of rural property in the semi-arid great south plains USA. Also, I own 15 acres of remote mountaious forested land in the “sangre de Cristo” mountains of northern New Mexico USA It is isolated and beautiful, and currently it is completely “undeveloped” I hope to build a cabin or cozy shelter of some sort there someday. It’s on my “list” anyway.

So far I have had numerous accomplishments, and managed to achieve several major benchmarks toward my goal. Among them: Purchasing property, buying a house to be moved for $4,000.00, renovating the home, including: all electrical wiring, plumbing, all windows, floors, and sealings replaced etc…. Also, I have ran my own potable watering system, built a small storage shed, planted several fruit and decorative trees, Also I have written two books, one fiction, the other is non-fiction, basically it’s a how-to type guide to frugal living, and everything self-sufficiency. These accomplishments among many more have thus far been completed. It’s important for me to remember and realize them all. It adds clarity, and perspective during the times that my dreams and goals can seem daunting, and overwhelming.  

Looking forward, my goals to complete by the end of this coming summer include: adding a stone/brick exterior to my home (as fireproof as possible is the goal here) hooking up a pressurized hot and cold water system, start building a small cob cottage for next to nothing, plant more fruit and decorative trees, do some hard-core landscaping including: stone patios and walkways, solar lighting, a small pond and fountain, bird baths and houses etc… , installing a small solar system, purchasing and installing a mid-sized wind turbine, making and installing a home fire-sprinkler system of my own design, starting work on a large rain collection system, have my book manuscripts copy-righted and assigned ISBN numbers, setting up a self-reliance related website, writing, and filming several small how-to project booklets and videos, installing a small fossil fuel backup generator, trying my hand at home wine-making, writing several articles, and essays regarding self-reliance etc… these are all I can remember now, there may of course be a few more. Any way you look at it, a lot of work is in store for me. I refer to it as: “my list of a million things to do”

 I intend to try and post often, to keep updates on my progress, as well as provide more specific details of how and what I worked on, tecnical specifics, costs, methods, succeses and failures. I hopefully will be able to add entries on a weekly, or at least semi-weekly basis. I am a recovering procrastinator, so… we’ll see….

This weekend, as is often the case, was not as productive as I would have liked it to be. I spent most of it modifying my gravity running water system, which consists of a reclaimed 500 gallon poly water tank atop a 12′ tower that I built especially for it. Attached are pvc pipes running into my home. I drew out several plans for the modification to add pressure. I purchased two pumps at a local chain outlet store during a big sale last week. I was able to purchase a small jet-pump with attached pressure tank for about $90.00 which, I previously believed to be unheard of. 

 I also got a small RV water pump with 50 psi pressure output that is a 12 volt pump, and simply attaches to a deep cycle 12 volt battery for just $23.00 I dont mind a water pressure system that was originally designed for an RV. I’m sure some people would get all bent-out-of-shape about it though.

I plan on installing the jet-pump and RV pump to the system. This will allow me to have gravity-powered pressure, which will always be available, and requires no pumps or energy consumption, as well as the RV  pump with 50 psi, and the jet- pump with something like 150 psi for the times when I want a little more ooomph!

I also started the process of adding a new brick and stone exterior. This, I feel is warranted primarily for fire retarding purposes, but has many advantages including: better overall insulation, also it makes it infinitely more difficult for rodents and other various creepy crawlies to enter my home, also it will make the house much stronger structurally, and since tornadoes are not an uncommon natural occurence in my neck of the woods, it serves to add just a little extra peace of mind. Also, and much less importantly, it increases the value of my estate.

 I also was able to get quite a bit done on my non-fiction book. It’s pretty much finished. I’m just going back through it to add more structure to it, add references, and polish it up a bit, “editing” if you like. I’m about 1/4 – 1/3 finished with the final edit before sending it off for legal copy-right, and then sending it off to press.

I really believe that I’ll be able to sell it directly to “niche” consumers. I hold no delusions about it, or of becoming wealthy or famous from it. These are not, and have never been my intention. I do believe that it will sell to a specific type of “consumer” and contains quality, well-researched, and needed information that many people involved in various sub-cultures and alternative lifestyles –as well as others– can make positive use of. I’m excited about it. My “novel” however, which is more of a hobby is also finished, and I’m in the final editing stages of. I feel certain that it, unlike the other will not sell. I’ll be surprised if it sells more than 20 or so copies. I just wanted to write a novel, and so I did. It’ll be cool to see it in print, and perfectly bound.

Well, coming up next issue… any number, combination, or none of the following: further water system work, creative stone masonrt work, writing, printing, and publishing details, various landscaping work, saving and investment secrets, various renewable energy projects, and/or whatever else happens to come my way between now and then…..

A record, if for nothing more than to chart my own progression and define and reassure myself that I am indeed progressing so to speak. On with it then…..

My goal, my personal vision is this: To achieve a measure of near complete self-reliance and self-sufficiency. I am employing a number of means to achieve this end.

I basically plan on being able to provide almost, if not all of my needs myself. This includes, but is not limited to: food, shelter, clothing, energy, and transportation.

I live on 40 acres of fairly isolated land. the land itself is about half paid for, the remaining balance doesn’t even approach the average price of  a low-end new car. The minimum monthly payments are a pittance compared with even cheap rent.

I bought a small 2 bedroom home and had it moved onto my property about 7 years ago. The total price including the move came to $4000.00, which I scraped and saved for a year and a half while working at a 24 hour pancake house.

I’ve slowly been working on it ever since, and have managed to do such things as: rewire the electricity, install a septic tank, replace all windows, among many, many other things. It’s an incrdible improvement over what it was when it arrived on the back of a truck several years ago.

My background?? well, growing up my parents were an odd mix of fundamental christian, gun havin’, arsenal stockpilin’, end-of-the-world survivalist back-to-the-landers. The former portion of the above description slowly faded with time, while the latter never did.

Childhood was -needless to say- a little different. I was always an outcast, and remain so to this day. I sought, and found solace with other various outcasts of varying types, and degrees. I wouldn’t change it if I could.

Homesteading type back-to-the-land is in my blood. I now know it is. It is not just a desire to follow in my parents footprints. Rather, it is my own personal passion and goal.

My Mother dreamed of achieving self-sufficiency, and very nearly did. That is until one summer night two years ago she took a handful of pills, and never woke up again. I carry on in her honor.

Anyway….. moving on –there’s no pity party here– I have a whole hell of a lot more things to get done. I refer to it as my “list of a million things to do.” and indeed it is, or certainly seems.

Here’s a few things I intend to accomplish and chronicle in the next few months:

Purchase a wind turbine, tower, and batteries

Finish my storage shed. (almost done)

Complete my gravity powered water system.

and a lot more. we’ll see……