Episode 52 The Self Reliant Mind

You can subscribe to the podcast on Stitcher or iTunes

I try to be a student of human nature and I have found that homesteaders and preppers have some things in common. One of the things they have in common is the way they look at the world and what they do. We are going to dive into the thought processes of the homesteader and prepper. I hope you enjoy.

Internal Locus

I have found that most homesteaders and preppers have what is called an internal locus of control. This means that they believe they have the greater amount of control in their success. They don't look around for someone to fix their problems.

A person with an internal locus tends to apply themselves to their problems, have projects, and believe they should be able to enjoy the fruits of their own labor. The thought process tends to go beyond that, they want to be able to decide whom they will bless with their abundance. I want to be able to choose to whom I will give extra zucchini.

One reason I believe this is the case especially with homesteaders is because of their closeness to the land. They want to teach others and they take very little for granted.

We want to teach and share. We really want to empower people.

We Believe What We Do Matters.

This one is the one that I believe gives us hope. There are so many people that say and I guess believe that what they do doesn't matter.

Preppers demonstrate this belief of what they do matters every time they add to their food storage or increase their medical kit. With each new skill they are proclaiming that what they do matters.

This is just as much true for the homesteader and possibly even more so. The act of planting seeds, working in animal husbandry. Is a hope for the future. You don't plant a seed today and harvest tomorrow. You have to believe in the future in order to plant.

Responsibility

There are a lot of people that whenever something bad happens they just sit down and wait on someone else to rescue them. The world isn't fair, but if we want to make our world better, we have to do it. No one else is going to. The powers that be are really not interested in helping the individual. They are interested in advancing their power.

Are there times when you have to accept help? Absolutely. The way a person responds and acts after receiving help defines whether or not the person believes they are responsible. When they have to accept help, they do so with a thankful heart. Once a person has made it through a difficult situation, they look around and try to make a plan to help ensure that they will not be found in that situation in the future.

More Observant

I have talked about situational awareness in the past. You cannot be a prepper or homesteader and not be situationally aware. Noticing people while out in public or the health of your plants is an absolute must. If you are not paying attention in your garden, bad bugs can take over.

In permaculture there is a principle that states "Observe and interact".

We Take Action

There are lots of people that will see something that is going on and will not even try to do anything about it. You cannot be a prepper or homesteader and not take actions.

Looking to Be Good Stewards of Our Resources

Many people go through feast and famine cycles. This is especially true for homesteaders. During the summer and fall there is an abundance. If a homesteader doesn't learn to preserve that harvest, famine times will come soon. We store as much of the abundance as possible because we know winter is coming.

Preppers are extremely similar. They put up supplies when things are going good in anticipation of harder times. This is just smart. I am not talking about the end of the world, just hard times.

Conculusion

If you will think about it these behaviors set us apart from many. All of these behaviors are good. We shouldn't look down our nose at someone who has some of the same goals with different methods. What we do really does matter and how we look at the world helps us achieve our goals.

Bringing Rural Back

Enter the Listener Appreciation  Contest.

You can like The Rural Economist on Facebook follow on The Rural Economist on Gplus. We now have a YouTube channel and we cover all sorts of things. Hop on over and check them out, oh and don't forget to subscribe. I have just joined Instagram if you would like you can follow us HERE. We will be sharing several things over the next year, I hope to see you there.

Check out The Rural Economist on Pinterest

Visit The Rural Economist's profile on Pinterest.

Sean with The Courageous Life Podcast

When I started this journey toward a more self reliant life and sharing our stories nearly 3 years ago I never knew how many people where on similar paths. I will be honest, at first, I felt very alone. Since that time I have been blessed to meet many interesting people with great stories. I have shared a few here and hope to share more. Occasionally though I will come across someone that I feel a special connection with. Sean with The Courageous Life Podcast is one of those individuals. He actually found me first, I was honored when he contacted me and told me that he enjoyed my posts and wanted me to give him a listen. Since that first interaction, I have listened to every podcast that he has produced. I am glad that I can now call him a friend, I hope you enjoy getting to know Sean.

1. You retired from the Marine Corps and could do anything you wanted after retirement. Why did you choose to homestead instead of something more expected?

The short answer is freedom. I did not want to enter into Corporate America and spend time working on other people’s goals and objectives. I wanted to be able to be with my family. To work side by side and connect with each other and the land. It has been amazing. I wanted to develop a family economy…I want to leave a legacy for my kids: spiritually and physically. Should they desire, I want them to be able to stay on the land, or close by, to participate in the various enterprises in a manner in which they desire and can thrive. I know it seems like such a foreign concept but historically this is how most peoples have lived through out human history. We also realized that the predominant cultural philosophy, when it is distilled to its most basic level, is to get all you can for as long as you can. We were done with this and prepared to withdraw from that mindset. Many people call it the rat race, whatever, either way, we are not doing it anymore. Most importantly, this lifestyle allows us to live consistent with our beliefs. I no longer need to watch what I say or who I criticize like I did as a Marine Corps Officer. Truth be told, I was not all that careful while in the military. Hence, it was time for me to go.

2. You and your family now live in Northern Idaho. Who was the most challenging to convince to completely change lifestyles?

Honestly, everyone was looking forward to this radical change in lifestyle. As a family, we talked a lot about the freedoms, and challenges (which are many), that come from living this kind of lifestyle. Sustenance (and for profit) farming, entrepreneurship, learning new skills and community have turned out to be much more rewarding and well worth the challenges and hardships we are facing.

3. How have they dealt with the dramatic change?

It has been a dramatic change for all of us, but I think we are working so hard to try and figure it all out that we have not had time to fret over dealing with it. Then again, we don’t know what we don’t know and maybe impending disaster is right around the corner, ha ha. I will say this: everything takes longer and cost more than initially planned. Hopefully my estimation skills in project planning will improve.

4. You and your wife have said that you live semi off-grid. How difficult was adjusting to the differences in daily life?

I’m embarrassed to say that when you live on base housing in the military you just don’t worry about power issues like water, electricity and garbage. A set housing allowance is taken from your pay and that is essentially rent and all utilities. That is a recipe for waste…and it works, unfortunately. It is not that we were ridiculous with our power usage but we weren’t real careful either.

Now, while still grid tied, we heat primarily with wood, cook with propane and get our water from a low to average producing well. We are much more careful. We work hard to heat our home. We have a very good appreciation for what we put into the stove and make decisions carefully about when to burn and when we can put on more clothes. We are also working hard on alternative water sources like springs, swales and ponds. For instance, one spring that I have been observing and plan on developing is above our property and has the potential to gravity feed water for our home, gardens and livestock. We have plans to build solar showers, gray water systems and even compost humanure. We are planting large amounts of black locust for fuel wood that can be pollarded sustainably. Our goal is to not necessarily go off grid but if the grid goes away for whatever reason that we have redundant systems in place that allow us to operate in a resilient manner.

5. Tell us a little about your family.

My wife Monica and I have seven children: our kids range from 22 years old down to three years old. We have three natural born and four through adoption. We homeschool our children and have done so since our oldest began his education in 1997. My much better half and I both grew up (mostly) in the Seattle area and of course our kids were born all over the place: North Carolina, Florida, Washington State, Cebu, PI and Tokyo, Japan.

My wife is amazing. First, she put up with me for 24 years and she is still here! She spent decades as a military wife enduring multiple combat deployments and other long trips away from home. Now, after all of that hardship and the completion of so many challenges it is time to relax and enjoy retirement? Nope, now we are working harder than ever before but, we are all together. She is embracing the modern homestead lifestyle with gusto. If you asked her 10 years ago if she would be making bone broth with chicken heads, feet, and necks she would have laughed but that is what she is doing today ha ha.

Our family is tight knit but not without our problems. By God’s grace we are managing except when we forget to rely on Him and instead try and pull ourselves up by our bootstraps. Do not get me wrong, God’s sovereignty and human responsibility both exist, and in harmony, but I believe the “bootstrap” mentality is an indicator when one has stopped living for the Glory of God and begun living for the glory of self . We need frequent reminders.

My kids love the outdoors and spend much more time there then studying textbooks…well, to be honest, we do not much use textbooks. Our homeschooling is pretty loose after many years of experimenting with every conceivable source of curriculum. We have them read books and more books and live life. Yes, we do follow some curriculum for particular subjects like math. Our philosophy is that we are raising adults. I recently sent a few of my kids into the forest with axes and hatchets and gave them the task of thinning it for future silvopasture (combining trees, forage and livestock production). I told them to leave all of the trees over a certain size, western white pine, cedar and larch. I marked a few others to obtain a good bit of species diversity. They worked on this task independently over a couple of weeks and took down hundreds of trees without complaint. I could have paid to do a commercial thinning or gone in there with chainsaws but I wanted to give them something hard to do and something meaningful. It is meaningful. We will now run pigs, goats, sheep and birds through there in a paddock shift model. That hard work will help to feed our family and other families. That sense of accomplishment cannot be duplicated in textbooks or schooling. My kids shoot guns, throw knives, butcher animals and shed a tear when one of our does loses a kid. They know how to plant a tree, make bone broth, and cut a rope without a knife and many more very useful skills lost on so many people. Our culture has become over-specialized.

To be honest, we have not known these skill for long periods of time, we are learning as we go. Nor do we even know a lot. We are recovering over-specialized beings. Sometimes, we are figuring it out after the fact! We joke because we will jump in with both feet before we know what we are doing. For example, we came across a great opportunity to buy six sheep so we went and picked them up, put them in the back of my truck, under a canopy, got them home and then promptly googled “how to take care of sheep.” Some people might get upset by that and believe we should have all of our research complete before undertaking such a venture. I believe that kind of thinking keeps most people from doing much of anything. That is our family, for better or for worse.

We are hopeful for the future. We are building our homestead: Sovereign Sonrise Permafarm to feed our family, feed other families, teach other families. We are building other small businesses and providing incubation for our kid to start small businesses.

We have plans to start a worldview academy where kids who graduate high/homeschool and do not want to go down the world’s path of college and debt (an assumption that we must do these things in order to by happy) can come to our academy for nine months and concentrate on these three pillars: Christian Worldview, Entrepreneurship, and Skill Building. 6. You have adopted children from overseas. Why did you choose to adopt from other countries?

Yes, for us there was a practical aspect and a spiritual aspect to this decision. On the practical side, we were stationed overseas. We were in Okinawa, Japan so adopting from Japan fit right into our situation even though that was never a part of our plan. In fact, it is very difficult to adopt from Japan. However, through God’s providence we were able to adopt in a relatively short manner.

The Philippines adoption worked because we found an agency that specialized in assisting military families overseas to adopt from overseas…obviously, a very complicated affair. I had previously traveled to the Philippines and while I cannot point to some dream or vision we felt like we were supposed to pursue this course of action.

On a spiritual level, the triune God adopts those He elects into the family of God. He not only justifies us but adopts us. The supreme judge goes beyond cancelling our debt but also invites us to live with Him and become a member of His family. We move from children of wrath to children of God. This vertical adoption is what we strive to emulate, albeit very imperfectly, in our horizontal, earthly adoption of children. Put in another way, horizontal adoption is a picture of the Gospel, it is a way of fulfilling The Great Commission (Matt 28:19-20) and the Cultural Mandate (Gen 1:28).

In our podcast, we usually start with a Worldview section and my wife and I began what turned out to be seven segments on adoption. You can listen to the first section on adoption, in episode 29, here: http://www.thecourageouslifepodcast.com/2014/11/podcast-episode-29-the-great-hunt-of-2014/#more-456 These segments carry through to episode 37.

7. You took a Permaculture design course. Why? How do you believe that knowledge has benefited you?

As a preparedness minded person, I was looking for systems in food production that did not require huge inputs and that was sustainable. I ran across permaculture and was instantly hooked. Here was design science that integrated all elements (much more than just food production) of a system to work together synergistically, produce abundantly, and actually improve the land over time. It made instant sense. This in contrast to our current system of breaking apart each element into its own sphere (an allegory of the American church) massive inputs and mining the land of nutrients that eventually drive the land towards sterility without massive, unsustainable inputs. We are on a broken chemical, bio-technological treadmill. Our current system is built on a fundamental assumption that we will always have cheap oil, which is precarious at best.

Permaculture has opened my eyes to the amazing potential of creating systems design with regards to property. I went through Geoff Lawton’s Permaculture Design Course and it was invaluable. I approach everything that I do on our homestead and permafarm completely differently. Let us use the example of the chicken, I observe and ask questions like: of what use are the products of the chicken? Where is the chicken incompatible with other components of the system? What needs of the chicken are supplied by other components? Where does the chicken supply other components?

Permaculture does not exclude annual gardening but thinks in terms of perennial plantings above annual. The productivity of hundreds of fruit and nut trees are measured in decades and centuries as opposed to annual production requiring annual inputs. Imagine an apple tree producing apples for 40 years. Imagine a walnut tree producing walnuts for 200 years. Imagine a pinion pine producing pine nuts for a 1000 years. This is the shift in mindset that we need for true sustainability. Not for the feel good kind where someone buys a Prius.

We will still plant an annual garden, and love our annual veggies, and probably always will but we are putting dozens and dozens of perennial systems (plant and animal) as our main source of nutrient dense food. If things get really bad, or even if they do not, we will rely on our perennial systems.

The great benefit of this personally and for my family inspired me to want to help others in this area. I started a company called Resilient Property Analysis and Design. Basically, I do consulting work on how to make other people’s property more abundant and synergistic with regards to: energy, water, access, structures, food production and waste (resources by another name). I have various services I offer ranging from online consulting to full on project implementation using permaculture design. Here is my website: www.resilientproperty.com and, in my podcast: www.thecourageouslifepodcast you will find several episodes about permaculture and property analysis and design.

8. You seem to be very political and have stated that you are a registered independent. What do you think is necessary for our country to get back on the right track? Do you think it is even possible?

What is the percentage of nations that have been successful (let us use survive as a standard) throughout recorded human history? 0%. That is a sobering number. All nations eventually collapse and are shelved into the dust bin of history or they can be rebuilt to try again. Our founding fathers were by no means perfect but they got one thing exactly right. They understood human nature. They knew that man was inherently evil. Hence, why they set up a system of checks and balances. Why they wanted desperately to limit the power of the government, especially the centralized federal government.

John Adams said perfectly, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” This is what we have lost. This is what we must regain. With all of that said, we must continue to fight. I believe there are two major pillars that can address the runaway federal government and the cultural and moral decline of the people: they are spiritual and practical.

First the spiritual, we must pray fervently for a revival in the land. This is predicated on a reformation within the church. Quite frankly the evangelical church in America is weak, uninvolved and loves to tickle the ears of its congregants and steer clear of controversy. The church needs to be the church. Our faith should impact every area of life, 2 Cor 10:5 (ESV) says, “we destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ.” Instead we chop up our life into categories that we compartmentalize and see as completely unrelated. Until we understand this we will live inconsistent lives in lukewarm churches. I blame the current downhill slide of America squarely on the back of the church. Now, reformation of the church rests on reformation of the family. Individual families make up local churches. Individual families need to stand on the Word of God instead of not making waves (read: I do not want to do anything hard). Christians must develop a comprehensive Biblical Worldview.

On the practical side I think we have a duty to act. Thomas Jefferson said, “The greatest danger to American freedom is a government that ignores the Constitution.” The federal government has clearly overreached its constitutionally-established boundaries and has its hands in almost every area of our lives. Our nation is bankrupt and run by an unaccountable bureaucracy. The vast majority of Republicans in congress have proven over and over they are not much different from the other side of the aisle. They are Republican in Name Only (RINO). They love to quote Thomas Jefferson about wise and frugal government yet they are just as wasteful and just as fond of big government as their counterparts. Worse, they pretend to be something that they are not.

I am the Coalitions Director for the Convention of States Project in the State of Idaho. Article V of the United States Constitution allows the States to call a Convention of States to restrict the power and jurisdiction of the federal government, effectively returning the citizens' rightful power over the ruling elite. I no longer think it is a viable solution to work directly through congress. George Mason ensured this state provision to amend the Constitution was in article V for just such a time as this. He worried about the federal government becoming too powerful. Research this here, dispel the misinformation put out by the opposition and sign the petition (this triggers a letter to be written to your direct state representative) if desired. http://www.cosaction.com/?recruiter_id=900970. Are there areas of the Constitution that the federal government follows to a tee? Yes. Why? Because those areas are clear and politicians cannot get around them. That is what we seek to do, restrain the federal government by making the constitution clear. This movement is not a Constitutional Convention that will runaway but a Convention of States seeking to restrain a runaway federal government. If a state becomes tyrannical at least one can move to a freedom loving state, if the federal government becomes tyrannical there is no choice, hence, no freedom.

Beyond the above, I believe that states should nullify federal law wherever and whenever they can. I also believe that individuals that care about our countries future and the Constitution should pour out their efforts and resources into the local level. The next election for Sheriff and district representative is much more important than the presidential election of 2016. We need to change our thinking in this area.

Finally, on an individual and family level we need to pull back from the trappings of the world. We need to stop rallying and lobbying to the politicians for our pet projects. We need to create alternatives and live true to our principles. We need to build community. One of the most powerful things one can do is become self-sufficient from government.
If we do nothing, we will further slide down the path that Alexis de Tocqueville describes in, Democracy in America, and become, “a flock of timid and industrious animals, of which the government is the shepherd.” This WILL lead to collapse.

9. You clearly communicate that you are a Christian. How important is your faith on your homestead and in your everyday life?

Ha ha, the reader has either stopped reading in disgust by this point or they know this already to be the case. I believe that every area of life should be impacted by my faith. That is the Christian faith predicated on the scriptures laid out in the Old and New Testaments. This is the axiom of the Christian and our worldview should flow from this point. My faith impacts the meaning of life, how I raise my family, treat animals, engage with my community and everything in between. I do not pretend to execute this perfectly but Lord willing, I will be sanctified more and more over time. I strive for consistency in my worldview and living out the principles I believe in, based on my ultimate authority (everyone has one), but I know I fall short. When I find inconsistencies, I must address them and be willing to conform to the Word. My chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

10. If you could tell everyone just one thing, what would it be?

Acts 16:30-34 “30 Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. 34 Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.”

You can connect with Sean and The Courageous Life Podcast on Facebook, Twitter, and subscribe to them through iTunes or Stitcher. 

If you are a content creator in the Preparedness, Homestead, or Self Reliance niche and would like for us to interview you please drop us a line at contact@theruraleconomist.com. 

There are so many people who are trying to

Bring Rural Back

Have something to add to this topic join the Forum on The Rural Economist. If you would like to contribute to the conversation we would love to have you join us. It is brand new, but I am sure it will grow. 

Subscribe to our mailing list

* indicates required

Email Address * 

First Name 

Last Name 

You can like The Rural Economist on Facebook follow on The Rural Economist on Gplus. We now have a YouTube channel and we cover all sorts of things. Hop on over and check them out, oh and don't forget to subscribe. I have just joined Instagram if you would like you can follow us HERE. We will be sharing several things over the next year, I hope to see you there. 

Check out The Rural Economist on Pinterest

Visit The Rural Economist's profile on Pinterest.

Affiliate Link Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I may receive compensation for links, endorsements, testimonials, or recommendations for any products mentioned on this blog. Any time you use one of our links for Amazon, if you purchase something The Rural Economist receives a small commission and it doesn't cost you any more. Even if you do not purchase the items I list. In this way you will help support us trying to teach people about self reliance and homesteading. Thanks for your consideration.

Homesteader, Prepper, or Survivalist?

If you pay real close attention you can sense that a change is slowly occurring. There is a gradual but massive shift taking place. One side of this shift is very encouraging the other is equally discouraging. There are people who have never questioned anything starting to look around and actually see the world the way it is and yet there are still others that are falling further asleep. I get questions almost every week on a variety of subjects ranging from solar power to digging a well to food storage. I love these questions. They mean someone is working toward being more responsible for themselves and their families. 

Labels

For some reason we all have a need to label everyone, including ourselves. I think some of it has to do with the image we want to portray and some of it is where we live. I prefer to be called a homesteader with prepping tendencies. A friend of mine prefers prepper with homesteading tendencies and I also know a few survivalists.

Meet the Homestead & Preparedness Writers Jenna with Flip Flop Barnyard

I am really enjoying getting to know all of these writers better from all over the country. This week we talk to Jenna with www.flipflopbarnyard.com. She and her husband Derek are homesteading somewhere close to the east coast with 6 children , yes I said 6. They are working toward a more sustainable life and sharing the adventures with all of us. I always enjoy hearing about families where everyone is involved with being more as Jenna puts it connected to the land. 

I think you will enjoy getting to know a little more about Jenn and Flip Flop Barnyard. 

How old are you?

I just turned 31 in August.

Do you consider yourself a prepper, a homesteader, or a mixture of both?

I'd say a mixture of both with a heavier lean towards homesteader. I am all about raising our own food and preserving our own food. This enables us to stay prepared with food for any kind of emergency.

On your site you claim that you are not an expert at anything. What challenges have really tested your skills?

This is a hard one, we are learning as we go and there are new challenges everyday. We have learned to raise and butcher chickens, we are learning how to raise pigs, we are learning to build a barn and saw all of our lumber with a chainsaw mill, we are getting a milk cow and will be learning all about that, and we are learning new techniques for fencing. With each new task come new experiences and learning curves so the biggest challenge is finding the most proficient method of completing these tasks. It is very fun and rewarding to learn new things.

What do you think the greatest challenge our society faces?

Being disconnected from the land and where food comes from. We live in a fast paced society that relies on convenience for almost everything. Any glitch in the "norm" sends people into an uproar. I truly believe that people need to learn how to be prepared and to deal with life when things aren't so easy to come by.

In what section of the country is your homestead? i.e. Southeast. Midwest, mid Atlantic etc.

We are close to the East Coast.

You are homesteading with 6 children. How involved are your children in the homestead?

Very involved in everything. We do assign them age appropriate tasks. They participate in everyday chores like feeding the animals, checking for eggs, gardening, and cooking and sewing. They are also involved in butchering the animals when it is butcher time. We want to teach them how to be as self sufficient as possible and to not rely on retailers and corporations to provide for their basic needs.

I love the fact that you state you cover a little of this and a little of that. Why do you think being a generalist, when it comes to homesteading, is better than being a specialist?

For our family, we are working towards growing all of our own food so we need to have a very broad set of skills. We also like to build and make as much of the items that we use as possible. This has involved tree cutting, wood working, welding, a little metal working, and many different aspects of crafting. I do think that this can vary from person to person depending on what type of situation they live in. If they have limited space and resources I think being an expert at a few things is a good idea.

Did any of your family members try to discourage the lifestyle you have chosen?

No, we have been very fortunate to have nothing but support from family. A lot of people tell us that they wish that they could do what we are doing.

If you are a prepper what preparations have you made or do you feel everyone should make?

We are working towards being more prepared, not where we want to be yet but getting there. I think that food and water are very important, we are working a lot on the food aspect with growing our own but need to work more on the water aspect. I also believe that people should be prepared with firearms and ammo. Training and safety is first and foremost. Firearms are a great means of providing meat for your family when you have no other options, they are also a great form of self-defense and homestead defense. I also think it is a good idea to have access to and be proficient with a bow. If for some reason you need to hunt but can't use a gun or have no ammo you can still use a bow.

IF you are a homesteader tell me a little about your homestead.

Right now we are actually living with my parents on 3 1/4 acres. We also have access to a couple of neighboring acres that my cousin owns. We are currently on the hunt for our own house and piece of land. Where we are, we are able to keep laying hens, three pigs, and raise meat birds from time to time. We also have 2 ponies for the kids to enjoy. Within the next couple of weeks we will be adding a milk cow to the mix. We are doing a lot on not so much acreage.

How long have you been homesteading, prepping or both?

This month is our 3 year mark for starting our journey in all of this. It has grown and evolved so much and I look forward to seeing how the rest unfolds for us. I see the last 3 years as being a time of homesteading and gearing more towards prepping.


What do you think your best asset is in helping others achieve self sustainability?

Sharing our knowledge and encouraging others to work toward being self sufficient no matter where they are. Like I said, I'm not an expert at any of this but I have learned a whole lot about each different aspect. I can post articles about what I'm doing, how-to do things, and answer questions that come my way.

How important is your Faith on your homestead?

Our faith in God is the core of our family, our homestead, and our very lives. Without Him, we have nothing. When I look at all that we have, all that we've done, and all that we grow, I know that He has provided it for us and without His blessing none of this would be. Teaching our children to Honor God in all that they do is so very important to us.

If you could tell every person one thing what would it be?

Be connected to the land, to your food, and most importantly to the One who created it all.

I hope you will take time and swing by Flip Flop Barnyard and say hello to Jenna, please be sure and tell her The Rural Economist sent you. As you can see from these interviews, there are people of all ages and all areas of the country who are trying to help you achieve your

Rural Dreams and Homestead Wishes

Subscribe to our mailing list

* indicates required

Email Address * 

First Name 

Last Name 

You can like The Rural Economist on Facebook follow on The Rural Economist on Gplus. We now have a YouTube channel and we cover all sorts of things. Hope on over and check them out, oh and don't forget to subscribe.

Check out The Rural Economist on Pinterest

Visit The Rural Economist's profile on Pinterest.

Affiliate Link Disclosure: The post may contain affiliate links. I may receive compensation for links, endorsements, testimonials, or recommendations for any products mentioned on this blog. Any time you use one of our links for Amazon, if you purchase something The Rural Economist receives a small commission and it doesn't cost you any more. Even if you do not purchase the items I list. In this way you will help support us trying to teach people about self reliance and homesteading. Thanks for your consideration.

Meet the Homestead and Preparedness Writers Stacy with Game and Garden

For this week's interview I am super excited to have someone from my home state. Stacy with www.gameandgarden.com is very widely published and highly educated. She left a career as an attorney to live a simpler and more sustainable life. I do not know if she has read my blog at all, but if she hasn't we are "preaching" the same message about not being motivated by fear.

I would like to point out that Stacy is the only one so far who has refused to answer how old she is. That is fine, I just found it funny. I tell all of the writers I interview that if they do not want to answer any of the questions I send them to just leave them blank and I will delete them. 

I really enjoyed getting to know Stacy and I think you will too. She has a lot of good things to say.

Do you consider yourself a prepper, a homesteader, or a mixture of both?

I don’t really consider myself in any particular category, but by default, I probably fit the mold for both and more. I believe that all thinking people that aim to live a healthy, abundant, quiet life will have many of the characteristics of a prepper and a homesteader. It is just common sense that we need to be prepared for disasters, grow our own foods or get it from reputable farmers, eat honest pure foods free from added hormones, genetically modified organisms, and to be as self-sufficient as possible so that we can help others. I have been making this my ambition for the past 20 years.

I am a prepper to the extent that I believe it is only wise to be on the watch at all times and to be prepared for future events, good and bad. They will both come. My step-dad was a Green Beret and taught me self-defense, to be aware of my surroundings in parking lots, schools,…everywhere. With the world changing today, this is a must. We should NOT be motivated by fear, but not we should not walk around with our heads in the clouds either. As for disasters, they happen all the time. We had a stint in Alabama about 15 years ago where there was no power for up to a month. Preparation for this kind of disaster will save a lot of heartache when disaster hits, and it will hit.

I certainly fit the bill as a homesteader, but never really set out to be a homesteader.I suppose you could call me an accidental homesteader. One of the reasons is quite simple. Fresh food tastes better and is more healthy. I know their are more added reasons to be a homesteader such as being self-sufficient (which I love), but everyone in the world will agree with that statement. It only seems natural to grow and harvest your food yourself. The two go hand in hand. Throughout the years I have increased the size of our garden to suit the size of my family, developed a hydroponics system with the help of my husband and boys, raise chickens and bees, have an outdoor oven built of clay, sand, and water (incredible fun and great food to boot!), use compost for fertilizer, and love wild edibles from our foraging adventures. 

On your site you state that you left a career as a lawyer. What were the reasons for making that decision, especially when popular convention states that everyone should pursue a career?

Popular convention also says, “Make as much money as you can”, but true worth isn’t wrapped up in what you have in the bank. Practicing law is a very important job, but being a wife and mother is more important. Although some women may be able to do both, I couldn’t give my all to my clients and my all to my husband and children at the same time in my life. I already had a baby when I graduated law school and once I had my second child, I needed to focus on caring for my children.

The world’s definition of success is far different than true success. "And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul,” or to me my children’s souls. My place was at home. I continued to have more children and they needed me there. I also wanted to learn how to produce healthy tasty meals, how to inspire creativity and hard work in my kids from an early age, and tend to my husband’s needs.

I am now able to do more “in the world” than I was able to when I had all small children and my older kids help a ton (and enjoy it) which enables me to share the things I have learned along the way. 

What do you think the greatest challenge our society faces?

I believe apathy is a very real and great challenge in our society. The moral fiber in our society is being torn to shreds and at times seems to have to be legislated which ties the hands of those of us desiring to make a difference. Our freedoms and rights are gradually being overtaken and “we, the people” sit idly by allowing it to happen. I think people aren’t finding motivation and purpose in much of anything. I also feel that people have given up on having their say in the government and their communities. We need men and women to stand up for the freedoms that America was founded upon. We need people to CARE and feel that their vote means something; that THEIR VOICE MATTERS. I am beginning to sound like a politician, but we are all politicians because we DO have a say…WE NEED TO SAY IT.

You have chosen to home educate 7 children. Can you tell us why you made that decision and some of the challenges of home educating your children? 

While my oldest children were still babies, I was reading about home education. Quite frankly, I had a hard time with the fact that I was going to miss the best parts of the day with my kids. I really wanted to be with them when they were at their best and I was my best. I wanted conversation in the mornings, work and school mid-day, walks in the afternoon, dinner preparation in the evening, and so on without being rushed.

As far as education is concerned, my husband and I feel that all of life is education.For instance, children learn math, genetics, basic science, chemistry, history, reading, and horticulture from gardening. How many asparagus plants do I plant for a family of 9? What is the origin of pumpkins? Why are there so may varieties of pumpkins. All learning leads to more learning.

I wanted to teach the kids everything that I know as well as learn with them a life of self-sufficiency that would give them the confidence to overcome problems, excel in life, and enable them to share with others. I would have missed so many opportunities for sharing my knowledge, my struggles and how I overcame them, and so much more had we not homeschooled. I am sure there would have been other opportunities had they participated in the traditional form of education, but I am quite sure we made the correct decision to homeschool.

There have been challenges to home educating as there is in most everything worth anything. For me, managing my time and the time of my kids has been a challenge. There is so much work in the home, in the gardens, and life interruptions that a clear schedule needs to be attended to. The schedule has changed every year with the addition of children, or as of late, two of my children graduating and entering college.

Another challenge has been home educating different ages with very different learning styles and interests. I believe that each person has a certain bent that needs to be developed, therefore, my teaching is very individualized to each of my students. Time management is a must! By nature, I am not a very organized person, but homeschooling has certainly forced me to become more organized. I have to admit it is still a struggle, but a discipline that I am leaning and get most excited about sharing with other moms. 

On your site you talk about learning to prepare wild game and how at first you were not a fan. How did you begin to change your opinion of wild game?

My husband is an avid outdoorsman and quite the cook. He loves great food. For the life of me, I could not figure out how to make venison taste as good as the beef from the supermarket. I wanted to please the “hunter gatherer” side him as a newlywed, therefore I began searching ancient recipe books on how to cook meat. The meat that our ancestors cooked was what today we call “wild” or “free-range, organic” meat. As I studied and mastered the ability to cook wild game, I began to understand how the flavor was developed from the fact that it was free-range. The health benefits were evident to me and I determined that I could control much of my health by my control over my food source. From then on, our family has made it our ambition to harvest and “put up” as much of our food as possible for optimal health. This is where my first book,Happy Healthy Family Tracking the Outdoors In, comes in. I wanted to make it easy for others to cook wild game, and free-range/organic meats and fresh vegetables as possible. That is what the book is all about.

What are some tips you can give to those who are hesitant about eating game? My wife is not really thrilled about eating what I harvest either. With wild game, it is all in the preparation. To extract the best flavor and texture (not gamey or though), you will need to treat each animal and cut of meat a particular way. In my book, Recipes and Tips for Sustainable Living, I give you a chart on how to treat each cut of meat as well as a substitution list for meats you don’t have available. If prepared correctly, you are going to treasure the wild meat any day over the farm raised unless of course it is raised as God intended - without unnecessary added hormones, GMO’s, and antibiotics. 

You are quite widely published. Tell us a little about which of your books you think would be the best starting point.

I will tell you a little about each book and let you decide. Photographs are very important to me in that I am a very visual person. All of my books have a photo accompanying any subject or recipe.

Happy Healthy Family Tracking the Outdoors In is my first book written to encourage people to cook wild foods for their family as often as they get the chance to do. I also have wonderful vegetables and salads and a few tips on growing your own vegetables.

Recipes and Tips for Sustainable Living is my latest book and gives tons of tips for growing heirloom vegetables, herb pots, saving seeds, raising chickens and bees, composting, as well as tons of great recipes using the vegetables, fruit, chicken, eggs, and game that you harvest.

My DVD,Gourmet Venison, takes you through 15 venison recipes, some of which can be found in my book, Recipes and Tips for Sustainable Living. I take you through every step of each cut of venison and how to make it tender and succulent. 

Which magazine publication did you enjoy doing most?

I have loved every one of them. I know that sounds crazy, but they have all come from different angles and have shown the truths of how I live and why. I am just as excited and honored every time I do a magazine, tv, radio, or blogger interview. Each article takes on a different personality because each interviewer has a different personality. It is really quite enlightening.

Did any of your family members try to discourage the lifestyle you have chosen?

Not at all. We have always lived a little outside the box, but really there is nothing tremendously unusual about our lifestyle. Almost everyone back in the 1950’s had a kitchen garden and a few chickens running around in the back yard, canned overflowing vegetables for future use, and bought local honey from their neighbors. Food has always been a big part of life. Only recently have people entrusted large supermarkets for their sustenance and trusted the government to take care of them. 

What do you think your best asset is in helping others achieve self sustainability?

I want to encourage people to start where they are. You don’t have to own 50 chickens, a few cows, bee hives, run a top notch garden, have a composting bin right now. Learn a little and put it into practice. Learn a little more, put it into practice. Enjoy the process and soon enough you will be pretty well self-sufficient or at least locally-sufficient. I think my gifts are mostly to inspire and teach and make it as EASY as possible for people to get started and finish with pride. My books are full of EASY tips about living sustainable, eating wild, preparing beautiful delicious foods. 

If you could tell everyone one thing what would it be?

Be thankful. Find joy in living the day to day mundane as well as the exciting times. Put your sufficiency in Christ because no matter how much you prepare for the future, you are not completely in control. This is an ongoing lesson in my home. No matter what the situation, if you can give thanks, attitudes change and you will make better decisions. Take nothing for granted. 

I hope you enjoyed getting to know Stacy with www.gameandgarden.com. When you drop by her site please tell her The Rural Economist sent you.

Stacy is just one of the many writers who are trying to help you achieve your
Rural Dreams and Homestead Wishes

Subscribe to our mailing list

* indicates required

Email Address * 

First Name 

Last Name 

You can like The Rural Economist on Facebook follow on The Rural Economist on Gplus. Or you can even follow The Rural Economist on Pintrest. We now have a YouTube channel and we cover all sorts of things. Hope on over and check them out, oh and don't forget to subscribe.

Affiliate Link Disclosure: The post may contain affiliate links. I may receive compensation for links, endorsements, testimonials, or recommendations for any products mentioned on this blog. Any time you use one of our links for Amazon, if you purchase something The Rural Economist receives a small commission and it doesn't cost you any more. Even if you do not purchase the items I list. In this way you will help support us trying to teach people about self reliance and homesteading. Thanks for your consideration.