Homestead mailing list

[Don Bowen <don.bowen AT earthlink.net>]

> Beyond knowledge and tools, the major investment for a serious homesteader 
> is land. Without it, you are improving the investment of someone else. If 
> one chooses to not depend on a pension fund or social security, then one 
> must provide for one's own financial security.

One of the purposes of traveling around in my trailer will be to look at 
land.  I intend to look with the idea of where will I spend the rest of my 
life.  I was something relatively inexpensive which means away from major 
metropolitan and tourist areas.  I want decent rainfall or easily available 
water which unfortunately removes much of the west.  I want decent dirt 
because I do not have the time to build up another block of soil.  The good 
soil does not need to be all that much, just enough for a good sized 
garden.  I want a more temperate climate with a long growing season and no 
extended periods of below freezing weather.  So I intend to look around as 
I wander around.

>  What investment would you suggest that will pay the taxes and utilities, 
> pay for dependable transportation, replace worn-out tools, buy seeds, 
> and, yes, buy a new computer in one's post-working years?

That is an issue I have grappled with and do not have a decent 
answer.    Business decisions and a sudden loss of employment in the last 5 
years have left me with less than I anticipated.  The actions of the 
thieves in DC have transferred so  much wealth to the wealthy that my SSI 
will be almost meaningless.  So I invest a little in a trailer and a couple 
of years wandering around the country while I ponder this issue and where 
to live.

Don Bowen
Awl Knotted Up Woodworking
Valley Center, CA             http://www.braingarage.com