I have only been to your state once, but it is a beautiful place. However, my ancestors came to what is now SW Texas from Mexico in the late 1700’s-a few of them rode on to NM, but most stayed here-so my feet are rooted in Texas-sense of adventure aside, I’ll be staying here.
The nearest town-it has less than 900 people-is 18 miles away. There is a bigger town 22 miles away to the east in the next county, and a small city-about 18k people-about 30 miles away in the next county north. The nearest big city is SA, 38 miles to the south, 2 counties away. I haven’t been there in over 2 years...
As soon as I get it all in order, I’ll be finding 7-10 acres suitable for goats, chickens, large garden space to sell produce from. I lease this 5+ acres with a house that is mostly an old mobile from someone out of state-the place is their long-unused vaca cabin, very basic shelter and is not suitable for livestock or garden with more production than my own needs-since the clannish, semi-trashy old hippie/self reliant character of the area and residents is just perfect, I’m only going up the road a bit.
Your cabin sounds great-it is pretty much what I’m going to do, with the solar-in addition to a well, I’m also going to do rain capture, and gray water re-use-I do that now, as does just about everyone else. I’m not young-older than you-but I will continue work at making a modest living till my last breath like my relatives all do. I enjoy construction work much more than I enjoyed being a case manager anyway-my customers don’t whine as long as I provide good service...
I prefer to heat my house with a fireplace or wood stove-there’s plenty of wood around here just from limbs fallen in storms-and I grill the meat I eat over that or charcoal most of the time. I’m busily looking at available solar systems and storage batteries-may I ask which one you are going to use?
Sorry... I had thought I read upthread that you were wishing to homestead in AK - My mistake, I guess... Sounds like you've got it made, right about where you are anyway, and I wish you the best of luck! And I can understand that - There ain't nothing short of God above that could pull my roots out of this rocky ground.I haven't been more than 100 miles from right here in the last 20 years, and have no desire to leave. Been here nearly all my life, and there is still so much of it I have never seen, that I could never be bored, nor need a vacation other than that provided by simply turning down some gravel road I haven't yet explored...
I enjoy construction work much more than I enjoyed being a case manager anyway-my customers don’t whine as long as I provide good service...
Yup. I was in construction for a good part of my life - general contractor for a while, and owned landscaping and painting companies too. I love jamming a deal, making it come together, and still get the need now and then, but for the most part, I am trying to slow it down and step out of stress. I will probably wind up making really beautiful things out of wood (thinking maybe high-end billiard tables) out of a shop behind the house... and focus more on gardening and fishing - I want more life than money anymore (not that I can't make a really decent buck in a wood shop... but the money would be incidental).
I prefer to heat my house with a fireplace or wood stove-there’s plenty of wood around here just from limbs fallen in storms-and I grill the meat I eat over that or charcoal most of the time.
Ahh, and mesquite is probably everywhere! That makes a tasty smoke! I envy you. Up here it is mainly fir, larch, pine, alder, and birch... Though one can get at apple and cherry now and then. Hickory and mesquite are not real available except through chain stores in smoking chips.
I’m busily looking at available solar systems and storage batteries-may I ask which one you are going to use?
I'm a tinker, and I picked up this wrecked Prius, see... :P ... But I digress - I should probably just say I don't know... But I DO have 50 ft of south facing roof. : ) And I do know that I will be happy to see the day that the electric meter starts spinning the other direction : )
But that is probably not the emphasis - I am trying to go lo-tech... I need electricity to power the greenhouse for sure (though it will have a manual pumping system), and what little I need to keep connected to the internet... The rest is gravy. I would rather focus on oil and kerosene lamps for auxiliary lighting, and smoking, drying, and canning... I want to be comfortable in an electricity-free environment rather than looking for free electricity - Systems break, and high tech parts may not always be so easy to get. I want to figure out how to shut the fridge off, not worry about how to keep it running, see?