# Small towns..



## Seneca (Nov 16, 2012)

In the middle of nowhere
What are your thoughts on small remote unincorporated communities. I looking at buying a lot in just such a place.


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## darsk20 (Jun 1, 2015)

In what way?

In and around Chattanooga we have numerous unincorporated communities, but most are not what you would consider nowhere., since they are near somewhere.

Unincorporated is good for lower taxes, but you have to rely on the county for road work, police and maybe fire. 

Our fire department is volunteer based and thus significantly under funded. We support them to ensure a quick and reliable response but I can't say that all are as well supported.


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## Auntie (Oct 4, 2014)

For me it would depend on the location. I would not want to be in the middle of a desert as I have no experience with that. If it was a wooded area I would jump on it. I really like the smaller towns, less regulations and less expensive


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## PaulS (Mar 11, 2013)

Small communities are wonderful as long as you fit in with your home, income, religion and political ideals. If you don't fit in you will always be an outsider no matter how long you live there. That was the mistake we made when we bought our property in NE Washington. We didn't fit in with our incomes and we didn't fit in with our religion. We have had one or more people living there for almost twenty years and we are still not accepted. The label of "like minded folks" means that you fit into their idea of what people should be, do, and make. It can be a tough ride unless you are willing to change your own ideals to fit the community.


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## Chipper (Dec 22, 2012)

Be careful and talk to the locals before you buy. You never know what your moving into. Numerous situations come to mind on how one can regret such a move. Plan carefully and do some research before the leap.


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## Camel923 (Aug 13, 2014)

Some places if you were not born and raised there, your always the outsider. Others work well provided you blend in. If you blend in, it can be a great experience.


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## bigwheel (Sep 22, 2014)

Too far from town. You need in a close in older ******* suburb of a big town. Much closer to the heart doctor..horspital..likker stores..cabarets..prepper supply places etc. Lot of imbred idiot chain saws types leave in the little hick towns. I got kin that are like that. Not a good place to be.


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

Our place is on a dead end dirt road 6 miles outside a one stop light town of less than 2,000.
In town there is a Subway, a diner, an Ace Hardware, a grocery, barber shop, two gas stations. Equidistant the other way is another grocery, a great little restaurant, an auto parts store, and other Mom-n-Pop stores typical of small town America.

It is great, unless you are married to someone who needs a shopping mall. 
The hospital is an hour away. There used to be one about 7 miles away, but it closed down.
The Big City is an hour away. The Atlantic Ocean is an hour away - great during hurricane season, not great if you want to get your toes wet.

All in all, I'd rather live in a rural area. I grew up in the megalopolis that is South Florida, where every thing you would ever need is only a mile or two away. And a lot of things you don't need, too. I look at my old house on bing maps and wonder how in the heck I ever put up with that congestion. I guess because I didn't know any different.
Now, when I'm on our dirt road and pull up to the stop sign at the two lane blacktop county road, if there's a car coming it is unusual. Two cars is a traffic jam.
Cows make the best neighbors.


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## Spice (Dec 21, 2014)

When you're not close to most 'shopping opportunities' you realize you don't need them. When you don't have much in the way of local services and/or governance, you find you don't need much of that either. You do need what local governance there is not to be high-handed jerks; so you might want to hang around enough to start hearing some local gossip to find out about that if possible.

In my experience with one small (but not small enough to be unincorporated) community, 'outsiders' remain to some extent 'outsiders' for a long time; and people like the locals are accepted as 'locals' faster than 'odd types'. But people don't hold being an 'outsider' against you much if you're a good community member in other ways.

The biggest red flag is to be perceived as a member of a group the locals have a negative stereotype about. Around here for example, it's way better to be thought a 'tree-hugger hippie' than a 'city hunter'...the first is just thought odd, the second thought of as stupid, annoying, and untrustworthy.

In general, there are less people hassles in such places ... if only because there are less people and the probability of running into someone who's trouble is less.


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

Seneca, I could write a book about the search that me and Mrs Slippy did prior to finding the land that we call Slippy Lodge. The perfect small town exists but it is damn hard to find. Affordability of land, close to certain things that you need and want to do, and the type of land that you want to call home. Family, friends, medical care, work etc all played a role. We wanted to be far enough away from the crazies and close enough to still be able to do things. 

Is Slippy Lodge the perfect piece of land? No, but pretty close in my opinion. At first I was worried we would be too close to Mrs Slippy's family. Well when her Mother got sick, it turned out to be a God send that Mrs S was relatively close by to help her. 

All you can do is put in the time, research and do a little bit of praying too. Good luck.


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## OctopusPrime (Dec 2, 2014)

I live in the city and dislike it a great deal. Once I can afford land I'm buying some to raise sheep as a side business. Making sheep cheese and selling refined wool products for profit...that's my dream. 

I notice when I go out to my parents retirement house, which is out in the country here in Washington, people are visibly curious who I am. For example I was watering the plants outside and cars would drive by slowly with both passengers staring at me...I just smile and wave. I don't like the odd attention but I understand I'm an outsider in their community and respond kindly...word travels fast in small communities.


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## 8301 (Nov 29, 2014)

Camel923 said:


> Some places if you were not born and raised there, your always the outsider. Others work well provided you blend in. If you blend in, it can be a great experience.


100% correct. Walk in the stores, eat in the restaurants, check that the locals are friendly to new people in town.


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## rice paddy daddy (Jul 17, 2012)

FoolAmI said:


> 100% correct. Walk in the stores, eat in the restaurants, check that the locals are friendly to new people in town.


Hold the door for others, say "hello" to strangers on the sidewalk. On the back roads wave at the oncoming driver. When driving in the grocery store parking lot, stop your vehicle for pedestrians. Never be in a hurry. Always be courteous.
That is how we do things in Southern small town America, regardless of age, race, gender.


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## Smitty901 (Nov 16, 2012)

I live outside a small town of 300 if you could find them all. We like it that way. Different life style.


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## Seneca (Nov 16, 2012)

I wiki'd the town and just got a blurb of information about it being unincorporated. I've been through the town on several occasions, so I am somewhat familiar with it. I have yet to determine whether its a sleep berg or comatose in need of life support. A visit is in order.

It's high desert a one gas station off the two lane. High desert is a good match for me because most of my survival skill sets are geared towards that environment. 

The reality sites were a bit more informative. It appear that 40 % of the property is in the form of rentals and given the 20 or so houses in the township and what I see for sale it appears that maybe (big maybe) 10 houses are held by owners.


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## Snocam (May 29, 2015)

We moved from southern NJ to our town of 450 here in VT 8 years ago. Best decision we ever made. Our home town wasn't that big, but it was growing fast and land was expensive. We have a pretty good group of friends that are all like minded, some transplants and some natives. It took about a year for us to really have a social agenda, but that was fine since the first year was mainly spent building our house. I love being in a low density area. I have always felt that I am in my bug out location already. It is easily defendable, water isn't a problem, but it does get cold. I like the winter and the challenges it poses though. Good luck if you decide to make the move, and keep us posted. Owning land and having the freedom of country living is great.


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## Stick (Sep 29, 2014)

I'm about twelve miles from town. Takes 45 minutes to an hour to get there. 4x4 in winter, often as not. Summer, too, depending on which trail I take. There's a post office, a volunteer fire department, a saloon that serves chow and one that doesn't (but it does have bingo), a combo gas/grocery/motel, and a transfer station for trash. No traffic lights. We had a stop sign for a couple weeks but someone ran it over and it never got put back up. Town is about two by three blocks, couple three dozen houses, many empty. There's about a hundred folks hanging around here. A few more if one extends the range out further. 4th of July everyone comes to town for the parade, and take turns being in the parade and spectating, so we have in essence two parades. Sometimes three. And a picnic in the park. No crime as everyone knows everyone else, and we are all pretty well armed to the teeth most of the time, anyway. Doesn't pay to get mouthy and rude around here as it won't be tolerated. There is a part-time health clinic 50 miles away, hospital, hardware and gun shops are 100 miles and more. Most of us are pretty independent but when anyone needs help, town seems to rally. I've always liked small towns...even larger towns make me uncomfortable, just don't like em. Cities I simply do not go to. Ever. Well, maybe Reno for the gun show...


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## redhawk (May 7, 2014)

Where I am, you have to travel 10 miles or so to get to the nearest town and 15 to 20 minutes away from "Wally World"  I have a few neighbors within a mile or so and I love it out here. My advice to you is...study all aspects and truly weigh both the pros and cons before making a decision and I know this may be hard to do. but try to consider your needs in the future also...JM2C


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## RNprepper (Apr 5, 2014)

Check out things like road maintenance, fire department coverage, and the politics of the place. Lots of folks in small towns are related, by blood or marriage and through several generations. The neighbor lady might be married to the grandson of the grouchy geezer who runs the only hardware store. And who knows where all the in-laws, out-laws, and cousins are hiding. You have to be really careful not to step on toes until you find out who all the toes belong to. 

On the other hand, a healthy small community can be very friendly and full of good hearted people who don't like the big city any more than you do. These folks are the salt of the earth and would give you the shirt off their back if you needed it. They will pull you out of the mud and be offended if you try to pay them. You'll fit in faster if you can get involved in some community events and committees. Just watch out for the token trouble maker. Every town has one.


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## MI.oldguy (Apr 18, 2013)

Rural or semi-rural is the way to go.we are semi-rural in a township in upper Michigan.while I say semi-rural,we are very near a small college city.+ or - 15,000 when school is in session,lots less when school is out.
That does sound like a lot of people,granted.but,when you have lived where we have lived,(west coast,VERY large cities,lots of crime and idiots)rural is the only way to go.we live in a very friendly place but,until you make some contacts you do feel like an outsider.


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## Maine-Marine (Mar 7, 2014)

this is where I grew up

https://www.google.com/maps/place/V...bc3fedf7a6a3:0xdb002e3c8197733c!6m1!1e1?hl=en

population then 250, today its 150....

newcomers are viewed with suspicion and during your first 10 years it is best NOT to speak during any town council meeting unless you are asked a question. if you purchase a house they will still refer to it as the SMITH place - because the Smiths owned it for 80 years


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## PAPrepper (Oct 24, 2013)

Auntie said:


> For me it would depend on the location. I would not want to be in the middle of a desert as I have no experience with that. If it was a wooded area I would jump on it. I really like the smaller towns, less regulations and less expensive


I would be all over it!


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## bigwheel (Sep 22, 2014)

Small town folks are way too nosey. Then all the Church of Christ come door knocking wanting to play 42. That can drive folks crazy.


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## Seneca (Nov 16, 2012)

I contacted the realtor and everything sounds good so far, as I'm already familiar with the area, its just a matter of taking a 160 mile road trip to put boots on the ground and take a look at the things you won't see in the photos (160 miles that should be far enough away from the city). 

Might do a little fishing or check out the town. Water power phone and septic are already on the property so that's a plus. I'm starting to get excited about this, and yes the little voice in the back of my mind is telling me not to get my hopes up. Yet I've been looking at property going on a year now. It's about time I caught a break.


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## tinkerhell (Oct 8, 2014)

rice paddy daddy said:


> Our place is on a dead end dirt road 6 miles outside a one stop light town of less than 2,000.
> In town there is a Subway, a diner, an Ace Hardware, a grocery, barber shop, two gas stations. Equidistant the other way is another grocery, a great little restaurant, an auto parts store, and other Mom-n-Pop stores typical of small town America.
> 
> It is great, unless you are married to someone who needs a shopping mall.
> ...


Can you flash you porch lights? I think I found you on google maps.


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## tinkerhell (Oct 8, 2014)

Seneca said:


> I contacted the realtor and everything sounds good so far, as I'm already familiar with the area, its just a matter of taking a 160 mile road trip to put boots on the ground and take a look at the things you won't see in the photos (160 miles that should be far enough away from the city).
> 
> Might do a little fishing or check out the town. Water power phone and septic are already on the property so that's a plus. I'm starting to get excited about this, and yes the little voice in the back of my mind is telling me not to get my hopes up. Yet I've been looking at property going on a year now. It's about time I caught a break.


do yourself a favor and have your septic lines scoped to the field. If you find any problems, you can factor the repair costs into your purchase price.

When we had our pipes scoped, the plumber found 2 sags between the house and the citiy's main sewage line. One sag was on our property, the other on city property. We put a condition on the purchase that the work has to be completed by our posession date, otherwise the seller has to kick $5,000 back at us. It cost them $2700 and the work was done before possession date. The lawn was repaired a month later, but I'm still happy.


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## Snocam (May 29, 2015)

Like tinkerhell just said, have the septic scoped, plan on having the tank pumped, if there is one. Also, its possible to have the horizontal lines in the septic field cleaned, which adds a bit of life to the field. It just depends on the age of the system. Its good to know what replacement costs are on a septic system in your area as well. Here in the North East, failed septic systems can be a huge headache for a new land owner. Sometimes you can research the well with by going to the company that drilled it. They may be able to give you a depth and recovery time(gallons per minute) because many companies record what they get from one well to the next, it helps them determine roughly what a well will cost in the area.


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## Maine-Marine (Mar 7, 2014)

Seneca said:


> I contacted the realtor and everything sounds good so far,


Dude - On the honesty scale, Realtors are one step up from Military Recruiters....


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## bigwheel (Sep 22, 2014)

Best medicine for septic tanks is re route the gray water for the yard. Most especially the washing machine. Bugs who eat poo poo do not like soap or bleach.


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## Seneca (Nov 16, 2012)

One of the reason I want to have a look see is to check the condition and location of the power box, septic tank and water lines onto the property, and possibly set some pre sale conditions. 

I know this property has been listed for nearly two years, it may be the asking price is too high the location is to far out for commuting purposes or there could be some other issues with the location or needed/costly repairs to the improvements.


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## Slippy (Nov 14, 2013)

Good luck Seneca, I'm happy for you and the new adventure in your life.


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## tinkerhell (Oct 8, 2014)

We had a property inspector do up a report, it cost us about $450. But it included WET certification for my bookstore.

Personally I wouldn't recommend it to a friend because I could always show them my report and they could just use it as a template to do an inspection on their own home. 

But, for a fellow prepper many miles away, I have to recommend it, because they are very thorough so eventually once the sting of the $450 invoice goes away, you will have a good idea of what you are facing within to property. The info will be worth it.


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## Seneca (Nov 16, 2012)

Slippy said:


> Good luck Seneca, I'm happy for you and the new adventure in your life.


Thanks Slippy, 
I still have a ton of obligations here in the big city, so even if this pans out it will be a while before Casa Seneca becomes a reality, nose to the grindstone and all that fun.
Now to figure out how many shipping containers I'll need to build my castle...J/K


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## arrowblazer71 (Jul 27, 2015)

bigwheel said:


> Too far from town. You need in a close in older ******* suburb of a big town. Much closer to the heart doctor..horspital..likker stores..cabarets..prepper supply places etc. Lot of imbred idiot chain saws types leave in the little hick towns. I got kin that are like that. Not a good place to be.


Kind Of sounds like you might have been born in such a town..

I live in a small community of 1400 people. I grew up in a town of 600 people with several tiny towns or villages rather of 40-80 people. I am here to tell you we actually have great doctors who travel from the small county offices to larger city's to practice. We have great liquor stores, and i am only a 45 minute drive in 3 directions from great prepper stores. Most of us do own chainsaws do to the fact that we still burn wood in fireplaces and wood heating stoves. We have farms, farm animals, fields, old cars/tractors and still know how to work the land for growing our own endless food supply. We can hunt right outside of town. We have plenty of streams and ponds for fishing. I would say we are better off in small towns when the SHTF. We are all neighbors friends and even family. I think we would all ban together in a situation unlike city dwellers that will most likely loot shoot and bug out when their food, water, and security supply runs out.

This is just my opinion in response to the horrific picture painted of small towns by bigwheel


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## Ripon (Dec 22, 2012)

We're there not some small towns giving lots away?


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## Punkboy (Jul 31, 2015)

I like small cities, but like PaulS has said it's hard to fit in a small town. I live in a town of about 22,533 (as of 2013) and even here the income level, religion and political ideals are different than my home town. I'm just here for school and business and after I'm finished with school I', going home lol.


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## Seneca (Nov 16, 2012)

I visited the lot actually there are two, and took a look around (after calling the realtor and asking if it was okay). The realtor after several attempts to send me the information via email has failed to produce an useful information. Zip nada! 

Either he's simply launching it into cyber space hoping it lands where it is supposed to or somebody else is getting email meant for me. Some of us older folks made the transition into the age of information and some of us still don't get it. I'm assuming he is of the latter. Since sending an email is pretty simple.

I'm on the verge of looking elsewhere, I don't read a book by it's cover so I won't judge the neighborhood by first impressions, which in this instance wasn't all that great, remember me mentioning the thing about realtor photos, so true in this situation. 

Glad I took the time to go have a look for myself, it is a very small town (dirt streets) and some places looking like the people cared and others looking like junk yards or worse if that is possible. almost every house seemed to have large dogs in kennels or large dogs and high fences, and there are not that many houses maybe forty tops. I'm not sure if that is a clue or not. Seems a bit odd

Both lots were trashed one had a half burned out trailer house on it. The other was not nearly as bad yet it looked as if someone had taken to ditching their yard clippings and brush on it.

So yeah it was worth the trip to the boonies to take a look around, if a picture is worth a thousand words then actually putting eyeballs on it is priceless.


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## Will2 (Mar 20, 2013)

Seneca said:


> In the middle of nowhere
> What are your thoughts on small remote unincorporated communities. I looking at buying a lot in just such a place.


I am libertarian - and governments arn't libertarian in Canada, its socialism and police state mentality up here. I am in a fairly remote area but population is large enough for incorporation - a few hundred or so - and the provincial government (like state government) merged it to a very large geographic municipality, so it is sort of like a town with a population of perhaps 20,000 people bigger than many US states. Its not unincorporated.

My thoughts are, I highly recommend it if you have your own services. EG, electricity ,access to a well, and enough heating source such as geothermal or a way to get oil, coal or wood on site.

There are a few issues - you will need a vehicle or someone else to bring in supplies depending on remoteness either you will need to buy bulk or travel for stuff, no post office no courier deliveries most likely etc..

There is likely a reason no one lives there though.

Personally I've aimed to get as remote as I can without being completely isolated and without services, I am next to crownland these days which means my backyard is endless forest until you hit Hudson bay or the Arctic ocean more or less. I do have a few areas that are even more remote as bug outs but realistically, I think my planning is heading south rather than north these days.

Being libertarian I consider most government totally rude and infringing on my personal liberties, the concept other people have the right to tell me how to live my life, it just is totally not accepted if it concerns myself and my property. In a socialist state though these lines are blurred and the government feels it not only owns all property but also people too. Its really unfortunate that it is a totalitarian police state up here. Nonorganized communities offer one less level of totalitarian government but that is only the local government level -atleast no bylaws. To escape the provincial government you need to be on a First Nations Reserve, and you can't escape the Federal Government with the closest to that being unceeded first nations territories, or previously some BC first nations territory. There are some pretty damn remote places up here that few people have been to, but it is damn cold in the winter.

If you have yourself covered I would definately go unorganized over organized unless you share the values of those you live with. As a libertarian there just arn't many of us, and definately it ain't so at the provincial or federal levels.

I was considering but building costs were too high to consider, lots of acreage for low price, but I just didn't have the resources to make it realistic. If you have the resources and a plan, for sure. If you don't need or want community resources, public events, community recreation etc.. then unincorporated is the way to go.

I'm headed back to university in the fall so its the exact opposite there, you don't exist as a person, its all unionized these days politically, no civil rights exist.

Just realize you can't escape big brother only limit the type of contact you have.

With this in mind, if you are depending on others for services you may not be ready, of course I would recommend trying to reach your would be neighbours to see what they are like, as they are your lifeline in event of a crisis. Also do you have a plan for service outage, fewer people lower priority for repair.

Just to clarify by south I don't mean the USA. I am more so interested in Latin America. Mexico seems a little out of reach but who knows, also I have been looking a little into Belize - nice enough people there, and government seems a little more laid back there. Of course I look white, not sure if that matters. I'm not rascist. Madagascar and Guyana (South America) were also areas of interest for permanent resettlement.

None the less I would pick somewhere that is not so organized at all levels rather than just picking somewhere that was locally unorganized.


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## Seneca (Nov 16, 2012)

I'm not trying to escape big brother, I'm simply working to get my narrow ass out of the city and into a locale that I am comfortable in. I don't like being in the city! and I'm leaving as soon as I can get my ducks in a row. It has nothing to do with governments, big brother or a litany of other grievances one can level at bureaucratic nonsense. It has everything to do with me and my desire to enjoy wide open spaces and a slower pace of life. It really is that simple.


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## PaulS (Mar 11, 2013)

A slower pace of life... I don't think that goes along with being self-sufficient. You have a farm to tend, animals to tend, fencing that needs repair, and a host of other things that cannot be put off. In the spring you are planting, birthing, and cleaning up after winter. In the summer you are tending the farm (big garden), branding and castrating stock, repairing fences and buildings, and taking care of equipment. You are also preparing for winter, cutting chopping and splitting wood, making sure the roof is in good shape, clearing brush and planting second crops and harvesting the early ones. You are canning, smoking and curing foods. In the fall you are rushing to get the last of your wood ready, canning the second harvest, putting up potatoes and storing grains. As winter comes you are gathering the animals and getting them to locations where they will survive the winter. You are culling the animals that are not likely to make it through the winter and hunting to supplement your meat supplies. More canning, smoking, pickling so that you don't waste any of your resources. In the winter life slows a bit but you have to protect your animals from predators, keep them fed and healthy, and protect all your gear from the ravages of winter. You work 14 to 16 hours a day, 7 days a week and, if you are lucky, you might get a few days to rest between emergencies.

Anyone who thinks that living off the grid offers a slower pace of life is in for a big surprise!


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