[MargoNyman]

Good day. I am a freedom loving girl living in a crazy world. I love to bake and cook and sew, and I am frugal and crafty. Gardening is a bit hard in my current environment (it’s too salty here, the air and the ground and even the rain) but I keep planting things until I find things that work. Currently have some trombinchino squash going that seem to be happy-ish. My mint and basil are happy, I’ve killed lots of thyme and rosemary and sage this year lol. I currently have a small sage plant in hydroponics that seems to be happy. My next project is an aquaponics set up. Looking for our forever homestead in mid to east Tennessee, minimum of 10 acres with some sort of house on it to be able to get a mortgage…. Looking forward to connecting with the community on this new platform!

Make it a great week y’all!

Margo

• This reply was modified 2 years, 1 month ago by  MargoNyman.

[NicoleSauce]

Glad to connect with you here!

[MargoNyman]

Also… can’t read the signs you are holding up…. maybe when I pull out the laptop I can see them lol

[packrat]

I have the feeling Nicole had no idea the compression would be so lossy on her upload.

What the signs might say, as I have a CSI-Enhance Feature on my Farnsworth Compulator:

On The Left:

(9) “9% of eaters {alternately, ‘estates’}
don’t have a
garden
# Occupy the Holler” {Only Probably. The compression really makes it look like ‘Geogy To Hater’, but I doubt that is what is written}

On the Right:
“1% of
Americans
can’t live
in a holler
I Occupy the H” (oller) {The i actually looks like the numeral one, but this is a more logical parsing}

Parentheses are what is probably obscured by the pose; brackets contain alternate readings.

I would like to know why 1% can’t live in a holler, and i am also glad that 99% of the country has yet to come to our holler/Hollow.
Parking, for example, would be an absolute Bear.

• This reply was modified 2 years, 1 month ago by  packrat.

[NicoleSauce]

We were making fun of Occupy Wallstreet years ago with those signs…

[packrat]

I got the ‘one percent’ reference– but using correct spelling, and the lack of things on fire, broke the illusion.

[packrat]

I am glad to see you here. I came to know LFTN through TSP, and enjoy listening to you and Tactical, and your Homestead Happenings, and have gotten to talk to you at Camden and Centerville get togethers.

As for me? There’s a TL;DR essay on my About section I won’t belabor here.

[MargoNyman]

Thanks

[Brandon]

We’re homesteading and homeschooling in the Finger Lakes region of NY.

We have dairy goats, rabbits, and various fowl.

I used to be a commercial beekeeper. Now I’m an electronics tech who dabbles in IT.

I’m decent at herbalism and natural living trivia.

I love sitting with the family, watching Little House on the Prairie with the wood stove going while watching the snow fly.

[NicoleSauce]

Very cool – I too am expunging the honeybees from my place having developed an unfortunate, yet extreme allergy to them 😀

[AwakenTheWildSoul]

Hi Nicole, thanks, we love watching and learning from your videos.

We are from Florida, working a small urban-type homestead, and awaiting a larger property where we can raise many more animals. We currently have quail, chickens, homing pigeons, rabbits, fish, and a few pets.

Thanks for all that you do!🙂

[NicoleSauce]

So cool! Yall are just now in your planting season for veggie gardening, right?

[AwakenTheWildSoul]

Yes, we’re setting up for fall and winter gardening, and adding another small greenhouse. We still get cold here~

[MargoNyman]

Where in Florida are you? We are as far east of Orlando as you can get 😉

[AwakenTheWildSoul]

Hello! We’re extreme west side of Florida, Pensacola & Crawfordville.

You did ok during hurricane Ian?

[MargoNyman]

Yeah we were just in the outside of all of it. Just trees and fencing down. But all were ok. How’d you fair?

[AwakenTheWildSoul]

Good to hear Yes-just some gusty wind for us.

[LettieLoo]

Lettie Loo here up in Northwestern Wisconsin.

We’re living in a small house in town, but have a deep pantry and freezer. Next year we will experiment with adding a garden in the yard, and I plan on learning how to can!

My skills are more of the administrative/organizational set, but I am willing and open to learning about everything I can. I do have basic carpentry, plumbing, and electric background from helping my dad with projects all around the house as a kid, so I’m not completely hopeless.

[NicoleSauce]

Dont be shy – you are the spreadsheet goddess many wish they had in their lives.

[LettieLoo]

I love a good spreadsheet. 😉

[packrat]

I can’t find a ThumbsUp anywhere to hit for your comment.
For someone who knows Terry Prachett’s Tiffany Aching Books:
Sometimes we ‘Nach Mac Feegles’ lack a good ‘Kelda’ for our Clan.

[MaryMichelle]

Hi Nicole!

I watch you, John (SOE), & Jack Spirko. Love the info you all give out. I am living here in Washington state due to a divorce in 2020. Originally from Georgia (all family still there) but moved to Washington state in 2014 after my husband got out of the Army, he is from Washington state. I live in an RV since 2020 and work at a clinic where the doctor allows me to have a garden and 5 chickens ( in city limits only 5 no roasters). Never had chickens until about 2 months ago. Patients love to walk and see the gardens and chickens.

With everything that has happen in the last 2 1/2 years, my plan is to save up and get a small piece of land (WA state or some where else), put my RV on it until I build a small house/cabin and have big garden and live stock (pigs, sheep, and more chickens). I am working to be totally off-grid (as much as possible) and not to depend on the system.

[NicoleSauce]

Sounds like you have put in a ton of work – Great idea to work with your employer for space to grow things when you have none.

[AutumnDawn]

Dawn here, recently relocated to Tennessee, on the border between east and west with my husband. We are living off-grid in an RV while we build our new home.

We have raised chickens, Muscovy ducks, Tamworth pigs, and hair sheep in Ohio and are looking to transfer those skills once we terraform the land from forest to silvo-pasture. (Anyone with skills cutting tall trees safely, please feel free to share your knowledge.)

We are currently learning things like solar, battery banks, charge controllers, and inverters. Rain catchment and composting bins are next to be built. We plan to start building an earthbag home in the spring, though we will likely start with something small like a root cellar to build our skillset.

I don’t claim to know everything, but I learn what I need to know as I need to know it. 😇 Feel free to reach out any time to talk shop or build friendships.

[NicoleSauce]

Autofab is not too far from you and may be able to help with the tree thing

[AutumnDawn]

How does one get in touch with Autofab?

[packrat]

This seconded. I tried to do my due diligence searching for a profile here, Mewe, YouTube, etc.

[Reid-at-HisHandHollow]

Reid here. Raised in Northwest Tennessee. Drug to Missouri by God. Now hidden there in the holler of His Hand. Chickens, turkeys, Dexters, the odd sheep, a three legged dog, and some number of cats.

[NicoleSauce]

How do you like raising the dexters? We considered that but ended up with hair sheep instead

[Reid-at-HisHandHollow]

So far, loving it. Had our first calving this past week. Easy peasy. We do plan to do hair sheep as well. Much easier to process and whatnot. If I can get my act together, I want to do a few in a sheep tractor. Quicker turn on the meat. So far our girl is just super chill and easy. If I can get a good bull, it looks like a low input meat train. I’m working my way into milking her. Stay tuned for that drama. 😉 Did I hear you roast and sell coffee as a side hustle? I’m curious about how you did that. Care to share?

[NicoleSauce]

HollerRoast.com is my coffee business – it started as a side hustle but has been growing to a full on business for about five years. I started roasting in 08. Had Holler Roast as a side hustle since 12, and got serious five years ago

[Reid-at-HisHandHollow]

Cool. We’ve got some friends that are heading back to Oaxaca to take over their family’s farm. While they don’t have coffee on his ranch, they do nearby. I like the idea of working directly with folks I know.

[Savana]

Hello!

24 year old student here! I didn’t know permaculture existed until I found a course for it at my local community college in Colorado. It quickly became my calling and passion on top of already wanting to buy myself a little chunk of land. I’m here to connect and learn from others who have been homesteading and practicing regenerative farming on their own as I hope to do it one day myself. I’m weary of the the reality ahead of me and see permaculture as my way “out of the matrix” so to speak. Sending love to you all and hope to meet some of you in person some day!!

[NicoleSauce]

Welcome Savana! Hope to meet you in person. 😀

[DeepSouth]

Welcome Nicole from Deep South Homestead 30 miles north of the Gulf Coast in Mississippi.

[NicoleSauce]

Nice to meet you. Finally got myself together to get going on Freesteading!

[MontanaJanet]

Hello from NW Montana, where we are wondering why winter hasn’t arrived yet. Many of you know me from the MeWe group—for those who don’t, my husband and I have been here for 30 years on a 7-acre piece of ground where we grow most of our food and raise chickens and pigs. Hubby has a construction company (concrete foundations) and I teach sewing classes here and in Spokane, WA.

[NicoleSauce]

Hi Janet! Glad to see you here!

[Bonnie-Blue]

Wish I could live up there. My brother just bought a place in Thompson Falls. Sunday he sent me this pic (my new Lock Screen pic!)

• This reply was modified 2 years, 1 month ago by  Bonnie-Blue.

[MontanaJanet]

That’s a beautiful area, about 45 minutes from us. We’re near Kalispell.

[Bonnie-Blue]

Oh, I love kalispell. We visited there many years ago.

[Rockin8]

Hey y’all this is Chris from Rockin 8 Farm in Central Texas. YouTuber. Gardener. Breeder of Idaho Pasture Pigs and several breeds of English Orpington Chickens.

[NicoleSauce]

Is your YT account Rockin8? 😀 – welcome – I will check your channel out

[Rockin8]

I’m Rockin 8 Farm almost everywhere. MyFace WeTweet ParBoat….all of ’em

[Pinky_Gardens]

My name’s Jessica but my friends call me Pinky .

Born and raised in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. I moved to Tennessee in ’06.

Ben gardening off and on on mostly half acre to 1 acre properties. I’ll be moving on to a 9.42 acre property here soon. It’s completely raw land so I’m completely starting over. I’m excited to start this journey! The property is in SE TN Bradley county.

My next step once I’m on the property after clearing for my garden is to get chickens

[NicoleSauce]

Sounds like a fun upgrade – I hope you will not feel rushed to “do it all” in the first year. Sometimes taking the time to observe the land yields better long term results if you can swing it!!

[Pinky_Gardens]

Thank you! Yes i’ve made a list of 2 items i will need within a year and the rest of the items are 5 year plan, the high tunnel i want is a long ways off until i see where the water runs. Its very tempting to start a ton of projects but I have limited myself to the ones that really need to be started.

[Jeremy-aka-One-Step-Closer]

Hi, I’m Jeremy from North Texas. I was happy to meet you at the last Self Reliance Festival. I’m currently an Operations/Finance guy in the Financial Services industry. I’ve been learning to garden this year, and am about to build my first Kratky style hydroponics system. I’m also a part-time handy man and love to build and fix things with my daughter. I’m currently in the suburbs but I am looking to acquire some land in Tennessee in the next couple of years or so. Some place with nice rolling hills and good hiking nearby.

[NicoleSauce]

The good news is that much of Tennessee has good hiking nearby…

[Hitem20]

Brent – husband and small business owner from Pa (MFG Parts & a Machine Shop). We started “homesteading” on our property 4 years ago, raising rabbits/quail etc. We are looking to purchase a property in WV or NH (leaning towards WV$$) to be our monthly escape and at some point our final growing space.

We have worked with Nicole’s companies and sponsored The Self Reliance Festival as we try to support these communities as much as possible.

[NicoleSauce]

Great to see you here – I still appreciate your tips on how to transition my dogs to a raw diet of rabbits!

[Hitem20]

So glad its working out for you. Our new puppy has taken really well to eating raw and is now devouring whole quail like a lion.

Another treat we have found that they love are dehydrated or smoked Lungs (sheep/goat etc). The dogs love them and they should be readily available from whomever processes your animals.

[Billt21]

Bill here in Bellevue Nebraska zone 5B most years. I am an urban gardener packing as much growing space into my side yard as possible much to the dismay of my neighbors. I know most are homestead focused but I see more than a few are like me in an urban environment to now and I want to encourage that as much as possible. I have been hobby gardening for years, but went really serious three years ago. Now I am focused on more sustainable practices that are applicable to the urbanite and that lead me to permaculture and all the wonderful people Like Nicole and Billy.

If you are in the greater metro of Bellevue and want/need help getting started you can DM me.

Have a great day all

Bill T.

[TagNBee]

There are lots of Urbanites here. Make sure to join the Nebraska group and Yoke Up with your community

[Billt21]

Good afternoon. I was the first sign up at Nebraska. What you find is that the greater Omaha metropolitan area is a very strange zone of extreme normality bias. I keep trying though. Thanks for means to do so.

Have a great day

[NicoleSauce]

I love urban growing spaces! It is always so cool to see the space saving ideas — and to use them in places where we have more space

[Billt21]

It’s a constant work in progress as I drill down to what works. I am just hoping I can pass on some inspiration like you and your cadre of friends have done for me.

Have a great day.

Bill T.