Robin Tidwell's Blog, page 3

Fall on the Farm

November is that time of year when you can finally relax a bit on your homestead. It’s not too hot and not too cold, a little extra wind some days, and of course, the rain and mud are always around as soon as the ground starts to dry out a bit. This is when I […]

Homestead Series VI—Income Opportunities and Finances

I’ve mentioned the importance of having some cash reserves for medical needs, emergencies, car trouble, even disasters; or maybe just to buy something you’re unable to produce yourself. But maybe you’re retired or would like to be in a few years, or perhaps you’re ready to quit the day job and homestead full-time. There are […]

Homestead Series V—Living on Your Homestead

You could look up many fun facts about the original homesteaders, but did you also know that half of them failed? Half packed up and went back East or moved into a nearby town or maybe kept going further west, chasing an elusive dream. Ever wonder why? Again, you can look up this stuff, and […]

Homestead Series IV—What to do Next

You planned, purchased, built, and are living on your homestead. What’s next? Homesteading can be summed up in one word: self-sufficiency. Decide what you need to become self-sufficient. Shelter—you’re living in it; water—done, as you have your infrastructure in place; and food. Food falls into two categories, what you grow and what you raise, and […]

Homestead Series III—What to Do First

Last time, I talked about land and the characteristics you might be looking for, how to purchase, how to narrow down the possibilities, and the importance of knowing why and for what reasons you want to homestead. I spoke briefly about housing, and noted that we put in over 3,600 even before we moved to […]

Homestead Series II—Land

Your options are endless… One acre. Five. Fifty. And anything in between, or more. As I mentioned before, ideally you should buy as many acres as you can, paying cash. Why? First, you don’t know what the future may bring, and you can do a lot with some extra acreage: build additional cabins for family […]

Homestead Series I

What do you need to start a homestead? Some folks think that all you need to start homesteading is a piece of land. Yes, but no. There’s a lot more to homesteading. A lot. In its purest definition, a homestead is a small farm on which you become self-sufficient. In order to do this, you […]

Border Crisis

Alright, let’s talk about those detention centers, the ones some insist on calling “concentration camps.” I suppose, in a way, that’s technically correct, since people are “concentrated” in a certain area. But whatever you call them, let’s talk. First, for years, a decade at least, people have been coming to our borders to seek asylum, […]

If Not Now, When?

Once upon a time, I was a bashful little doormat. Yup, it’s true. I walked around with my head down all the time. I’m surprised my chin didn’t fuse to my collar bone. When I was sixteen, my dad beat the ever-lovin’ crap out of me. Why? On the surface, it was because I cursed […]

What is a Good Person?

Someone told me recently that she was a “good person.” What does that mean? It might be easier to define a “bad” person: a rapist, a murderer, a bank robber. These are all examples of “bad” people unless, of course, one ascribes to the theory that there are no bad people, only misguided ones or […]