“I wish my wife would want to do what you do.”
I kind of wince when I hear that kind of statement. I’ve heard it a lot in the last five years of my off-grid life, but it makes me cringe because no woman wants to be compared to any other woman. I don’t do what I do to win any kind of competition or to be a more hard core homesteader because I live off grid. The best way that I know to describe my life is simply…a calling. I feel it deep down inside that this is the way that I’m supposed to live.
Since my children began to come along, I’ve always been a stay at home mom. In my suburban electric life, this meant that sweatpants and slippers were often all day attire. Not anymore! My hiking boots prove that to me much more than anything else could. I donned these every day for the first two years we were building our homestead. They went on first thing in the morning and were taken off when I collapsed in bed that night. They’ve seen lots of rough terrain and hard work! They stand as a testimony of what I accomplished in those first years.
There was not much sitting down back then. There was a big learning curve as I pushed forward to do all my household chores without electricity or running water. I learned to wash all our clothes (even baby diapers) by hand. I pumped and carried water for all our needs: laundry, drinking, cooking, cleaning, and bathing. I learned to cook over an open fire. Homeschool was more “life” school at that point, but I taught my son to read during some spare moments every day. I perfected using a cooler as our permanent means of refrigeration, as well as learned to cook from ingredients that required no refrigeration at all. I washed all our dishes by hand, swept the floor instead of vacuumed, and filled our lanterns with kerosene to use especially during the winter nights. I frequently think about that time. It was a time when I was literally working by butt off every day. Every task was more difficult than it had ever been before.
Women especially wonder why I would put myself through that. I’m not sure that I have a satisfactory answer. The work was my reality every day. I didn’t let myself think about it too much. I just did it. But the motivation behind it was always a driving force. It truly was a calling. I never even considered the possibility of quitting. I was desperate to see my children grow up in a rural setting with a strong work ethic and love for nature. I wanted so badly to be by my husband’s side as he and my dad built our homestead and figured out how to make our homestead business work. I loved the pride that filled my heart when my hard work was rewarded in tangible ways. I was most inspired to keep going when my home canned goods began lining the pantry shelves, as I brought the clothes in from the line smelling like clean mountain air, as my children explored our woods and built all sorts of things from the rocks and sticks they found, and as my family worked and bonded together.
Not every day was inspiring. In fact, most were not. Many days had struggle, failure, and tears. Our first winter was more difficult than I ever could have imagined. My most vivid memories still involve the frozen washtubs and my completely numb hands from doing the laundry. “Whatever doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.” It sounds so cliché, and I’ll be honest and say that I hated that phrase back then. But looking back…the truth of it is staggering. I’m so thankful that I had those experiences because it did make me stronger. With every day that went by, I could feel the work getting easier. Maybe I was just getting used to it or maybe I was learning how to work smarter. It was most likely a healthy combination of both.
The lessons that I learned from those most difficult years will always stick with me. I learned that I am far more capable than my life in an electric suburban house inspired me to be. Now when I face a difficult task, I look back on what I’ve accomplished, and I have the confidence that I can really do anything. There is a show that aired on PBS many years ago, called the “Frontier House”. My husband and I can relate to many of the participants’ experiences. One woman explained how the busiest day of her “normal” life could never even compare to the hard work of every day on her homestead.
Homesteading women of times past have become my heros. They knew how to work hard! Most of us will never even come close to understanding that and that makes me sad. Our consumer culture takes everything for granted. Things that I consider luxuries like air conditioning or a dishwasher are necessities to modern America. There’s been a shift over time to see things as what we deserve instead of things that we have earned. I have so many conveniences that historical homesteading women did not have, but I’ve learned to never take them for granted. Gaining conveniences after a time of doing without them, increases their value exponentially. I know no better way to establish gratefulness than to do without something. Beyond anything else, off grid homesteading has taught me to be thankful for everything I have.
Jaimie is a writer and vlogger for AnAmericanHomestead
Visit Us Online: http://AnAmericanHomestead.com
Sounds like an exceptional lifestyle. Congrats and keep up the good work!
Hello! Jamie. You are a very inspiring woman. I still dream of the day when I get my own water pump. I could feel your happiness and excitement (and relief!) when you finally got yours. And having a family that works together is truly a blessing. Stay cozy and have a fun Holiday Season! :))
It's stressful at times but we wouldn't have it any other way. The reward is just too great! Thanks for commenting and stopping by!
What a GREAT post! I am getting ready to start a series, "The dark side of homesteading" It will be funny, don't worry, but there is a lot of "glamorous mystique" about a lifestyle that leaves me with chicken poop on every pair of shoes I own... LOL! The idea of "self reliant" is appealing to so many people, but the nuts and bolts get a little messy, don't they?
Yes, we have chicken poop on our shoes too! It's ok, we love our chickens but I can imagine that would be too much for some people! I'll be looking for your series!
Lol! Be patient with me... I have a million ideas and only one me!
That is going to be a fun series to read! It's true we build up mystique around so many things that really are good things...but leave you with chicken poop on your shoes. It's important to stay practical and know that even the best dreams exist in the real world and you have to be ready to achieve them with hiking boots and a smile.
Thank you for the encouragement!
I so agree on what it takes to get "there".
As a culture we are so poor in our management of the resources our ancestors would have been thrilled to have.
So true!
I’m just the opposite. I’m the one saying, “I wish my husband wanted to live that way.” In the meantime, I’m doing what I can to live the homesteading lifestyle with what I’ve got.
Here is a video we published a while back that might give encouragement. Take it a little at a time!
I loved this video!
Awesome video! Thank you
I totally agreed with you when you said "Gaining conveniences after a time of doing without them, increases their value exponentially." because its so true, that you never realize the true value until you've lost it, and you really do appreciate it that much more when you get it again. :D
We aren't off grid here yet but we've struggled through weeks without power during winter here on occasion. I never even tried to do laundry during those periods. I can't even imagine me doing laundry in freezing cold water, my hands would never warm up again, of course they're constantly cold this time of year normally, but they do occasionally warm up, especially if I'm holding my husbands hands. He's the best heat source I know. :D
God bless you and your family. :D Have an awesome day! :D
LOL! Thanks for your comment!
You're welcome. :D God bless you and your family. :D Have an awesome day! :D
Nice to see another article by Jaimie! Thanks for doing that, nice to see what the other half of @mericanhomestead has to offer!
She's know for posting from time to time. She's working on another article now.
Love this. Wow, you are a total badass!! So much strength and inspiration, such hard work in the beginning. A true calling <3 *that chicken looks amazing!!
Thanks Karen!
Beep!Beep! @shadow3scalpel & listkeeper @chairborne have your six new veterans, retirees and military members on STEEM. We’ll be patrolling by to upvote your posts (because you are on the list) and we'll answer any questions you leave us. Comment by @shadowspub. This is a opt-in bot.
I think perhaps the thing people see in you they wish their wives would imitate, Jamie, is a willingness to embrace things like this project alongside your husband and really go for it. You aren't a hold on Zac, you're an enthusiastic participant and this homestead is your effort TOGETHER. The off-grid lifestyle and the effort to pursue it is a shared conviction, not one Zac has and you're just being dragged along with.
So often husbands and wives do not have the relationship that allows them to share convictions and one longs to do something that the other just does not want to be part of. Thinking about this during the week really has made me think about how important this is for husbands and wives, to be able to share convictions and not have either of us just put up with our spouse's interests or desires.
Why don’t y’all do many videos anymore? I really miss them.
Videos are at Patreon. We got kicked off of youtube. https://www.patreon.com/AnAmericanHomestead
Youtube hates us. You'll see video here every once in a while, but check us out over at Patreon!
Most folks don't understand the homestead life. We are not totally off grid yet, but hope to be soon. We refuse to go into debt to build our dream and our way of life. I hope to post a little more in the new year about my life as a widow on a homestead in the tropics. It brings its own set of unique problems.
Jaimie! I always love getting to read your posts. Ever since we found your YouTube channel and started our own off-grid homesteading adventure, you've been an encouragement to me. Whenever I start adding a new off-grid element to our lifestyle, I sometimes think to myself, "I can do this...Jamie figured it out, so can I!"
Thanks for sharing your perspective and experience. I am just at the beginning of this journey with our house yet unbuilt on our land and our boys still in diapers and cradles, but we're finally starting and I can't wait to get to the point where you are, in my own way. I agree with you--all the hard parts teach gratitude in ways that I never would have understood while in the city. It also reminds me to trust the Father, and to finally how lovely it is to live a life where His design is so evident.
WELL SAID. Thank you!
Great post!
I lived on a boat for 7 years off gird and I got the exact same reponse about wishing their girlfriend or wife would live like that. It always made me cringe too, and wonder if they even knew what their lady could or couldn't handle.
I love living off grid, and working to take care of your own being. It is sometime hard, and takes much more time then living "normal" but it also is so fulfilling. It feels real in a world when it is not always so clear what is real or not.
Thanks for the post!
What a great post! I'm so glad it was recommended to me. You're amazing! I now live in Panama and have instances when the power goes out and it just about cripples me! And that happens here pretty often. Last year it was out for 4 days and it makes me nervous that will happen again during windy season this year. ;) But it is true what you said:
Being without some of our conveniences we used to have in the US makes them that much sweeter when we do get them back (when visiting). Anyway, I just wanted to say that I enjoyed this post.
Things are difficult as a Homesteader but so much more rewarding than working for the MAN.
Thank you for giving a glimpse into your heart, thoughts, ordeals, and blessings! I enjoyed reading your post, and do so admire you and your commitment to your calling. YHWH bless you and yours!
I whole heartedly agree Jamie! My partner and I have worked for 12 years to get to the point where we could live a real, authentic life. We found the "work-a-day" world to be quite a trap and had to wriggle ourselves out of it. We just bought 60 acres of raw land and are starting our own adventure. Thanks to folks like you, we know we can do it... now where are my hiking boots?