Hi Y'all, My name is Harold and I'm an Urban Homesteader!
I like to think i'm a little more than that but that is what I seem to talk most about.
I'm a blogger at http://smalltownhomestead.com and I have a podcast called the Modern Homesteading Podcast.
I'm married to my wonderful wife Mary and have 3 adult daughters and a growing number of grandkids.
My wife and I live in mid-eastern Indiana where we have been since 1993. I grew up living on a small farm where we functioned as a homestead but never called it that, we just called it life. When my wife and I were first married we bought a house in the city limits but always thought it would be temporary and that one day we would buy us a country home.
I started driving a truck for a living at 22 years old and stayed away from home for many days at a time. I bought my own truck and ran a business for 8 years and then took a job with a local company so i could be home every night. As an over the road truck driver I ate fast food several times a week and put on a few extra pounds. A year after I took a local job I was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer, I was 39 years old. I had surgery and they removed a third of my colon, after that I began several weeks of chemotherapy taking my first treatment on my 40th birthday in 2012.
As you can imagine this prompted me to make some drastic lifestyle changes but what was I to do in order to eat healthy? After all we still lived in town and after months off work because of the cancer we could not afford a move to the country to live the lifestyle I knew would help me to eat healthier. So I made the decision to use what we had and not make anymore excuses – It was time to grow a garden!
As I began this journey of homesteading on a “postage stamp” city lot I discovered there was more I could do than I thought. After building my first 6 raised beds filled with vegetables of all kinds and planting fruit trees, berries, a vineyard, and a melon patch; I feel as though I am only getting started. Now we are using this property to raise meat rabbits, fish, quail and even more vegetables as I continue to build more raised beds, plant more fruit trees and more berries.
Why We Started Our Website And Share What We Do
After dreaming of that perfect homestead in the country for many years I am now at the point where I don’t know if I would give up what I have for that place I used to dream about. I feel blessed to have this place and the prolonged days I have been given to work this homestead. Which brings me to why I feel compelled to share what we are doing and plan on doing on this homestead with others. It’s important! we live in a time when the food we are surrounded by in grocery stores and restaurants is unhealthy and in too much volume dangerous, but we can do something about it. We can grow and raise our own and what we can’t do ourselves we can look to others who are doing it and support them. This is what I want to share with the world.
So why did I join Steemit?
Because I heard this is where all the cool kids were hanging out :) and I really want to be a cool kid. I also heard it was a different kind of social media that was going to change the way we interact. Now I've only been here a few days but I can say that I really like it and although I have a lot to learn about this platform I look forward to interacting with folks here and making a few new friends,
I hope you will come on this journey with us and be part of our community, homesteading is a lifestyle of education, skills, and in my opinion enjoyable and sometimes fun. So let’s homestead today for a better tomorrow.
Some of the other places where I hangout:
https://www.facebook.com/smalltownhomestead
http://twitter.com/sthomestead
https://plus.google.com/u/0/+HaroldThornbro-SmallTownHomestead/posts
https://instagram.com/smalltownhomestead/
http://www.pinterest.com/sthomestead/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTTPO4cEU_ZWrrW3RbuuGYQ
Hi Harlod! Welcome to steemit :) Dont forget to get your free welcome SBD here: https://steemit.com/minnowsunite/@jonipilo/free-money-for-newbies-minnowsunite-free-sbd-just-for-upvoting-resteeming-following-round-2
Thanks.
Welcome to Steem @sthomestead I have upvoted and sent you a tip
Welcome to the community! I'm looking forward to the future homesteading posts!
Thanks.
welcome Sthomestead! Glad to see you, hope you enjoy here as much as i do ! Nice post, i will follow your account, please follow me at @mekong
Thanks. Followed back.
Welcome to Steemit! Followed you
Thanks for the follow. followed back.
Welcome to Steemit @sthomestead!
I'm a bot-helper, and I'm created to help. Congratulations on the registration on Steem - you really like it here! If you like me, make an upvote of my comment and follow me. Your upvote will allow you to give more money to new users, such as you. Let's make Steem better together!
I follow you, and to get more upvote and resteem - follow me!
All the money I earn will be donated to charity.
Steem on!
Welcome I enjoyed the intro Harold! Followed!
Thanks @dre5025
Welcome to Steemit! This place seems to have a lot of different types of people, viewpoints and ideas which aren't being stomped out or blocked like other parts of the net. I found my way here at the advice of my mom. I live in Colombia with my mom, and husband and son where I write about travel, lifestyle and tourism. Anyways, long story short, we are heavily involved in #BuyLocal and #SupportLocal groups, farmers markets and start-up initiatives where we try to create more of a homesteader mindset through education and awareness. I love what you are doing and I look forward to following your future articles.
Thanks for the welcome. Following.
hello @sthomestead i did a test to your website and i got this result i hope you fix some problems on your website i just wanna help you that s all bro
check this link
https://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fsmalltownhomestead.com%2F&tab=mobile
its goolge service to test website and if you need help just ask me i will be very happy to help
Welcome. Looking forward to what you have to share. What you wrote impressed me enough that I not only followed you here, but also on FB and Instagram. There's a lot of homesteaders out there but urban homesteaders are kind of rare. Glad you signed up here.
Thanks John, I hope I can inspire a few people to head down the Urban Homesteading path.
Yo Harold, welcome!
Thanks
Welcome to the community !!
Thank You.
Garden looks great Harold. I love your mission and hope you get everyone to start homesteading. It would be a step in the right direction culturally speaking for sure.
Thanks. Urban Homesteading has certainly changed my life and I think it could make a positive difference for a lot of people.
I'm following you now! Anyway great Intro you have there, You can also check mine :D Introduction Looking Forward To Meeting New Friends
Thanks @abegail for the follow, followed back and looking forward to seeing your posts.
Awesome first post welcome and enjoy lovely xommu
Welcome to steemit. Looking forward to sharing gardening tips. upvote and following
Thanks. Followed back and looking forward to checking out your posts.
Welcome and Thank You for being with us!! Following your Blog now
Thanks. Followed back.
Welcome to the amazing world of steemit. Followed. Follow me back 😘
Thank. Followed back.
Hi Sthomestead:) Glad to see more people like you - here joining steemit!! Becoming a steamian is a great adventure !! Here you can win money while bloging! At the beginning it wouldn't be easy, but it isn't impossible. So just write from your heart and everything will be allright. ! Cheers! Greetings, @khunpoom !
Thanks.