JUNE 2003

So what’s happened since you heard from me last?

The farm is doing fine. Still don’t have a usable well. To me running water is driving next door in the RV and filling up with 34 gallons water every 4 days which is not a big deal. I have learned to live well and conserve my supplies.

The house is being worked on. We are putting in gas lines through cement blocks in the basement for heaters and a natural gas refrigerator.

I would like to say something about the last item. It is expensive to get a gas refrigerator - usually you have to buy a 30 year old Servel or go to an RV dealer. (We just bought a genuine older Servel for $35 used - cheap!)

You can buy a fancy new gas stove but manufacturers seem totally uninterested in providing a nice sized comparably priced gas refrigerator. I see many states having electric outages and everything in the refrig can be lost. If they had a gas refrigerator people could be unconcerned about the contents even while sitting in the dark.

We hope if enough people keep asking the dealers and manufacturers we will see natural gas refrigerator and freezers. Who will be first with this marketing coup? We can all make a difference in our world.

I love living in the country. Many people invite me to their city and everything to do seems to cost money and require parking. Here are some of the things I love and they’re free.

Getting up in the morning to let the chickens out, having a bluebird nest right out side my window, more juicy tasty strawberries than I can eat,

I am still living in a 30 foot motorhome as the house is slowly and debt designed and built, debt free.

I still have my problems. How to get workers to show up. I hear this happens all over the place. People calling wanting to make some money. And they don’t show up and don’t call. Again! I think I will start a job training program with a graduating membership card and a referral program and evaluations reports. Work well and you get lots of work, get sloppy and nobody will hire you. You record will be public knowledge on a website for all to see good or bad, no excuses.

I like being able to solve problems using my own ingenuity. What happens if the refrigerator goes off? What happens if the toilet breaks? A sneaky opossum is after the chicks? A racoon is rummaging through the garbage making a mess? The greenhouse needs daily watering and I want to go fishing for a few days? All of these were satisfactorily solved.

I also found the less it takes for you to be happy the more often you will be happy.

I have many people asking for information of getting free and living a wonderful happy life. They seem to be stuck in their life, wanting a way out. The answer is finding out what you really need and what you can get rid of. Most people have so much stuff to worry over.

The next priority is finding out where your time and money is going. Where does your day go? To priority quality creative time or maintenance, laundry, errands, rescuing, frittering, being open to any and all distractions from bored, no direction people.

Make a list of each and try to focus doing on what is most important to you. Set up personal boundaries and say no to things you don’t want.

Be brave to step into a new freer world. Don’t have a life where you are an endless working tax slave. Be free to try new creative things everyday. Out here I write articles and chapters to new books in the morning, go for a long woodsy walk, make a breakfast of no charge freshly laid brown organic eggs. The yolks are so rich they are almost orange. I make oatmeal with raisins and fresh ground flax seed. I just got some fresh warm honey comb from my hive which is so good. If you enjoy eating, natural, (and free for the most part) country food can’t be beat. I can gather enough wild greens for a salad in 5 minutes.

Be brave enough to leave what you don’t want and what isn’t working for you. This is your ride, your life. Make every day as wonderful as you can make it. When was the last time you had "worth it" quality time? With yourself, your family and kids?

I couldn’t afford to go to work. It costs too much. The car, gas, insurance, the clothes, the fast food lunches, the doctor bills and 30% taxes on it. I would miss out on too much life.

I am building my debt free house as money comes in. I use two solar panels for all my electrical needs that work just fine. I get free natural gas from an oil well on the property. (I know, I can hardly believe it too - but many country folks in WV have gas wells and free gas).

I grow my own food and have more than I can eat. Baked and mashed potatoes, rhubarb cobblers, blackberry and strawberry ice cream, wild greens and my lettuce tubs. Honey from 2 bee hives, wonderful no calorie sweetener from my stevia plants.

Greenhouse

I grow most of my produce from seeds, starting them in a 12x24 greenhouse that was under $500. The extra plants I sell in 12 oz cups for a dollar. Spending time in the greenhouse is something I cherish. On cold mornings when I hardly dare to get out of bed I run into my warm greenhouse jungle filled with newly sprouting seeds of all kinds. It still thrills and amazes me how new life works.

Everyday is an interesting day by my choices. I stop a few times a day for 10 minutes to recenter on what is important and to work on priorities. Is this what I want most to do today? Read the newspaper or put up a bluebird house. Which will bring the most joy? Which will make the biggest difference in a year?

I have been working hard at my newest and most requested book "Time, Money and Freedom" on how to get untangled from a crazy life to one of daily joy. Would it be worth $30 to have a better life? You don’t need more money you need more information to get started. Many free and inexpensive avenues are available. Even be a caretaker like me = free rent. Chop you expenses by 90% and live better. Far better. Many home self employment incomes opportunities are available. The book will change your life for the better or ask for your money back. Read stories how people dared to take the leap. How long are you going to wait?

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