Back home at last!

[Eric C]

Hi all,
This is sort of a "good-news-bad-news" sort of post. Good news: I'm back on the internet full time now! Bad news: I'm back to a dial-up connection. But it sure beats nothing! Like everyone else I talk to, financial troubles have really tightened the belts around here. It seems we here at my house can't make a right move to get out of our troubles. The one comfort I have is knowing that I'm not the only one. There are plenty of others that are facing the same things and offering words of encouragement.

Now that I'm back, it's time to sit and read up on the new posts, maybe post a couple of entries to the photo contest, answer some PMs and get back to business as usual on the board here.

Just a heads-up, I'll be starting a contest within a couple of months that will put a new sharp-pointy into the hands of a lucky board member. I just have to come up with a runner-up prize.

Greg, shoot me your address in a PM and I'll have your dagger sent off by week's end.

It's great to be back!

Eric

[Willrett]

Glad to hear that your back with us but sorry to hear other things haven't worked out so well.

[kaelln]

Good to have you back! Believe me, I understand about financial difficulties! I've been skating on the edge so long, I've worn it flat! Hang in there!

[Mirimaran]

Good to have you back, been there myself!

[mcapanelli]

Hang in there brother, it can't last forever. I happen to be at a low point myself so I know how you feel. Either way it's nice to have you around.

[Eric C]

Thanks folks. It's good to hear from each of you. This is one of two places where I can count on some encouragement.

[Dinendir.]

Glad to see you back on here.
And I hope you get through your troubles okay. I think most of us here know about that.


BTW, did you get my PM?

EDIT: See that you already have.

[Eric C]

Yeah, just sent a response.

We'll come through eventually. Of course we could be a bit "thinner" so to speak, but we'll make it somehow. There are some painful lessons here that we have to learn.

Everyone I talk to is going through similar circumstances.

[mcapanelli]

I tell you man, the more I go through in this modern life, the more I'd like to get about 20 or so like minded people and start a commune somewhere in the middle of the woods. I don't think we were meant to live with the artificial stress we've built in to modern living. I know I may sound like I'm ranting and possibly a little crazy yet it just doesn't seem natural to have to struggle the way people, and myself, do just to have a little bit of space. And when your done paying for that space they tax you to death on it. If there's a God I don't think he made us to live in such a way.

[Dinendir.]

You know, Mcapanelli, I've had that thought a lot. I guess that would count as like-minded individuals.
On top of that, personally, I don't think it sounds that crazy.

[kaelln]

Mike, you may be nuts, but I'm right there with you! We weren't designed for the modern high stress lifestyle. It would be so cool to live like the McKenzies in the "Dies the Fire" series. One of the things I love about that series is that it shows possibilities.

[Eric C]

Mike, it's not that crazy. I think the key is to learn what is a necessity and what is a luxury. I'm wishing I had some acreage so I could raise my own livestock and be as self-sufficient as I could be. As it stands I don't know when the lay-off is coming, just how far in the hole I will be when it hits or when I would find another job to get out of the hole. And no, He didn't create us for such stresses. That is why we have so many stress-related illnesses. We weren't made for it.

[mcapanelli]

Well as for acreage, my family and I will be buying land as of next year for about 5 yrs straight. we're hoping to pool our money and end up with 100+ acres. Luckily we're all of a like mind and want very much to be "off the grid" so to speak. We'll be using a combination of solar and wind power and growing our own produce (something we've managed to do for years despite being in the shadow of one of the largest cities in America). I'll be raising my own livestock but my mother can't bring herself to kill an animal so she'll go veg at that point or just buy meat at market. We've been talking about it for years and given the current climate in this country we're starting to move ahead with it.

[Dinendir.]

You know, that's a very good idea. My family owns about 24 acres at the moment, but I feel like I'm the only one in the family with these ideals. I wish you tons of luck. And I really hope it works out for you.

[Eric C]

I'll be raising my own livestock but my mother can't bring herself to kill an animal so she'll go veg at that point or just buy meat at market.

It's funny, we were just talking about that at supper the other night. My daughter didn't like the idea of having to kill an animal for food. I told her that we here in America (for the most part) have gotten soft about such things. Many older people I know around these parts can tell you all about slaughtering hogs or killing other livestock for food. If they didn't, they didn't eat. That is one reason I am determined to get my hunter safety course behind me this year and start hunting. I may never be an avid hunter, but my goal is to be able to put food on the table.