Welcome to our Blog

In March of 2011 my wife and I quit or jobs, cashed in our chips and left the big city behind to move to our farm hidden away in northeast Georgia. These are our observations on the news of the day and our adventures in homesteading, becoming self reliant, prepping and living a simpler, more fulfilling life.

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Report on the Nation

Here at the homestead we often feel the need to look out over the landscape of our country to see whats going on. We've had a pretty steep learning curve since moving here 5 months ago and being new to homesteading and  prepping. The view of our country from here helps us gauge the best use of our limited resources and areas in our preps to concentrate on. The view hasn't changed much.... still bleak.


More Fedgov waste:

  The Post examined every major project currently funded under the HUD program, analyzing a database of 5,100 projects worth $3.2 billion, studying more than 600 satellite images and collecting information from 165 housing agencies nationwide.

The yearlong investigation uncovered a dysfunctional system that delivers billions of dollars to local housing agencies with few rules, safeguards or even a reliable way to track projects. The lapses have led to widespread misspending and delays in a two-decade-old program meant to deliver decent housing to the working poor. Read more..... washington post investigation





Government agencies blew $125 billion on improper payments

An analysis by the Government Accountability Office found that the majority of the improper payments were concentrated in 10 federal programs which held 94 percent of the total estimated improper payments in 2010, about $118 billion. The big spenders in improper payments came from four major programs: Medicare, Medicaid, unemployment insurance and the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) program. Read more...125-billion-improper-payments 





Widespread waste and fraud in war spending
WASHINGTON – As much as $60 billion in U.S. tax dollars has been lost to waste and fraud in Iraq and Afghanistan over the past decade due to lax oversight of contractors, poor planning and corruption, according to an independent panel.


Overall, the commission said spending on contracts and grants to support U.S. operations in Iraq and Afghanistan is expected to exceed $206 billion by the end of the 2011 budget year. Based on its investigation, the commission said contracting waste in Afghanistan ranged from 10 percent to 20 percent of the $206 billion total. Fraud during the same period ran between 5 percent and 9 percent of the total, the report said. Read more... wartime spending



State Dept. spends terrorism and emergency dollars on parties, rented linens and a kitchen


But an unclassified version of an audit of the K Fund released Thursday noted that auditors sampling records of expenditures in 2008 and 2009 found a total of $723,378 in spending “not made in accordance with the authorized legislation.” In addition, the auditors, working for Inspector General Harold W. Geisel, were unable to find sufficient documentation for an additional $734,840 in expenditures by State Department officials. Read more... state-dept-spends-








Fedgov High jinks:

Dream Act: Obama passes amnesty by a back door ICE directive

The Obama administration memo to John Morton, Director of I.C.E. (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) directs I.C.E. agents now to use “prosecutorial discretion” with regard to enforcing immigration laws. Read more.... amnesty by executive order 







Executive amnesty

If you look at the "policy reform" timeline for ICE since Obama became president it has been one small amnesty after another. 

The Homeland Security Department said Thursday it will halt deportation proceedings on a case-by-case basis against illegal immigrants who meet certain criteria such as attending school, having family in the military or are primarily responsible for other family members’ care.  Read more....executive-amnesty


I have always felt this country a symbol of freedom and hope for the rest of the world. A promised land that people across the globe dreamed of coming too. Any freedom loving person from any place in the world who hoped for a better life, who had the courage and will to travel halfway around the world to get here would be welcome here. However times are different now and so are many of those who try and come here. Our leaders at this very instant manipulate the system to gain favor and votes from the Hispanic community. Immigration is now a tool of the powerful… used to shrink our own influence over them. And to many who come here come… not for freedom but for free stuff and to abuse generosities of our system. And now we have drug & gun trafficking, human trafficking and pathways for terrorists trying to enter our country.
Your right Rourke: our government can send our troops all over the world to protect and secure other's borders from terrorist and the like….. and here?… they molest us as we board airplanes.
slaveboy.. comment at http://modernsurvivalonline.com/


The Blame Game:
Bad luck? Bad faith?
A troubled nation wonders: How did we get mired in 9.1 percent unemployment, 0.9 percent growth and an economic outlook so bad that the Federal Reserve pledges to keep interest rates at zero through mid-2013 — an admission that it sees little hope on the horizon?


In Obama’s recounting, however, luck is only half the story. His economic recovery was ruined not just by acts of God and (foreign) men, but by Americans who care nothing for their country. These people, who inhabit Congress (guess which party?), refuse to set aside “politics” for the good of the nation. They serve special interests and lobbyists, care only about the next election, place party ahead of country. Indeed, they “would rather see their opponents lose than see America win.” The blaggards! Read more... bad-luck-bad-faith




Tea Party Blame and Fairy Tales

When Standard and Poor's downgraded the creditworthiness of the United States government, Sen. John Kerry shamelessly labeled it a "Tea Party downgrade," and no one in the press questioned him. This is beyond ludicrous. It's a deliberate lie on Kerry's part.
How can you blame 87 new Republican House members who weren't in Washington when President Barack Obama was tripling the deficit with trillions in new spending, which Kerry happily endorsed? Read more... tea-party









             
                                        At least the Fed Reserve is on top of there game.. um, maybe not.


It all comes down to confidence and polls show we have none in Fedgov. Why would we? They tell us one thing and do the other. They attempt at every instance to subsidize and nationalize more and more of our economy in order to gain control and influence. Perhaps Fedgov would have more moral authority if there actions matched there words. It may not matter much longer. They long ago ran out of our money, The hour is growing late and borrowing is getting harder. Its not a party thing... oh no.. their all to blame and there's little chance of change. They still spend, willfully worsening our situation and wantonly stealing from our children's futures. You can only squeeze the productive to support the unproductive for so long before the squeezed say enough. 
....... note to self: stockpile more food stuffs and ammo




The Homestead report: the first 5 months


communication:
Communication can be an issue when moving (or bugging out) to the middle of nowhere. If your plan includes bugging out or moving to a rural area It would be wise to look at your communication options. As far as our (non emergency) needs we hoped to maintain the standards most have today: tv, phone and internet. In our case it wasn't that hard. When we first got the farm we used a tv antenna and got 5 stations. 1 was a spanish speaking only, 2 were PBS stations and 1 was a weather station, limited but workable. Before moving here we were able to get satellite tv so now we have 200+ channels. Phone and internet were a bit harder. Our cell carrier had limited coverage in this area. After checking only one other carrier had any coverage at all in this area. It turned out to be a little better then our carriers coverage so we switched and so far so good. With no phone lines or cable we looked to satellite internet to fill our need. After a few calls we found Hughesnet who could set us up. As far as radio we get plenty of stations. We have a pair of walkie/talkies with a 2 mile range that we use around our 40 acres and we are looking into a ham radio setup should the communications grid go down.


Fishing










































We are lucky enough to be within a short walk to a stocked catfish pond hidden in the woods. Every time we go we catch a bunch. Not just a great way to spend an afternoon but it helps fill your freezer.
Grandkids love it to. Got to be the easiest way to feed yourself. I wonder if you can live on just fish alone.



























































Monday, August 29, 2011

Report on the Nation

   FedGov hard at work on our behalf........geez....

     
                                                       DOT To Propose CDL Licenses and More For Farm Equipment


 In Late May, the DOT proposed a rule change for farm equipment, and if it this allowed to take effect, it will place significant regulatory pressure on small farms and family farms all across America – costing them thousands of dollars and possibly forcing many of them out of business. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), part of the Department of Transportation (DOT), wants new standards that would require all farmers and everyone on the farm to obtain a CDL (Commercial Drivers License) in order to operate any farming equipment. The agency is going to accomplish this by reclassifying all farm vehicles and implements as Commercial Motor Vehicles (CMVs).


Read more..... http://patdollard.com/2011/07/dot-to-mandate-all-farm-vehicles-require-cdl-licenses-could-bring-demise-to-farmers/



We're Saved!
Took ‘em long enough to come up with a budget???
2011 Federal Budget DealFederal Budget:   $3,820,000,000,000  (3.82 Trillion)
Income:               $2,170,000,000,000  (2.17 Trillion)
New Debt:           $1,650,000,000,000  (1.65 Trillion)
Amount Cut:            $38,500,000,000   (38.5 Billion) – about 1% of
the total budget.Harry Reid is calling this a “historic amount“. The President said it
is a “historic deal”. John Boehner simply said, “We’ve come to an
agreement”.
Let’s Put This In Perspective.  It helps me to think about these
numbers in terms that I can relate to.
Let’s remove nine zeroes from those numbers and pretend this is a
monthly household budget for the fictitious Jones family.
Amount of money the “Jones`s” family spent this month:          $3,820
Total income for the “Jones`s” family this month:                      $2,170
Amount of new debt added to the credit card this month:          $1,650
Outstanding balance on the credit card:
$14,271     (This represents our national debt).
So last week, the “Jones’s” sat down at the kitchen table and agreed
to cut $38 from their monthly budget. A historic amount!
Are You Impressed?
Me neither!
From...... http://jadedswine.wordpress.com/


Who's Really Downgrading America?

  The American people have come to like the president, but a majority is coming to believe he is simply not the decisive president we need to lead us out of the morass in which he found the country and from which he has failed to extricate us. Read more...... http://buchanan.org/blog/whos-really-downgrading-america-4819




The Homestead Report: the first 5 months


Before we had moved here we knew we needed a building of some sort for storage and for working out of, a shop if you will. There is a small barn and storage shed on the property. The barn is old and no longer weather tight, the shed is small and already full. After researching buying vs. building one ourselves, buying seemed the most cost effective. We shopped around and the best deal we could find was from a company called Capital Buildings, http://www.capitolbuildings.net/index.html
We ordered a 24x26 building package: the building, installed on our lot and it included a 4" concrete slab.
All we had to do was the grading on the site to get it level and ready for the slab, not as easy as I had thought.


                                                               We started by pulling some lines for something to go by and removed the grass.

                                                    Then I started digging up clay from another spot on the farm and building up and leveling the site.

When I thought I had the site close to done I called in a professional to look at what I had. Turns out I needed help.

Had to add lots more dirt

Then I hired someone who knew what they were doing to finish the grading

finally done

I then called Capital and they sent the concrete crew

pads done!

After a couple of weeks a crew came and they had the building up in 5 hours

MJ and I did the electrical system and ran the underground feed. Now we have power.

...........More to come........
                                                                                                      




Saturday, August 27, 2011

Report on the Nation





Since the President’s Council on Sustainable Development was created, agencies of the federal government, and complicit environmental organizations, have been working overtime to get people out of rural areas, and into “stack-’n'-pack” high-rise so-called “sustainable” communities. Under the guise of “preserving open space,” unelected bureaucrats ignore the property rights of the people who own the open space, and write regulations that sometimes require as much as 40 acres to build a single home. Quite often, development of any sort is absolutely prohibited. These regulations are typically delivered to a community through a comprehensive land use plan.
read more......
http://gulagbound.com/19497/obamas-plan-to-remove-family-farmers-from-their-land/


     This is a very interesting and scary article on the federal government's plans for sustainable development. I have seen in my area how the property tax codes are used to try and control land usage. The Conservation Act and The Rural Land Project are 2 examples of it......JP






The EPA is at it again........


If the Environmental Protection Agency has its way, that cloud of dust kicked up by the Lone Ranger’s faithful steed Silver probably would merit the famed lawman a stiff fine.

The EPA is in the process of toughening up its regulations on Course Particulate Matter, otherwise known as dust. The dust in question is commonly stirred up by cars and trucks traveling on unpaved roads in rural areas and farmers working the fields.
Read more on Newsmax.com:  
http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/epa-dust-farmers-regulation/2011/05/23/id/397445


Now I know the EPA has said it's not as bad as it looks..... but they've played that hand before...


Now, farmers will be held accountable when their dust moves outside of their property lines and towards towns and villages.  That will impose extra cost on them depending on which way the wind blows, an excellent metaphor for Congress but a deadly imposition on a farm sector already struggling with an economic turndown and falling land prices.  The compliance costs to keep dust tamped down will be enormous, and will force out the smaller farmers who can least afford the mitigation costs.  It pushes the productive family farm even further into the anachronism category.
read more.....
http://soitgoesinshreveport.blogspot.com/2010/08/epa-continues-fight-to-regulate-dust.html

Friday, August 26, 2011

Homestead Report: The First 5 Months

            Since we just started this blog I thought I would fill you in on what we have been busy doing over the first 5 months. Once we got everything moved in we needed to get a garden started. There had been a garden here for years but had not been used in 4 years. It was overgrown and covered with grass and weeds. Since it had a tall fence around it to keep the deer out we decided to replant it.

                                                                                Our son and his family came for a visit so I put my granddaughters to work

We broke up the ground with a tractor but it still needed tilling. There were 2 old tillers that came with the place and I was able to get one of them running good so we tilled the garden. That was alot of hard work but we were now ready to plant. My wife MJ had done the vegetable garden thing when she was a little girl, I really had no experience gardening at all. So with our limited experience we set about seeding our garden.                                                      
                                                                                                                              MJ working in the garden

We planted corn, sweet banana peppers, bell peppers, okra, tomatoes, green beans, radishes, cucumbers, watermelon and cantaloupe. Everything grew fairly well except for the cantaloupe and corn. We did get some corn but not much, not sure why yet.. Cantaloupe just didn't grow good and never ripened. We put up lots of okra and green beans and bought some corn at a local farm and put it up.  We ate everything else except MJ did pickle a bunch of cucumbers and they turned out great. We had a major issue with the grass growing back up in the garden so this winter we are going to cover it with black plastic to kill it.
           I'll get MJ to explain how she prepared the corn, green beans and okra for freezing and how she pickled the cucumbers. We'll do a post on it very soon. If I had known that I was going to do this blog I would have taken more pictures and been more detailed about the garden. I will be more detailed with future projects....... To be continued