So. Like another 10 percent of the population I have been unemployed now for quite some time. I have filled in the gaps with oddjobs here and there, but nothing lasting, nothing of any permanence. Welcome to the desert of the real, as they say.
However, at the age of 41 I have finally found some space and time to pursue a few interests.
I have always dreamed of a minifarm, a homestead built around a typical sub/urban plot of land. Now the land I’m on isn’t sub/urban, but its about the size of a sub/urban plot of land. I can look out any window and see my neighbor’s windows and what’s inside, if I were of lesser moral character. (Isn’t social shame a terrific safeguard for those little things we enjoy, like privacy in close quarters?)
Keep in mind as this record progresses that limited income would be an exaggeration of my position. I am living in someone else’s house, on someone else’s land, and I am barely able to pay my share of utilities and food. It’s rough, especially on the ego. Life can get that way. There is no stable ground for those of us who belong to certain socio-economic groups.
Back to building though. What I am creating I am attempting to do with no budget. Any money I spend is money not available for food or utilities. (Don’t worry, the person I am staying with is excited by what I am doing.) I received some free, throwaway lumber and pallets. I’ve spent only 70 dollars so far. Friends with the right tools or materials have shown up at the right moments. Other than that I am on my own.
None of the gifts or materials are perfect, or even fit sometimes. But the challenge, and I do like one, is making what I do have fit. I have always enjoyed that challenge in particular. It is probably a large part of my interest in creating a working minifarm/homestead. How one can take the limitations provided them and create something beautiful, utility being a part of beauty for me in this matter.
tiny acre 