homesteading

The Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It: The Complete Back-to-Basics Guide | John Seymour

#CoverStories #Barn Spin wool , make cheese, make bricks ,cure bacon! My grandparents could make almost everything, I have always been interested in the old folkways. If we keep going the dystopian way we all may need books like this !

Eggs, Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

sarahbarnes I‘ve always been interested too. And agreed. 1w

Eggs I can totally relate - my parents were born in 1910 and 1913, and were old-school self-sufficient! 1w

Leftcoastzen @Eggs people didn‘t have much of a choice back then , no money to pay for it even if you could find people to do it 1w

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Eggs @Leftcoastzen I used to make soap, candles, bread, yogurt, clothing, slipper socks, scarves, quilts, grow gardens, can/preserve and more. But it‘s really rough on the hands and wrists!!! 1w

Leftcoastzen @Eggs Wow , that‘s amazing ! Also, that‘s why people got worn out at a younger age . There wasn‘t alternatives . I helped my grandmother can , and we made butter together in a large jar size churn . Even she said , bread takes too much time ! I‘ll just buy it at the grocery store. Once it was readily available!😁 (edited) 1w

Eggs @Leftcoastzen Awesome 👏🏻 1w

53 likes6 comments

Robotswithpersonality

Flat Broke with Two Goats: A Memoir | Jennifer McGaha

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Whoa. That was A LOT. A lot more than I thought it was going to be. I'm sure part of that's on me for browsing available non-fiction audiobooks and choosing one based on title alone. But even within the realm of 'economic crisis leads to more rustic accommodations', that was a lot. 1/2

Robotswithpersonality 2/? I appreciated how the author reflected on the circumstances leading to the dire financial situation, it always feels like a good time to remind oneself of the importance of fiscal responsibility and the perils of a too cavalier approach to credit and loans, the danger in investing in real estate you can't really afford, though I did not see the 'didn't pay taxes, owe back taxes' part coming. Which kind of leads into a fairly major point 2mo

Robotswithpersonality 3/? I didn't see coming.
McGaha appears to be a bit more clear-eyed at the time of writing this account, but the level to which she ceded financial matters to her husband (even if he is an accountant) sent a chill down my spine. Especially in light of the harrowing details related of her experience with domestic abuse by her first husband. 2mo

Robotswithpersonality 4/? The interval where she basically went off to try out a better paying job in the Midwest and seemed to have the first time to explore her own interests as an adult (first husband in college, first child soon after), the fact that it seemed more like the land and heritage of Appalachia called her back than the idea of her husband and the burgeoning farm, part of me wonders if a woman from a different generation, 2mo

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Robotswithpersonality 5/? less strongly connected to heteronormative relationship standards and generations of her family history would not have been happier elsewhere. Where the book ends doesn't leave me all that certain that she's happy, more like content with her lot, relieved it's not worse. It was a fascinating read for all that Gaha shared, the details of foreclosure, owing that much tax, the familiar tragedy of being underemployed 2mo

Robotswithpersonality 6/? because full positions in chosen field are not offered but low paying temporary ones are, learning to acknowledge how much she may have been relying on someone else to make choices, look after things for her, how her husband was actually fairing, figuring out caring for farm animals, and making at least some of your own essential foods, but I'm still getting 'has not grasped the consequences of acting without thinking' off of some of her 2mo

Robotswithpersonality 7/? behaviour and it's a little exhausting.
As a vegan reader the animal passages were rarely endearing. The attempted mental distancing from animals which are supposed to be primarily a source of food, even if they are not killed for meat, the effort to be philosophical about death and illness, the open admission of where McGaha and her husband mis-stepped and the animals paid for it, it meant that there weren't really any idyllic moments in the 2mo

Robotswithpersonality 8/8 Am I too naive for hoping for a better ending from a 'making the best of it' book? Perhaps. But as much as I can admire McGaha's writing, reflections, vulnerability, her connection to her family, I cannot see making the choices she made, even if I can fully empathize with the mistakes that led to a limited number of choices available.
⚠️Domestic abuse, animal death, recounting experience of seizure 2mo

11 likes7 comments

IselaKay

The Snow Child | Eowyn Ivey

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I love this book! I didn‘t expect the ending and it definitely made me sad—though I don‘t think it was a bad one, just unexpected. This is a beautiful story about love, grief, finding community, nature, and perseverance. Definitely recommend and I‘m glad I started this year with such a warm book.

6 likes

TheSpineView

The Snow Child | Eowyn Ivey

#25Alive @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs
#SnowOnCover

Eggs Perfect 👌🏼 3mo

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks This has been on my list forever!! 2mo

BookBr Such a good book, too! 2mo

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TheSpineView @BookBr 👍 2mo

TheSpineView @Eggs 😊 2mo

TheSpineView @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Awwww... the never ending TBR list. 2mo

70 likes1 stack add6 comments

Cathyloves2read

The Snow Child | Eowyn Ivey

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This book is truly magical. It‘s set in Alaska, a place I long to visit. It‘s based on a children‘s book in which an older couple longed for a child that they could not have. Along came a magical snow child who could only survive in the cold. I love the description of the coat that Mabel made for the snow child in the version I read. I also loved the descriptions of the Alaska wilderness.I don‘t know that I could survive an Alaskan winter though

IuliaC Great review! This is such a beautiful novel 3mo

16 likes1 comment

JenReadsAlot

The Snow Child | Eowyn Ivey

1. Hot chocolate, fuzzy blankets and candles
2. Tagged - so good! Excited for her new book coming out this year!
Thanks @TheSpineView @Kshakal @peaKnit #two4tuesday

Kshakal She has a new book coming out??? U didn‘t know that! 3mo

JenReadsAlot @Kshakal Yes! I just looked and it's February 4th release date! 3mo

Kshakal @JenReadsAlot that is so exciting! 3mo

TheSpineView YW! Thanks for playing 3mo

29 likes4 comments

Kshakal

The Snow Child | Eowyn Ivey

Thanks for the tag @TheSpineView

1. Curling up under a fuzzy blanket, in front of a fire, with a good book!
2. Tagged

@BethM @peaKnit @JenReadsAlot

25 likes

CSeydel

The Snow Child | Eowyn Ivey

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#SnowedIn
Swamped this week, so a bit late posting my review. This book was the perfect read at the perfect time. A quietly mournful tale of two people building a life on the frontier when their familiar life becomes unbearable. I didn‘t mind the magical realism and elements of ambiguity around the child. I loved that the story centered on the female experience, contrasting Mabel, Esther, and Faina‘s relationships with society, but also ⬇️

Texreader, PuddleJumper

CSeydel … that Jack is a fully realized character, portrayed with nuance and complex emotions, rather than simply a foil or a driver of plot events. 4⭐️ 3mo

PuddleJumper ❄️💙❄️ 3mo

Texreader Glad you liked it! Lovely review!! 3mo

57 likes3 comments

UnderworldAmusements

This Ugly Civilization | Ralph Borsodi

Cheryl_Russell

The Snow Child | Eowyn Ivey

1. Remote cabin with snow

2. The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey. Not specifically Christmas-drawing a blank there, book wise-but has the mountains, snow, and Alaska. A favorite book by a favorite author. 🙂❤️🏔️

#Two4Tuesday

TheSpineView

TheSpineView 🤍❄️🤍 Thanks for playing 4mo

18 likes1 comment

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