Two Decembers ago I was sitting on the porch enjoying the smell of wood smoke rising from our little outdoor cooking grill, and I made…
Before moving to the country, my husband, Troy, and I were part of the Nova Rat Race. We lived in Northern Virginia (“Nova” as it's…
To many homesteaders and would-be homesteaders, “money” is a four-letter word. After all, money is all about materialism, and that's the antithesis of homesteading, right?…
Except in the 1516 novel by Sir Thomas More, Utopia is said to be impossible. That is probably a blessing—it would be terribly boring after…
When most people think of homesteading, visions of sprawling pastures and big red barns come to mind. Even after the recent popularity of small-scale homesteads, it…
How do you turn a passion into a project that really bears fruit? Dreamers often ask themselves this question. Many of us dream of creating…
One of my favorite homestead assets is our woodstove. There is nothing quite like heating with a woodstove on a cold winter’s night. Knowing that…
A Portlander guy walks into a butcher shop, tells the man behind the counter he has to kill his beloved chicken, it's old and sick,…
The homesteading life is one that is admired by most and desired by many. The healthy lifestyle, living out in the country on your own…
I'm sure you've heard the good news by now—the recession is over! But in case it doesn't feel like it's over at your home, or…
A girl about the age of twelve, sporting a French beret, stands to the side with her face tilted, looking over the fields as I…
Dreaming about living in the country is easy, even when you’re not quite there. Rural images ripple unbidden through burbling brooks of the mind like…