Although you’ll see that the head office and legal mailing address are located in balmy Las Vegas, Nevada; the Manager, here at Homesteader’s Library, resides in Southwestern Virginia not too far from the Appalachian Trail. I’m a transplant, so to speak, in other words, I’ll always be a “Yankee” to those born and raised here. As I was born and raised in a large city of one of our mid-western northern tier states, I tend to take exception to being called a “Yankee”, but will accept “transplant”.
Though I was raised in the city/burbs, during the summers of my youth, my siblings and I were sometimes farmed out, literally! Corn de-tasseling, park service, tree planting, and other things that kept us busy and out of trouble, with the added benefit of extra funds for school clothes. We grew up surrounded by books, not only because they contained knowledge in written form; they also provided another 6 inches of insulation, or so it’s been said.
Books, because of my upbringing, have always brought me comfort. And whenever I have relocated, it’s always my reference library that is unpacked first. My current home is pretty small, and at one time I had 13 six foot tall bookcases loaded with books plus more in the attic. I still have 9 bookcases filled to overflowing; 1 1/2 for preserving/cookbooks, 1 1/2 for crafts, 1 for gardening, 1 1/2 homesteading/self-sufficiency, 1/2 animals/livestock, 1 for carpentry/building/repair, 1 other reference, and 1 for fiction. All of my other books have been put into storage, and I have yet to pull one out. If any of my reference books had been put into storage, not a week would pass that I wouldn’t be at the storage facility. I am constantly referring to them. And this is how the idea of Homesteader’s Library came about.
Some of my thoughts on Homesteading:
Homesteading is the ability to meet your owns needs; be it, becoming less dependent on the government, grocery stores, or the maintenance man. Homesteading can be practiced anywhere, from city to rural countryside. Homesteading affords everyone equal opportunity to excel based on the amount of individual effort. Homesteading skills can be as simple as learning to make your own bread to managing and operating a fully self-sufficient farmstead. Homesteading is not a certain skill learned in a day, but a lot of different skills learned over time. Homesteading can be just what you choose it to be.
Favorite saying:
Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.
