This is a story about an
international couple raising and home educating three
young boys on a small island in Japan, half living in
buses, engaged in organic, self-sufficient farming in
the middle of a mountain forest while dealing with
climate, cultural, and personal challenges. These pages
are about pretty much anything and everything all guided
by our family motto, Taking Chances, Making Changes,
Being Happy. Thank you very much for joining us on our
ongoing crazy adventure.
Comments or questions about this blog?....message me at
Facebook.
Once we purchased our mountain wilderness property, it occurred to me
that I was now thrown onto this long learning curve. The fact was, with
the exception of several camping trips while living in California, I
knew very little about actually living in the middle of a forest and
knew even less about utilizing the available resources....ah the
learning curve begins. I went online and found numerous sites talking
about permaculture, agroforestry, and other related topics.
The information was great, but at 61 years old and saddled
with a hernia, a torn bicep, and rheumatoid arthritis (now
mostly under control), I needed something or someone to
inspire me to take on the incredible challenges of cabin
building, self-sufficiency, and forest life in general. I
watched a lot of videos, most with overreacting, and often
obnoxious forest dweller wannabes, shouting over and over
YOU CAN DO IT!!!! While they no doubt had good intentions, I
quickly closed the windows and moved on to video after video
basically finding the same sensationalization but with very
little information. Then along came Shawn James, a soft
spoken Canadian who escaped the overpriced, materialistic,
corporate world to opt for a much simpler way of life in the
wilderness of Ontario, Canada. This guy has become an
inspiration for me and the push I needed to take on this
daunting project. Rather than go any further, please watch
this video. He goes on a couple of rants about the obstacles
of trying to be off-grid and what being a man is all about
and I agree with every word. Continuing to look for another
of his videos where he talks about how he was working a
normal job and his progression from that to self reliance.
Will post that video as well when I find it. Anyway enjoy.
Shawn James Update: I guess it had to happen
eventually but Shawn James went commercial. A lot of product placement, podcasts
featuring a specific product, and much more of a mainstream feel to his videos
now. He used to be a regular watch for our family at night but now we no longer
follow his videos. That said, the guy has an incredible skill set and is still
doing amazing things and worth watching for those of you that can handle the
excessively long videos and hint of commercialism.
Now Watching Kyle of KYLES CABIN
We looked around for someone who was off grid and building a cabin and we found
this guy. Kyle is really simple in his approach to everything and completely
unpretentious. His videos are usually about 15 minutes (often closer to 10
minutes) long and very much to the point. Anyway, for those of you living off
grid, or building a cabin, you might wanna check out his YouTube channel.
KYLES CABIN
