Last month I spent time taking photos at a few old homesteads. There’s something about these abandoned places that feels sacred to me. A sort of magic lingers in the air. The veil feels thinner. There's an energy of lives lived, time past, and love shared. I can't explain it, but I can feel it. Yet my rushes of excitement often swirl with twinges of sadness. Especially as I witness the growing decay from year to year. At ...Continue Reading
On Robots and Pie Crusts
A few months ago I ran across an automated Starbucks machine. I couldn't stop staring at it. (No, I don't get out much.) By pressing the touch screen, I could command it to make whatever drink my heart desired. And of course, it took my payment too. I didn’t have to interact with a single human. Push buttons, insert card, get coffee, go. A friend told me there is now a fully automated McDonalds in Denver. You order ...Continue Reading
Being Old-Fashioned on Purpose
Writing a book is weird. It's a multi-year project that takes everything you have. It transforms you, changes you, sometimes breaks you... but the people around you often don't even know it's happening. As some of you know, I spent the bulk of last year buried in book-writing. It's been beautiful... and often brutal. But we're in the home stretch. And I FINALLY have the green light to share more with you today about my new ...Continue Reading
Why Good Potting Soil is Important (and the Story of My Dead Tomato Seedlings)
Last spring, I couldn't get my tomato seedlings to grow. I tried everything. After using multiple different seeds and seed companies, trying different pots, changing the lighting, watering differently, and even replanting everything, I threw up my hands in despair. Maybe I just wouldn't be growing tomatoes for the year... But then I thought of the one variable that I hadn't considered before: the potting soil. Later into ...Continue Reading
Breaking all the Homestead Rules
By definition, homesteading is a culture of rule breakers. That’s part of the reason I love it. Yet even the most contrarian clubs tend to develop rules of sorts. It’s funny how that works. As I’ve watch the online homestead culture explode over the years (the topic of my podcast this week), I’ve realized that I’m not great at coloring within the lines— even in the world of homesteading. Here are a few of ...Continue Reading