A Diverse And Sharing Community

'Inspired Living' Guest Bloggers Niki and Howard

Before we moved, we gathered up a large amount of the local newspapers, the "Nickel" Want ads, and looked at postings on local bulletin boards. Seeing a fairly religious posting nestled next to an excerpt from "The White Book" showed us a possible leaning to balance was in the area. At least we could be among like minded folks! (Still, it helps to keep in mind, "It's an alone journey" after all.)

We developed relationships with others that provide services (and help) in this neck of the woods. We are very grateful for their experience and knowledge and knew we needed their opinions. This approach, treating folks as the 'experts' you deem them to be, has created good working relationships with fair-minded folks. We met members of several 'Pioneer' families who loved to share their history.

There is a once-a-month "Ladies gather" that rotates locations each month. It is a pot-luck, and you bring your choice of beverage to share. I met the 'Egg Lady', the 'Honey lady', and discovered who was good with computers, who was bi-lingual, who could sew, make wine, grow gardens, can food, was herbal-efficient, organic, could sing, babysit and could raise sheep. We circulated a "Contact List" and whoever wanted to be on it - is. They developed a call system where you called the people below you on the list. It works well. Several times it was used in emergencies to good advantage. We share a 'plant exchange' in May. We bring extra plant starts, and exchange flowers, veggies, house plants and often clothing exchanges, or items for a local family in need. For holidays, we each brought a poem or song or 'reading' from our many varied backgrounds, in a spirit of co-operation. And, we each helped in a local "professional" cannery, exchanging part of our work, to help make salsa, or to add our tomatoes to be canned for trade!

Learn to grow your own food. Not just tomatoes, although with a bit of seasoning, you will be in enchilada and spaghetti sauce for a long time. We discovered tomatoes stored better, more reliably, in jars. The new lining in the cans does not have the shelf life it used to have. You must learn to do your own canning! And, that means, you must have the proper supplies, now. We recently heard that there are now some "LED" Grow lights and are considering trying them with hydroponics indoors!!

Get a copy of Carla Emery's "The Encyclopedia of Country Living", it's great! Check and see if there is a food-co-op, such as www.azurestandard.com Or www.mountainpeople.com , delivery in your area. We belong to Azure, out of Dufur Oregon, they are in several states now. Call them and ask for your local contact person, and get a customer number, use it to see the 'better' prices on their web site. No tax!! There is also a magazine called, "Countryside (& Small Stock Journal) Magazine" for homesteaders and city folks that want to be living- an Inspired life!

Onward!! ~Niki & Howard

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