Check out my latest Mother Earth News post: what happens when physical limitations stand in one’s way to self-reliant life.
“Even in our modernized age when almost everything is done at the click of a keyboard, being able-bodied is still an essential part of building your own house, starting a homestead, and keeping it going. But what do you do if certain health problems interfere with your homesteading goals? Should you accept that some things just aren’t meant to be – like building with your own hands, for example?
It is my belief that there is an alternative way to do pretty much anything, and even to profit from the seemingly untoward circumstances that might seem as a death certificate to your dream.”
Illustration: mid-renovations mess in our living room, just before our son Israel was born.
Domestic Felicity 
Anna and family,pleased to know you.I live in a city called Lusaka,in a country called Zambia..part of Central Africa.We share in common of some things.I was laid off some eighteen years ago.Our Chief in the Reserve Land allowed me and my family if six boys to eke out a living in six hectacre of land.We started off from the scratch..stumping ground.lumbering off the thick forest and putting habitable structure made of our giant elephant grass..oh I would go on and on but up to now still a long way to go.I am 70 and my wife 60 and we are africans..blacks as we are generally classed..and you are whites ! As you put it..little by little we will get there.Oh I try a bit of writing if there’s anything of interest..yup let’s keep chatting.Regards,Peter.
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Thanks for visiting, Peter. No doubt any challenges of ours are small potatoes compared to life in Zambia. Hope you stop by again soon.
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I just read your blog posting in Mother Earth News; mainly because it was the one posted right after mine on Senior Homesteading. How ironic since we have been homesteading here on the side of a mountain for nearly 20 years now. I was catching up on some reading because my lower back suddenly became painful. with spasms. I am in my mid 70’s and have managed the homestead all this time with only a minor injury here and there. This back strain keeps me from doing anything except wait for it to resolve, hence, your article really struck home. We don’t have neighbors to help so it is up to us since we live remotely. I also covered some of the subjects you did in your blog but from a different angle. After it was posted is when I hurt myself so your blog was of special interest. Thank you for articulating homesteading with injury so well as it sure came at an appropriate time for me.
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Bruce, thank you so much for your kind words. I have read your recent post too and, in fact, have been following your posts on remote homesteading with great interest. I hope you feel better soon. Also, I’m sure you have heard about this already, but my husband has tried several kinds of back-supporting belts which are sometimes helpful when you absolutely must get around and do things even with back pains.
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Anna; I am a man after all. I had a belt to use but did not use it – I think it is genetic for us guys…You can bet I’ll use it next time… You are a very good writer and I like your topics as they are useful…
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Your living room scene looks SO familiar! We bought this house when we got married (almost 43 years ago) because it was “perfect” and it has been a construction zone ever since. (See the Kitchen Capers of 6/13) We’ve added rooms, closed in porches, pulled up, and replaced, floors. On and on and on.
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There’s always something to be done in a house to improve it, isn’t there? And usually by the time we begin a new project we forget the mess of the previous one…
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