For as long as I can remember, I've had a dream. I was born in Colorado, and lived close to the mountains for the first few years of my life. I've dreamt of returning to them since I left. As I got older, I developed a strong love of nature, and how to live in harmony with her. This wasn't always easy, as I lived a typical life in a typical house doing typical things. Both of my parents had a garden. My mom had her flowers and my dad had the veggies and some fruit. I helped a little, but didn't really learn enough to be successful in my own gardening for quite some time. Well, the years passed, and, as they say, life got in the way. I had other interests and passions, I went to college, got married, got divorced, got married again, had a child, got divorced again. Somewhere in there, my dreams got pushed off to the side.
After my second divorce, it took some time to pull my life back from the pieces, and eventually, those dreams came flooding back to the surface. And this time, they came back with an all-new vision, partially inspired by my son. My dream now encompases so much more than what it started with. Moving back to the mountains, absolutely! I dream of an off-grid homestead, raising animals and growing food. While I've always had a heart for the homeless, my son expanded my original dream by including them in the picture. We want to develop an off-grid community for the homeless. My son has a heart of gold.
So this is a doable dream, right? Yes, it is. But there is a hitch. Growing up the way I did, I know the basics of cooking from scratch, making clothes, and things such as that. I can sew, knit, and crochet. I know basic woodworking, thanks to my grandfather. But when it comes to building, especially in alternative methods, I am absolutely clueless. Then there is the alternative energy sources. Not to mention I have no experience whatsoever in raising livestock. And I already mentioned my lack of success in gardening. So I find myself feeling as though I'm going back to school. So much to learn, and in so many different arenas.
Plus, there is actually getting to Colorado. Just load up a moving truck and go, you say? Not so fast. I have several four-legged children, making a moving van from Florida to Colorado out of the question. They need to be comfortable and feel safe during the move. So I thought of getting an RV. Considering it's going to be just myself and my son, it must be safe and reliable. And I just don't feel comfortable purchasing a used one. New ones are way out of my price range. I could rent one. But then where to live once we get to Colorado? So, I have decided to buy a school bus. Used, yes. But I can pretty much guarantee you that the structure of a used bus will be in much better condition than that of a used RV. The mechanics will undoubtedly need a lot of work. But that would be true of anything used.
This is the beginning of a long journey. To make matters more difficult, my financial situation is, well.... let's just say it's very fragile due to a lot of extenuating circumstances. So here is the plan. I am going to attempt to convert a bus to a livable RV, move myself, my son, and our furr babies from Florida to Colorado, acquire a piece of land, and build an off-grid homestead that, by the way, will be wanting for nothing in the way of comforts. Now I have never understood why it should take a large investment to get to a simpler way of living. That idea just seems so counter-intuitive to me. So with that in mind, I am going to attempt to do this with as little money as possible. The first step is the research. Lots and lots of research. I am going to document every step along the way. This will not only help me, but I am doing it this way because maybe there are other people out there like me. People who long for a simpler life, have little to no money, and have no idea how or where to start. Along the way, I'll share what I've learned. Being as I'm learning in this process, I welcome any and all helpful and encouraging insights. But please, nothing degrading or insulting, to myself or anyone else. What is common sense to the spider is not necessarily common sense to the fly. This is a learning and sharing experience. Please join me on my journey.
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