If you only make one offline resolution this year… do it Every January, people outside the network make the same silent promises to each other. This is the year I finish it. Fence. Pantry. Power reserve. Bag by the door. And then life appears, the calendar turns, and in the fall most of these […]
My mystery of a mouse in the moonlight Last week, the supermoon showed us its glow, and the big full moon bathed everything here in northern Illinois in silver light. At the time, I wasn’t thinking about rodent behavior or any lunar-powered mammalian movements. But I caught a few mice and tried to keep […]
Where forest life meets government ticks Imagine this: you are deep in the forest, many kilometers from the nearest paved road, in a place where you only receive signals of the wind flowing through the pines and the chirping of birds settling down for the night. You put down your backpack after a long […]
For anyone who chooses an off-the-grid lifestyle – whether in a cabin deep in the woods, a small cottage in the desert, or on a farm miles from the nearest city – water is one of the most important challenges to solve. Electricity can come from solar panels, heat from wood-burning stoves, and food from […]
(Where your turkey has no parents and your mashed potatoes glow like they escaped from a nuclear facility… A satirical look at the future of Thanksgiving) Welcome to Thanksgiving in the year 2050… where the food looks like it survived a lab accident, the holiday atmosphere is pre-sterilized, and the dinner table is smarter than […]
When the herd starts running, even smart people get flattened Imagine a campfire crackling beneath a wind-blown starry sky and the Milky Way stretching overhead like a bright river in the dark. Here, where it’s twenty miles of gravel and wood to the nearest lighthouse, clear thinking isn’t some fancy ideal. It’s a survival […]
A friend of the settler in the field There is a tree that owns the alleys and fences of the eastern states – a tree that not only stands tall, but stands proud. The black walnut, Juglans nigra, is not an ordinary shade tree or a nut drop. It’s a lifelong companion for anyone […]
OK, let’s be honest for one hot second. We’ve all been there – refreshing news on apps at 2 a.m., watching politicians play the world’s most expensive game of chicken while essential services hang in the balance. If you’ve ever found yourself stressed as you scroll through yet another government shutdown saga, thinking “maybe I […]
As the air becomes sharp and wood smoke hangs on the wind, the world begins to exhale. The trees let go, the light softens, and the earth slides towards a long rest. But for settlers and gatherers, this is not the end of the growing season – it is a silent invitation. Late autumn feeding […]
Imagine this: you’re scrolling through Instagram at 2 a.m. (again) and suddenly you come across another dream photo from van life. Someone is sipping coffee from their converted Sprinter with a mountain view that makes your cabin window look like a cruel joke. Your heart begins to flutter and you quickly google “how much does […]