Being Self-Sufficient In A Dependent World

Along about the time we managed to get four kids in school and under control hubby decided we needed to "get back to the basics", become self-sufficient, buy some land - lots of land.  It was the 70's after all - everyone was getting back to nature and learning to recycle - why should we be any different.  Maybe the fact that we were products of our grocery store, paved roads, everything at our fingertips dependent environment should have clued us in. 
Hubby's younger brother told us about the "perfect" place.  It had thirteen acres, a barn, a three bedroom house, woods, and a driveway a mile long.  Hubby was sold sight unseen.  Good thing because he didn't even get to see the house on our first trip there.  His brother, in the car in front of us, got stuck in the snow, IN THE DRIVEWAY.  The tow truck we called to pull him out got stuck in the snow, IN THE DRIVEWAY.  We called another one and he managed to get all the snow stuck vehicles back to the main road.

While we were waiting for the last tow truck I took my son Eddie and we trekked the remaining driveway back to the house and broke a window to get in.  No, it wasn't my intention to break the window, it just happened so we manage to get in.  The house had been empty for about six years and the couple who had lived there had both died.  The house was musty smelling and did not appear to have a working bathroom, fortunately there was a spare one out back.

By this time you must be thinking we had enough sense to leave and never go back.  Forget that thought, we aren't that smart.  However, we did have enough sense to wait till Spring to go back.  I should tell you the driveway was muddy then with the Spring rains.  About as muddy as it was snowy in the winter. 

We did make it back to the house this time and we knew how to remove the broken window in order to get in.  Again hubby was sold.  No neighbors in sight, only trees, beautiful rock formations on the other side of the creek that ran through the property, and a water falls over the rocks. 

So we were to begin our life in the country - and, as they say, the rest is history.