How We Got Here
In 2003, Mackey and I decided to purchase a home in or near the city. Our intention was to live there for five years, then move to the
country. We found the ideal home in Wyoming Ohio in the summer of 2003. We moved in on Labor Day weekend, and seven weeks later, my
sales management position was eliminated, cutting our household income in half. At age 53, and after twenty two years of sales, I
was ready to move on and try something new. I did some personal coaching for a while, and became an
eBay merchant at the same time.
Life was good, but then the wake up call came. Someone mentioned the words “peak oil” and I started studying what might happen when oil
begins to become scarce. When the conversation expanded to global warming, green, and sustainability, I decided it was time to head
for the country sooner than planned. Mackey supported my wish to become a modern homesteader, so we created our list of wants, and
began to search. It took a while to find a piece of property that met our criteria but once we did, we never looked back.
Are We Crazy?
Mackey is a successful business woman; Barry was a successful business owner and sales manager. Both of us spent some time around farms in our youth and have some gardening experience. We’ve never built anything, nor have we ever kept farm animals. Most people would say that we do not have the skills to undertake the task of building a homestead. We know that what we are doing, and intend to do, has all been done before. All we need to do is ask for mentoring, ask for help, and continue to access the wealth of information available to us.