A Re-Introduction… of sorts

Hey, ya’ll, first of all, let me welcome you and say thank you for taking the time to stop by and join me here.

As some of you who have been following my social media sites have been told, 2024 is my re-launch. Not just with my homestead or my blog & website but with my entire way of life.

About Me:

Well first let me tell you a little bit about myself so we can get some clarification as to where I am starting on this journey.

My name is Shane and I am living in the fine state of Oklahoma. I am a US Army Veteran (Hooah!) and I served my country for almost a decade as an Infantry grunt. I do not talk much about the time that I served, when asked I usually just say I did my job to the best of my ability.

My family originates from Connecticut where my father and brother veteran lives on the original homestead where my family has lived and worked for generations.

I started my homestead journey back in 2013 when I bought my little 7-acre slice of heaven with my then-wife Tana. At the initial high point, we had a bustling garden, a producing orchard, mischievous chickens, and a myriad of dogs and cats. I was then filming, blogging, and sharing the high points of our life as we progressed.

That all came crashing down when Tana passed unexpectedly at 42 years old in 2017. From that point, I gave up on everything and started living my life just going through the motions. My homestead faltered, my mental, spiritual, and physical health took a nose dive… I simply just did not care anymore.

I dove myself into my full-time job, stopped taking care of myself, was eating horribly, and did everything I could to not deal with life.

Now I have seen death throughout my life, more so than anyone should in my humble opinion but NOTHING shook me to my core and broke me more than the loss of her. What everyone else saw, what I had told them was simply, “I am fine”. However, that was the furthest from the truth.

No one knew truly how I was feeling: not my family, not my friends, not my kids… No-One. Each of them might have known bits and pieces. So many times, I wanted to just end it all… but I did not want to disappoint them by doing so.

Fast Forward:

It is now 12-31-2023 and honestly, it has taken me six years to get to the point today where I am honestly ready to start climbing out of this pit I have been in. While this may seem melodramatic in my explanation, I just want you all to know where I am truly starting from at this point.

I am laying everything out there… honestly, and being as introverted as I am, this is going to be tough but… It is time.

So, at the age of 50, I am single and starting this journey to get back to basics. Not just through homesteading, but in every aspect of my life. I am in the absolute worst shape of my life, mentally, physically, and spiritually. Sitting at 6’ tall and weighing in at 175.4 lbs, I am a smoker again and I still work a full-time job for a company that builds & sells fire trucks, brush trucks, and ambulances.

There are a lot of great homesteading sites out there that have FAR more knowledge of this than I do. I have a lot to learn in every aspect of my life, but my hopes in documenting this through my blog, videos, and other social media outlets is to first and foremost, keep accountability to myself and track my progress if you will; but also, I am hoping that it will help others out there to realize that there is a light at the end of the tunnel; there is hope and no matter your age it is never too late to start.

So, I will be writing and doing a lot of videos as I learn and grow. I promise you that our journey here together will not be a highlight reel that you see all over social media where everyone posts and tweaks to show the best of the best of their lives. You will see my ups and downs; I will write about what I think and am feeling… I am truly going to be putting myself out there.

Going Forward:

Getting back to basics to me isn’t just homesteading, it is a way of life. I will be blogging/ vlogging and sharing how I am returning to my roots mentally, physically, emotionally, and most of all spiritually. You will see me talking about rebuilding my homestead; getting myself back into shape; rebuilding my confidence and my mental well-being; controlling and learning what I am eating and putting into my body; talking about my faith and belief in Jesus Christ; and everything in between while still working a full-time job and traversing this life.

So, folks to put it into laymen’s terms, ya’ll about to see a realistic journey, the ups, and the downs. I do not drink so I will alter the phrase “hold my beer and watch this” to “hold my coffee and watch this…”

So I hope you will follow along with me, for good or bad.

Here we go!

Until Next Time,

God Bless.