Facebook Page is Up!

I've got the Facebook page up! I've yet to post anything to it but feel free to join if you would like to see PLENTY of pictures and read about what is happening in our world.

I will probably be updating 2-4 times a week, depending on how busy we are and what news we may have. The busier we are, the MORE content we will have. So give us a LIKE and enjoy!

The Porter Homestead Blog

Let me know if this link works.

https://m.facebook.com/home.php?refsrc=https%3A%2F%2Fm.facebook.com%2Fhome.php%3Fref%3Dbookmark&refid=8&ref=bookmark&_rdr

Change of Plans!

Since I've been having so much trouble with this site, I've decided to take the steps to have my blog as a FaceBook page that anybody can join. It just seems much simpler and it will able me to post all the pictures and content I want.

It will go by the same name; The Porter Homestead Blog

Updates may be daily, but will most likely be 2-4 times a week.

Sorry for the hassle.

Shalom and Yah bless.



I'll try to have the page active this week.

Priorities

So tonight I am going to do my best to post a load of pictures. It all depends on how early I can get my little girl to sleep.

Pictures of the garden, the bees, and anything else that has happened that is if interest.

Shalom and Yah bless

End of the Blog?

Obviously I haven't been doing a good job of updating the blog. For those of you that have been following me on FB, you've been receiving regular updates almost daily about what is happening on our small "homestead".

Yesterday I deactivated my account on FB. A few things provoked me to do so. First was all the anti-Israel sentiment coming from the supposed "Christian" side, second was the growing number of "anti-messiah messianics", third was an important friendship of mine suddenly dying. The last one was what really did me in.

I'm really not sure what to say. Lately I've been dealing with a bit of anxiety, I'm not sure what's been feeding it but it's only gotten steadily stronger over the course of time.

It's making it difficult to engage socially. I find myself being facetious and snarky. These aren't the traits I want to convey to the public. I'm going through this alone and am praying the end is near. How can one ask for help when one is uncertain of the exact problem.

It isn't depression.

I'm still keeping up on my projects here; both the large garden and starting my tool company.

I recently acquired a drill press and a bench grinder, I'm eager to get a wire-wheel for it.

Even better;

 I'm to the point now that I will be purchasing lumber for my bench in the next week or two.

I'm just waiting on the lumber company to figure out how much they'll have after filling current orders.

This is very exciting. I'll be very satisfied to not only be making tools but to also be generating an income.

I'm not sure if this is a farewell message or what this is; I just feel like it's going to be a long time before I really feel settled down again, and maybe I won't ever feel that way.

It's amazing how someone can come into our lives just briefly and completely affirm who we perceive ourselves to be. Completely in every way, good and bad.

I'll probably post something once every month or so like I have been, out of guilt.

If by any chance in the near future I'm making tools, I'll do my best to post some pictures.

Please send some prayers my way in Yah's name, I'm feeling some emotions that I'm not very familiar with.

Shalom and Yah bless.

June's Update

It has definitely been too long since my last post.

We've had a world of projects we've been working on.

We tried making sauerkraut; it failed.

We are in the process of making wine; we have to wait 6 months to know if that failed or not!

I've been working two or three nights a week making my quarter acre garden a reality. It's looking nice. It's a little over half done.
It's struggling a little bit this year, but next year I think it will really take off. Th weed suppression of the woodchips is incomparable to any other method. It's almost maintenance free. There is the occasional blade of grass here-and-there but they are easily removed by simply wiggling my finger around the base of the plant and tracing the roots all the way to the end. The chips make this so easy; it's effortless. I simply pull it out once I've found it's end. That's it.

There hasn't been any sewing in this house in a while. We've been very busy between maintaining friendships, keeping house, the garden, our daughter, meeting for sabbath, not to mention work!

When this garden gets established, I will find myself with much less work to do; it will feel odd. I may have time to maintain this blog, lol!

I've forgotten to mention our bees! They are sooo healthy it's great, they really love our buckwheat.

 Did I ever mention I grew buckwheat?
Well we did and aside from the Johnson grass growing right through it in a localized patch, it did great.

I've been dealing with some rabbits lately, I'm having to relocate them. They love my beans a bit too much. I thought I only had three that were eating in my garden but I am beginning to suspect there may be close to a dozen in the local area.

Great things are happening in life and it can be a bit overwhelming at times. I'm thankful to be in the will of Yah. I am thankful for all the people in my life and for the new people I am meeting. A single person can transform your life forever.

I think this is all the post for now. And as usual, "I'll try to ad photos later". Right....Sure...

No really, I mean it.

Shalom to all and Yah bless you

Yeshua and a Homesteading Community

It seems lately that there has been an uptick in the number of messianics that are curious about the ways of the land; that is, homesteading in a communal way.

We've only got .80 of an acre, that's right, less than 1 acre! And I can tell you unquestionably that granted there are no municipal codes against it, 1 acre is plenty enough to keep two people busy.

Now that the seasons have finally changed and warmed up, we've got several projects moving along.
Elizabeth has her Warre Hive filled with bees! I've been busy at every opportunity getting this massive garden going. I sewed a quarter acre of buckwheat! Tonight I am in the act of getting our herbs and tomatoes in the ground.

Now is a good time for me to apologize for a lack of photos, if you'd like you can add me on Facebook, just let me know that you've seen this blog! My FB has a multitude of photos, also it's much easier to answer questions. Just look for Michael McCartan.

So now that you know what we are up to, let me tell you about what we could do additionally if there were no codes. We could have enough chickens to feed our family through the year. We could also have as many orchard trees as we desire(18+). We could also potentially have an area set aside for ducks, that'd be nice. There is enough room for a wash-house 15x15'. There is also enough room for a sizable greenhouse say 14x30'.
And you'd probably want a garden shed, large enough to dry onions and garlic and a two-story is optimal of about 12x12', anything larger than that is fine but there comes a point where it stops being a "shed".

I wouldn't want to do too much more than this as it could become a little difficult to manage the property efficiently.

Back to the messianic point, I'm not surprised that the majority of us are not familiar with the more menial tasks of homesteading. There seems to be about 5-10 percent of us though that have taken to homesteading in a serious manner.

There are regular talks of establishing a "messianic community", from what I understand there is atleast one community of such believers around here.

I would encourage an establishment of a community after an "amish model". Everyone would own their land, be horse and buggy, and have a trade they could perform on or near their land, and an avoidance of fuel-powered-machinery as well as electricity would be encouraged. At the very establishment of said community everyone would have to be on the same page on all matters and there would vitally need to be a bishop or person in charge of religious tasks in some capacity.

The difficult thing for most people to understand about this communal style is this, you are no longer "American" in terms of the modern understanding. You are no longer a part of the materialistic population. You are fully separated(holy). You are at that point entitled to begin your new culture that is not based on tv shows or radio programming, you are free to not only liv by what the scriptures say but to also start new traditions.

For some people this change in dichotomy is foreign, but I think to best illustrate the point think of it like this.

Imagine going out in public the first time you are wearing homemade clothing. I can assure you that even if your new clothing is expertly made, you will still feel awkward not blending in to every "American scene". When I first began to change my wardrobe I almost felt embarrassed in public. I was wearing clothing that fit my convictions but that I had not grown up with in my dresser. After going out in public the first few times, it was much easier. I began to see things differently. It was nice that people took what they saw of me for granted. When they saw me, they knew that I was a follower of Yeshuah/Yahushuah. They would apologize for cussing or would dress more modestly. Complete strangers would come up to me and just start talking about God. I've had women stand beside me and start singing church songs to get my attention, that was odd but I knew what was happening. My point is that if I dressed like an "American", I would have been a Christian in camouflage and none of those conversations or situations would have happened.

For the last 100+ years in this country people have gotten used to buying their clothing and trying to look like everyone else, that is not being a "peculiar people" and it is also not being set-apart(holy).

Think of the people I am referring to when I say, Muslim, Sikh, Indian, Jew, Buddhist monk, nun.
Every one of them brings a distinct picture to your mind. Now what comes to your mind when I say Christian? Perhaps a person with a cross on a t-shirt comes to mind. That seems a bit shallow to me. If the only difference between "us" and "them" is a cross on t-shirt we really are missing the mark.


 My point is not that believers should all look the same. I strongly speak against that. Personality is a vital part of every person born. My point is that if your clothing is homemade that people will not be able to miss it. That as a Christian you will have that distinct cultural impression on those seeking His face. We are to be a shinning light, how can we do that in camouflage in such a dark world?

It is only fair to let you know that when my family  began this journey that we went through many changes in our wardrobe to find what truly matched our identity. I tried several different types of broadfalls(pants with no zipper) and Elizabeth Ann went through (and still is) a variety of dress patterns to find what makes her happiest in her identity. Clothing is a very personal subject. The scriptures spend a lot of time talking about it. There is a reason that clothing is an important topic. What you wear is a billboard to the public telling them everything they want to know about your convictions and your ethics.

We are to be separated and as such, we will unavoidably stand out.

It is when we try to blend in with our Levi's that we forsake our calling.

When you change your wardrobe to one that everyone identifies as being Christian;

That is when materialists start to take notice and some if not most will avoid unnecessary interaction with you. Some will ask questions, but as soon as they have their answers they are promptly on their way.


I've gotten off on a tangent, but that needed to happen. I know there is someone reading this that feels it is addressed to them; maybe that's you.

My only other point I have to make about messianics and their desire for a communal style homestead is this, it's a lot of painful hard work. I enjoy it, but some people might not. And others might despise their niche in the family. Last night I worked in our garden with a headlamp from sundown to sunrise at 8am. I felt achy but satisfied.  When I was done, I had planted two 12' rows of tomatoes, two 12' rows of peppers, I had planted a grid of herbs 7x15', I had planted 6 rosebush starts, I had also planted two 12' rows of sweet potatoes. I also finished raking the last quarter of the field I had sewn with buckwheat.

It was a night of dedication that I can still feel in my feet, back, and joints, but the rewards will be enjoyed months down the road.

I was able to take many things off my to-do list, but there is still plenty that needs to be done. I want to get my polebean trellis up ASAP, and I have another tray of tomatoes that need to go in the ground. I'm hoping the weather will cooperate later today. Oh and I also want to get my cucumbers in! On and on and on it goes! But the food won't have chemicals in it and it won't come from Walmart.

If there is ever an economic crisis, I won't have to worry about grocery stores. As long as I can liv and pay my taxes, my family and I will be alright. Of course that's a whole other conversation.

I think a point worth making, is this, this movement/community needs as many people as possible for it to survive. And every individual has their niche. For some people, they are the workhorses, others edifiers, others cooks, mothers, bishops, farmers, tradesmen. The list goes on and on and on, and EVERYONE is NECESSARY! All ages, all personalities. Some are meant to crunch numbers, sew clothing, others are just meant to make people smile. Others are meant to watch children so new parents can catch up, others are needed to keep tabs on widows or the fatherless.

I think you get the idea, a healthy community is a dynamic community. The only things I think members need to agree on are  that the scriptures are the foundation and that as such an agreed upon cultural identity is imperative for cohesion. That'd simply mean that all people in the community would meat on the sabbath and that there would be a set standard for dress, clothing is an unwritten Language that says who we belong to in society.

Busy Busy Busy

So last week we had some fellows come over and help us with our back field. They helped to burn it and also disced and tilled it. We still have grass poking up but it will be easy to address with a mattock.

A few days ago Elizabeth and I planted 72 row feet of potatoes. I'm hoping our crop is productive enough that we can try "clamping" as a method of preserving. "Clamping" is where you harvest your crop and lay down straw, you place your crop ontop of it and then cover it up with more straw and earth. Supposedly it's what the Irish did/do I'm not sure how their variables are different.

I Finally finished clearing a 45x90' area of grass clods and rocks today. I'm still looking at doing that much, again. I've got a wheelbarrow now and things are going considerably faster. I had only been using a rake and fork.

Tomorrow's priority is to contact arborists in the area to see if they need to drop woodchips in our area.

This garden is making me feel younger, I'm so thankful for that. I couldn't find anything to shake me out of feeling double my age, even after having been home for nearly a year.

In other news, last night I took the opportunity to attempt adjusting the belt on the treadle sewing machine. I was quite discouraged at how loose it had "just" become, even though it had been left alone. So I clipped off a quarter of an inch from the end, pierced it with an icepick, attached the staple and checked the fit. It still wouldn't engage. After repeating the process three times I had perfection. I was so eager to see Elizabeth Ann try it out but something about waking her up at 2am just didn't seem wise. Needless to say, when she did try it out it took a little getting used to but now she can't wait to find time to use it. We have countless yards of material ready to be used : )

I've got machines!! A new Grizzly table saw and a Grizzly jointer. I'm ready to use them but the outlet are absent.

My neighbor has experience putting 220 electric outlets in his house. Pretty soon we'll be doing that for my machines. At the moment they are second in priority to the garden. I'm ready to build my planemaking bench but some dust needs to settle.

I'm very happy with where we are at, things feel correct. Occupationaly, spiritually, and just around the house.

We are getting ready to put some seeds in the garden : ) Beans, peas, onions, maybe leeks and shallots, and we are assessing when kale is ok to plant.

Monday and Tuesday we went to a local meeting where a Hebrew Roots speaker by the name of Brad Scott talked about a variety of topics but his emphasis was on unity in the movement. We were very happy to of gone, even if we were both exhausted from other activities.

I know I need a way to get more photos on here, they're important for context.

I think we will start posting content on the Sabbath since we find our hands empty only that day of the week.

Shalom,

Praying blessings for all of you in our Father's name.