Welcome

Hey, y'all. My name's Nate, and I'm 17 years old. Recently, I've been on a bit of a health kick which has made me realize just how many dangerous chemicals we put into our foods. Eventually, I started thinking about not just what we put IN our bodies but also what we put ON our bodies. Things like shampoo/conditioner, body wash, deodorant, sunblock, bug spray -- they all have so many chemicals in them that aren't good for you. After realizing just how bad a lot of store-bought products have, I've decided that I eventually want to be able to sustain myself and my future family without contaminating us. I want to be able to grow my own food and make my own clothes, but most of all, I want to do it all by hand. That means NO TECHNOLOGY. Planting crops by hand and spinning my own thread to weave my own fabric to make my own clothes that'll be washed with a washboard and homemade soap. I know that probably sounds crazy to most people, and I know it seems really ironic that I'm making a blog despite wanting a tech-free life. That dream is still pretty far into the future, so for know I'll post about my progression there including my successes and failures and tips for any of y'all that want to live a little more rural. Maybe you don't want as extreme a change as I do, but maybe you want to start a small vegetable garden in your yard or to start making your own clothes from 100% cotton fabrics. Whatever you're interested in trying out (if anything), I hope you'll be here to see how my life changes over the years. 

I know this is all very ambitious of me to take on, but trust me I have a plan. I'm only going to take on new changes every year or two so it doesn't become too overwhelming. I even have the order of things I'm going to do. First, I'm going to make my own health/cleaning products. I've already started making them this past week and so far they're working. I've made my own shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and deodorant; I'll make a seperate post about this later. Next year, when I go off to college, I'm going to make my own laundry soap and wash my clothes by hand. Then I'll start making all my clothes using an antique, non-electric sewing machine and 100% cotton fabric. I'll only buy white fabric and dye everything using fruits and vegetables like people used to before chemical dyes existed. After this, I plan on weaving my own fabrics then even spinning my own thread on a spinning wheel to make the fabric. Eventually, I'd buy a large piece of land and start growing fruits, vegetables, and (of course) cotton for the thread. I'd also start composting to create fertile soil for my crops. Then I'd dig a huge pond/small lake and fill it with fish; that tiny ecosystem would provide me with a decent source of protein. I'd eventually start raising chickens and cows for eggs, milk, and meat. 

I know this is all kind of extreme, and it may be hard at times, but I'm determined to do this. I want to be able to live on my own as much as possible. Of course, there will still be things I have to buy like medications, but I can at least be as self-sufficient as I can. Wish me luck, and if you noticed anything I'll need that I didn't mention in my plans, let me know so I can figure out how and when to do it. And I hope you stick with me through this adventure until I'm finally at the point of no technology whatsoever (which will be very last, so we got some time). 

See y'all next time, and have a blessed day.