I Am Here To Help Build Steemit Into A Tighter Knit Community

in shep-heard •  7 years ago  (edited)

Shep-Heard here looking to lend a hand...
Take a peek inside to see what I have to offer.


I am willing to travel for up to two weeks at a time, randomly throughout the summer.

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Hello Kin-Sheppers, how is life on the Homestead?
It's amazing or on it's way there, I am sure.


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A little of my background as a ShepHeard


For the last three years I have been traveling during the summers, helping out those trying to build an independent self-sustainable life. In 2015 I spent the summer building a Cobb Cottage in Coal Creek Canyon, Colorado. It was an amazing experience and I met many wonderful people. It was among the Top Ten summers of my 44 years of life.

During my stay, there were anywhere from 4-14 volunteers with me where we all camped on the property, living communally. I am chasing this type of atmosphere again, because the lifestyle was a blast and living in the Rocky Mountains was a dream.

If you are planning to build any new structures on your land, I suggest you hold a Natural Building Workshop.

That same summer I moved on to a homestead in Estes Park, CO. Here, I used scrap wood (this was all she had and was what she wanted to be used) to expand her chicken coop. She had two different flocks and wanted them joined into one area. She also needed firewood acquired and processed for the winter(I found her a resource, which only cost her $10 a cord), some plumbing fixed, her snow plow repaired and repairs around the house performed. I left her ready for the winter.

The last two summers, I have traveled to Cabool, MO multiple times per year to help out a single mom and neighbor whom I met in a Facebook homesteading group. Here I gained a bit of new knowledge caring for pigs, horses, raising meat rabbits and added a skill or two to my sustainable building portfolio.

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A Summary of My Path, Bringing Me to Where I am Today


Eight years ago, I decided to minimize my need for material belongings and began to live a more natural and minimal life. This all sprouted from an instant love for Backpacking. I acquired this passion after visiting my best friend in Cheyenne, Wyoming who had just moved out there at the time.

This branched off into survivalism, bushcraft, tiny home dwelling, foraging and every single skill that is linked to living an independent life.

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Skills I Have to Offer


Some of the skills I have acquired from my travels include;

  • Installing solar and wind energy systems
  • buiding a chicken coop
  • building a fold away vegetable drying table, connected to the pasture fence for easy access
  • turned a portable garage into a greenhouse
  • built a primitive outdoor bathhouse
  • built a pully system on a barn to raise hay
  • built property gates by welding re-purposed materials from scratch.
  • designed and installed a water transfer system from a pond to the bath house I built

I am quite handy with hand and power tools of all kinds and my skills include;

  • intermediate auto mechanics
  • plumbing
  • carpentry
  • novice AC electrical and intermediate DC
  • solar and wind power system install
  • building with cobb
  • intermediate welding
  • putting together abstract concepts and
  • an ability to find useful ways to re-purpose on-site materials to fit your needs.
  • have extensively researched permaculture and other types of natural building, besides cobb
  • medicinal and edible plant identification, use and so much more.


  • I recycle for a living and claim to be a Professional Scavenger. If I know your goals before hand and we plan far enough ahead, I may be able to acquire many of the materials you need to build most any project, whether it be wood, metal, electronics, roofing, windows and especially pallets. This is not an exhaustive list.

    My Offer


    I offer all my skills, knowledge and physical labor for around 25 hours a week and lifetime friendship in exchange for a place to pitch a tent, two meals a day, your friendship, the ability to explore your area and whatever knowledge you are willing to share with me. I prefer to get to know an area, rather just visit it.

    My preference is to help those that are struggling financially and your pace of progress is slowed because of a shortage of money, not counting debt. If you make $75,000 a year or more, you have the financial means needed. I want to help those who need it and cannot afford to pay a professional, nor are even interested in a professional product.

    I will be attending a few Natural Building Workshops this year, so my availability will be for random periods for up to 2 weeks in between these workshops. This means I'll have further knowledge in this area to share. I usually need at least a couple weeks notice and like to have all the necessary details before I agree to make any arrangements, but I am sure most people would expect this.😀


    Skills Wanted


    I would love to learn more about Natural Building, foraging, Animal Husbandry, self-sufficiency of any kind, permaculture and so much more. My brain is a sponge that is never fully saturated. I would love to experience everything and am a lifelong student.


    A Little More About Me


    I Vape, am very 420 friendly and travel with my dog and best friend Nietzsche(Neechee). I know how to be discrete and responsible, only microdosing Marijuana. In contrast I do not drink alcohol(save for a drink or two a year) and in the spirit of Captain @dreemsteem's Treasure Hunt, "har me maties, I be passin' on yer Rum!" Lol

    Nietzsche is 9 years old, well trained and is used to being around other animals, including horses and chickens. He does not wear a collar and I RARELY put him on a leash. If Nietzsche cannot roam freely, I won't be able to help. Everybody loves Nietzsche, I guarantee it.😜

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    My Dietary Needs


    I am an Omnivore so, while a loose Vegetarian Diet will suffice, a Vegan Diet will not sustain me. I do avoid some of the more gassy foods, but we'll deal with that if the need arises.

    I love working on projects, especially something new to me. I am the type that always has multiple projects going or sitting on the backburner. I prefer to be outside hanging around a fire,(after work for the day is done) rather than inside watching television

    I am always up for an adventure and want to experience your area as deeply as possible. Settings in nature are my preference and a hike, swim at the local watering hole or kayaking are perfect examples of what I mean when I mention adventure. You are not expected to accompany me, but hopefully you know your area well enough to direct me to the good spots.

    I currently live in an environment similar to what @s-h-e-p is about. We have long since adopted each other as family, so it goes beyond a Host/Helper relationship.

    I live on Tom and Jean's land in an 18'camper. I am 100% off grid, but am provided plug in service. I will not be traveling with my camper, as it greatly increases the amount of gasoline needed to pull it. I just need a spot to pitch my tent.

    Tom & Jean are a mid 70 year old couple, who live on a very modest set income in an aging home. Anyone that owns an older home knows that upkeep is a constant chore.

    I take care of everything outside on a regular basis, do whatever repair work or remodeling that's needed, repair vehicles and pay attention to the wants of Tom and create many projects for him that he may mention in passing.



    One such project is building an outdoor abode for the stray cats he feeds. He has four indoor cats and a dog, so his wife has given him a quota on the amount of house pets he keeps.

    The cat house is complete with enough sleeping area for ten cats, has an automatic feeder, is heated in the winter and I have installed exhaust fans to cool it in the summer.

    Jean lost her mobility years ago and is a full-time dependent for Tom. Tom being older has quite a few physical disabilities and just had neck surgery a week ago.

    During his healing, I step up and take care of everything. I am currently preparing the meals, looking after the animals and keeping the inside of the house clean, on top of my other responsibilities.

    This is the type of relationship I hope to build. I have a strong personality with a high confidence in myself and tend to tell things like I see them. I need to be treated as an equal, rather than and underling. I mention this, because many people these days take their belongings a bit too serious and find it hard not to act like a boss on their land. We all share this planet equally.

    I am a 'live and let live' type of person and am looking for the same in a host. An environment with very strict rules does not suit me. I am an adult and am respectful and courteous, so do not require much outside structure.

    I work well with others, but can take charge and work on my own when needed. I prefer to work with my hosts, rather than for them. I find that this is the best way to share knowledge. When I leave, the hope is that not only have I learned something from you, but you have learned new skills from me as well. After I build or install anything with you, you'll hopefully be able to repair and rebuild them on your own in the future.

    I have references, which will be provided at the appropriate time.

    I wish you all the best and hope you achieve all the goals you set for yourselves and if our paths cross, we will work together to make the world a better place.

    I look forward to hearing from you, my friends and hope you enjoyed the little slice of my life just share with you.
    And...

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    Thank you for sharing your time with me.

    Please make sure to get outside and record it for others to enjoy.

    #PayItForward because someone has done right by you.

    And most importantly, help keep our area's clean by practicing Leave No Trace Principle's.

    Source

    All graphics above except the spinning earth are the sole property of @notconvinced

    A big thanks to @dreemsteem for the help formatting and crash course in HTML


    This post is an OFFICIAL PORT on @dreemsteem's "X Marks the Post" Treasure Hunt. If you'd like to become a treasure hunter, an official stop, or a sponsor - Follow the map to begin your journey! By the way, she loves good comments even more than upvotes - so be sure to say Hi!

    Authors get paid when people like you upvote their post.
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    Hey @notconvinced!
    I advertised @S-H-E-P in my latest post.

    Hey bud, glad you popped up because your offering the exact kind of help I'm looking for and I can help you with learning foraging, forestry and anything else an impromptu camping trip calls for. Keep in touch.

    Perfect! Have you read any of the earlier posts about @s-h-e-p? If not check this out. It explains how to organize a blog and how to give that blog the most exposure to find other helpers.

    I am glad you found this post, my friend.

    https://steemit.com/steemit/@coyoteom/a-life-changing-evolution-in-steemit-interaction-a-must-read-for-all-steemit-users

    I followed the link and signed up to follow. Major confidence booster thanks bud

    You are welcome, my friend.

    I just need a spot to pitch my tent.

    Why would you leave Tom and Jean, just for adventure? It seems like they still need you.

    I believe he leaves for a bit and then returns ;) but i'll let @notconvinced speak for himself hehehehe
    @tipu send tip to pirate mineopoly please!!! :)

    Hi @mineopoly! You have received 0.1 SBD tip from @dreemsteem!

    My offer of two week working vacations definitely depends on Tom's health. He is very capable of taking care of their necessities and prefers to do so.

    I was originally going to travel for the full summer, but my concern for them and Tom's recent surgery changed those plans.

    I am assuming Tom will heal from his surgery as the Doctor predicts. If not, my plans will change. As of right now, my plan's to attend a Cobb Workshop in Florida has been put on hold until further notice.

    If I can attend, I will. As for my offer here, I plan on honoring my offer, but dates and times are very flexible. There are no #kin-shep posts currently that are a fit for me anyway.

    It is better to put my intentions out there now, considering @s-h-e-p is much too new for there to be many choices.

    I also must lead by example and what better way than to be the first posting to the #shep-heard tag. This way there is an example for others to follow.

    My adventure also consists of helping others, so I am hardly being selfish, my friend.

    Thank you brother. "I see said the blind man to his deaf son." In this case I sincerely hope the best for you. You have a cool plan and I respect you.

    @mineopoly

    Oh, your words resonate so much with how I think and feel. So good to read! I wish you all the best with future projects, places and people. Soon I should get around to writing a similar post about myself.

    Thank you so much. Yes please create your shep-heard post. I need blogs to curate and if people are using it, it motivates others to do the same.

    I look forward to reading yours when it finds it way onto Steemit.

    Ahh if you are ever in New Zealand - there is always a place to stay here :) Things to do and lovely people to meet :)

    I have a few friends that have been there and ALL want to go back.

    Just knowing that the landscape there was used for Lord of the Rings is enough of a seller for me.

    It's definitely on my to do list. Thank you so much.

    You're most welcome :)

    i'm coming too ;) @tipu send tip

    Now you know ain't none of this happening without me!! lol

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    You and I sound like we'd get along. A lot of what you said here resonates with me.

    You are building such massive amounts of different capitals through doing this, it's incredible! You are worth so much.

    I mean you are collecting intellectual, experiencial and social capital all in one trip everytime you go somewhere like that! My brain is also like a sponge that never gets saturated... I'm addicted to learning I think.

    Hopefully we can meet this summer @notconvinced, as soon as we have a little bit better of a plan I'll make a post about our outdoor kitchen build.

    Ps: the rules at No Man's Land are simple.

    1. When a new dog is introduced into the area, everyone goes on leash untill we can see they like eachother enough to let loose. (We've seen one too many dog fights, so that's the rule now).
    2. Respect the neighbors and the land
    3. Be Nice
    4. If you get offended, take a breath, relax and think about it a while (in other words, check yourself), than we can talk about it. There are people from many different walks of life coming here.
    5. No politics
    6. No heavy drugs

    Those all sound fair to me...My dog is the one that gets attacked...So I carry mase and a taser to protect him.

    I have actually been thinking that visiting your future property and helping out is exactly the type of setup I am looking for, brother.

    I'll be looking for your kin-shep post.

    I'm working on a save the date kin-shep post right now. May take a couple of days, while we juggle life events...

    The mase is such a good idea, I've been bit breaking up a dog fight!

    One more thing, is your dog used to kids? (Not the kinds that pull on their tails and stuff, ours has been tought to be respectful to animals but he is only 3 and a half!)

    He is fine around kids and is not at all the hyper type. But he's actually scared of them and keeps his distance.

    Well that's good. Our little guy is old enough now we can tell him to leave certain animals alone and explain why a bit! Cool

    If your kid likes to pet dogs, it won't be long until Nietzsche warms up to him. He's just so used to me keeping him away from people when we jog in the park, he thinks I am doing it to keep him from danger. So keeping his distance is more training than fear. I should have explained that better.😀

    Its all good. You explained it just fine either way. But thanks for that. Yea he likes petting them! Just uesterday he was asking for a dog!

    But, if there are any doubts about the other dogs there, I won't drive 2000 miles to just turn around...

    No worries, I will tell you ahead of time if there will be dogs when you come. We personally do not have a dogs yet, and just a few friends have them. It was one specific dog who had two fights and belonged to a friend who will not be around as we've had a falling out anyways!

    But, understandably I wouldn't drive 2000 miles either if there was a doubt!

    Sounds good. I hope all your goals roll out as planned, my friend.

    Thanks and same for you friend!

    Yeah!!!

    So happy you have jumped right into this project of yours!

    This is inspiring me to get my ducks at least identified and make an #kin-shep post!

    The plans for our year end in a big hitchin party...but we are accelerating the homestead plan by many years to accomplish this.

    Tethered to home by this adventure this summer we would love to play hosts to the right folks.

    Perfect! I will be looking for your post and hope you accomplish all you plan to.

    Would love to see your #kin-shep post! My fella and I are moving currently, but are looking forward to seeing all the hosts posts pop up!

    Wow reading this reminded me of my dad (with all the skills) and myself, with all the hobbies and interests including foraging and using repurposed materials. I'm always advocatingn for reusing old items or salvaging them from the garbage. I have many projects which I talk about being made from things like pots made out of tire or containers. Have you ever foraged for the delicious morel mushrooms?
    Morel.jpg

    (My own original photo of one that I found and wrote about)

    I most certainly have and am anxiously awaiting the upcoming season.

    I may even take a few trips South, where the season begins a bit earlier.

      ·  7 years ago (edited)

    I wish we didn't have such harsh winters here

    fantastic post! I love how you have adapted to the lifestyle you now love! Here I am at 29 years old, first baby on the way and cannot for the life of me get my own home... We have no way here in the UK of living the lifestyle you lead... The skills you have will always be useful to yourself and the people around you :)

    I read somewhere a while back that in the U.K. they have an area where they are giving away land if you develop it to be Carbon Neutral. I'll try to find it for you.

    Thank you for the kind words, my friend.

    certainly not, i work in architecture so up to date on planning laws etc, the cost alone of making your home carbon neutral was quickly abolished as a standard due to cost of building...

    so glad you're back 'home' @praada ;) @tipu send tip

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    Thanks

    You are doing wonderful work! All the best to yourself and Nietzsche in your travels!! 😊

    Thank you so much, that means a lot.

    An interesting read. I tend to be a Prepper at heart with a desire for less reliance away from my city's expensive, fragile and wasteful infrastructure. Acquiring useful skills that are practical in a Grid Down Situation, efficient use of resources, simplifying life down to its most important relationships, rejecting materialism, environmentally friendly energy alternatives, etc.
    In the Pacific Northwest we are far overdue to a high magnitude earthquake or a major global economic reset are examples I prepare for.

    You are of the right mind, my friend. We definitely are on the same wavelength.

    Excellent (piratespeak aside hehe) I love engaging comments like this!!! Nice to see that you two have such similar interests!!! I'm glad that I could have a small role in bringing you together! hehehe @tipu send tip

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    Great to find you from the discord group. Followed!

    Thank you, my friend.

    Arr! Ye be th' real treasure of th' land matey. Yo-ho-ho! Th' lads and all the @dreemsteem o' dear earth praise yer generosity!

    Ayyyy, ye be th' kindest pirate this scoundrel has ev'r met, me maty.

    Pirate @scuzzy - ye honor me wit' yer words!!!! speakin' of generosity (i hope my tip jar is still full hahaha) @tipu send tip

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    You, sir, are an inspiration. And sounds like you are on an adventure everyday. The way you help Tom and Jean so selflessly. You and people like you are the gems in this world. When all is so grim, you definitely shine bright. Thank you for sharing, I'm looking forward to seeing your adventure unfold. Best of luck to you!!

    @tipu send tip to the sweet and spicy @monchhichi23 hehehe I'm so glad you're enjoying his adventure as much as I am too!!! I think this project is going to have the ability to touch lots of lives!!! :)

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    Thank you sooo much my friend. I will definitely be sharing my experiences.

    I loved getting to hear more about your own personal journey that led you to start s-h-e-p with @coyoteom :) It's always neat to see the paths that lead people to create initiatives like this. I keep thinking how cool it's going to be to look back on this in a year and remember how it started! :) Thanks for letting me be a part of it :)

    Letting you? @s-h-e-p is all about inclusion😀
    Thanks for being you and showing others how be humble.

    Thanks for INVITING me to be a part of it... heheheh that's better :)

    😎

    Nietzsche...think another of my friends almost named a stray cat that is now her office cat that... @princessmewmew maybe? Maybe that was the name...but it is familiar and fresh to me.

    How do we get in touch with you for projects? Are you on Discord? Pease let me know.

    I am on Discord, but the best way is through @s-h-e-p, especially by creating an @kin-shep post. This post here explains how to do that and tag your blog with #kin-shep, but don't use the hash tag...my Discord ID is @NotConvinced#6242

    You are special. Most people tend to look down on people who can't do anymore. You've proven there is hope for humanity yet!

    Awwww, thank you soooo much! I agree that apathy and arrogance seem to be gaining ground, but then you meet some great people and know that good still exists in the world.

    Hey dude!! Just sent you a message on discord, and it told me we ain't friends anymore, so it didn't deliver it to you. befriend me back!! :D I hope you are doing well!