An Introduction

Hello!  My name is Mae.  I'm a mom in Western Maine.  My family and I are homesteading on a small patch of land, trying to become as self-sufficient as possible.  We use a hand pump for water and a composting toilet for.... you know.  Our electricity is a 12v battery which we charge at a friend's house but soon we hope to generate our own using solar or wind.  We use propane to cook with but someday it'll a wood cookstove (a regular one heats our home at the moment).  Everything is a work in progress...

We have a small but growing garden.  We like to focus on heirloom vegetables and save our own seeds.  My kids especially liked picking and eating the tomatoes right off the vine.  We have a flock of chickens that break out of their pen periodically (the kids help them "escape") and roam around, eating bugs, grass and, occasionally, our veggies.  We don't have any rabbits at the moment but I raised them for show throughout my childhood and into my early 20s and am currently looking for Silver Fox and American Chinchilla Rabbits to add to the homestead (anyone want to help me there???).

My middle child was diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum at the age of three.  He's a smart, sweet, silly kid who likes things a certain way and has regular meltdowns, especially when things don't go "right".  He's in great company, though as his brilliant, loving daddy has Aspergers (also on the spectrum). 

The two younger kids also have hearing impairments.  Their losses are progressive and the youngest already hears at 60 dB.  I'm worried that she'll end up with a profound loss.  But they're doing well and will adapt great, I'm sure.

Time to head out for now!  Keep tuned and have a great day!