Share stories from your older relatives or neighbors who farmed on self-reliant homesteads, and read the experiences of others. http://www.motherearthnews.com/blogs/blog.aspx?blogid=2147484582 This blog post tells what life was like on the self-sustaining farm of Olen and Anna Mae Showman located in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia during the middle of the 20th century. http://www.motherearthnews.com/homestead-skills-from-days-gone-by/self-sustaining-farm-zb0z1205zjma.aspx By the MOTHER EARTH NEWS editors Wed, 16 May 2012 15:56:06 CST In the final chapter of this five-part series, Lyn Fenwick finds the country cemetery that Isaac was burried in and pays her respects to the author of a treasured family heirloom, a 19th century homesteaders journal. http://www.motherearthnews.com/homestead-skills-from-days-gone-by/finding-isaacs-cemetery-zb0z1205zkin.aspx By the MOTHER EARTH NEWS editors Mon, 07 May 2012 11:14:46 CST In part four of this five-part series, Lyn Fenwick shares journal entries from a 19th Century homesteader's journal regarding Sand Hill Plums and the memories and traditions that surround them. http://www.motherearthnews.com/homestead-skills-from-days-gone-by/sand-hill-plum-memories-zb0z1205zkin.aspx By the MOTHER EARTH NEWS editors Tue, 01 May 2012 14:33:57 CST In part three of this five-part series, Lyn Fenwick describes the beloved book collection written about in Isaac's Journal, a 19th century homesteader whose diary Lyn uncovered. http://www.motherearthnews.com/homestead-skills-from-days-gone-by/19th-century-book-collection-zb0z1204zkin.aspx By the MOTHER EARTH NEWS editors Wed, 18 Apr 2012 16:15:32 CST In part two of this five-part series, Lyn Fenwick shares a homesteader named Isaac's 19th century journal entries on love, including the observation of local beauties and his desire for a woman who enjoys reading. http://www.motherearthnews.com/homestead-skills-from-days-gone-by/finding-love-kansas-prairie-zb0z1203zkin.aspx By the MOTHER EARTH NEWS editors Wed, 28 Mar 2012 10:21:54 CST Lyn Fenwick discovered a key to her family's past when she uncovered a homesteader named Isaac's dusty journal dating back to 1884. This five-part blog series discovers the treasure of a forgotten life using an old family heirloom as a map. http://www.motherearthnews.com/homestead-skills-from-days-gone-by/family-heirloom-journal.aspx By the MOTHER EARTH NEWS editors Fri, 16 Mar 2012 14:39:30 CST