Get a Grit! And What About Bob?

Well I'm excited to say that I will be blogging for Grit Magazine. If I can get my act together, and get over the "first post fright". This is really exciting for me, it will basically be a more organized extension of this blog. With the language cleaned up of course! I've decided to focus on homesteading for the beginner, the tired, the time challenged. Homesteading Lite. It should be fun! Plus I might get free Fair Tickets and they've just added West Bend, Wisconsin to the Fair Venues! I know exactly where that venue is because I used to pass it every day. Maybe me and fellow homesteader Bob Reksten will be able to share some fair antics together. Bob is a friend I made while hauling laundry out of Cudahy, WI. They put me on my supervisors 3rd shift route that covered 4 stops. 2 in West Bend, and 2 in Fond du Lac. I was able to re-route the route for better time efficiency, a talent I have but seldom use ;0) Anyway, Bob worked at my first stop and we got to talking about cats and chickens and his farm. Soon he was bringing me chicken catalogues, and we where exchanging ideas. He lived in a very old brick house on a farm outside of West Bend. He's promised to send me pictures. I'd love to share them. His house is of that very old and sound construction, with 3 layers of brick. One for the outside, a wall of air, a middle wall of brick, another wall of air, and an interior layer. This makes for incredible solar banking in the winter! I was so excited to see that West Bend was added to the Mother Earth News Fair Venue. It means that my long time friend Bob can go and really have some fun. He's one of my longest running friends. You see, I don't make, keep or even regularly keep in touch with people. When I decided to go with my mom on her move to Georgia, I asked him if I could have his address so I could have a friend to write to back home. Plus, I've always wanted a pen pal. We've written to each other almost monthly ever since 2005. Our card theme is cats, we pride ourselves in finding new and unusual cat cards to send. Usually from the Dollar Store. Bob has often been on the receiving end of hard times, down sizing, and injuries. The company where we met was bought out a year after I left and he lost his pension, and then his job. He was then the subject of agism and had to take a job as a greeter at Walmart. Despite having a Bachelor's degree in English from UWO. He's finally closing in on retirement, and I'm pulling for him all the way. I'd like to hear in his letters that he has all the time he needs to take care of his foster cats and other projects that find themselves on indefinite hold. So Bob, maybe I should dedicate my first article to you. A true homesteader that grew up on a farm in rural Wisconsin. And even though it was the 60's and 70's they still had to use an outhouse! I have a lot of admiration for my friend. He recently got injured again. So I should probably end this here, and give him a call, right now!