Backwoods Home Magazine

Sometimes life requires you to climb in the toilet, and elbow deep in the bowl, you discover the path to self-reliance.

When I heard the flush, I knew I was dealing with something out of the ordinary. My toddler, waving as the sewer swallowed up whatever she tossed in the bowl, confirmed my fear. I quickly plunged and flushed; the water level just kept rising.

Call me plumber - Backwoods Home Magazine By Emily Chadwick Issue #121 • January/February, 2010 Sometimes life requires you to climb in the toilet, and elbow deep in the bowl, you discover the path to self-reliance. When I heard the flush, I knew I was dealing with something out of the ordinary. My toddler, waving as the sewer swallowed u...

"Our cat Foxy in the garden jungle!" - Patty Burr

Submit your Country Moments to [email protected]. Include a caption and your name with the photo.

Mosquitoes are responsible for irritating bites, cause itching welts, can spread diseases, are a constant aggravation at picnics, and are ear-tormenting little beasts. No wonder they are so disliked.

Mosquitoes outnumber us and no one likes them - Backwoods Home Magazine By Tom and Joanne O’Toole Issue #80 • March/April, 2003 Mosquitoes are responsible for irritating bites, cause itching welts, can spread diseases, are a constant aggravation at picnics, and are ear-tormenting little beasts. No wonder they are so disliked. Like many other things in nature’s c*c...

We planned it to be permanent, well built, and able to withstand the extremes of temperature, humidity, and weather a greenhouse must tolerate inside and out for many years. It would be big enough to grow plenty of food, an easy place to work, and adaptable to our changing needs. We live in a harsh climate and wanted the greenhouse to extend our growing season in both early spring and late fall.I do not have a green thumb. The only plants I have any luck with are the ones that can be sawn into boards. My wife has two green thumbs, maybe three. She can grow anything. In our early life together she would, in her shy way, ask me to build helpful garden projects and, in my busy way, I would half pay attention to her requests. After years of doing these half-asked projects we decided a full-fledged greenhouse would be included in our next home.

Build an attached solar greenhouse - Backwoods Home Magazine By David Lee Issue #125 • September/October, 2010 We planned it to be permanent, well built, and able to withstand the extremes of temperature, humidity, and weather a greenhouse must tolerate inside and out for many years. It would be big enough to grow plenty of food, an easy place to work, and ...

"1st watermelon of the season harvested. Our 3 year old's favorite food!" - Marc and Laura Bialeschki

Submit your Country Moments to [email protected]. Include a caption and your name with the photo.

In the wilderness, there may not be shelter to protect you from the elements. Even on a working homestead, physical exertion in hot weather can easily lead to heat stress, sometimes called “hyperthermia.” Hundreds of deaths are reported every year in the United States due to excessive heat, and it is especially dangerous when there is little or no access to modern medical facilities. It pays to take measures to prevent (as well as know how to treat) emergencies related to overheating.

Dealing with heat stress - Backwoods Home Magazine By Joseph Alton, M.D. Issue #154 • July/August, 2015 In the wilderness, there may not be shelter to protect you from the elements. Even on a working homestead, physical exertion in hot weather can easily lead to heat stress, sometimes called “hyperthermia.” Hundreds of deaths are reported ever...

There is an old Chinese curse, “May you live in interesting times.” Curse or not, times are interesting. We have world crises, national troubles, state level problems, county and local ills, and most likely your own family worries about the future. The root of all these problems is money and the power that comes with money. It is not quite that simple, but close enough for this article.

Build your own home in two years — Get a PhD in homebuilding - Backwoods Home Magazine By David Lee Issue #115 • January/February, 2009 There is an old Chinese curse, “May you live in interesting times.” Curse or not, times are interesting. We have world crises, national troubles, state level problems, county and local ills, and most likely your own family worries about the futu...

"My little cowboys!" - Kim Strawn

Submit your Country Moments to [email protected]. Include a caption and your name with the photo.

Have you ever read accounts of those pioneer families? They seemed to flourish in a one-room shack filled with eight kids, two ailing pigs, a preacher who happened by, a happily sewing Mama, and a Pa who was always out chopping wood. Did you ever wonder why Pa spent so much time out there chopping wood? Think about it! He would a heap rather have worked his arms off than face what was probably going on back at the sod hut!

Just for Kids: Knock knock vinegar - Backwoods Home Magazine By Lucy Shober Issue #32 • March/April, 1995 Click on pictures for printable, full-sized versions to color. Have you ever read accounts of those pioneer families? They seemed to flourish in a one-room shack filled with eight kids, two ailing pigs, a preacher who happened by, a happily sewing Mama,...

Need a sign? Do you want people to find your residence, your mailbox, your veggie stand, your yard sale, your business, or anything else you want to be discovered?

Eye-catching signs with mirrors - Backwoods Home Magazine By David Lee Issue #144 • November/December, 2013 The reflected image in the mirrored letters give a “see-through” illusion to the sign and the tree. Stained glass nuggets add flashes of color. Need a sign? Do you want people to find your residence, your mailbox, your veggie stand, your yard s...

"The boys picking bouquets for Mom" - Kate

Submit your Country Moments to [email protected]. Include a caption and your name with the photo.

If you think “Howdy Doody” has been holing up in your attic for too many years, maybe it’s time you turned the dummy in for some cold hard cash. In fact, while you’re up in the rafters rummaging through old trunks and boxes laden with dust and cobwebs, don’t be surprised if you uncover a slew of other junk�or treasures, if you will�that can be turned, almost instantly, into ready money.

Cash in on your household junk - Backwoods Home Magazine By Linda Gabris Issue #120 • November/December, 2009 If you think “Howdy Doody” has been holing up in your attic for too many years, maybe it’s time you turned the dummy in for some cold hard cash. In fact, while you’re up in the rafters rummaging through old trunks and boxes laden with du...

It is pretty devious starting off an article with an exaggeration but now that I have your attention let me tell you about a floor surfacing method I have been using over the years that performs better than what you are used to. It is waterproof for outside applications. It is easily repaired when damaged. It is slip resistant and easy to clean. It can be fitted into difficult or complicated locations. It comes in any color or style you can imagine and can be redecorated easily at any time. Best of all, it allows you to express your artistic talent. Plus this surfacing method isn’t limited to being used only on a floor. With proper care it could quite possibly last forever.

The Forever Floor - Backwoods Home Magazine By David Lee Issue #92 • March/April, 2005 It is pretty devious starting off an article with an exaggeration but now that I have your attention let me tell you about a floor surfacing method I have been using over the years that performs better than what you are used to. It is waterproof for […]

"Kateryna, 6, shows off her berries and cherries picked from the yard" - Melissa Komar

Submit your Country Moments to [email protected]. Include a caption and your name with the photo.

Rosie Bley’s self-reliance and confidence has served her well all her life, permitting her to live in one of the most remote areas of California and to meet the challenges that the lifestyle unexpectedly thrust in her way. Bley is a businesswoman in the tiny Klamath River community of Happy Camp, about halfway between no place and nowhere, in the forests along the border of California and Oregon.

A determined Rose Bley escaped the city - Backwoods Home Magazine By Gene Sheley Issue #51 • May/June, 1998 Rosie Bley’s self-reliance and confidence has served her well all her life, permitting her to live in one of the most remote areas of California and to meet the challenges that the lifestyle unexpectedly thrust in her way. Bley is a businesswoman in the ...

About a year ago, my wife and I traveled around Italy by car. We had lots of wood-fired pizza. Italians make their pizza very thin with some sauce, cheese, and very little topping. If you order pepperoni pizza, you don’t get meat, just green and red peppers.

Build a pizza oven - Backwoods Home Magazine By Mike Lorenzen Issue #143 • September/October, 2013 About a year ago, my wife and I traveled around Italy by car. We had lots of wood-fired pizza. Italians make their pizza very thin with some sauce, cheese, and very little topping. If you order pepperoni pizza, you don’t get meat — just gree...

"Susie Lynn (9) and Tucker (5) learning to butcher a chicken on their parents’ property" - Grace Belton

Submit your Country Moments to [email protected]. Include a caption and your name with the photo.

If you stand reading at the rack closest to the window, you can look up from your book to see the Strawberry Wilderness looming its wooded heights into the blue sky above the town. The woman from Denver is browsing the shelves. She stares at the drama section for a long time, and finally bursts out “I can’t believe you have Waiting for Godot in John Day, Oregon!”

Used bookstores can be sucessful in the hinterlands - Backwoods Home Magazine By Jennifer Stein Barker Issue #52 • July/August, 1998 If you stand reading at the rack closest to the window, you can look up from your book to see the Strawberry Wilderness looming its wooded heights into the blue sky above the town. The woman from Denver is browsing the shelves. She stares at t...

I had a problem. Other men love football, baseball, basketball, or golf. I love to hunt. And the animal I love to hunt more than any other is the Rocky Mountain Elk. Besides the majestic beauty of the elk themselves, I love the country they live in. I love the panoramic views, the crystal clear air, the glorious smell of the surrounding spruce trees, the golden beauty of the aspens. So, what was my problem?

Build a portable woodstove for $30 - Backwoods Home Magazine By David Scott Matthews Issue #78 • November/December, 2002 I had a problem. Other men love football, baseball, basketball, or golf. I love to hunt. And the animal I love to hunt more than any other is the Rocky Mountain Elk. Besides the majestic beauty of the elk themselves, I love the country th...

"4-month-old Tess. She's a happy girl." - Mike and Cris Hardwick

Submit your Country Moments to [email protected]. Include a caption and your name with the photo.

I write and edit for a living. I’m the senior editor for Backwoods Home Magazine for which I’ve written numerous columns during the last 24 years. Before that I did technical writing for defense contractors. Recently I published two novels, Danielle Kidnapped and The Devil You Know, and I’ll have two more completed before the end of the year, Fossil and Danielle Discovered. The trouble is, although I write, I can’t read.

Homeschooling your dylsexic kid - Backwoods Home Magazine By John Silveira Issue #142 • July/August, 2013 I write and edit for a living. I’m the senior editor for Backwoods Home Magazine for which I’ve written numerous columns during the last 24 years. Before that I did technical writing for defense contractors. Recently I published two novels, Danie...

No matter where you live, the most important resource that a prepared homestead can have is access to stored water. It may be abundant or scarce, but you still have to be able to collect and store it somewhere. That’s where tanks and cisterns come in. Wells are fantastic, but if you have no holding capacity, your access to water is 100% dependent on the pump and the electricity to run it. Whether you’re in a wet or dry environment, being able to collect rain or just hold a reserve of water is essential.

Build a cistern out of corrugated road culvert - Backwoods Home Magazine By Joe Mooney Issue #146 • March/April, 2014 Using a corrugated road culvert as a cistern is an economical way to add to your water storage. Here is the finished tank with PVC pipe directing water from a gutter into the tank inlet. . No matter where you live, the most important resource that a [.....

"Checking targets after target practice" - Kenzy

Submit your Country Moments to [email protected]. Include a caption and your name with the photo.

A strident tone blasts me from sleep. I catch the words “fully involved” first time around. Where the heck are my glasses? Oh, God, I can’t find my glasses. Panic. Fumble the light on, knocking my specs to the floor. I’m getting too old for this middle-of-the-night stuff. The dispatcher’s monotone repeats itself and this time I get the details of what and where. I yank on yesterday’s clothes, always left by the side of the bed.

Fully Involved - Backwoods Home Magazine By Diana Morgan Issue #58 • July/August, 1999 A strident tone blasts me from sleep. I catch the words “fully involved” first time around. Where the heck are my glasses? Oh, God, I can’t find my glasses. Panic. Fumble the light on, knocking my specs to the floor. I’m getting too old for thi...

Since my property is almost half a mile away from the nearest road and I can’t keep the dirt road to it plowed all winter (I don’t live there yet), I need some sort of sled to get supplies and food from the truck to the cabin when I stay there over the weekend. The hardware-store, flimsy-plastic variety works alright for light loads, but for hauling a chainsaw, gas can, and all the other woodcutting paraphernalia, I need something stout and rigid.

Build a ski sled - Backwoods Home Magazine By Kai Moessle Issue #138 • November/December, 2012 Since my property is almost half a mile away from the nearest road and I can’t keep the dirt road to it plowed all winter (I don’t live there yet), I need some sort of sled to get supplies and food from the truck to the cabin […]

"How to sneak a chicken into the house" - Amanda Holt

Submit your Country Moments to [email protected]. Include a caption and your name with the photo.

Most parents want to see their children well equipped to succeed in life, and homesteaders are no different in that regard. Many homesteaders choose this lifestyle to give their children a better chance at a wholesome start. Another tool we can give our children is the love of books. Reading strengthens minds and hearts, and widens horizons.

Teaching the joy of reading - Backwoods Home Magazine By Amy E. Peare Issue #96 • November/December, 2005 Most parents want to see their children well equipped to succeed in life, and homesteaders are no different in that regard. Many homesteaders choose this lifestyle to give their children a better chance at a wholesome start. Another tool we can g...

I think there has to be something ingrained in the human brain that loves things built of stone. Maybe it’s our desire for strength and safety or the timeless beauty of stacked stone masonry. We have a connection with stone construction reinforced by historic buildings, engineering marvels, and even the fable of the three little pigs.

Gabion walls for form and function - Backwoods Home Magazine By Joe Mooney Issue #153 • May/June, 2015 I think there has to be something ingrained in the human brain that loves things built of stone. Maybe it’s our desire for strength and safety or the timeless beauty of stacked stone masonry. We have a connection with stone construction reinforced by his...

"Nelly M loving on her kitty" - Nancy Long

Submit your Country Moments to [email protected]. Include a caption and your name with the photo.

Frostbite can be defined, in its most severe stage, as when your fingers and toes freeze and have to be cut off because of gangrene. Wow, talk about drastic. Well, this is the extreme, but it can happen.

Frostbite — Don't flirt with this sneaky danger - Backwoods Home Magazine By Tom and Joanne O’Toole Issue #96 • November/December, 2005 Frostbite can be defined, in its most severe stage, as when your fingers and toes freeze and have to be cut off because of gangrene. Wow, talk about drastic. Well, this is the extreme, but it can happen. Being frostbitten is serious a...