Welcome to My Kansas Homestead (Now Get Off My Lawn)

Listen, I didn’t move out to the middle of nowhere to deal with HOA regulations, TikTok garden tours, or nosy neighbors with opinions about my chicken coop. I came out here to build a life—one rooted in dirt, sweat, and the kind of hard work that most people wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole.

But you know what’s worse than a Kansas tornado ripping through your property in April? People with zero skills and shiny boots acting like homesteading is some Instagram aesthetic. This ain’t a curated lifestyle—it’s war, and the enemy is everything from drought to raccoons to tractor maintenance.

Now don’t get me wrong—I’m not mad at the land. I love this land. I wake up every morning with the prairie wind slapping me in the face like a cold coffee and I thank it for reminding me I’m alive. But if you’re thinking about starting a homestead here in Kansas, let me give you a cold, hard, mud-caked dose of reality—and maybe you’ll walk away a little wiser (and a little more respectful of people who actually live this life).

15 Skills Every Kansas Homesteader Needs (Or You’ll Fail Faster Than a Solar Panel in a Dust Storm):

  1. Seed Starting – Learn it. Master it. If you can’t sprout a tomato, go back to the city.
  2. Composting – Turn that kitchen slop into black gold. We don’t throw away nutrients out here.
  3. Animal Husbandry – Chickens, goats, pigs, and cows don’t raise themselves. If you don’t know what a broody hen is, you’re already behind.
  4. Canning & Food Preservation – If you don’t want your harvest rotting in a week, get friendly with a pressure canner.
  5. Basic Carpentry – Because hiring someone to fix your barn roof is for millionaires.
  6. Fence Building & Repair – Kansas winds will humble your fence real fast. Build it strong or build it twice.
  7. Rainwater Collection – When July hits and the sky forgets how to cry, you’ll wish you had barrels.
  8. First Aid – For animals and humans. Because the nearest vet or clinic might be 40 minutes away.
  9. Wildlife Identification – Know the difference between a coyote and your neighbor’s mangy dog.
  10. Butchering – If you’re not ready to process your meat, then don’t raise animals.
  11. Mechanical Repair – Tractors, chainsaws, and generators break down. Constantly. Learn to fix them or bleed money.
  12. Foraging – Kansas has wild edibles galore. If you don’t know what lamb’s quarters are, you should.
  13. Beekeeping – You want pollination? You want honey? Time to make friends with bees.
  14. Bread Making – Because there’s something deeply wrong about store-bought bread in a homemade kitchen.
  15. Firewood Splitting – Winters can be brutal. If you think electric heat is reliable, wait for your first ice storm blackout.

3 Homestead Hacks They Won’t Teach You on YouTube:

Hack #1: The “Solar-Shed Hybrid”
Build a small outbuilding that serves both as a tool shed and a solar battery house. Insulate it well, mount solar panels on top, and use it to store backup batteries, hand tools, seeds, and a deep freezer. Why waste space when everything can serve a dual purpose? Kansas gets a ton of sun—harness it.

Hack #2: The Chicken Coop Water Heater (No Electricity)
Use an old black-painted metal barrel filled with water and set it inside your chicken run—covered during summer, uncovered in winter. The sun heats it up during the day, and it radiates warmth at night, keeping your coop from freezing just enough. Kansas winters are no joke, and this passive heat source can mean the difference between frozen eggs and laying hens.

Hack #3: Firewood Seasoning Rack Made from Old Pallets
Kansas wind is hellish—but you can use it. Stack firewood on a base of pallets and build an angled windbreak using more pallets on the west side. The airflow will dry your wood faster than a kiln if you angle it right. Free pallets + Kansas wind = seasoned wood in half the time.


Now let’s talk about the romanticized crap people believe about homesteading.

People think living on a Kansas homestead means sipping sweet tea on a wraparound porch while chickens peck playfully at your feet. Let me tell you what those chickens actually do: they escape, crap on your porch, and eat your freshly planted lettuce the second you turn your back. But you know what? I still love the little monsters.

You think crops don’t fail? Kansas gets 100-degree heat in summer and freak snow in April. You’ll spend weeks babying your seedlings only for a late frost to punch you in the face like a drunk uncle at a family reunion.

You better learn to love failure, because it’s coming. Your first garden will be trash. Your first goat will outsmart you. And you’ll wonder—more than once—why the hell you didn’t just stay in town and pay $6 for organic lettuce like a sucker.

But then—then—something magical happens. You get better.

The kale grows. The hens lay like clockwork. Your compost pile smells like success. You find yourself butchering a chicken with precision, baking sourdough from your own starter, and fixing a busted well pump in 20 minutes with duct tape and willpower.

And that’s when you realize: this life isn’t supposed to be easy. It’s supposed to make you tough.

Homesteading in Kansas will either break you or build you into the kind of person who can dig a trench in a hailstorm while laughing maniacally and quoting Joel Salatin.

It teaches you everything school forgot—self-reliance, grit, adaptability, and how to deal with death, birth, and weather like a stoic philosopher with a side of rage.

So if you’re thinking of becoming a Kansas homesteader, here’s my advice: Don’t do it for likes. Don’t do it for the vibe. Do it because you want freedom—real freedom—the kind that comes with blistered hands, overflowing pantries, and the ability to look a winter storm in the eye and say, “Bring it.”

If that sounds like your kind of life, then welcome. Otherwise, keep your shiny boots on the porch and your opinions in the city.

We’ve got work to do.

Kentucky Homestead Lifestyle

Let me tell y’all something right now: if one more person tells me homesteading is “just a cute hobby,” I might just throw a cast iron skillet through the wall of my root cellar. This ain’t a trend. This ain’t some TikTok fantasy where you frolic in wildflowers and collect eggs in a gingham dress while sipping kombucha. This is real life, and here in Kentucky, it’s blood, sweat, blisters, frostbite, and the kind of grit most folks wouldn’t recognize if it slapped them upside the head with a bag of feed.

Homesteading is not for the faint of heart. It’s for the tough, the tired, the stubborn-as-hell, and the people who understand that freedom comes from getting your hands in the dirt—not just talkin’ about it online.

I’ve built this Kentucky homestead from the red clay up with nothing but calloused hands, hard lessons, and a whole lot of failures. If you’re gonna live this life, you’d better be ready to learn skills they sure as hell don’t teach in schools anymore. And if you think it’s just about mason jars and chicken coops, think again.

Let me break it down for you. Here are 15 non-negotiable skills every Kentucky homesteader better damn well learn, or else they’ll be up a creek without a paddle, a chicken, or a crop.


🛠 15 Hard-Earned Kentucky Homesteading Skills

  1. Seed Starting & Soil Blocking – If you’re buying starts from Tractor Supply every spring, you’re doing it wrong. Learn to start your own with soil blocks, save your heirloom seeds, and get ahead of the late frosts that love to sneak up in March.
  2. Basic Carpentry – From chicken tractors to compost bins to cold frames, you have to know how to use a saw and a drill. Or go broke paying someone else.
  3. Canning & Preservation – Canning ain’t just some Depression-era nonsense. It’s how you survive the winter with dignity. Water bath, pressure canning, pickling—it’s not optional.
  4. Butchering Livestock – Don’t raise meat birds if you can’t bring yourself to butcher ’em. It’s part of the cycle. Learn to do it quick, clean, and with respect.
  5. Composting – You can’t buy your way into good soil. Compost is black gold, and anyone who thinks it’s “gross” ain’t never grown a real tomato.
  6. Beekeeping – Our Kentucky springs are sweet and wild—perfect for bees. Keep ‘em happy and healthy, and they’ll reward you with pollination and honey money.
  7. Soap Making – Store-bought soap is full of junk. Lard, lye, and lavender oil can keep you cleaner and more independent than any overpriced organic nonsense.
  8. Fermentation – Sauerkraut, sourdough, kefir—your gut will thank you and so will your pantry.
  9. Rainwater Harvesting – We get plenty of rain, but that don’t mean it’s always where you need it. Save it, store it, and never take a storm for granted.
  10. Fence Building – If you can’t build a fence, don’t even think about owning animals. Period.
  11. Animal Husbandry – Chickens, goats, rabbits, pigs. Know what they eat, how they behave, when they’re sick, and how to birth and butcher. Don’t romanticize it.
  12. Chainsaw Use & Safety – You live in Kentucky. You’ll need firewood. Trees will fall. Limbs will break. Learn to use a chainsaw or end up crushed or cold.
  13. Food Forest & Perennial Planting – Don’t replant every damn year. Elderberries, asparagus, comfrey, and pawpaws—put in the work once and reap the rewards for decades.
  14. First Aid & Herbal Remedies – Nearest hospital’s 45 minutes away, and that’s if the holler’s dry. Know your herbs. Know how to splint a break or stitch a cut.
  15. Mechanical Maintenance – Your tractor, tiller, and generator will break—usually in the rain, in the mud, and on a Sunday. Know how to fix them or freeze trying.

🔧 3 DIY Homestead Hacks That’ll Save Your Sanity

Now let’s get down to business with three DIY hacks I swear by—tried, tested, and perfected in the bluegrass backwoods.


1. Insulated Root Cellar from an Old Freezer

Don’t toss that busted chest freezer—bury it instead.

  • Dig a pit in a shaded, north-facing slope.
  • Drop that freezer in, lid up.
  • Cover the top with a few bales of straw and a pallet for weight.
  • Boom: instant root cellar for potatoes, carrots, apples, or squash. Keeps cool year-round.

You’ll save energy, money, and space—and you won’t be running up your electric bill just to keep some carrots crisp.


2. Gravity-Fed Chicken Watering System

Tired of your poultry knocking over their waterers or freezing ‘em solid? Build a gravity-fed watering system with:

  • A 5-gallon bucket with a lid.
  • A length of clear tubing.
  • Some poultry nipples or cups.
  • Mount it slightly uphill and use gravity to keep water flowing.

Add a black hose coiled in the sun to help keep it thawed in the colder months. You’ll spend way less time hauling water and more time watching healthy, hydrated hens.


3. Solar Dryer Made from Old Windows

Those antique windows collecting dust in your barn? Don’t trash ‘em—turn ’em into a solar dehydrator.

  • Build a simple wooden box frame.
  • Line it with mesh racks.
  • Mount the window on top, angled toward the sun.
  • Vent holes on the bottom and top (with bug screen!).

Perfect for drying herbs, mushrooms, apples, and jerky—without depending on the grid or a noisy dehydrator.


Now listen—Kentucky is a special kind of place. We’ve got unpredictable weather, stubborn soil, and more ticks than I care to count. But we’ve also got resilience, community, and a long legacy of self-sufficiency. You can’t fake this lifestyle. You live it, or you don’t. You respect the land, or it eats you alive.

I don’t want to hear about how “hard” it is to find raw milk or how your zucchini didn’t grow because you forgot to mulch. You want it? Then earn it. Show up every day, even when it’s 95 degrees and the goats got out again. Even when the canner breaks and your rooster tries to kill you. Even when no one understands why you live like this.

You live like this because you believe in something deeper: independence, stewardship, legacy.

So no, homesteading ain’t cute. It’s not easy. It’s not always fun.

But damn if it isn’t worth every drop of sweat, blood, and rain-soaked effort.

Iowa Homestead Lifestyle: Where Grit Meets Gut and No One’s Got Time for BS

Listen here, city slickers and wannabe farmers: homesteading in Iowa ain’t no stroll through a cornfield in spring. It’s blood, sweat, and damn near everything in between — and if you don’t come prepared with grit and a backbone, you’re gonna fail. Fast. I’m sick of hearing how easy this all looks on those pretty YouTube channels or in some “simple living” blog. No. Just no.

Iowa’s rich soil might be a blessing, but don’t let that fool you. The weather here will whip your ass — freezing winters, scorching summers, and storms that’ll tear up your whole damn place if you ain’t ready. If you want to live this lifestyle right, you better learn the skills and hacks that make survival and success possible. So buckle up, because I’m about to lay down the truth on 15 essential homestead skills every Iowa homesteader needs, plus three DIY hacks to keep you rolling when the world’s trying to screw you over.


15 Essential Homestead Skills for Iowa Homesteaders

  1. Soil Testing & Amendment
    Don’t just plant and pray. If you want crops to grow in this dirt, you need to test the soil for pH and nutrients, then add lime, compost, or manure accordingly. Lazy gardeners get no harvest here.
  2. Crop Rotation & Companion Planting
    Iowa’s soil gets tired if you don’t rotate your crops year to year. Plus, planting the right combos like beans with corn keeps pests at bay without chemicals.
  3. Seed Saving
    Stop buying seeds every damn season. Learn to save and store your own seeds. It’s survival insurance and money saved — and you’ll be thanking yourself when that seed company jacks prices up.
  4. Chicken Raising
    If you think chickens just roam and lay eggs, think again. You’ve gotta know how to build secure coops, manage feed, fend off predators, and handle sickness. This ain’t a petting zoo.
  5. Butchering & Meat Processing
    If you raise animals, you better know how to process them yourself. No one’s coming to hold your hand or do it for you. It’s bloody work but necessary if you want real food freedom.
  6. Preserving Food
    Canning, drying, fermenting — if you’re not preserving your harvest, you’re wasting it. Iowa’s growing season’s short; you gotta eat well all winter.
  7. Firewood Gathering & Splitting
    Heating a homestead in Iowa’s winter ain’t cheap. Learn to cut, split, and stack firewood properly — or freeze your ass off.
  8. Basic Plumbing Repair
    I’ve seen too many folks call a plumber for every drip or clogged pipe. Learn to fix leaks and maintain your water system. It’ll save you money and headaches.
  9. Fence Building & Maintenance
    Whether you’re keeping critters in or pests out, a solid fence is a must. Know how to build and repair fences fast because Iowa’s wildlife will test your defenses daily.
  10. Tractor & Equipment Maintenance
    If you’re running a tractor, mower, or tiller, you better know how to keep it running. No mechanic on call for you when you’re 20 miles from town.
  11. Rainwater Harvesting
    Iowa gets its share of droughts despite all the rain. Catch and store water for irrigation and chores — it’s a lifesaver.
  12. Soap Making
    Yeah, soap. Making your own is cheaper, chemical-free, and a step toward true self-reliance. Plus, nothing beats homemade soap for hard-working hands.
  13. Basic Carpentry
    Fix your roof, build your coop, repair your porch — you need carpentry skills or you’ll be stuck waiting on contractors who’ll charge you an arm and a leg.
  14. Herbal Medicine & First Aid
    When the nearest clinic is miles away, knowing which herbs soothe a fever or stop bleeding is worth more than gold.
  15. Composting
    Iowa’s dirt can be good but it ain’t perfect. Building and maintaining a compost pile recycles waste and builds rich soil. No compost, no crops — simple as that.

3 DIY Homestead Hacks That’ll Save Your Ass on an Iowa Homestead

Hack #1: DIY Chicken Coop Predator Proofing
Raccoons, foxes, coyotes — they’re relentless here. Wrap the bottom of your coop with hardware cloth buried at least a foot underground in an L shape outwards. No digging under, no tearing through. Cheap, simple, and keeps your hens alive.

Hack #2: DIY Worm Compost Bin
Don’t buy expensive worm bins. Take an old plastic storage container, drill some holes for airflow and drainage, add bedding like shredded paper and kitchen scraps, then throw in worms. You get black gold compost for your garden without spending a dime.

Hack #3: Plastic Bottle Drip Irrigation
Iowa’s summer heat can fry your crops if you’re not watering right. Take empty plastic bottles, poke small holes in the cap, bury them neck-down near plant roots, and fill them with water. Slow, deep watering that saves time and water.


Why Iowa Homesteading Is Not for the Faint of Heart

Look, I don’t sugarcoat this shit. Iowa homesteading means getting your hands dirty and not complaining when the weather wrecks your garden, or the tractor breaks down, or your chickens go missing overnight. It’s not a weekend hobby — it’s a lifestyle that will chew you up if you’re half-assed.

But here’s the damn truth — when you learn these skills and get those hacks down, you gain a freedom that no city life can offer. You grow your own food, raise your own meat, build your own shelter, and survive off the land on your own terms. There’s nothing more satisfying.


A Day in the Life on an Iowa Homestead

You wake up before dawn, pull on your boots, and head outside. First task: check the chickens. That coop better be intact, eggs collected, feed topped off. Then it’s out to the garden, pulling weeds, inspecting for pests. Your compost pile needs turning today, so grab the pitchfork. You check the rain barrels; water’s running low — maybe time to move the irrigation system to that patch of corn.

Midday means fixing the fence that the deer crashed through last night. You patch holes, hammer new posts, and secure the wire tight. You’re exhausted but no time to rest. Next up is the soap batch you started last night — time to mold and set it. Then you haul firewood inside for the coming cold.

At sunset, you sit on your porch, the smell of fresh-turned earth and woodsmoke heavy in the air, knowing that every drop of sweat is a brick in the foundation of your independence. You may be tired, but dammit, you’re alive and you’re doing it your way.


Final Words for the Iowa Homesteader

If you’re thinking about homesteading here, know this: You’re signing up for hard work, stubborn lessons, and days when everything breaks at once. But with the right skills, the right attitude, and a few clever hacks, Iowa homesteading can be the most rewarding, grounding, and life-changing thing you ever do.

So get your hands dirty, learn every damn skill you can, and build your homestead like your life depends on it — because it does.

Illinois Homestead Lifestyle: Grit, Grind, and Get-It-Done

Listen here, city slickers and armchair farmers! If you think living on a homestead in Illinois is some quaint little hobby or a stroll through a farmer’s market, you’re dead wrong. Out here, we don’t just plant a few tomatoes and sip lemonade on the porch. No sir, we fight tooth and nail every damn day against pests, weather, and the sheer laziness that’s rotting this country’s soul.

If you want to call yourself a homesteader in Illinois, you better come prepared — with grit, know-how, and a work ethic that would make your grandpappy proud. This ain’t a weekend hobby, it’s a full-on lifestyle where every day you’re scrapping to keep your homestead running smooth.


15 Homestead Skills You’d Better Learn or Get Out

  1. Soil Testing and Amendments
    Before you plant a seed, you better know what’s in your dirt. Illinois soil can be stubborn—clay-heavy in spots, sandy in others. Get your hands dirty testing pH and nutrient levels, and don’t skimp on lime or compost to fix what’s busted. If your soil’s dead, your crops are dead too.
  2. Seed Saving
    Stop buying seeds every year like a sucker! Learn to save seeds from your best plants. This is how homesteaders build resilient, locally adapted crops that laugh in the face of Illinois weather.
  3. Composting
    You want fertile soil? Stop throwing away your scraps. Compost like your life depends on it — because on a homestead, it just might. Layer your greens and browns right, turn it regularly, and you’ll have black gold.
  4. Chicken Raising
    Nothing says “homestead” like clucking hens scratching in the dirt. But don’t expect them to just lay eggs and be cute. You gotta know how to build coops, manage health, feed them right, and collect eggs without breaking a sweat.
  5. Butchering Small Livestock
    If you raise animals, you better learn how to put them down and butcher them humanely. Ain’t nobody else gonna do it for you, and processed meat from the store? Forget it—too expensive and full of chemicals.
  6. Preserving Food
    Canning, fermenting, drying—know how to put up your harvest. Illinois weather gives you a limited growing season, so if you don’t preserve your bounty, you’ll be hungry come winter.
  7. Basic Carpentry
    A homestead isn’t just a patch of land — it’s a fortress. You’ll be building fences, coops, raised beds, and repairing barns. Get comfy with a hammer, saw, and measuring tape.
  8. Well Digging and Water Management
    Relying on city water? Ha! Out here, a working well or a reliable rain catchment system is worth its weight in gold. Learn how to dig, maintain, and pump water on demand.
  9. Gardening and Crop Rotation
    Planting row after row of the same crop will kill your soil and your morale. Rotate your crops, know what thrives in Illinois (corn, soybeans, pumpkins—don’t be lazy!), and prepare for pests.
  10. Trap and Hunt Small Game
    Sometimes the freezer’s empty and you gotta rely on the land. Know how to set traps, hunt rabbits, squirrels, and deer — legally and humanely.
  11. Welding and Metalwork
    Fixing old equipment or making custom tools? Welding skills are a homesteader’s secret weapon. Don’t wait for the mechanic—fix it yourself or it’s downtime and lost work.
  12. Herbal Medicine
    Pharmacies are miles away and expensive. Learn your local plants — yarrow, elderberry, echinacea — and how to use them for colds, wounds, and common ailments.
  13. Blacksmith Basics
    Don’t laugh — even a beginner blacksmith can make hooks, nails, and repair tools. It’s old school but solid gold for keeping your gear in shape.
  14. Solar Power Setup and Maintenance
    Electricity can go out for days in the boonies. Set up your own solar panels, batteries, and maintain the system so you’re not left in the dark.
  15. Trap Repair and Fence Building
    Keep your garden safe from critters. Knowing how to build and repair fences—both electric and traditional—is crucial to protect crops and livestock.

Now, For Some DIY Homestead Hacks to Save Your Sanity

Hack #1: Milk Jug Watering System
Got tomatoes wilting because you can’t water ’em every day? Grab a couple of empty milk jugs, poke a few tiny holes in the lid, and bury them near the roots. Fill ’em with water and the soil soaks it up slowly. Set it and forget it — no more daily watering sweat sessions.

Hack #2: Homemade Chicken Feeder from PVC Pipe
Tired of chicken feed spilling everywhere and attracting rats? Cut a length of PVC pipe, cap one end, drill small holes down the side just big enough for chickens to peck through, and fill it up. Keeps feed dry, cuts waste, and saves money on fancy feeders.

Hack #3: Rain Barrel with Mosquito Screen
Collecting rainwater is a must in Illinois, but standing water = mosquitoes. Modify a large trash can or barrel by installing a tight mesh screen under the lid to keep bugs out. Attach a spigot at the bottom for easy watering. Cheap, effective, and you’ll thank yourself when you’re not swatting bugs.


Why Illinois Homesteading Ain’t for the Faint of Heart

Let me paint a picture for you: Illinois is no tropical paradise. Winters can freeze your guts out, summers bring a relentless swarm of insects, and don’t get me started on the unpredictability of rain. One minute you’re knee-deep mud, the next your crops are baking in the sun like cheap jerky.

The state’s soil, while rich in some areas, can be a pain to manage without knowing your amendments and soil biology. You can’t just throw some seeds in the ground and pray. You gotta understand your land intimately — every rock, bug, and dirt patch.

And neighbors? You’ll find some good ones, but many just don’t get it. They’ll call you crazy for turning off the grid or for raising pigs instead of lawn flamingos. But that’s just noise. The real work is done at dawn, hands in the soil, face to the wind, stubborn as a mule.


What I’ve Learned the Hard Way

You can’t half-ass homesteading. If you’re starting out, prepare to make mistakes — fence lines knocked down by storms, plants eaten by rabbits, a batch of sour canned tomatoes because you didn’t follow the recipe. Get over it. Dust off your boots and get back at it.

Illinois homesteading is about self-reliance in a state that’s part prairie, part forest, part farmland, and all struggle. But when you finally taste your own corn on the cob, or crack open a jar of your home-canned green beans after a long winter, there’s no sweeter victory.


Don’t Let the Modern World Fool You

Electric bills, grocery store aisles full of plastic, and government handouts can’t feed you in a crisis. Homesteading in Illinois is a battle against dependence. It’s knowing your land and using it smartly. It’s raising animals with respect and not whining when the weather’s brutal.

It’s about skills that our ancestors used to survive—and that we better relearn fast or lose forever. There’s no room for laziness or excuses on this land.


Final Words from a Gritty Illinois Homesteader

If you think homesteading is easy, go back to your cushy city job. If you want real freedom, real food, and real satisfaction, roll up your sleeves. Learn every skill you can, sweat under the sun, and fight through the mud.

Illinois homesteading is hard, but it’s honest work. And nothing tastes better than food you grew with your own damn hands, on soil you nurtured, under skies you can swear at when the weather turns foul.

Get out there, learn these skills, use those hacks, and build your homestead like your life depends on it—because it just might.

Indiana Homestead Lifestyle

Listen here, city slickers and weekend hobby farmers! If you think homesteading in Indiana is some kind of quaint, idyllic pastoral fantasy, you’ve got another thing coming. This life isn’t about Instagram-worthy gardens or lazy afternoons watching bees buzz around your heirloom tomatoes. It’s dirt-under-your-nails, sweat-dripping, problem-solving-from-scratch living. And if you aren’t ready to tackle the daily grind, stay off the land!

Indiana’s got its challenges — from unpredictable weather that can fry your crops one day and drown them the next, to pests that seem to take personal offense at your hard work. But the folks who make it work? They’re tough, resourceful, and stubborn as the Hoosier soil they till. And let me tell you, mastering this lifestyle takes a hell of a lot more than planting some seeds and hoping for the best.

So if you want the real deal, here’s what you better get good at — or pack up and go back to your fancy apartment.

15 Homestead Skills Every Indiana Homesteader Should Master

  1. Soil Testing and Amending: Indiana’s soil varies, and it ain’t always naturally fertile. Knowing how to test your soil pH and nutrient levels, then adjusting with lime, compost, or manure is crucial. No one’s got time for dead crops because of poor soil.
  2. Seed Saving: You want to keep your garden sustainable? Learn to save seeds from your best plants. This isn’t just about saving money; it’s about building a seed bank tailored to Indiana’s climate and pest pressures.
  3. Composting: Don’t just toss your kitchen scraps in the trash. Composting turns waste into black gold. You better get the balance right — brown to green ratio, aeration, moisture — or you’ll end up with a stinky pile of failure.
  4. Rainwater Harvesting: Indiana has decent rainfall, but it can be unreliable. Setting up barrels or cisterns to capture rainwater saves money and supports your garden during dry spells.
  5. Animal Husbandry: Raising chickens, goats, or even pigs isn’t a cute hobby. It’s hard work, dealing with feed, shelter, health, and predators. Know how to handle livestock or prepare to lose your investment to foxes or raccoons.
  6. Fence Building and Maintenance: Nothing ruins a homestead faster than a broken fence. Whether it’s keeping your livestock in or deer out, you need solid, reliable fencing skills.
  7. Preserving Food: Freezing, canning, drying — learn them all. Indiana has a short growing season, so preserving your bounty to last through winter is a must. Forget it, and you’re wasting months of hard work.
  8. Basic Carpentry: Building a chicken coop, garden beds, or fixing a broken barn door demands carpentry skills. You don’t need to be a pro, but you better not call a handyman every time a nail pops out.
  9. Pest Management: Those bugs, rodents, and critters aren’t going to leave you alone. Organic pest control, traps, barriers — learn them or watch your crops vanish.
  10. Herbal Medicine: When you’re miles from a doctor or pharmacy, knowing how to use herbs like echinacea, peppermint, or calendula can be a lifesaver.
  11. Firewood Splitting and Stacking: Heating your home with wood in Indiana winters isn’t optional if you want to save on fuel. Splitting and properly stacking firewood is exhausting but essential.
  12. Basic Plumbing Repairs: From leaky faucets to frozen pipes, plumbing issues pop up and you better know how to fix them fast to avoid bigger disasters.
  13. Butchering and Meat Processing: Raising animals means eventually turning them into food. If you can’t butcher and process meat yourself, you’re either shelling out big bucks or relying on others who might not care as much as you do.
  14. Crop Rotation and Companion Planting: Avoiding soil depletion and pests means understanding what plants do well next to each other and rotating crops yearly.
  15. Tool Maintenance: You don’t toss out a $300 tiller because the chain slipped. Knowing how to maintain and repair your tools keeps the homestead running and your blood pressure down.

Now, some no-BS DIY homestead hacks for surviving and thriving in Indiana:

Hack 1: DIY Cold Frame from Recycled Windows

Indiana’s spring and fall can get nippy, shortening your growing season. Instead of dropping cash on fancy greenhouses, grab some old windows from salvage yards or friends renovating their homes. Nail or screw together a wooden frame and hinge the windows on top. This cold frame traps heat and lets you start seedlings weeks earlier or protect late crops from frost. Cheap, effective, and a real game-changer.

Hack 2: Cornstarch and Vinegar Weed Killer

Herbicides? Forget about it. You want a safe, homemade weed killer that doesn’t poison your soil? Mix 1 cup of white vinegar, 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, and a few drops of dish soap in a spray bottle. Cornstarch helps the vinegar stick to weeds instead of running off. Spray on a hot, sunny day and watch those dandelions and crabgrass shrivel. Just be careful not to spray your veggies — it kills everything green.

Hack 3: Rain Barrel Overflow Diverter Using an Old Bucket

If you collect rainwater, you know the barrel overflows during heavy rains, wasting precious water and sometimes flooding your foundation. Attach a cheap plastic bucket to the overflow spout with some silicone sealant and a drilled hole near the bottom. When the barrel fills, the overflow drains into the bucket, which you can then pour on your garden or lawn. It’s a simple fix that saves water and prevents erosion around your homestead.


So there it is — the cold, hard truth about the Indiana homestead lifestyle. This isn’t for the faint-hearted or the lazy. It’s a constant battle against the elements, pests, and time. But for those who stick with it, there’s nothing quite like it — the pride of growing your own food, raising animals with care, and living off the grid a little bit.

If you want to start homesteading here, don’t expect it to be easy. Learn those skills, sweat through those projects, and get your hands filthy. Because when you do, you’re not just surviving — you’re living.

And if that makes me sound angry? Good. Because homesteading is hard, and it deserves a little righteous fury.

Alaska Homestead Lifestyle

Let me make one thing crystal clear: this life ain’t for the weak, and it sure as hell ain’t for the lazy. If you’re scrolling through Instagram dreaming of a “rustic aesthetic,” turn back. Alaska doesn’t care about your Pinterest board. The wind will rip your cabin door off its hinges, the bears will eat your chickens if you’re careless, and the dark will test your mind and spirit in ways no yoga retreat ever could. Welcome to the Alaska Homestead Lifestyle—raw, ruthless, and real.

Now, why am I angry? Because too many folks romanticize this life without a shred of understanding. They move up here with their store-bought freeze-dried food, a solar panel kit they watched one YouTube video about, and think they’ll “live off the land.” You don’t live off the land—you fight the land every damn day, and if you’re lucky, it lets you stay another season.

You want to homestead in Alaska? Good. You better bring your grit, because here’s what you’re going to need:


15 Critical Homestead Skills (Master or Die Trying)

  1. Firewood Cutting and Stacking – You think that cute electric chainsaw is going to save you when it’s -40°F? Learn to cut and split wood with an axe. Learn how to stack it right so it dries. Your life depends on it.
  2. Off-Grid Heating Systems – Wood stoves are king. Learn how to install, maintain, and safely use them. No one’s coming to save you when your cabin freezes.
  3. Hunting and Game Processing – Moose, caribou, bear—Alaska provides if you know how to track, kill, field dress, and preserve meat. You miss a shot? That’s the difference between full belly and starvation.
  4. Gardening in Short Seasons – You’ve got MAYBE 100 frost-free days if you’re lucky. Learn to grow fast-producing crops like potatoes, cabbage, kale, carrots. Use cold frames and greenhouses. Adapt or die.
  5. Canning and Food Preservation – If you can’t preserve your harvest, you wasted your time. Pressure canning, water bath, fermenting, drying—you need it all.
  6. Fishing and Smoking Fish – Salmon ain’t going to jump into your boat. Learn when, where, and how to catch them. Then smoke ’em to last through the winter.
  7. Basic Carpentry – You’ll be building more than your cabin: chicken coops, sheds, raised beds, fences. Learn to use a saw, hammer, level, and for the love of God—build square.
  8. Solar Power and Generator Maintenance – Power goes out constantly. Learn to wire solar panels, store battery power, and fix your generator when it dies in the middle of a storm.
  9. First Aid and Medical Skills – Hospitals are hours away. Learn to suture, disinfect, splint, and handle infections. Know your medicinal herbs too. Calendula and yarrow aren’t just for hippies out here.
  10. Water Harvesting and Purification – That mountain stream looks clean? Think again. Giardia will wreck your gut in a heartbeat. Learn to collect rainwater and purify it properly—filters, boiling, UV. Know all the options.
  11. Trapping and Tanning – Extra meat and warm fur? Hell yes. Learn to trap rabbits, beaver, and martens. Tanning hides? That’s warm clothing, barter goods, and bedding.
  12. Snow Management – Get ready to shovel like your life depends on it—because it does. Learn to use a snowblower, roof rake, and how to insulate your roof from ice dams. Trust me, you’ll thank me.
  13. Sewing and Clothing Repair – Your boots split in February? You better know how to stitch leather and patch canvas. Your life doesn’t stop because your coat has a tear.
  14. Animal Husbandry – Chickens, goats, rabbits. Feed, water, breed, shelter, and protect them—especially from foxes and lynx. You want eggs and milk? Earn them.
  15. Bartering and Trading – Cash don’t mean squat when you’re snowed in. Skills, goods, and trust in your neighbors do. Grow a spine and make friends who pull their weight.

3 DIY Homestead Hacks You’ll Actually Use

Forget what the “influencers” told you—this ain’t about rustic mason jar chandeliers. These are tricks that work in the real world, especially when your hands are frozen and your patience is thin.

1. DIY Root Cellar Using an Old Freezer

Got a busted chest freezer? Bury it halfway in the ground (lid side up), drill in some ventilation holes, and boom—instant root cellar. Keeps your potatoes, carrots, and cabbages from freezing solid but still cool enough to store for months. Label that thing well and keep it covered in snow for natural insulation.

2. Plastic Bottle Insulation for Windows

Double-pane windows are for the rich or lucky. The rest of us? We cut clear plastic bottles, slit them open, and layer them inside window frames to create an air gap. It’s ugly. It’s noisy in the wind. But it works. Better than hypothermia, I promise you that.

3. DIY Drip Irrigation from Old Buckets

Watering a garden in Alaska’s dry months is a chore. Take a few old buckets, poke a nail-sized hole near the bottom, and let gravity do the work. Fill them once in the morning, and they’ll drip all day. Saves water and sanity.


Final Thoughts: Respect or Regret

You still here? Good. That means maybe—maybe—you’ve got what it takes. Because out here, everything takes effort. There’s no half-assing it. If your fence isn’t buried two feet down, the wind will tear it out. If your food stores aren’t airtight, the rodents will invade. If your mindset isn’t sharp, the dark will eat at you.

This lifestyle isn’t about Instagram-worthy moments. It’s about the silence when the snow finally stops falling. It’s about the satisfaction of knowing you fed yourself without a grocery store. It’s about watching the northern lights crackle over your cabin roof while you sit with a rifle across your lap and a belly full of your own stew.

And let me tell you something else: Alaska owes you nothing. It doesn’t care where you came from or what you think you know. But if you come prepared—body, mind, and soul—Alaska might just let you stay.

But only might.

Get to work.

Eat to Live: Mastering Edible Plant ID for Survival Scenarios

Eat to Live: Mastering Edible Plant ID for Survival Scenarios
By someone who’s fed up with your ignorance

Let me cut the crap right off the bat—if you’re reading this because you think “foraging” is some cute weekend hobby between lattes and scrolling on your damn phone, you’re already a liability. This isn’t about wildflower pics for your Instagram. This is about survival—pure, raw, unfiltered survival. The kind where if you screw up, you don’t get a second chance. You either eat or you rot.

When the grid collapses, the cities will become tombs. Your favorite Uber driver isn’t going to save you. Your “meal prep” skills won’t mean squat when the only thing on the menu is bark and berries. But here’s the truth: nature provides—if you know what you’re doing. And if you don’t, nature will kill you. Fast.

Survival Skill #1: Learn the Damn Plants

You better get good at plant ID, and I don’t mean glancing at some leafy green and guessing. I mean knowing the difference between Queen Anne’s Lace and poison hemlock. One feeds you, the other shuts down your respiratory system like a vise. Learn the leaf patterns. Smell the roots. Break the stems. Know the seasonal changes. If you can’t name five edible plants native to your area right now, you’re not ready. Period.

Survival Skill #2: Know the Universal Edibility Test

In a real survival scenario, you won’t always have your plant guides or phone apps. Use the Universal Edibility Test—but use it smart. Break the plant into parts: root, stem, leaves, flower. Test each part separately over hours. Rub it on your skin, then your lips, then your tongue. Wait. Swallow only if there’s no reaction. You think it’s tedious? So is dying from gut-wrenching poison.

Survival Skill #3: Track Seasonal Availability

Wild edibles aren’t available all year. You need to know when to harvest roots, which plants bloom in spring, and which weeds you can count on in winter. Chickweed, dandelion, wild garlic—they’re your allies if you’ve got the balls to pay attention.

DIY Survival Hack #1: Build a Pocket Herbarium

Forget your TikTok hacks. Get a damn notebook and start pressing specimens. Dry them, label them, annotate what parts are edible and when. Make your own field guide. That way when you’re freezing your ass off in some backwoods hole and stumble on a patch of greens, you don’t second-guess what could be your next meal.

Survival Skill #4: Understand Plant Look-Alikes

Mother Nature is a tricky bastard. Edible plants have toxic twins. Wild carrot vs. poison hemlock. Wild grape vs. moonseed. You mess that up, you’re not going to the ER—you’re going to the morgue. If you can’t tell them apart, don’t touch them.

Survival Skill #5: Practice Harvesting Without Destroying the Source

A real survivalist doesn’t burn the forest to bake a loaf of bread. Take only what you need. If you find wild leeks, leave half. If you spot cattails, don’t rip the whole colony apart. Respect the land, because it’s the only damn thing keeping you alive.

DIY Survival Hack #2: Make a Solar Plant Dehydrator

Don’t rely on power when you can build a plant dryer with sticks, screen, and sunlight. Dehydrate dandelion leaves, wild mint, or purslane. It preserves nutrients and lightens your pack. Who needs fancy gear when the sun is still free?

Survival Skill #6: Know Your Medicinal Plants

Food isn’t the only thing that keeps you alive. Ever had diarrhea in the woods with no meds? Good luck. Learn yarrow (stops bleeding), plantain (draws out poison), and willow bark (natural aspirin). Your brain’s your best survival tool—if you fill it with something useful.

Survival Skill #7: Test and Train—Before You Have To

You’re not a survivalist until you’ve lived it. So take your cushy ass out of the suburbs and spend three nights in the wild with nothing but a knife, a water bottle, and your plant ID skills. No phone. No tent. Eat only what you find. That’s how you learn.

DIY Survival Hack #3: Edible Plant “Cheat Stick”

Tape samples of dried, identifiable parts of key edible plants to a sturdy stick or ruler. Seal them under clear packing tape. Waterproof, portable, and faster than flipping through pages when the sun’s going down and your stomach’s roaring.

Survival Skill #8: Cook What Needs Cooking

Some plants will screw you up if you eat them raw. Cattail roots need roasting. Pokeweed can be eaten only when young and only after multiple boils. Know what must be cooked, because gastrointestinal distress in the wild is a fast track to death.

Survival Skill #9: Urban Foraging Tactics

Don’t assume survival scenarios only happen in the backwoods. Cities have plant life too—back alleys, parks, abandoned lots. Learn to spot mulberry trees, lamb’s quarters, wild amaranth, and purslane growing in cracks. Concrete jungles have calories too.

Survival Skill #10: Mental Resilience

This isn’t just about what you know—it’s about what you do when you’re cold, starving, and scared. You panic, you die. You hesitate, you miss a meal. You doubt yourself, you eat the wrong berry and meet your maker. Know your plants, trust your skills, and keep moving.


Let me be clear one last time: this isn’t a damn joke. When things fall apart, the people who laugh at this stuff are going to be the first to beg for a cracker. Don’t be one of them. Be the one who walks into the woods and walks out fed, alive, and free.

Nature doesn’t care about your opinions. It doesn’t care about your degree, your follower count, or your Wi-Fi signal. It rewards the prepared. It eats the rest.

So pick up that field guide, get your boots dirty, and for God’s sake—eat to live.

30 Incredible Wisconsin Campsites to Test Your Survival Skills

30 Campsites in Wisconsin That Every Survival Prepper Should Explore

When it comes to survival prepping, few places offer the rugged beauty and challenge of Wisconsin. As a seasoned prepper living in the state, I know that the right campground isn’t just a place to pitch a tent—it’s a proving ground for your survival skills. From testing your fire-starting abilities to practicing shelter-building techniques, the right campsite can make all the difference in ensuring you’re ready for any emergency. Whether you’re training for long-term wilderness survival, looking for seclusion, or simply trying to explore the natural beauty of Wisconsin, there are plenty of campgrounds to meet your prepper needs.

Here are 30 of the best campsites in Wisconsin for survival preppers like you.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN HOW TO SURVIVE A FAMINE

1. Chequamegon National Forest

This vast wilderness is one of the top places in Wisconsin for any prepper looking to test their outdoor skills. With over 1.5 million acres of forested land, you can practice everything from foraging to shelter-building. There are numerous primitive campsites to choose from, and it’s perfect for solo survival training.

2. Roche-A-Cri State Park

Located in the central part of Wisconsin, Roche-A-Cri offers rugged terrain and scenic views. You’ll find campsites that are perfect for seclusion and honing your fire-starting techniques, all while enjoying the wild, unspoiled beauty of the area.

3. Kettle Moraine State Forest – Northern Unit

With its diverse terrain of rolling hills, deep forests, and sparkling lakes, Kettle Moraine’s Northern Unit is an excellent spot for practicing navigation and wilderness survival skills. The campsites are primitive, which means you’ll get to test your self-sufficiency under more authentic conditions.

4. Devil’s Lake State Park

Located near Baraboo, Devil’s Lake offers stunning views and diverse terrain for preppers who want to hone their skills in different environments. The park is popular, so you might not get complete solitude, but it’s perfect for practicing survival skills and prepping for more remote trips.

5. Black River State Forest

This 60,000-acre forest is ideal for those who want to experience a variety of survival training. There are ample opportunities to test your skills in a remote environment, with primitive campsites perfect for more hardcore survivalists.

6. Brule River State Forest

The Brule River State Forest is known for its pristine wilderness and offers a great opportunity to work on your water navigation skills. The campsites here range from primitive to more accessible, allowing preppers to choose their level of difficulty.

7. Copper Falls State Park

If you’re looking for seclusion combined with some beautiful terrain, Copper Falls is your spot. The park’s rugged, forested areas are great for testing your survival instincts while also enjoying the beauty of waterfalls and deep woods.

8. Door County Coastal Byway

With its abundance of wilderness and isolated camping options, Door County offers the ideal setting for long-term bug-out training. The area’s campgrounds are known for their privacy, making it perfect for solo preppers.

9. Perrot State Park

This park is known for its steep bluffs and overlooks that give it a dramatic feel, ideal for preppers looking to practice navigation and self-sufficiency in a challenging environment. The secluded campsites here are perfect for survival training.

10. High Cliff State Park

Located along Lake Winnebago, High Cliff offers great opportunities for water survival training and testing your preparedness against natural elements. The terrain varies from forested areas to steep cliffs, providing a variety of survival challenges.

11. Governor Dodge State Park

With more than 1,500 acres of forest and two lakes, Governor Dodge is an excellent site for survivalists looking to test their wilderness navigation and fire-starting techniques. The park has both primitive and modern campsites, allowing for a range of prepper activities.

12. Pattison State Park

Pattison is home to Wisconsin’s tallest waterfall, but it’s not just the natural beauty that draws preppers to this site—it’s the challenging terrain and remote campsites. This park is great for both water-based survival practice and wilderness training.

13. Trempealeau National Wildlife Refuge

The 6,000 acres of wetlands in this refuge make it an excellent choice for survivalists who want to test their ability to navigate swampy, wetland areas. It’s a perfect location for practicing water navigation and stealth survival tactics.

14. Big Falls County Park

Big Falls offers a blend of rugged wilderness and serene beauty, making it ideal for both testing your skills and enjoying the peace of nature. The campsites are secluded, offering privacy while you practice your survival skills.

15. Nelson Dewey State Park

Located on the Mississippi River, this park provides unique survival challenges, such as river navigation, shelter-building, and foraging in a diverse environment. The campsites are primitive, allowing you to fully immerse yourself in your training.

16. Interstate State Park

Located on the St. Croix River, this park offers great opportunities for water-based survival exercises as well as traditional wilderness survival activities. The terrain includes cliffs, rock outcroppings, and deep forests for testing your overall survival skills.

17. Lake Kegonsa State Park

This beautiful park is perfect for preppers who want to practice their fishing, water navigation, and overall wilderness survival. The peaceful environment allows for both mental and physical preparedness exercises.

18. Willow River State Park

Willow River is known for its picturesque waterfalls, but it also offers challenging hiking trails and various opportunities for survival training. The park has both primitive and developed campsites, making it ideal for testing a variety of prepper skills.

19. Lake Wissota State Park

Situated on the shores of Lake Wissota, this park provides plenty of opportunities for water survival training and fishing. The campsites are secluded and allow preppers to focus on honing their survival techniques.

20. Wildcat Mountain State Park

The rugged terrain of Wildcat Mountain makes it a favorite for experienced preppers. It offers challenging hikes, beautiful views, and isolated campsites that are perfect for survivalists looking for a real test.

21. Apostle Islands National Lakeshore

The Apostle Islands offer a unique challenge with its remote islands and dense forests. Perfect for water-based survival training, the campsites are isolated, which makes it ideal for serious preppers looking to test their skills.

22. Menominee County Forest

This lesser-known gem is perfect for preppers who want to test their skills in a more secluded and rugged environment. The forest has a number of primitive campsites where you can practice long-term survival techniques.

23. Lac Vieux Desert Campground

This remote spot offers both water and woodland survival challenges. The campsites are primitive, providing a true prepper experience where you can hone your shelter-building, fire-starting, and navigation skills.

24. Wisconsin Dells

Although better known for its tourist attractions, Wisconsin Dells also offers some great campsites for preppers looking to stay near both water and wilderness. It’s an excellent place to practice your survival skills while still being near the conveniences of civilization.

25. Flambeau River State Forest

The Flambeau River is a perfect place for water-based survivalists to practice their skills. The state forest provides seclusion and plenty of opportunities for navigating through the dense woods and building shelters.

26. The Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest

This vast forest is home to hundreds of lakes and miles of hiking trails. It’s a prepper’s paradise, with numerous campsites that range from primitive to more accessible, allowing for all levels of survival training.

27. Mole Lake Campground

Located near the Mole Lake, this area offers a mix of woodlands and wetlands that are perfect for testing your survival skills. The quiet, isolated campsites make it ideal for preppers seeking solitude.

28. Pine Point Campground

Pine Point’s remote location on the shores of the Mississippi River makes it a fantastic place for testing your navigation and wilderness skills, particularly in the winter months when conditions get more challenging.

29. Buckhorn State Park

This state park, located along the Wisconsin River, offers plenty of opportunities for water survival and wilderness training. It’s perfect for those who want to test their preparedness in a variety of environments.

30. Hartman Creek State Park

With its stunning scenery and numerous trails, Hartman Creek is an excellent place to hone your outdoor survival skills, whether you’re practicing navigation, shelter-building, or foraging.


Whether you’re a seasoned prepper or just starting out, these 30 Wisconsin campsites offer the perfect mix of rugged terrain, seclusion, and natural beauty to test your skills and get ready for anything. Don’t wait for the world to change—get out there, prepare, and thrive in Wisconsin’s wild outdoors!

How much emergency food should every American stockpile?

Most survival experts out there say every American, no matter your age or weight, needs a 72-hour supply for each person in your house.

3 days in other words.

But let’s be real. When was the last time an emergency packed up and left in exactly three days?

Exactly.

You gotta have at least a two-week supply of food.

And that’s for short emergencies.

But what about when the unexpected turns into the indefinite?

This is where things become more complicated.

In emergencies like these, where supermarkets become a memory and the grocery store aisles are bare, the rules of the game begin to shift.

And if you’re unprepared, you might as well lay down and accept your fate.

Let’s talk about what most folks neglect.

Preservation is your ally.

Learning to preserve food can be a game-changer.

Canning, dehydrating, and smoking are methods that can extend the lifespan of your food significantly.

Ever thought about pickling those cucumbers or making jerky from that deer meat?

This is the time to do so.

But you have to be careful!

This is what happens when you don’t can your food properly.

But don’t worry, if you’re not sure you’re able to can your food properly, you have more options.

Grow your own food!

In an indefinite emergency, becoming self-reliant is non-negotiable.

Take advantage of your backyard.

Even a small patch can produce a surprising amount of food. And don’t forget about herbs and sprouts, they can be grown even in a sunny window.

Bulk up on knowledge

Knowledge trumps everything.

The more you know, the safer you are.

This is why the emails you’re reading are so important.

Because I hold nothing back.

And I talk about everything that lets me survive in the world’s harshest conditions possible.

Keep learning about foraging, hunting, and fishing. Understand your local environment and what it can provide.

And stay curious. That’s important, brother.

Community strength

Humanity’s lived so long because we’ve stuck together.

Pooling resources, sharing knowledge, and supporting each other can make a world of difference.

The Mental game

This one’s tricky.

You can’t underestimate the power of a positive mindset.

The ability to stay calm, think clearly, and keep morale high is just as crucial as any physical preparation you’ve made.

This is how you build mental toughness.

Folks, preparing for prolonged emergencies ain’t easy.

And that’s why most folks don’t do it.

But I know my readers are not like most folks.

You guys are tough.

This is why I tell you these things.

Because I know you’re going to put in the work.

So keep doing what most folks aren’t willing.

And do whatever necessary to keep your family safe.

Also, I created a rather in-depth survival prepper TikTok account that you may want to check out!