Midsize Lebowski would love it if you'd come and give him notes on Semi-ERE

[JollyScot]

During the run up to pulling the plug on work first time round many times I thought...just jump now. Then a couple of months later the phase passed and I would go back to what the target numbers were. I left before the point at which I was "safe" relative to the normal understanding on here. Even so, I over estimated what I needed by a fairly large margin.

With the unlimited freedom I sort of stumbled about and half tried something and travelled and whatever else. There was no fire at my feet however so I didn't "need" to do what I was planning to do. So what you are trying is a different kind of leap. You have a very specific thing you want to do that is all mapped out so I suspect you can make a better go of it than most.

You are deciding between whether your buffer now is better than a large buffer a couple of years from now, neither amount seems to be at full retire levels, but that doesn't seem to be what you are going for. I would take a look at what the actual difference in overheads between starting now vs starting in 2 years. Then calculating how much room for manouver you get in both cases.

Staying in work currently does not necessarily mean a lower risk in the current climate. Mountains of money printing and companies collapsing around everyone. Your +$60k might not mean +$60k in purchasing power today as it did 6 months ago before the chaos started. However having land and growing real required products will always be required. It would depend on how you invest and what happens in the next 2-3 years. This is particularly unclear at the moment.

In the west/developed world a lot of people now broadly work in the service sector or professional sector and get paid for somewhat pointless work. Whereas growing food is an actual requirement that we undervalue, up to this point it is always there and always cheap. That may change. I would expect your expenses would drop some more if you do change. If you were saving something like 75-85% then it might be easier to argue sticking it out for a couple more years.

As for closing doors and starting again, that would depend on what skills you obtain on the time pursuing what you like. I became significantly better at the job I left during the half retired phase I've been through. Different kinds of skill sets from different chanllenges are often underestimated by those who have their one track careers. You will have those who take issue, then you will have those who are interested that you tried something new.

There is no right answer you can get from someone here. However if you find something that works in the budget you have then I would say go for it. Yes another 60k will be nice, but if you were to continue I would look at figuring out a much higher savings rate either through more work or lower costs. Otherwise I suspect you might get frustrated at progress levels.

[mooretrees]

This is your life, and only you can say what is the right direction for you to pursue. There are risks to either direction, but I've come to believe that for me, the risks in staying full time are too high to pay. Remember, ERE isn't ONLY about getting a big stash and then retiring, that's just the popularized version that is prominent. According to Jacob, FI is a by-product of ERE. Personally, I'm betting that increased free time will translate to greater skills in living that will naturally lead to needing money less. Also, I thrive with external boundaries so forcing myself to live on less is useful. You might be different.

I think you're feeling that it's an either or situation right now. But, it's really just this one juncture. Somewhere down the road will be other opportunities that you never could have imagined at this moment. It's really, really hard to accurately predict where you'll be in a five, ten years.

I don't actually believe in following your passion, if you don't have a solid understanding of that passion. I liked Cal Newport's book, So Good They Can't Ignore You as he debunks following your passion. This might read like I'm saying don't leave your job. I don't mean that at all. I do mean, get some numbers on a page, do some research, and then make an educated guess as to what might happen if you made this leap. You've worked with small farmers so you have a good idea of the day to day, but do you have a mentor?

Dig into what is actually the worst thing that can happen if you do make this switch. Can you live with that worst case scenario?

It's funny because JollyScot was one of the first forumites I read that made me think I should pull the plug on working before I got too far down the accumulation phase.

Gotta go put a spazzy boy to bed or I'd write more.

[classical_Liberal]

Such great advice from Jollyscot and Mooretrees.

I'm only going to add a couple things. First, you're real question here is whether or not pursuing this thing is going to fill the void you feel in your soul (for lack of a better term). Well, I don't think you can know until you try, but no single thing will be a fix all. That being said, you'll only regret trying it if you didn't put yourself in the best situation possible to succeed. So, if you think money is a constraint that may be an issue in your success with this endeavour, maybe it's worth trying to have whatever amount you need. If it's not, then more money at this point isn't gonna make a whole hell of alot of difference. What will happen for sure, the more money you have, the more you'll feel you have to lose. Also, the longer you spend thinking about accumulating money as a primary goal, the more your brain is gonna think the goal is having money. When the goal was actually to set yourself up to try this other life.

I think the big question here is...Do you have enough, so that if you fail, the failure point probably won't be financial?

[horsewoman]

You know, I'm kind of glad that we stumbled into this whole (semi-)ERE thing and have been living it for a few years before I was aware of things like saving rates and withdrawal rates!
We got off full-time work because it was simply not aligning with our values any more and adjusted our spending somewhat. A few years in I started to freak out about the money (do we spend too much? Will it be enough in old age? Is this sustainable?)
So I started to track our expenses closely and went browsing the Internet for frugality sites and similar stuff, ultimately ending up here.
Then I thought OMG I have to invest! That's what one needs to do! We'll, I still really don't invest, apart from some ETF I put a small sum into each quarter day. I can't get myself interested in it, try as I may... So far I didn't change much compared to what we have been doing before finding this forum, apart from putting more effort into tracking expenses, which resulted in less frivolous spending for unnecessary stuff.
My husband I together earn around 1 modest FT income with our PT work and various side hustles. We live a simple, happy life very much alingned with our values, and our net worth grows slowly but steady. I checked yesterday and was amazed that the down payment for a rental would be already saved up, all by it self it feels.

So I can safely echo was @JollyScott said, about overestimating how much money one needs. Turns out, one needs way less than our consumerist-conditioned mind tell us. The way our current Western society is living is an aberation. For millenia people have spend their time to make/grow what they need, without putting dollar amounts on the hours spent. This is the "normal way" to live, even if it seems to be stupid/naive/unprofitable nowadays.
The life satisfaction one gains cannot be expressesd in a monetary way.
We life in a drafty old house, on a crumbling old farm, wear second hand clothes, don't go on holidays and drive beater cars, and yet we are much more happy than most people... Go figure!

So my advice (with the caveat that one should always be wary of the advice of Internet strangers!) - sort out a PT situation where basic health care is covered in some way and just do it. The PT job pays for necessary fixed expenses and the rest of the day is there to DO things you want and to BE what you want to be! The money will follow, as long as you are frugal.

[wolf]

Describe those two scenarios. 1. would be the Status Quo and 2. the Alternative.
Calculate the financials as best as you could, monthly cash flow, change in NW, etc.
Write down opportunity costs. (not only monetary)
Think about how you would feel in 1 week, 1 month and 1 year, if you would decide for either 1. or 2.
Write down your strengths, weaknesses and opportunities and risks of both scenarios and then combine them.
Evaluate how those scenarios would fit your values in life.
What would be the upside potential and downside risks of both scenarios.
Is there possibly a third way.
Brainstorm both scenarios and then mind map.
Take your time with such evaluation, at least a few days.

[MidsizeLebowski]

Just a quick check-in on here, I owe all of you who commented on last post a decent and respectable reply as your insight was valuable at what turned out to be a pivotal time - true update in short order I promise!

For now just a quick note to let the forum know this ol' duder still abides.

DW and I purchased 24 acres of gently sloping southeast facing hillside at about 4500' in AZ. The property is actually two parcels - one 7 acres with road frontage and the other 17 dependent upon the 7 for access. Together they comprise the foothills/valley floor created by two hilltops and the saddle between those hills. The result is that we are sheltered from prevailing winds and have both southeast and southwest slopes, exactly what I'd hoped to find - a seasonal (very intense) wash runs through the property, plans are to to use water harvesting techniques to sink all that water into our land. Should be a fun project, I have an odd affinity for digging ditches and aligning rocks on contour that's undoubtedly rooted in the stream behind my childhood home.

We intend to move onto the property in March. Currently on a 5 day trip to property prepping our RV parking space, reviewing property lines from survey, mapping out the specifics, etc. It's gorgeous out here, very excited for this to be our new home.

Going to wrap here for now as this interim solar/wifi setup is a bit spotty and it's best I quit while ahead!

[classical_Liberal]

...

[mooretrees]

Wow! Really great news, thanks for sharing! Looking forward to the longer post when time permits. Congrats!

[MidsizeLebowski]

Nearly a full year from promise of last update… I suppose this should be a good one!

Following the prior journal entry we did indeed move in March. From last post until the move was a bitter sweet time period for ol' Duder. The excitement of new adventures blended with farewells to an area I'd learned to appreciate as a second home. I'll certainly return throughout life to visit friends/outdoor areas of personal significance, etc.

DW and I's move here marked a fairly significant threshold experience for both of us as it was the first time we each had no ties to an area. Previously much of our lives geographically speaking were the result of prior circumstance. Family/Jobs/School, the usual cast of scenarios…

We've found rural life to be an enjoyable experience, and it's rounded out our experiences of life in the US rather nicely following ~30 years in urban and suburban settings. The degree to which social capital plays a role in our region is almost precisely the inverse of what I've seen to this point, both in the "normal" social spheres we're part of and the permie/back-to-the-land type circles. Talk about inspirations for semi-ere… a few friends/characters of note:

Bruce- 70 years old, maintains his 40 acre homestead with his wife, most physical labor is done by him (I and other neighbors assist 10% of the time for larger tasks) - physically still as capable as the average 20-30 year old. Spent most of his teens/early 20's intermittently working 6 months a year or so up and down the Pacific coast from San Francisco to Nayarit, Mexico. Got into the medical field around age 30 after a couple years of school and worked 4 days on/3 off for career.

John- ~30 years old, works 20ish hrs a week at a local nursery, owner/operator of one of the only market gardens in our area, early interactions included unsolicited discussions about savings rate and other FI ratios. Probably the best demonstration I've seen of a web of goals approach to life.

As for the major elements of life since moving here…

Physically: Our property is currently 2 structures - a 18ft x 8.5ft tiny home, 12ft x 16ft studio/storage shed (previous owner's living space - currently my work studio & storage (tools, bulk food, etc.) Electrical is provided by a 1060 watt off-grid solar array, water is rainwater catchment/hauled in for now. We plan to have a well dug at some point if necessary but want to see what catchment totals look like once we have carports/other buildings established. Future plans for the coming 1-3 years include a main house of either hyper-adobe or straw bale, a small guest house (Cal-earth inspire dome most likely) and outdoor kitchen. We've survived climate extremes without AC?Heat to decent results thus far based on proper orientation of the tiny home and seasonal shade. The hottest indoor temps peaked at 94F on several days in June, lowest to date was a couple nights back at 57F. Outdoors those days were 103 and 30F. I expect we can decrease the high temp further with external blinds on a few east facing windows that went unshaded and ultimately with proper solar design for the permanent home.

DW and I are both working remotely, she as a marketing director for a greenwashed apparel co, myself as personal trainer. Both are going well by the usual standards, DW will certainly make.a fulfillment-based job change in the coming year or two - with expenses low these days and a few years stashed she has a lot of freedom to experiment so looking forward to seeing her approach things from a position of strength. I've been pleasantly surprised by the growth of the online training scenario.

Annualized spending since moving is coming to $11,340 based on the 9 months of tracking in current situation. Interesting to see that this number is in the realm of what ERE lifestyles are in more traditional situations. This includes a $396/month mortgage on the tiny home, insurance, etc). which are all expenses which will either drop off in 10 years time or sooner from early payoff/rental income. We chose to go with a certified RV/ADU standard compliant build from a builder for the ease of navigating the legal world should we want to mount the tiny home on foundation here or elsewhere, rent it out, etc. The thought being it should retain value in a resale situation or be a niche scenario for the rental market. Our area is seeing an upswing of urban transplants and local tourism in addition to being long considered a world-class birding destination - all seem promising for rental scenarios.

DW and I have improved communication dramatically, I always considered this a strength in our relationship but living in such close proximity led to some challenges early on which proved to be a catalyst to growth here.

Life fulfillment wise this year/transition brought great progress. I no longer feel that FI is the reward for sacrificing x years of my life and then I'll move on. This is something I've seen discussed recently in a few journals. I've been keeping up with the semi-ere cohort on here journal-wise, yes I've been lurking about and enjoying the conversations, lot of in's, lot of outs, lot of what have you's… I still plan to transition towards agriculture based employment but have realized the things I disliked around personal training were entirely circumstantial and the newest era of self-employment has revived my excitement for it.

I'm not sure what the coming years will hold for ol' Duder employment-wise but will likely be using this journal to think things through. For the dry financial stuff before hopping off to cook dinner…


Currently savings rates have been 65-75% each month, I have been tracking financials loosely, will likely get into this in finer detail now as inspired by everyone's graphics. Chart envy strikes deep in my heart! Currently @ 3.7 yrs expenses in liquidity, which is what I've focused on for the time being metric-wise.

I'm working about 30 hrs per week currently and have oscillated between that and 35hrs on average. I've been moving new clients into a different model where I see them 1 x week for movement coaching and provide programming/nutrition coaching on a monthly basis and this seems to be working well for all parties - getting people feeling good and helping my income become non-linear.

Property-wise the first year was a lot of Long and Thoughtful Observation. A few things of note that were obvious enough to act upon included construction of several erosion prevention strategies in the form of a 40 ft swale, Zuni bowls, several 1-rock dams, and a 3 level ~50 ft wide terrace system on a slope in our zone 2. I'll be finishing a design exercise for a PDC in the coming month if anyone has interest in seeing our plans. Waste is at a premium in our home now which is exciting (worms, chickens, compost, mulch?) It's been fascinating to see the effects some of the water harvesting structures are already having on the native vegetation.

This is growing to be a rambling mess so I will wrap it here with intents on becoming a regular on the forum once more! Thanks to all of you for your insight over the past several years, I've referenced comments to this journal and other dialogs on this forum many times when mulling decisions - much obliged!

And on that note - take 'er easy dudes.

[MidsizeLebowski]

Currently in Phoenix for a natural building workshop, this feels like a final step in the personal ERE journey so figured it'd make for a good entry. Reminiscing on how tightly coupled DW and I were to the market, our jobs and financial capital prior to this era of our lives. It feels that we've found an advantageous position on the edge of 2 systems - 1 being the ordinary world of our remote employment, interacting with clients & coworkers who are fully engaged in the modern paradigm and 2 being the physical reality we find ourselves in of rural life/gardening/natural building/maniac hippy pirate confederation social circle (to borrow JnG's phrasing).

I feel that we're absorbing what is useful from each without becoming too embroiled in the limiting behaviors/beliefs that often tag along (status seeking/concern over politics, etc. & disdain for capitalism/modernity/ belief that opportunity is scarce/prepping for "imminent" collapse).

The combination has also put into perspective how incredibly wealthy we are. Beyond just x years expenses squirreled away and whatever security that mentally adds, we watch multiple years worth of meat walk across our land each morning and evening, have water flowing in a perennial spring less than a mile from the house, edible plants for each season of the year, a growing library of arid-adapted seed, the knowledge to create high quality shelter from earth/sand/straw, increasing soil fertility/fertility building systems ...

On top of this it's possible to trade an hour or two advising people on how to stretch/self massage/approach nutrition for a year's supply of beans, lentils, rice or even a tool that's sufficiently well crafted to outlast those wielding it. Once DW and I complete the home build (which the 20+ desert pirates we've organized with in a mutual exchange arrangement will assist in lieu of paid labor) I have suspicions that money will be a solved problem and we'll be left to bowling and surfing the beaches from La Jolla to Leo Carrillo. We've both turned down interesting propositions with income as second order effect due to this final sprint towards completing our capital intensive plans for the property. There are also a few business opportunities/community needs to be met along a similar vein - I as a video artist and special lady friend as an airborne modernist painter - of course.

[Married2aSwabian]

Sounds like you’re living the dream! What type of construction are you looking at for house? Straw bale, earth berm?

We had opportunity to meet this guy about 7 years ago:

https://youtu.be/5DEmPJYvieo

He’s a prof at U of Michigan. We saw his off-grid straw bale house during a tour of such homes in area. DW and DD commented after we left how the vibe in that house was so calming and healthy. He has other videos with tour of his place as well, if you’re interested.

With southern exposure hill, sounds like perfect location for passive solar. Some of the earth ship home videos out there are also amazing - seems like many are in AZ and NM.

I read this book a few years ago:

https://www.amazon.com/House-Earth-Nove ... 111&sr=8-4

Pretty cool, long lost Woody Guthrie novel.

Guess I will experience the off-grid, natural home construction project vicariously through your posts, as we’ve just not had the right combination of location, time and money over the years!

[MidsizeLebowski]

Much appreciated for the links. We plan to experiment a bit for guest houses/ studios/ shops etc but will be building our home using straw bale. We like it for the building process, quickness of erecting a useable structure, insulative properties and of course the aesthetic.

We’ve helped a few friends build hyperadobe structures now and while cheap materials-wise the labor is a bear and slow going at that. For fun/showcasing purposes we’ll use it in one of a few smaller builds as with traditional adobe and perhaps even rammed earth.

Some photos from the workshop!

[MidsizeLebowski]

Hola ERE forumites!

A quick update here to keep some continuity with this journal.

Jan '23 marks 1 year 9 months since Special Lady Friend and I moved to the land here... we were discussing the coming year in terms of goals and reviewing the past over coffee this AM and it inspired an ERE forum check in. I've been lurking, particular attention has been paid to the semi-ere crowd and those who have replied here. From buses to Ft. Dirtbag to bartending gigs and dumpster diving there's been no shortage of variety!

Things of note here:

Home-building/Skills Leg: We are in the process of getting our permits to commence building this year. From the social circle we've developed there's been an abundance of opportunity for skill acquisition. Socializing here looks a lot like spending the day building each other's homesteads followed by lunch/dinner. As such there's great confidence in the building with hyperadobe, cob and strawbale. That's an interesting feeling - sand, clay, fiber and muscular action - it's a wonder anyone signs up for the career world!

Land/Natural Capital Leg: We lost our minds/decided this was the way of life for us and added an additional 87 acres - bringing our total to 110. The land drains a significant watershed and about 1 mile of former perennial creek - now intermittent flow- passes through the property. The plan is to create a silvopasture system based around native legumes, sheep, and agaves. This will not only provide yields of wool, meat and income-deriving agave spirits, but also form the basis of a land restoration system that should improve the water table.
The kitchen garden has been producing well, we've dialed in techniques for the southwest now - to say there was a learning curve coming from coastal CA to here would be an understatement . Our zone 1/2 food forest is coming along. We're targeting drought hardy fruits - olive, fig, pomegranate and mulberry interspersed with native nitrogen fixers - acacias, mesquites and leucaenas. All fruiting trees selected can be propagated from cuttings so we should be able to expand as needed with minimal additional financial outlay. The shrub layer of said food forest is useable plants - native chiltepin peppers, lavender and rosemary. Prickly pear cactus and goji berries not to be forgotten!


Spending/Financial Leg: For 2022 we spent roughly 40k not including infrastructure/land purchases - clearly there were no shortage of holes in the boat. Getting our solar system upgraded to support a fridge/freezer and dialing in the kitchen garden brought our biggest expenditure down significantly in the final 3 months of the year. Turning the tiny house from our primary housing expense to rental income going forward should reduce things further.

Remote work: Special Lady Friend and I brought in ~125k pre-tax for 2022. We spent a lot on property/infrastructure the past year but should be able to maximize tax advantages in 2023 in a way that allows my income to go almost entirely into solo-401k's pre-tax. We anticipate being able to live on ~50% of her paychecks.

Looking Forward: Our semi-ere plans are to continue the current course for 1-2 years to stash away 12-15x years expenses - we're sitting at 4x today. At that point she plans to leave employment and pursue The Work in whatever form that may take. That may be as simple as formalizing our social media/marketing for the products coming from our ranch(ito?) and setting up shop at the farmer's markets we already attend from time to time.
I'll likely continue working with a handful of clients who I have long-term relationships with and continue plant whispering/negotiating/begging. That end stage of working 2-3 hrs a day with people I enjoy, spending days in nature, building for fun/leisure and having financial capital in reserve for peace of mind/emergencies feels like the apotheosis of the panicked flight towards financial literacy that commenced back in 2017/18. The timeline coincides neatly with our desire to be finished with FT work by age 35 - I'm 32, SLF is 31. I think the original plan involved a studio apt/tiny house and market garden business so things have evolved but still bear resemblance!

As always, thanks for reading and participating in this forum. You all have been invaluable to this ol' duder's life!

[Western Red Cedar]

The dude abides! Congratulations on expanding the homestead and all the success there. Journals like these that don't follow the traditional path are really inspiring.

[classical_Liberal]

Life sounds awesome!

income-deriving agave spirits

Curious, are you planning to distill into mezcal or tequila, ferment into a liquor, or just sell the plants to a distiller? If you are planning to actively make your own brand, I would be curious to know how many hurdles the government puts into place for a small scale booze operation..

If history is a guide, booze as a means of capital creation (in many forms) is about as resilient as it gets.

[MidsizeLebowski]

Thank you WRC, agreed! When I came on the forums I gravitated towards the journals geared towards RE as a second order effect. There were so many examples here and in the FIRE canon of people searching for meaning after a sprint towards RE that it seemed natural to prioritize a life well lived. It’s a testament to Jacob’s writing skill/ability to articulate ERE as a philosophy that the book has brought so many pre-career burnout age (18-25)individuals onto this forum.

C_L - government? These are plumbing supplies! In all seriousness - this is a decision to be made. I have made some connections within the budding agave farming world back in CA who I’ll be asking about this very topic. There is also a environment-forward mezcal brand run by two women a little south of us in Sonora who I look to connect with. The hope is to make artisan-style handcrafted small batches at a premium price with proceeds going towards additional land acquisition/restoration. So yes would like to keep the whole process in-house. But if a distiller needs to be involved to minimize legal hurdles there are a couple nearby in Tucson as well as back in our former home of Ventura, CA I have in mind.

[AxelHeyst]

That end stage of working 2-3 hrs a day with people I enjoy, spending days in nature, building for fun/leisure and having financial capital in reserve for peace of mind/emergencies feels like the apotheosis of the panicked flight towards financial literacy that commenced back in 2017/18.

This!!

Thanks for the update Dude. Inspiring stuff, particular the vibe you're communicating of the social milieu you're a part of.

[MidsizeLebowski]

Appreciate the kind words AH. With the looks of the DirtbagERE Compound & Emporium you’re well on your way to becoming a nucleus for similar activity.

[MidsizeLebowski]

Hola forumites, been lurking on here quite a bit as of late and figure it's time for an update.

2023 continued the path we'd set in 22 for the most part with some exceptions.

The Homesteadfront:

The most exciting part here was the creation of our earthworks structures around the zone 1-3 (our 3 acre "yard"). All was conducted with a tape measure, a bunyip water level, and a mini excavator. And Special Lady Friend (SLF) and I's time/attention of course. We're now collecting roughly 55,000 gals of water for each inch of rain received for an annual total of about 990,000 gal in the "average" year . The response of the native trees & grasses that are the backbone of our little system has been impressive in only 9 months time. Very excited to see how this compounds over the coming decade. We learned a thing or two about swale construction that will be very helpful for when we approach the rest of the land work in the future. Having surface water in the form of small ponds has taken a major burden off of our well for the majority of the year. We may be able to do away with well use altogether with the addition of a few more cisterns/roofs.

The need for fencing has become apparent- the areas we've fenced are flourishing, everywhere the free range cattle frequent there continues a cycle of degradation/desertification. This may be one of the greater silent ecological catastrophes in the southwest in our current era. I could explain further if any are interested but will just leave this as a note here...

Some trees died, some have flourished, found 3 agave varieties that seem resilient. The waves of animal succession continue to develop - this was the year of wasps and rattlesnakes, thus far 2024 appears to be the year of gophers - happy to have the soil aeration. The wasps made for minimal garden pests this year. On that note we've refined our selections further - watermelons, beans, radishes, arugula, garlic all seem to thrive with minimal hassle. Would like to add another staple to complement the beans here. This year we'll experiment further of course.

The Personal Life;

Reviewing last year's update I chuckled at just how naive one can be... SLF had a close family member become terminally ill in the spring of '23. As she sat in front of her computer one afternoon completely disengaged and clearly with her mind elsewhere we opened the "well why are you doing this still?" discussion. Two weeks later she was on her way to CA sans employment and spent the better part of 5 months intermittently through the remainder of the year supporting/spending quality time with said family member. That family member passed away a few days back and SLF is dealing with the loss exceedingly well from having that unfettered time together. So much so that she's able to support many other family members through the loss. She also picked up several new arts/crafts (one can't tend to the sick 24/7 it would appear) which seem to be cornerstones to her daily life now.

Our savings rate went down a bit, we made more mild financial progress on the year (just under 2x annual spending), none of that mattered. This FI stuff is really just a figment of our imaginations... in times of real challenges you realize what's important. How much would our SWR matter if the world devolved to nuclear conflict or your country was destabilized by political upheaval? I think the semi-ere path was the right choice for us... meaningful skills, a little "security" to trick our feeble little minds enough to relax - just the right balance. My coffee grows cold from all this typing! Until next time friends!

[AxelHeyst]

Wonderful update! I've been wondering how you guys are doing.

I'm interested in the grazing desertification dynamic topic. My land was open grazed seasonally from at least early 20th century until about two decades ago... can't say I've noticed much difference in the landscape since then but things change slowly here and annual precip is about 6inches.