It was good to visit with our old friend Robert, and the Amish couple he brought to meet us are interesting people. We talked about farming, gardening, cooking, herbal remedies and building. They can build just about anything, and they have. They are also adventurous, traveling here from a thousand miles away to look for a new place to settle. Their journey was difficult, traveling by horse-drawn wagon, earning traveling expenses along the way. Unfortunately they had bad luck. Their life savings was stolen by a land swindler and they may lose their beloved horses. They are resourceful, decent people with personalities that make them a joy to be with. I hope they find Maine a good place to live, despite their present difficulties, because neighbors like these are very rare. I hope their fortunes improve.

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In the last chapter of my story I was at the point of focusing on The Facts of Life and realizing that total dependence on money as the only control over my food, shelter and security was not a wise life choice. That is when I decided to pick a career that would give me physical control over at least one of the three Life Facts and, hopefully, provide income for the other two.

I chose shelter because I had some skills and experience in that category from my full- and part-time work over the years. Choosing is one thing. Getting it to work is another. I knew I needed to learn a myriad of things to make it happen. So I told myself it was time to become a student again, get books and study. I also started making friends with builders, plumbers, electricians and real estate dealers.

I moved back to my home town, took what I intended to be my last “job,” and began to study and plan. And that is where I would like you to picture yourself now if building is a career you want to take seriously. It took me the better part of a decade to reach the starting point. Hopefully, telling you about my experiences will give you a head start.

Next post I’ll give you some subjects to look into for your year of preparation. Meanwhile I am going to go collect the special herbs the Amish lady says might make my fingernail grow back.

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A note: Scroll down this website and find, From the Library/Making and Saving money. Read Darlene Campbell’s article, Get Out of Debt - Stay Out of Debt. It is excellent and will help you during Year One of what we are discussing here. She tells you things I didn’t think of. She is a smart lady.