All right, friends, I'm excited for today's topic.

It may get a little bit exciting, a little bit

controversial. You know I love the episodes where I get to be really actionable

and practical with you like our episode last week when we talked about wheat berries and all of that.

I also love the episodes where I can get a little more high level and we can look at different trends

and patterns in the homestead movement.

I have a vested interest in the movement because I was one of the first people to start

talking about this online.

I'm not saying I invented it by any means, right?

But I had one of the first homestead blogs, one of the first people to start doing

all these crazy old-fashioned things publicly. So I'm always interested in patterns and trends and perceptions

and where things are going.

And I've seen a big pattern emerge lately,

mostly through conversations I've had online and in person.

But it's a little bit concerning to me.

Primarily, because what I'm seeing happen is people are being actively pushed away

from the homestead movement and the idea of growing their own food

and being a creator versus a consumer and living more intentional because

somehow, thank you internet, that idea of skills and that group of concepts has somehow become tangled up in the idea of conspiracy and paranoia.

And I even had someone say, hey, I didn't listen to your podcast forever because I just assumed that you fell into that bucket.

And then, you know, I listened to it, I realized you don't, and it was so refreshing, blah, blah, blah.

But I'm like, oh, how many other people are feeling drawn?

...