Like many of you, I have had my share of boring days and evenings during the pandemic.  Nowhere to really go, lots of household projects that I really don’t want to get started, and it seems like I’ve pretty much exhausted all of the choices that peak my interest on Netflix, Hulu, AND Disney+ (hard to believe, I know).

So, I find myself bringing up YouTube on my laptop and going down multiple weird alleyways and corridors of videos.  One day I’ll watch dozens of old James Brown performance videos (he was fantastic back in the day), clips of the “Soul Train” dance lines from the ‘70s, or compilations of Saturday morning cartoon intros.  I’ll dive into tiny house tours, LEGO-created cities, or gleefully watch Elvis sing “Bossa Nova Baby” from the film ‘Fun in Acapulco’.  You just never know where you’ll end up on that service.

Lately, I find I’ve gravitated to these “modern homesteaders” channels.  You know, folks fed up with the “modern” world will buy a piece of raw land in Alaska, Canada, or some other remote wilderness and then build a cabin, lean-to, or ”farmette” – documenting every step of the process in weekly or bi-weekly videos.  Some go completely off-grid – others will add-in some modern conveniences, but the gist of each one of these channels is that the “stars” do everything themselves.  They show their projects, their processes, and as one watches week in and week out, a home is born and maintained.

Once one “subscribes” to the various channels, then that YouTube feed gets updated whenever these channels release new content.  I’ve got dozens of these bookmarked now, and I am fascinated and enthralled by channels such as “My Self Reliance” (building a homestead in Canada), “Red Poppy Ranch” (a family building off-grid in Idaho), “Lumnah Acres” (a “farmette” in New England), and “My Little Homestead” (a family compound in Arizona).  Each week, these families carefully explain what they are working on, what it costs, and then faithfully document their successes and failures.

I’m not alone.  Some of these channels boast millions of subscribers (yes, I said millions).  That translates into real dollars from YouTube, and some of these folks can then quit their day jobs and concentrate solely on producing video content and working on their “dream” projects – thanks to a steady income stream from YouTube advertisement revenue.  Ahhh, what a life.

As I watch each of these families, I often think “I could do that” or “wouldn’t that be a glorious lifestyle”, but then I share my joy and excitement with my family (all women), and I get what I call the “crazy man stare”.  Needless to say, my girls are less than enthused about any wild dreams I may have about a pioneer life.  I can tell it would be a solo venture.

So I live vicariously through my YouTube segments, watching as men and women hand-cut lumber for their cabin logs, develop rainwater collection systems to water their gardens, and drink coffee in front of their glowing wood stoves.

Everybody needs a hobby during this pandemic, and watching these folks has become one of mine.

Roughing it – 2021 style.