For the next five years, Kathleen was a homesteader, growing and preserving her own food, she also raised chickens, milked the cow and took care of a multitude of guests at her bed and breakfast. Although she did have electricity for lights, she heated with wood, got her water from a well with a hand-pump on it, and cooked with propane. Using books and other back-to-the-land people in her community as resources, she learned to become self-reliant. In 1992, feeling that her experiment was a success; she traveled east looking for a new place to put down roots. The Western North Carolina mountains were her choice and she settled in Waynesville. Shortly after arriving in North Carolina, Kathleen's friends encouraged her to share her knowledge and experience with other people and she started Back to Basics as a way to promote self-sufficient living and to assist homesteading hopefuls. She teaches a day long course on homesteading which includes Organic Gardening, Long Term Food Storage and Preserving the Harvest, and How to Set Up A Self-Sufficient Homestead.Carolina Farm Stewardship Association played a large role in shaping Kathleen's views on sustainable farming and land stewardship. She was privileged to serve on the CFSA Board of Directors, as President of the Mountains Chapter, and play many roles in organizing the annual Family Farm Tour, including two years as executive director. The highlight though was taking the IOIA training to be certified as an inspector for organic certifciation, which she performed for two years.
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