February is not an empty month.

It’s a time of milk returning to the pail,
candles lit against the cold,
homes cleansed for what comes next,
and new years beginning under a different moon.

In this episode of Old Ways New Days, we explore February’s holidays and holy days—from Imbolc’s dairy and fire, to folk traditions of purification, to fertility rites, and the Lunar New Year’s ancestral renewal.

Different cultures.
Shared survival.
The same human instinct to prepare for spring.

If you’ve felt February tugging at you—quietly asking you to tend, to clean, to hope—this episode is for you.

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Book: "Pilgrim's Wilderness: A True Story of Faith and Madness on the Alaska Frontier" by Tom Kizzia (Crown Publishers, 2013)

National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233

Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-422-4453

RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network): 1-800-656-4673

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Find us on Facebook

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Send us an email at oldwaysnewdayspodcast@gmail.com

The Homestead Act of 1862 promised land, opportunity, and independence — but its story didn’t end in the 1800s.

In this episode of Old Ways New Days, we explore where the Homestead Act began, how it shaped American land ownership, and how homesteading laws and land policies have continued to evolve — including key changes and interpretations that emerged and bring us into the modern era.

Because homesteading isn’t frozen in history. It adapts. Just like the land itself.

SHOW NOTES & RESOURCES

Historical Resources:

National Parks Service - Homestead National Historical Park

"The Homestead Act of 1862" - Britannica

Library of Congress - American Memory Collection

Modern Homesteading Legal Resources:

Vermont Law School's Center for Agriculture and Food Systems

USDA National Agricultural Library - Urban Agriculture Resources

Sustainable Economies Law Center

Local Harvest - Find farmers' markets and CSAs

www.localharvest.org

Municode Library - Search local ordinances

Urban Agriculture Organizations:

American Community Gardening Association

Urban Farming Institute

National Urban Agriculture Coalition

Books Mentioned:

"The Urban Homestead" by Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen

"Paradise Lot" by Eric Toensmeier

"The Backyard Homestead" by Carleen Madigan

Contact Your Local Officials:

City Planning Department

Zoning Board

County Extension Office

Local Food Policy Council

Legal Consultation:

For complex situations, consult a land-use attorney

Many offer free initial consultations

Some work with sustainable agriculture nonprofits

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Support the show

Find us on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61581390940178

Send us an email at oldwaysnewdayspodcast@gmail.com