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Our Story Begins

The following is an account of twenty-three legends that assembled at a campground in the Beara Peninsula of County Kerry, Ireland, in the first weekend of July 2021.  This is the story of the first Béara Clann camp trip.

Our story begins on Thursday, the first of July.  Kingdom Bear and his wife, Kerry Moma Bear, arrived at the campground to claim our corner of the camp.  Kingdom Bear, an avid camper, is also a veteran of the printing industry.  He brought with him a few surprises he’d made for the group, including a Béara Clann banner and flag.  With banner and flag in place, Kingdom Bear was ready to welcome the other members they arrived.

 

Béara Clann Assemble

Friday morning, members of the Béara Clann, the Irish Unbearables, began their journey from all corners of Ireland to the campground in County Kerry.  By the afternoon, most of the group had made their appearance.

Upon arriving, the Clansfolk were warmly greeted by the Béara banner and flag marking our little settlement.  There, we found a fire pit surrounded by tents on all sides.  Next to that, a small building for shelter from rain.

Kingdom Bear and Óbéara Bear welcomed the Friday arrivals with smiles and open arms.  Everyone joined in to help each other build their tents.  After setting up and a quick trip to a nearby village to stock up on food and supplies, everyone was settled in for the evening.

It was like old friends having a reunion, though this was the first time many of us were meeting in the real physical world that exists beyond the borders of the digital realm.  Handshakes, hugs, smiles and stories being shared were in abundance.

It was time to build a fire before nightfall.  A few bears spotted a huge broken tree limb and with teamwork, removed it from the tree with bare hands.  Then they began to break it down to smaller pieces using various saws and axes.  Everyone participated in a group effort.  As one got tired, another bear stepped up and continued the sawing.  This was also a great opportunity to teach the younger generation how to chop wood.  The Paddy Glassman Bear instructed Green Bear’s sons, Strummer Bear and Pickle Bear, how to chop up some firewood.

The positive vibes continued into the evening hours, as members gathered round the fire to tell stories, crack jokes and share their various interesting theories about this realm we call Earth.

 

The Fellowship of the Clann

Saturday morning saw the arrival of several more members, completing our gathering of these Irish Beartarians.

That afternoon, several members embarked on a journey to hike to a hilltop where an ancient stone circle stands.  The group admired the elevated view while contemplating what the ancient people of this land had known to construct such a site.  After visiting this ancient place, some of the braver ones took a dip in the chilly waters of a nearby lake.

Once everyone was back at camp, the Béara Clann’s Minister of Enthusiasm, Brayvy Bear, presented each of the children in the group with a gift bag.  The amazing Kingdom Bear and Kerry Moma Bear put together these lovely gift bags that included things like crayons, coloring book, bubbles and toys.  The Béara Clann children were most pleased.

It was steadily raining that evening, so we all gathered under that nearby shelter for a dinnertime BBQ.  Spirits were high as we shared stories and crafted jokes.  There was an abundance of good cheer.

After dinner, Brayvy Bear presented all of the adults with a souvenir Béara Clann mug that he and Kingdom Bear had made for the group members.  To mark the occasion, Brayvy Bear also presented to the group a bottle of locally crafted Beara Irish Whiskey, pouring a little into each mug and proposing a toast to the Clann.

The “craic”, as the Irish call it (stories, jokes and laughs), continued into the late night hours.

 

Making Our Own

Sunday morning, the group screen printed t-shirts with the Béara Clann logo.  Each member had brought with them the shirts they wanted printed.  Kingdom Bear set up a station in the shelter area to do the printing.  As mentioned earlier, he’s a veteran of the printing industry, so he volunteered to man the screen printing station.  Brayvy Bear, always eager to help, stepped up to assist him.  The end result was beautiful, each member going home with a freshly printed Béara souvenir t-shirt.

After printing t-shirts, Poppa J Bear hosted a livestream for Instagram.  The stream included a tour of the camp site and short interviews with several of the folk.  It was a great way to capture and showcase the energy of the trip.

Next, everyone gathered in front of the shelter for a group photo.  ConspiraBee Bear, an avid photographer who had been photographing the entire weekend of events captured the group photo of us.

 

Further Exploration

Some members packed up to head home after the group photo.  The remaining members embarked on an expedition to see a famous secluded waterfall and lake not far from where we were situated.

The scenery at this location was epic, like something you would see on a postcard.  Passing through fields of sheep, you encounter the waterfall.  After a few photos were taken there, we proceeded to trek up the steep trail towards the lake.  At the lake, several in the party decided to again take a dip in the water.  The Buzz Wrecker Bear, Rua Bear, The Paddy Glassman Bear, Eire Bear and Defender Bear’s girlfriend all went for a swim, those brave souls.

Once back at camp, the men set up a friendly axe throwing competition.  Logs were stacked for a target and the each man took turns throwing the axe.  Much fun was had, so much so that axe throwing will be a featured event at all future camp trips.

 

Onward to Béara!

That night, as the rain had ended, we all gathered round the fire again.  Future plans were discussed, including another camping trip, as well as the proposed formation of the Beartarian Horticultural Society.

The common thread that tied this weekend camp trip together was teamwork and community building.  Each member of the Clann lending a hand to help another.

It was so good to see everyone get along so well, to see our children playing together in nature.  To watch the initially hesitant and wary wives and girlfriends go from polite conversation to genuine warmth and good natured joking, now eager to be a part of this wonderful group.  This is what community building is all about.

The friendships formed, friendships reinforced and memories made at this July camp trip will last a lifetime.  We, the Béara Clann of Irish Unbearables, are a young group, still growing and learning as we go, yet we show much promise of big things to come in the future!

On Monday morning, it was decided that we would all meet here again for the second weekend of August.

To be continued…

Events

Escaping The Chains of Debt: Recap

We express our gratitude to all who participated in last week’s community discussion. We had some valuable ideas and approaches discussed, and we are excited to see more members achieve the goal of becoming debt-free in 2024!

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Last week at the Beartaria Times Community App, we asked our members about getting out of debt. This sparked many to chime in with their own posts and start conversations in the comments section.

One member started the conversation by explaining how the different members of their household were all holding onto personal debt and not hiding it but not sharing the responsibility. They explained how, when it came to light, they all devised a plan to get each person out of debt together and how they could all make specific changes to get out of debt together.

Some of their recommendations focused on not always getting to eat the food they want but eating what they have or making sacrifices to their grocery list to meet the budget.

“We are eating from our pantry. We are using old emergency food storage. We are even using some of our old emergency food storage grains for our animals. They are loving it. It is working out.”

Another member gave a list of ways they see as the best practices for getting out of debt. Some of these include:

  • The main sources of high-interest debt that I’ve seen are student loans, car loans, and credit cards. Make a spreadsheet with your debt balances in one column and the APR in the second column. Make the third column the product of the first two. This will roughly give you the annual cost of each debt. You’ll form your plan of attack based on this.
  • It’s beating a dead horse but make a budget. Can be paper, but spreadsheets or other electronic solutions would be much better. Include cash! Log cash transactions as well as electronic so you get a full picture of an average month. Really dive in for at least 2-3 months on this to capture everything. Eliminate what you don’t need.
  • Deep dive your grocery bill. Figure out what categories you’re spending the most on. Consider buying those things in bulk from somewhere like Azure Standard. Often you can save quite a bit this way, and even get a better quality product for cheaper! You can make your own bread from their flour for about 1/3 of the store bread cost.

Lastly, another member shared how they could purchase land and build a home without debt. Although they are not entirely debt-free, they believe mortgages to be the most complex debt to get out of but mention that it isn’t impossible. They mention Dave Ramsey, a well-known anti-debt radio host who has helped countless people escape the chains of debt through his effective program that this member notes has detractors, as just about any plan or method in life will.

“…the program is all about living within your means, spending only cash, and only treating yourself when and if you’ve truly earned it. If you’re still in debt, you haven’t earned it.”

We express our gratitude to all who participated in last week’s community discussion. We had some valuable ideas and approaches discussed, and we are excited to see more members achieve the goal of becoming debt-free in 2024!

Read everything our members had to say at app.beartariatimes.com with some users posting under the hashtag #debtfree23.

Join our growing community and get in on the next conversation at app.beartariatimes.com or search Beartaria Times wherever you get your apps.

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Events

This Week On The Beartaria Times App: Escaping The Chains of Debt

We love seeing our community thriving and know that all those beautiful homesteads and lifestyles have a backbone of challenges conquered and struggles faced.

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This week on the Beartaria Times app, the theme is “escaping the chains of debt.”

On Wednesday, the 20th of December, at 6 pm PST, we encourage our community to share their stories and methods for getting out of debt and managing debt.

We’d love to see our community come together from all different angles and experiences on this topic — from intention, mindset, and motivation to the nitty-gritty details. Sharing your stories and experiences can help others in our community.

At The Beartaria Times, this theme holds significant importance for us. We recognize that unmanaged debt can burden individuals, making them feel trapped. Understanding this predicament can empower people to grow and thrive.

We love seeing our community thriving and know that all those beautiful homesteads and lifestyles have a backbone of challenges conquered and struggles faced.

As we delve into this topic, we invite participants to not only discuss success stories but also share the hurdles they encountered along the way. Whether it’s navigating unexpected expenses or discovering effective budgeting techniques, your insights contribute to the collective wisdom of our community.

Furthermore, this initiative aims to foster a supportive environment where individuals can exchange practical tips, tools, and resources. From budgeting apps to debt consolidation strategies, let’s empower each other in the journey toward financial well-being.

The Beartaria Times values the resilience of our community members. Your openness in discussing financial challenges helps break the stigma surrounding debt, reinforcing that it’s a shared experience.

Together, let’s turn this theme into a catalyst for positive change, lifting each other up as we navigate the path to financial freedom within the Beartaria community.

We hope to see you there!

Sincerely,

-The Beartaria Times

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The Beartaria Times Community App introduces Weekly Community Activities.

This Wednesday at 6 pm PDT, we will host a Community App Activity similar to the reintroduction campaign we launched a couple months ago.

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Here at The Beartaria Times, we have been busy recalibrating since our Second Annual Beartaria Times National Festival. It has been a labor of love, and we were so happy to see you all there. We know we have been quiet in other aspects of the community, but we have been preparing behind the scenes to be more active on our website, BeartariaTimes.com, and to encourage community dialogue on our community app.

This Wednesday at 6 pm PDT, we will host a Community App Activity similar to the reintroduction campaign we launched a couple months ago. This time we will be asking all app users to join the discussion and let us know, “What are you most grateful for this week?”

This will mark the beginning of what we hope will be a weekly activity of prompts from the Beartaria Times Official account to provoke thought and encourage engagement with each other on the app. Along with community wide questions like we have this week we will also have activities focused on specific groups in the app along with prompts to encourage a “Fruitful Focus” on things that highlight the good, true and beautiful.

Onward.

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