Not a productive day

Nothing was really accomplished today. It's been storming on and off all day, but we did have a nice family get-together at my husband's grandpa's house. The food was fabulous, and I got to chat with some of his cousins, who are really nice. Mason and Dexter got to go too, and they had a ball playing with the other dogs there. In total there ended up being five dogs and one cat at his grandpa's house today, only the cat actually lives there. I think I might have overate a little and I've been very sleepy since the meal.

While we didn't get much in the way of physical things accomplished, my husband and I did get to talk a lot about the ideas we had for our home in the future. We've agreed that the first thing we want to work on is getting a fence put up around our back yard. With three dogs it will come in handy to have a fence to let them run around in without having to be held back by being leashed all the time they're outdoors. I'm really wanting to go with a privacy fence. I know that chain-link would be cheaper, but if we find a good buy on the privacy fence it wouldn't be too much more expensive than the chain and it will look much nicer and probably last much longer. The chain-link kennel I bought for Missy sure didn't last more than a few days with her chewing her way out, anyway.

After that there's getting me a new computer, my husband a new computer desk, a bookshelf, a dining set, and a dresser set for the master bedroom. Maybe not the most exciting things, or the most relevant to a homestead, but taking care of our home and property is all steps into my goals, and into my husband's goals, which will be important to get him on board with my homesteading desires and to keep him willing to compromise. If he sees progress that we can both appreciate then we'll both be happier and the transitioning will go smoother, I think.

I hope to post every day, but hopefully there will be more interesting things to post about soon!

Going Back to the Land

What does that phrase even mean? Ask twenty people and I bet you'd have twenty answers. What does going back to the land and homesteading mean to me? I want to know and appreciate where my food comes from. Giving up convenience for better quality seems like a small sacrifice. Working hard to support your family, and coming away from a long day feeling satisfaction and pride in what you've done. Helping to preserve the Earth's resources by making what you can and shopping locally for the rest so that your children and grandchildren will have a better future. These are all things that mean a great deal to me now that I've done a bit of soul-searching. I didn't come to my decision to go into homesteading lightly and it won't happen overnight, but to me it is a dream worth reaching for.

What does going back to the land mean to you? Are those values that you also hold dear? Have you ever wished that you could wake up every morning to the sounds of the barnyard? Perhaps hearing an old rooster crow to greet the day. Even if you live on only a small patch of ground, you can have your own small homestead, and I'm going to prove it by sharing my own journey with you all. Maybe I will inspire some of you to go out and do a little extra work in your garden, or even to strive for small things to do a touch of your own homesteading. Even if I don't, I'm glad to have you with me.

The Beginning

Welcome to Mountain Home, my brand new blog about my journey into the life of a homesteader. I'm starting from scratch, smack dab in West Virginia suburbia, on half an acre. If you think it's impossible, think again. Beginning today, I am going to work towards my goal of homesteading. I'd love ten acres in rural West Virginia, but that's not what I have, and I'm not going to wait until I do. If you're going to do something, the only thing you can really do is dive in and either sink or swim. I, my friends, am an excellent swimmer.

Right now I'm unemployed, which really hampers any plans to house, purchase, or feed any livestock, so I'll just have to wait a bit on that and start simpler. My first order of business will be to find a job so that I can begin to save money to buy my first livestock. I'm wanting to breed duel purpose meat and fur rabbits for a start to my homestead. Rabbit meat is lean, packed with protein, and better for you than turkey and chicken, believe it or not. I've already selected my breed, which will be Silver Fox. They're not cheap and the closest breeder is five hours away.

From this moment, my journey begins. Wish me luck!