Long Weekend

I had a long and wonderful weekend! Friday I left for my mother's house and came back Sunday evening. While I was there I attended my little sister's graduation pool party. The food was amazing and many of my cousins' babies were there. I got to hold all of the babies and they were positively delightful. I love babies and can't wait to have one of my own. Hopefully in the next couple years I'll be blessed with my own bundle of joy to dote upon.

Aside from the party, I did a lot of homesteading chores. Re-planting, staking, watering gardens, plus feeding and watching poultry and hunting for the eggs. One day we found fifteen eggs, the next we found thirteen. Not bad at all, considering two chickens were broody and their eggs couldn't be collected. It was a lot of fun to go out and get my hands dirty and do real work. I miss life like that. Although I don't miss being attacked by roosters. Most of the roosters just get happy when you bring their feed rations or an extra treat from the kitchen, but one little banty insisted on jumping at my legs. A soft nudge with the egg basket and a harsh word sent him scuttling off a few feet, but we watched each other closely from then on.

Now that I'm home I needed a little time to recoup, but I'm feeling very refreshed. I spent the last two days with hubby, watching movies and hanging out to spend some quality time together on his vacation, so I didn't have time to post or even think about posting. There wasn't much very interesting going on to report anyway. Oh, other than I've been looking into local properties, but haven't found anything quite right for us. I've also been doing research on livestock, mainly sheep, and livestock guardians, mainly dogs. Hopefully I'll one day have the land and fencing to keep my own flock of hair sheep, I'm really wanting St. Croix. They seem completely delightful!

Self-evaluation

Today I made myself wonder something. Do I want too much? Do I spend so much time and energy wanting that I don't appreciate what I do have? The better part of today was spent pining over properties in my area. Twenty or more acres each, and I wanted them so badly I could taste it, but alas, I am broke and we just can't afford to buy a nice property with acreage right now. It would be so nice, because with the 1/4 acre of workable space I have I can't keep lambs and goats, both of which I would like to get into someday. Should not having 20+ acres make me unhappy or discourage me from pursuing my dreams? After I started really thinking about it I felt like such an ungrateful, shallow brat.

It's true that I don't have the land for a flock of sheep or a herd of goats, but I have plenty of room to start raising rabbits and even some poultry. If I work hard and really budget myself, I could save up money for a down payment on a nice piece of property in ten years. That's the time I said that I wanted to accomplish my goal. What could possibly keep me from accomplishing this? Absolutely nothing other than myself. I'm the only thing that can hold me back, and unless I change some of my old attitudes, I will hold myself back.

Right now I'm going to promise myself something. By the time my 34th birthday rolls around, I will buy myself 20+ acres of land. I don't have to have it perfectly cultivated. I don't have to have a fully-functioning, off the grid homestead on it. I will, however, purchase it. Making it into a homestead can happen gradually after that, but I will have it by then. Until then, I'm going to do everything that I can to make this small property I have now into my own little homestead. It won't be a huge homestead, it won't be perfect, but now and later, they will be my homesteads and I will love them just as I make them, with any and all their "imperfections".

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.