Homestead mailing list

[Viking <erthnsky AT bellsouth.net>]

The Studebakers wrote:

> I confess to being a fence rider, and feel torn and envious of those 
> who aren't (Bev, et al)  Perhaps (LOL) I have an unrealistic dream of
>  being some southern belle that works the farm, sweats, doesn't wear 
> make- up, and then cleans the house like Martha Stewart, homeschools,
>  and throws on a dress for a night of entertaining.

I know there was a part of me that started out thinking like that, too.
 It was a small part, but it was there.   :) For me, I've always known
that I was different-I had a different mindset and I never seemed to fit
in any kind of social niche, mainly because I ask "why do you do that?
or why are you wasting that?" to the wrong people....lol  A lot of
things just never made much sense to me.  Luckily, being older than you,
I grew up in the bra burning, hippie era, so it didn't seem *that* odd
when I quit doing bras and makeup in my early twenties.  Martha Stewart
came along in the 80's and made things like keeping chickens fashionable
again.
What you have to realize, though, is that Martha has a huge staff to
help her with those chickens, horses, gardens, etc.  Homesteading,
Martha style or not, takes a lot of labor.  I'm know Martha knows how to
do it, but after she became really famous, she got a lot of help.
Basically, what I am saying is don't try to be Martha.  You will only
get frustrated. No one alone can keep a perfect garden, healthy animals,
a perfect house, etc and still have time for entertaining and craftwork,
let alone all the other stuff she does.  When we host our monthly
astronomy get-togethers, I run around frantic the week before trying to
clean up the place.  Then, I get behind on other projects and it takes a
week or more, weather permitting, to catch up on that.  I try to use the
weather to schedule what I do...and that's not always convenient with
all the other stuff going on or stuff that needs to be done.  For
example, I weed and mow in the mornings when it is cooler...I pick
blueberries in a light rain(to avoid the bees), and I fold clothes,
cook, and do laundry in a heavy rain.  We also like to butcher during
light rains, too, but that isn't always possible.  Mid day, when it
starts getting hot, I come in, take an email break, maybe do some
housecleaning or pay bills, etc, then by late afternoon, I go out and do
chores again, cook dinner, play with the dogs, etc.  I like to burn
brush piles when it is not windy a day before a storm is due, just in
case the fire gets away from me, I know I will have rain coming soon so
the whole forest doesn't burn. :)  Of course, those days are few and far
between, so the burn piles get larger and the whole place looks junkier.
I depend a lot on the weather, and it greatly determines what I decide
to do for the day.  I stay out of the garden when it is wet if I can
help it.  I try to run errands into town when it is 98 degrees outside.
 You get the idea.  It doesn't always work, but it helps.

> You guys are my wake up call.  I must admit fear is starting to creep
>  in, can I really give up these comforts to simplify and make this 
> change for our family?  Well, it's too late to turn back now!

Not really.  You can live in the country without all the work if you
want.  I guess it depends on what comforts you are giving up and how
important they really are to you as to whether or not you will be happy.
 Mostly, it's a trade off...a good one, I think, but a trade off
nonetheless.  You just can't have it all......you can't have a 2 minute
response time for calling 911 and be somewhere that allows you to have
chickens and goats.  You can't drop by Starbucks for a cup of joe at
midnight, cuz chances are that even if your little town has a Starbucks,
they roll up the sidewalks at 6pm. :)  You probably won't be able to
take 30 minute showers anymore because you will be on a well.  There's a
paradigm shift...soon, your neighbors won't care if you smell like a wet
chicken, and you won't have to have your hair/nails done as often, if at
all.  It will be your mindset that impresses people, not your looks.
Soon, you will be able to walk out your back door and experience things
that most people only dream about....a newborn fawn nursing from it's
mother, the silence of a fresh coat of snow on a crisp January
morning...and try pulling down your pants to pee in your backyard where
you are living now!  Shoot, I can garden in the nude here if I wanted
to, and in complete privacy!
Are there things I miss?  Sure.  I miss being able to go to specialty
grocery stores on a whim for something exotic like Dungeness crab.(well,
it's exotic in these parts, anyway<g>)  I miss things like being able to
call Dominoes on those days when I just don't feel up to cooking.  (I'm
hungry right now, can you tell?)  But do I regret moving here and living
this life? ABSOLUTELY NOT.  I wish I had followed my heart earlier in
life.  I wish I had made the jump you are about to make when I was 25
instead of 35.
It will be an adjustment for you, I'm sure, but I think you will be glad
you made the move 5 years from now.
Hang in there, Amy, and good luck....

Bev
--
erthnsky AT bellsouth.net  BevanRon of EarthNSky Farm      NW Georgia USDA Zone 7
34.498N 85.076W