Real quick! Look around you...........

[HilltopDaisy]

...and tell us about the "every day things" you see that define you, and make you a homesteader, in your eyes.

It's 1:00 AM here in New York, so it's dark, and I'm at my desk. I just got home from work. I can see to type because I use a very old kerosene lantern for light. To my left is an old rotory phone; behind me, in a dog crate, is a rooster who is recovering from a foot issue.

On my "to do" list for tomorrow is "clean both chicken coops", "dump both wheel barrows", "charge the tractor battery", "carry in dog food and layer pellets", "run second strand of hot wire in small horse paddock", and about 20 more things. I have 25 6' T posts to pound, a huge garden to till, an incubator full of eggs, 3 horses to groom, and a job that I love, but my coworkers are not into homesteading.

Look around you; you can get pretty silly or be very serious. What sets you apart?

[JuliaAnn]

I'm exhausted just reading your chore list. I'll have to go to bed here in a minute, it's worn me out so bad!!

I have a rather, aHEM... flatulent little chee hwah hwah under the desk right now. He's awfully cute but can be quite lethal at times. He likes muenster cheese. The other dog is just sleeping. That's about all she does.

Right now I have some of last deer season's hunting clothing hanging up in the hallway doorway--a couple camoflage coats, vests, insulated coveralls, etc. Fresh washed, and I just hung them up to dry. Front and back doors open to create wind tunnel effect, it's quite nice. Tote on floor by door with a hen and 5 chix in it, the hen went insane and was attacking all the other birds trying to protect her babies, even though the other birds weren't really paying much attention to them.

Tomorrow I need to do laundry (I follow the old fashioned practice of doing laundry on Monday, it's quite convenient) and floors, and I'll need to finish the new chicken pen and go to the hardware store and buy some J-channel to finish the new soffit we replaced after the hurricane ripped off part of the roof a few years back.

And water stuff if we don't get rain.

[DamnearaFarm]

Hmmm...

It's only six a.m., so there isn't a lot going on at the moment. Dh is 'farming' on the computer (lol), we're eating breakfast and there are four dogs scattered around the dining room floor. Still dark outside, but the birds are in full concert.
On the table sits my corrected, corrected garden plan (as I plant, the plan sorta shifts!) and all that's left to put in the ground, other than the cuke slips that are in the garage, are the taters and onions- which i'll pick up today.
My to-do list for today is: Monday chores, laundry/dishes, shoot my oldest daughter's senior pics and make her invitations, finalize the prints for DH's office and get those done up and framed, get the onions/taters in the ground and to move Crazy Mother Clucker back into the coop so we can start handling her middle-school aged chicks.

If I can get all of it done, I figure i'm doin' good.

Great thread idea, OP.

[kirkmcquest]

Just checked my new chicks out in the garage, they're doing fine. Got to call the nursery today to find out about my apple tree order. Got to check the hives to see that they weren't knocked over again....got to start thinking about building a coop, supply list and so on..

[good2beus]

I sit at the front window in the morning to read on my "homesteading site". There are 9 deer on the front lawn. No other houses in sight - just our woods and the neighbors' barn. The log splitter is over by the wood pile - my honey is working on the last of our supply for this coming winter. (I can also see the next 2 winters of wood in various stages of "seasoning" over on the other side of the pole barn). "Cowboy Coffeepot" percolating on the stove right now. My hands ache and my fingers are sore - yesterday we fenced in the garden in an effort to keep the critters out. And the woodstove here in the living room is all pretty and clean again, until we start burning again in the fall. BUT - I wish my day would be spent here at home - I'm still working full time in town. Someday..........

[Callieslamb]

Just fed everyone outside. At least it's light out there..... I have a batch of bread rising on the counter, my weedeater that needs repared on the deck, work gloves (dirty ones) on the kitchen counter. I can see the garden out my window with it's unfinished greenhouse and the small orchard that's almost ready to burst into bloom.

[Alice In TX/MO]

It's all about the goats.

[jwal10]

0700 here. I don't work on Mondays, I work 16 hours a week (9:00-1:00). I went out for a walk at 0600. I walk the block to work as the Public Works Director in this little town of 700. I just moved back here in March, back to where Sweetie and I lived when we got married, to try and get my health back. I took early retirement after 16 years of the rat race. I am enjoying it here. We have a 400 sq. ft cottage. A small easy maint yard. I have a little "garden" and will build a very small greenhouse. I still have the off grid cabin and the "farm". The market is just across the street and there is a small farmers market on Wednesdays during the spring, summer and fall. There is nothing I HAVE to do....James

[lamoncha lover]

well....went to bedlast night thinking on how to get on our land. Woke up this morning thinking how to get to our land....
jHere at the house I just let out the dogs and fed the hard keeper horse her beat pulp and corn. Did a walk about my tiny hay bale garden spot. The seedlings ( peas, brocoli, potatoes, carrots,tomatos are doing great. Got a hen sitting on eggs..should be hatching anyday. Woke to the sound of my umwanted rooster and of my aurviving 2 free ranging guineas.
I've got about a dozen tomato and pepper plants to find a spot to plant.
My list for this week is get to the land. Poison the fire out of the weeds that are over running my horse pasture, and to somehow lime and reseed.
Wish i could write about being ON my homestead instead of this house in town.

[TooManyHobbies!]

Looking around me right now, without getting up from my chair, I can see my garden, the pool to pond conversion that is in its infancy, and my orchard. Behind me and beside me are seedlings, including two young fig trees that I"m waiting to plant until it warms up a bit more. I can hear my quail as I type, as well. Oh and there is a box of garden seeds to my right, waiting to go into the ground.

[SFM in KY]

Loaf of sourdough bread cooling on the counter. Getting low on frozen rabbit from the last year's litters so will have to butcher a couple of the 'culls' today. I keep more replacements than I actually need ... some get sold (sold seven this spring) and I only keep the top 2 or 3 'producers' so usually have half a dozen or more that go to freezer camp late.

Still trying to get fencing done but probably not today, supposed to rain again and need to brace the two corner posts on the new fence line before we can string wire and hot tape. Maybe by Wednesday.

Need to bring the 4-legged weed eater in and put her on the picket chain ... grass is knee high in places now around the corrals/barn/sheds and it's time for her to get to work. Use the Haflinger to feed with some during the winter, haul firewood ... and in the summer she gets to be my friendly, neighborhood weed-eater.

[Ryan NC]

right now I'm covered in paint after working 3rd trick and heading to the new place to work for a couple hours... I'm not sure what I am right now but I sure know I'm tired... lol

[chewie]

milk bucket and filter on counter, waiting for me to put into dishwasher. load of laundry ready for the line. cheese draining cloths to be put away. my garden book is out, where i look thru it to decide what to plant where. a small flat of plants to set outside for a while, harden up a bit so they are ready for the garden in a few days, provided the weather is ok. eggs drying on the sink edge, gathered this morning.

and no noise since the family is all gone--the calm quiet peacefulness is like salve to my soul

[RebelDigger]

Just got done feeding the chickens, four big girls and 15 youngun's in various stages of growth. Checked the incubator temp before sitting down for a cup of coffee. Hatch day is this coming Sunday-- I will be a new chicken Mommie on Mother's Day LOL. Half GP, half Blk. Lab. puppy under foot as usual, hoping for a biscuit. The beginnings of my new herb garden are on the table in front of me, rosemary, lavender and thyme and a pot of peonies sits in front of the kitchen window on the piano stool. If it ever stops with the tornadoes and storms enough for the ground to dry a bit need to get started on the herb garden. Bags of various types of chicken feed are in the corner, waiting for me to finish the chicken house so they have a permanent being place. Out the back door I can see our woods and the unfinished chicken house as well as more potted plants that need to get into the ground. I have nursed them along all winter ever since digging them up at Palmer House before we moved here to the new place. My treadle sewing machine is in view in the living room, sitting there with my new corded petticoat half finished under the presser foot. Trying to decide on a plan of action for today. Need to finish the chicken house, need to finish the petticoat and get started on the cage crinoline ordered by one of my reenacting customers, need to do laundry, need to work on the garden, the old farmhouse restoration and there is an antique spinning wheel sitting in the box in the corner screaming to be restored and put into service. Think I'll go play with the baby chicks and hope for industrious elves! Seriously, it looks like another storm is coming so will work on chicken house until the rain starts then come inside and do laundry and sew.

[Cyngbaeld]

Just came in from chores. I'm milking 5 does, with one left to kid any day now, feeding 5 bottle doelings, also have 1 dry, open doe and 2 bucks. Fed and watered all the birds and I have a LOT of birds. Counted all 7 guineas this morning, been just seeing 4 so maybe I'll get some keets this yr. I'd do better if I could find the nests, but that isn't real likely. Not sure about any poults, I think all 3 toms are no-good-niks. Butchered a hen that was looking sorry for herself, fatty liver on post mortem so not contagious. Pulled some weeds and cleared some mesquite. Now resting with a big glass of fresh milk and some homemade peanut butter fudge.

[Kaitlin]

Spent the day struggling against the wind. Cleaned the barn out now lambing is finished for another year. I need to plant out the veg plants but the wind would desiccate them in hours. Moved the sheep to the next paddock.Cleaned out the ducklings - they are so messy! Cut the grass round the fences. Now I'm tired and back in the house to do a minimum of housework before cooking the evening meal and then back to the evening round of feeding and shutting up.

[Kris in MI]

It's almost 12:30 pm here; I just got done with cleaning horse stalls and now I'm eating some lunch (sliced ham and carrot sticks, leftover from 14yo dd's confirmation open house yesterday).

From where I sit, I can see about 100 tomato, pepper, cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower seedlings in the living room soaking up the sun and warmth next to the sliding glass door. On the kitchen counter are some bananas with many brown spots waiting to be made into banana bread this afternoon, and a stick of butter softening to be used in the making of said banana bread. Out the window, my chickens are roaming the yard eating worms and a few bugs that have come out, plus dandelions.

Which reminds me, I want to try making some dandelion wine and dandelion syrup this year. Now that they are starting to bloom, I need to look up recipes for both!

The cabinet incubator that is a permanent part of our living room furniture.

There is never less than half a dozen canning jars on the kitchen counters waiting to be put away after washing or to be filled with whatever.

The grain mill lives on the kitchen counter as well. I should say grain mills because there are two of them. The mixer that I make all of my family's bread with lives on that same counter. Four loaves last night.

The egg basket and its companion colander and bowl live on the counter by the sink.

The rubber boots live by the back door so that I can slip them on when I do the chores in the morning to keep my pants legs dry while I'm doing the chores.

[Cindy in NY]

Behind me is the woodstove that thankfully we haven't had to use this week. To my right are bookshelves with homesteading, how-to, and gardening books on them. In the kitchen to my left are my wire bail jars filled with spices and herbs, a jar of unopened home canned horseradish, and earlier there was some asparagus from the garden on the counter but I ate it for dinner!

[chickenista]

In the bowl in my hand is (was..until I put it down to type) one of my chickens.yum.
Across the room are 3 bins that have 20+ Bourbon Red turkey poults, a bunch of chicks of two varieties. In front of me is a hand spindle and a wee bit of yarn. Beside me is the notebook where I had listed the growing requirements of all the herbs I planted out today and a stack of herb books and some seed packets and my huge notebook of gardening knowledge that I have been compiling for years now.
I desperately need a shower and I probably have poo on my shoes, but only a tiny bit in the treads.