What do you love about homesteading?

Patt, the Maytag is from the 50's, I think. It's electric, white, square-ish. I found it on e-bay for $100. I see them quite often on craigslist. I love it!

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I cried because I had no shoes, until I saw a man who had no feet.

this time of year i find myself sitting in my swing by the pond (drought dry, nearly all dry), praying and thanking God for the many blessings, garden behind me, lovely home to my right, abundant woods to my left and some water still in the deep areas of the pond before me (will be using a backhoe to dig it all deeper Labor Day weekend if we don't get a lot of rain before then).

son's home next door, good neighbors beside us other way..privacy..love my privacy..it is great, we are very blessed

I love being able to live as I want to without excessive bylaws to prevent any endeavors
- open fire pit with all the wood I want just to buck up and split it, raising chickens and doing what I want with their manure etc. Also being able to run out and pick a huge variety of fruits and mushrooms, both domestic and those growing wild around here, having a big garden. The first cucs and tomatos from the garden. Not having to put up with sirens and traffic and honking horns, and not living in the neighbours back pocket, but having them close enough for social and security purposes. Being able to leave my old dog off a chain and knowing the one close neighbour doesn't mind if she visits them. Watching the cows and calves in belly deep grass or listening to the coyotes or wolves howl or hear the loon call. Having the privilege to see deer, moose, badgers, hawks, eagles, owls etc something every day driving to and from work.

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http://www.pinterest.com/sanza1/

A wise person speaks when they have something to say but a fool speaks just to say something

I love not having neighbors close. Being able to grow large amounts of our food or tiny amounts as I see fit.. Being able to have honeybees, chickens and dogs.. the peace and quiet, hanging clothes on the line, my grands playing, yelling, screaming and running wild...Knowing they are safe from a drug dealers/gangs gunfire... Our only real noise is the dogs barking at the deer and wildlife that ventures across the property... Fishing in the ponds- and knowing they don't have a lot of chemicals.. I could go on...but I love it all..

Like many others, I love the peace and quiet that living in the country provides.

What I'm seeing from a lot of the posts, however, is that we all appreciate those "little moments" of life that many who live in highly populated areas don't have a chance to share.

We live our lives in those little moments, don't we?

Hears to the "little moments"!!!!

Hank
http://www.doublemfarmandchuckwagon.webs.com

I just came in from my first homestead garden and picked crops I never had room for before and varieties I never tasted before this year.

I love the wonder of growing things. I just walked in with my first ever Aunt Ruby's Green tomatoe, everyone on HT said how good it was but wow, nothing beats the wonder of growing it from seed, planting it out , and finally, months later eating it warm from the sun.

All heirlooms this year, winter squash, white bush scallop squash. The blackberry jelly I made from the berries my DH found on a walk in our woods. The elderberries I found while mowing, hidden in the huge lilac bushes.

All little things , but I am in awe of how it can make me feel more secure, and self reliant.

We, mostly me will be making jelly, wine, canning and planting a Fall garden.

I am in love with homesteading!

The aspects I like best are the ability to sleep in until noon if I choose and the wine and food for nothing aspects from the yields of the volunteer garden in the compost piles. the apple and plum trees, wild garlic chive, dandelions, sugar cane, wild muscodine and scupponairs and honeysuckle.

The other chores and small workshop jobs I do on the homeplace are just work that I tolerate as I do the management of my investments to cover the bills and expenses where the green the payment clerks want isn't the kind that grows volunteer style.

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"I didn't have time to slay the dragon. It's on my To Do list!"