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Homesteading is everything I dreamed it would be.
We have several inches of snow here, still fresh and clean, and the sun is shining, temperatures are in the mid-20's. It truly is a glorious day.
I'm thnking of all the planning and daydreaming that went into my place, my massive five acre sanctuary from the rest of the insanity. I spent five years reading and getty ready.
I set up my chicken yard and coop so I can see it from my desk. I love watching them pick through the hay I put down for them. I made them a special soup last night, with veggies past their prime, and some whole wheat pasta and rice. I warmed it a bit before I took them a bowl this morning, and of course they were thrilled. Crazy, huh? I bought these birds from a man who lives not far from here. A dollar each, and he threw in the rooster for free. The man runs a small bed and breakfast. His customers pay big money to sit and watch his birds scratch around, and listen to the roosters crow. I'm a vegetarian, and so is the owner of the B&B, so our birds are for eggs and entertainment. I love having chickens, much more than I thought I would.
My garden stunk this year. Nothing had ever been grown there besides hay, and I doubt that it had been hayed in years. It was badly neglected. The soil is full of stones and clay, and we had a record amount of rain. It never warmed up 'til late June. All my plants were stunted. I went to a lot of effort to start my plants from seed. If I remember correctly, I had 8 different kinds of tomato seedlings. I may have gotten a half-dozen tomatoes altogether. I planted corn three times, and beans even more, and got next to nothing. The seeds rotted where I planted. Next year will be better. I added a lot of compost from our county landfill, and I toted home countless bags of leaves from the city curbs. I made a compost bin, and a mountain of compost. I built three raised beds, 4' X 8', and attached PVC hoops for use as cold frames. It's fun thinking about the plants I'll put in them, and what will go in the big beds. I pulled out my seeds last night, and tried to decide what I would like to order for 2004's garden. No matter how poor my garden was this year, I remind myself that it's enormous compared to all my previous city spots. It holds such promise for growing lots of food, as do all the fruit trees I planted. I'll be more ready next spring.
When I lived in the city, I hung clothes out to dry, I baked bread, I grew and canned food, I made soap, I sewed; I lived pretty much like I do now. But this is SOOO much better. I guess I wanted to write this for anyone reading who hasn't made it to their land yet. I was encouraged by a lot of folks who took the time to tell about themselves, their families and animals. (One example- I read about people who's power was out for a week at a time, and that helped me prepare myself for the inevitable). I've learned so much from you all, everyone who shares the details of your lives. You've helped me more than you can ever know, and I thank you. This homesteading is better than I could have hoped for. You folks in the planning/dreaming phase, just hang in there. It will all be worth it. Daisy in NY
We have several inches of snow here, still fresh and clean, and the sun is shining, temperatures are in the mid-20's. It truly is a glorious day.
I'm thnking of all the planning and daydreaming that went into my place, my massive five acre sanctuary from the rest of the insanity. I spent five years reading and getty ready.
I set up my chicken yard and coop so I can see it from my desk. I love watching them pick through the hay I put down for them. I made them a special soup last night, with veggies past their prime, and some whole wheat pasta and rice. I warmed it a bit before I took them a bowl this morning, and of course they were thrilled. Crazy, huh? I bought these birds from a man who lives not far from here. A dollar each, and he threw in the rooster for free. The man runs a small bed and breakfast. His customers pay big money to sit and watch his birds scratch around, and listen to the roosters crow. I'm a vegetarian, and so is the owner of the B&B, so our birds are for eggs and entertainment. I love having chickens, much more than I thought I would.
My garden stunk this year. Nothing had ever been grown there besides hay, and I doubt that it had been hayed in years. It was badly neglected. The soil is full of stones and clay, and we had a record amount of rain. It never warmed up 'til late June. All my plants were stunted. I went to a lot of effort to start my plants from seed. If I remember correctly, I had 8 different kinds of tomato seedlings. I may have gotten a half-dozen tomatoes altogether. I planted corn three times, and beans even more, and got next to nothing. The seeds rotted where I planted. Next year will be better. I added a lot of compost from our county landfill, and I toted home countless bags of leaves from the city curbs. I made a compost bin, and a mountain of compost. I built three raised beds, 4' X 8', and attached PVC hoops for use as cold frames. It's fun thinking about the plants I'll put in them, and what will go in the big beds. I pulled out my seeds last night, and tried to decide what I would like to order for 2004's garden. No matter how poor my garden was this year, I remind myself that it's enormous compared to all my previous city spots. It holds such promise for growing lots of food, as do all the fruit trees I planted. I'll be more ready next spring.
When I lived in the city, I hung clothes out to dry, I baked bread, I grew and canned food, I made soap, I sewed; I lived pretty much like I do now. But this is SOOO much better. I guess I wanted to write this for anyone reading who hasn't made it to their land yet. I was encouraged by a lot of folks who took the time to tell about themselves, their families and animals. (One example- I read about people who's power was out for a week at a time, and that helped me prepare myself for the inevitable). I've learned so much from you all, everyone who shares the details of your lives. You've helped me more than you can ever know, and I thank you. This homesteading is better than I could have hoped for. You folks in the planning/dreaming phase, just hang in there. It will all be worth it. Daisy in NY
