My Journey
Having a homestead has been a while in the making. When I was very young, I used to go to my grandparent's house, and my grandfather was an avid gardener, raising food to sustain his family to make ends meet. My grandmother was a canner, saving everything my grandfather supplied. I loved going there, snapping the beans, and picking the berries. My aunt Betty had told me I had my grandfather's green thumb, and I wonder if it came from him or is in my genes. I went from a long line of Native Indians, French Canadians, Blackfoot, and Passamaquoddy. People who were survivors lived off the land and cared for it.
I grew up, fell in love, had kids, served my country, and then tragedy struck. In an instant, my life fell apart. I had lost the love of my life. I can't be sure when, but after that, I started longing for a simpler life we had always talked about but could never quite get to. The rat race had us always chasing our tails. I had always gardened, canned, and baked. There was a feeling of accomplishment and pride, starting something from seed and feeding my family a delicious, healthy meal.
Have you ever felt that the world was closing in on you, that you wanted to run, hide, and find a place where you could be alone? Well, that was me ten years ago, and drove me to live a simple life. For me, living in the country and being a business farmer was all I dreamed of. Initially, I looked at the big picture and then tried to figure out how to achieve my goals one step at a time.
My list is still in progress, but I get to cross out new things every year, which is an accomplishment. Will it take me a lifetime or at least another five to ten years to complete? Because I am doing it one-pay, check at a time and only tackle one goal. I may not have a lot of money in the bank, I don't drive a brand new car, and I don't live in a big fancy house, but what I do have is a newly found love for the sound of a rooster crowing, cows moving, a pig splattering mud on my face, seeing the stars stretch out across the sky and the smell of freshly made compost dirt.
© 2023