The Dream of Homesteading

Ever since the days of Little House on the Prairie I've dreamt of living on a farm. Growing up my parents always had some acreage, and over the years we've had a variety of livestock (dogs, cats, chickens, turkeys, geese, ducks, llamas, cows, pigs, and goats). We never really homesteaded - it was more just folks with land and a few critters. Momma grew a garden and daddy hunted, and of course the whole family fished.

Getting to the point of having a true "homestead" is a long process. We are seven years into the adventure and get a little more self-sufficient every year, but we aren't kidding ourselves either. My husband still works at an automotive manufacturing plant, we eat out several times a week and we have an in ground pool in the backyard (although to be fair, it came with the house).

The farm is still a work in progress and far from where I want it to be. Although we have a garden, I still dream of producing all my own vegetables year around. We have fruit trees, but they are young and we really haven't had a good harvest yet. Chickens, ducks, turkeys, llamas, donkeys and a pair of rabbits make up our animal lineup, but we still don't produce all of our own meat. Not to mention that we've got the LGD (Livestock Guardian Dog) guarding poultry while we build fences and research that perfect breed of goat!

And there's so much more to it than just critters and crops. We are always looking for ways to make the house more energy efficient, and are adding solar power to the poultry houses to provide lights and power fans. We burn wood in the winter as much as possible, and I'm trying to start my own small crafting business selling homemade quilts, afghans and aprons.

I guess the biggest part of the homestead dream is just doing away with the things that don't matter and moving towards the stuff that does. We aren't into the smart phones, we don't see movies in theater and we don't drive brand new and expensive cars. Instead we have phones that don't do much more than MAKE CALLS. Movies are enjoyed together at home and usually from the Wal-Mart bargain bin. And as for cars, sure, my '96 Chevy truck ain't pretty but she hauls whatever I need.

To me, the greatest things in life are simple - homemade jam on fresh baked bread; sitting on the front porch watching the llamas graze; talking my dog for an evening walk; seeing seeds pop their heads out of the soil; giving a homemade quilt to a soon to be mommy.

Sure, we aren't there yet, but we sure are enjoying the journey.