It is 1AM. I went to bed around 10:30 to snuggle up and read with John. It’s no secret around here that neither of us read much anymore, so this was a nice treat. We both used to be voracious readers, but we have fallen into the routine of not reading much, being too tired from jobs and life on this tiny farm or work on this old house or just life in general and wanting more to veg out with a good movie or some of our favorite tv-on-the-internet each evening. But tonight I got around to finishing a book, while John started one he was excited about, that he got for a steal on e-bay.
Then I tossed and turned for the last hour or two after turning out the light; my mind is too full of ideas and thoughts to sleep! (or maybe it was the two sweet-potato fudge brownies I ate at 9pm? Recipe from Body+Soul magazine — delish!)
The book I finished was Jenna Woginrich’s “Made from Scratch“, published by the Berkshires’ own Storey Publishing, based in North Adams, MA. I had the pleasure of meeting and hearing Jenna read from her book this winter at Northshire Books in Manchester, VT. It was fun hearing her stories of homesteading from scratch, alone in the wilds of Idaho, and she even played her fiddle for us. She is now farming and shepherding in Vermont. Her book is really great, chock full of insight, true stories of the not-so-fun aspects as well as true joys of raising plants, animals and bees. She also has a list of great resources in the back, to get anyone going on their homesteading adventure.
So, what does this have to do with my adventure/story/thoughts? Well… we have been raising these two old goats for almost a year, the four little chickens for about 8 months and our dog for almost 2 years (oh and our kitty for just over three years!). I feel like it’s been slow going around here, partly because we are not sure what we are doing, what our plan is for this farm (can we call it a homestead?) or even why we are doing it.
Jenna’s book reminds me that part of the reason we are doing it is self-reliance. That is much of the reason I also find myself forging a path of self-employment. It is really empowering to know that I can make a living creating artwork and craft from my imagination and people will buy it! John and I are both also very concerned with the state of the environment and the economy, and we are happy to do our part to lessen a little bit of the global warming trend, as well as cultivate a smaller, more sustainable economic future for our community and our family. I enjoy selling my work to people all over the world through Etsy, but I am also so very thrilled when I can provide for the needs of my friends, family and neighbors with my work!
Part of the reason our farm has been slow to grow is because our conditions are not optimal for any of the things we are trying to do. We live on the north slope of Beartown Mountain, in a dark, shady woodland area, with our very own gushing spring and eroding streams each spring. Our back yard is basically a cliff, if you ask me. It’s too steep even for sledding in the winter. It is not optimal for any kind of gardening and the dogs don’t even like to play in it because it wears them out too quickly. It’s s-t-e-e-p, and did I mention it’s pretty small, too?
So, I’m going to put my wish out into the universe, and see what comes back. It can’t hurt, can it? I don’t know what the solution is, but I do know that I wish that I had a place for goats and sheep to roam (even maybe one or two dairy cows?), a nice space for chickens to peck at veggie garden-pests (re: space for a veggie garden to be fenced-in and bountiful), and space for dogs (and someday children) to roam and play and explore and maybe even show-off agility-style with their own obstacle course (the dogs, not the children). I would also like a sun-filled studio space and a screened-in porch, but those might have to wait. I think the solution, rather than terracing our backyard and trying to will the sun to shine for a few more hours on our plot (possibly by also cutting down a few trees — perish the thought!) is to find a new place to live. John and I agreed that we would live in our house for 5 years and then look into moving; we have lived here for just over 3 years, so I think it’s ok if I start dreaming of, um, greener pastures, right? I’m not making any grand statements of intention just yet. Especially in, as they say, “these tough economic times” it’s really not smart to be looking to sell our house. The best solution I can imagine is finding a new place to buy and being able to keep this house as a rental property, which our economic situation does not allow for at this time — but maybe within the next two years?
Why am I telling you all of this? Well, mostly because it’s on my mind. It’s late and I’m not completely thinking straight. I am really interested in hearing your thoughts on self-reliance and cultivating community; how far should we go to reach these goals? How much time and energy are we willing to spend on our own land (or at our own sewing machines) as a trade-off for the convenient throw-away culture we are so used to? (and will you help us find our dream homestead, too?)
I like the feeling of excitement I have right now about all of these ideas. I know when the sun is shining and beating down 80 or 90 degrees on my face and the mosquitoes are swarming around my head I will beg for some shade and the comfort of a cozy bed on a cold winter night, but right now of course all I can do is dream about digging in and growing my own food. I guess the sewing machine will have to suffice for now.
If you’re interested in what I’m talking about here, these are some of the books that have led me to this thought process (many available for download as audio books and of course at your local library, though most have great recipes and resources that are great to have on hand for reference — not that you need more STUFF around, I sure know I don’t!):
Barbara Kingsolver, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle
Bill Bryson, A Short History of Nearly Everything (also check out I’m a Stranger Here Myself, and, well, anything else he’s written)
Bill McKibben, Deep Economy (haven’t finished it yet — yes, I am reading about 10 books at once)
Jenna Woginrinch, Made From Scratch
Michael Bittman, Food Matters
Michael Pollan, In Defense of Food (haven’t finished it yet, but it’s great so far), The Ominvore’s Dilemma, The Botany of Desire
Mireille Guiliano, French Women Don’t Get Fat
Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin, Skinny Bitch
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yay friend! so good to read this, as I’ve squandered many hours thinking in a similar fashion… except since I can’t keep much alive, in my dream I live next door to the neighborhood homesteader (you I hope!!) and visit often to barter for fresh goods. But as you know I have a much more $$$ perspective, which I guess is where John comes in! Have you read the book “Ishmael” by Daniel Quinn yet? Also “Your Money or Your Life” by Dominguez and Robin (I let Steph borrow it a while ago and never heard about it again…) I also like random other people’s blogs like getrichslowly.org (he just got on a homesteading kick), frugalbabe.com, (she doesn’t have a backyard so they started a hydroponic veggie garden in their basement!) thegoodhuman.com, and there are a ton of other frugal/green blogs out there too. I know yours is mainly a crafty blog, but you should write more about this too!!!
We live in the suburbs, and where we are we can’t have chickens or goats, but we are definitely planning to have our tiny yard yield as much produce as we can get out of it this summer!