Last year my Wife and I decided to learn about living the old fashioned way, more natural. Mind you, I am a purebred suburbanite (as is she) but after trying a few things we decided there was a better way to live than waiting for a new episode of House M.D., packing ourselves into a development, and eating stuff that we have no idea where it came from. These, among other things, were the catalyst that God put on our hearts to begin changing our lives completely. (Yes I believe in God, and will mention his influence often, if that is offensive... please feel free to read another blog).
A very good friend has suggested I start chronicling all this as there may be others out there that feel the same way, and might be encouraged by our trials and tribulations. For anyone out there thinking I'll be able to offer much advice off the bat regarding this style of living, I'm sorry to disappoint, we've done a lot of reading, but have little practical application! I'm hoping this will be a forum where ideas will be shared with people of similar mindsets, old hands and greenhorns alike.
I can guarantee there will be plenty to laugh at, we have almost no idea what we're doing, and I'm not one of God's more graceful creatures. But, I'm obstinate and not afraid of hard work.
So, where are we headed? Well, over the past year the Old lady and I decided we wanted enough land to support ourselves (me, the Old lady, and 3 little hooligans), help out with some of the extended family, and have a little to sell at the farmer's market every now and then. We want to make this as self sufficient and self sustaining as possible. Everything from a kitchen garden to orchards, some vines, a fish pond, some crops, and animals ranging from chickens to pigs to goats and cows to a horse or 2... and throw in some bees for good measure. (I'll tell you how I robbed a behive in another story).
Where are we at? Well after looking for land the past 6 months... we scored 22 acres (with the help of some family). The size is right, the price was right, the land is good... but there's a lot of work ahead of us. it ain't perfect. There's lots of scrub to clear and I'll be spending the next month or so raking up pine debris (limbs and trees) from where the land was harvested for lumber a few years back. Not pretty, yet, but... it's ours. And I'll be out there tomorrow sweating my butt off, raking up pine trees (yes pine trees, yes raking).
How are we going to get there? Hard work, dilligence, reading, reaching out to other people online, and being smart enough to listen to people who know. We've begun taking classes at a local farm (I'll post their contact info later, wonderful folks).
In the next week or so I'll take some time to get you caught up as to how we got here, how we made our decisions for the right amount of land, and began our search. You'll have to excuse me, first blog, a little tired tonight... so not much comic relief. You'll get a bit of that later when I tell you about the mini tornado that touched down 40 yards away from me 2 weeks ago (First day out at the property). BTW mini tornado does not look so 'mini' 40 yards away. With the right overactive imagination and nothing but wide open spaces, that thing seemed to have its mind set on snatching me up off the ground and having its way with me. And the tricks your mind can play on you in a tent in the middle of the night when there are deer and wild turkeys roaming right outside... To someone raised not 10 minutes from the mall it sounds like a stampede of rabid bison, with a couple of grizzly bears thrown into the mix just for fun.
If you're real lucky I'll tell you how it is exactly that I know I wear a size Queen PLUS in women's panty hose (as a 6'5" 250 LB former Marine I'm comfortable enough with who I am, and swear there's a perfectly goo explanation... honestly).
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