Many people seemed almost shocked when we bought a piece of land in the country. They couldn't understand why we would want to build our lives around working and farm animals. It's so far from their norm and this generations way of life, that it may be hard to understand. So it got me thinking. What are our personal goals for our little farm and our way of life? There's more to it than just having animals and land. So here it is... The reason the good life appeals to us.
My Nanny often told me about life in the depression. And from the sounds of it, it sounds a lot like how most people have to live right now in order to survive and where the rest of our country is headed. My generation is a wasteful consuming monster. Buying what we can't afford, filling landfills with our waste, loading our bodies with toxic poisons and in turn poisoning our earth. Technology junkies, we are hooked at the hip with our cell phones that get fancier and fancier everyday. Obsessed with our bodies, instant gratification, greed and selfishness, and desensitized to everything our Grandmother's and the Bible warned us about. It didn't take me long when I came home from Japan to look at American culture, or what's left of it today, and be utterly grossed out. I am guilty of all of the above. I'm not at all saying I'm perfection here. But it really made me think that there has to be a better way. A way to stay healthier from the inside out. Live a simpler life, not full of SO much technology (a little is great). And do my best to provide for myself and my family without having to consume so much energy and provide so much waste. Also when you think about it, when our economy gets so bad, and eventually it will, we will have already been in the practice of almost fully providing for ourselves.
I'm sure you see where I'm going with this. It has nothing to do with politics or religion. I'm not an environmentalist. What an awful stereotype huh? In my ideal world we would lose the labels and all just be people. Non judgmental people. Living and working for the greater good. But that's for a whole other blog post. I believe everything and everybody brings something to the table of life. We all play a different role. God gave us things on this earth to use. I don't believe in waste. And he made every human being different, so that we could all provide something to humanity. I can't change the world on my own, I'm only responsible for my actions, I can certainly try to do my part.
On our farm we use what God gave us, everything we have, we use. After only living on our farm for a few months, I would say we are well on our way. Here are a few ideas of our plan to make a very small difference.
Food: Our Chickens, will give eggs to eat and sell. And our Turkeys will provide us with meat. We hope someday to raise a few head of cattle and pigs for meat. Goats will provide milk, cheese, and meat. We plan on canning everything that we grow in order to provide homegrown organic produce in the cold winter months.
Gardening: Bunnies provide organic fertilizer for our vegetable garden. And most of our household waste goes into compost bins to make fertile soil. Flowers planted on our property and around our garden attract ladybugs, that in turn feed on aphids and vegetable eating insects. Which eliminates the need for harmful pesticides. Non stinging Mason bees pollinate our fruit trees, berry bushes, and vegetable garden to assure many years of life to our plants and trees.
Extra income: To keep our farm funds going we have a few extra projects. We hope to someday clear a few acres of land and sell our timber. Mostly to folks needing firewood to heat their homes in winter. We also use our logs to build things around the farm like fences and raised garden beds. Our Pot Belly pigs produce babies to sell to 4-h kids. I plan to sell seed starts, fruits and veggies, and eggs at farmers market. And perhaps a few of my crafty projects as well.
There are so many practical reason for life on a farm. Besides the fact that it's peaceful and quiet and surrounded by all things beautiful. There's so much room for our young son to run and get dirty and be a boy. Teaching him about life and hard work will give him a hands on experience he would never get anywhere else. It's the perfect place to have big family reunion camp outs. Host large company summer picnics. Or just sit out by the fire with a cup of hot tea and a blanket, holding my husbands steady hand, looking up at the stars. Yup, it sure is, the good life.
My Nanny often told me about life in the depression. And from the sounds of it, it sounds a lot like how most people have to live right now in order to survive and where the rest of our country is headed. My generation is a wasteful consuming monster. Buying what we can't afford, filling landfills with our waste, loading our bodies with toxic poisons and in turn poisoning our earth. Technology junkies, we are hooked at the hip with our cell phones that get fancier and fancier everyday. Obsessed with our bodies, instant gratification, greed and selfishness, and desensitized to everything our Grandmother's and the Bible warned us about. It didn't take me long when I came home from Japan to look at American culture, or what's left of it today, and be utterly grossed out. I am guilty of all of the above. I'm not at all saying I'm perfection here. But it really made me think that there has to be a better way. A way to stay healthier from the inside out. Live a simpler life, not full of SO much technology (a little is great). And do my best to provide for myself and my family without having to consume so much energy and provide so much waste. Also when you think about it, when our economy gets so bad, and eventually it will, we will have already been in the practice of almost fully providing for ourselves.
I'm sure you see where I'm going with this. It has nothing to do with politics or religion. I'm not an environmentalist. What an awful stereotype huh? In my ideal world we would lose the labels and all just be people. Non judgmental people. Living and working for the greater good. But that's for a whole other blog post. I believe everything and everybody brings something to the table of life. We all play a different role. God gave us things on this earth to use. I don't believe in waste. And he made every human being different, so that we could all provide something to humanity. I can't change the world on my own, I'm only responsible for my actions, I can certainly try to do my part.
On our farm we use what God gave us, everything we have, we use. After only living on our farm for a few months, I would say we are well on our way. Here are a few ideas of our plan to make a very small difference.
Food: Our Chickens, will give eggs to eat and sell. And our Turkeys will provide us with meat. We hope someday to raise a few head of cattle and pigs for meat. Goats will provide milk, cheese, and meat. We plan on canning everything that we grow in order to provide homegrown organic produce in the cold winter months.
Gardening: Bunnies provide organic fertilizer for our vegetable garden. And most of our household waste goes into compost bins to make fertile soil. Flowers planted on our property and around our garden attract ladybugs, that in turn feed on aphids and vegetable eating insects. Which eliminates the need for harmful pesticides. Non stinging Mason bees pollinate our fruit trees, berry bushes, and vegetable garden to assure many years of life to our plants and trees.
Extra income: To keep our farm funds going we have a few extra projects. We hope to someday clear a few acres of land and sell our timber. Mostly to folks needing firewood to heat their homes in winter. We also use our logs to build things around the farm like fences and raised garden beds. Our Pot Belly pigs produce babies to sell to 4-h kids. I plan to sell seed starts, fruits and veggies, and eggs at farmers market. And perhaps a few of my crafty projects as well.
There are so many practical reason for life on a farm. Besides the fact that it's peaceful and quiet and surrounded by all things beautiful. There's so much room for our young son to run and get dirty and be a boy. Teaching him about life and hard work will give him a hands on experience he would never get anywhere else. It's the perfect place to have big family reunion camp outs. Host large company summer picnics. Or just sit out by the fire with a cup of hot tea and a blanket, holding my husbands steady hand, looking up at the stars. Yup, it sure is, the good life.
1 comment:
I have to say, I'm a bit jealous. I think it's amazing. Hopefully this summer I'll be able to visit.
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