Homesteading is not for the faint of heart. I grew up on a farm, with all the typical farm animals, until I was around ten. My parents divorced and Mom moved my brother and me to town.

I laugh now at my childhood version of town, but at the time, it was great!  A swimming pool and grocery store within walking distance! No more “swimming” in a horse trough for this city girl! Once I had a taste of city life (we are talking a town of about 3000), I was never going back to a farm.

Fast forward twenty (ahem) or so years, and I find myself longing to be out on our little homestead every spare moment we have. We have a ways to go before we have our dream home set up. Heck, for now, I’ll be happy to have a potty so we don’t have to leave when nature calls (I may not be ‘city’, but this girl doesn’t squat in the woods /forest/ lakeside, you get my point).

I don’t think I can say that I ever saw myself getting to this place in my life where my daily routine included caring for chicken and geese. I didn’t even like geese and I prefer my chicken fried. Now I am feeding them out of my hand and holding them like pets.

I’m not your typical homemaker or farm wife. I can’t sew, and I’ve never canned preserves or vegetables. I’m not a great cook, I just made my first turkey this year and the gross factor was so high, I almost couldn’t eat the finished product.

Yet, there is a longing deep down to return to a simple time. A time where we will spend a few days filling Mason jars full of food, placing them just so in the pantry, and will be enjoying them all winter long. A time when my husband and I will be able to crawl into bed tired and sore from working our land, instead of working as hard as we do to make others prosper.

I see our garden and eggs as ways to help stretch the food budget for friends and neighbors that may be struggling to put food on their tables, or who just want to adopt a healthier lifestyle.

No, I didn’t see this when I said “I do” to this man I married, but I am so happy to be at this place in our lives. Each day is different and yet the same. As long as I have my  best friend at my side, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.