In our final installment of the
Homesteading Where You Are Series,
we talk about failures, successes and goals for the future.
************
I guess I need to excuse myself from the first catagory entirely,
because as far as I'm concerned,
any attempt at becoming more self-sufficient is a step in the right direction,
no matter the outcome.
As Thomas Edison once said,
“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up.
The most certain way to succeed is to try just one more time.”
Any effort toward set goals counts.
The garden doesn't always provide for our table,
but if we were able to enjoy a month's worth of salad greens
or a few months of garlic cloves,
it's worth it.
Recently a liquid laundry recipe was made.
It didn't work as well as I'd hoped,
so I'll be going back to the powdered form.
It's only a failure if I deem it so.
Every experience has value.
Live and learn.
Cooking from scratch is a lifestyle choice.
We wouldn't have it any other way.
Although it was chosen for us initially
due to dietary sensitivities,
we now enjoy eating our own home cooking
as well as making scratch goodies for friends and neighbors.
Homemade comes from the heart.
It just doesn't get any better than that.
Clean eating is a part of the homesteading lifestyle
that we gladly embrace.
We make every effort to know what's in our food,
and use that nourishment to fuel our bodies
so that we can accomplish what's important to us.
It's a way of showing appreciation for all we have,
including good health, fresh food
and loved ones with which to share it all.
We currently help to support a couple of local farmers,
one for produce and one for eggs.
Finding community resources for not only food,
but materials, services and volunteer opportunities
is vital to our long-term goal.
We've started right here in suburbia.
Once we are living a more rural life,
we plan to be the source for others,
by selling eggs and donating any extra gifts from the garden
to neighbors or a local charity.
Living in a deed-restricted community has been a great lesson for us.
We know that it doesn't work for us and our goals.
We need to be in a place where we can propagate our dreams, right along with our garden.
We can foster a sense of community
without being in such close proximity to neighbors.
The big goal is to create a homesteading farm for learning.
The hope is that those who visit our teaching farm
will keep the lessons moving.
Goals are simply dreams with a timeline.
We are working on a two-year plan
to get our farm up and running,
but that doesn't mean that we can't keep right on dreaming...
"Our life is composed greatly from dreams, from the unconscious,
and they must be brought into connection with action.
They must be woven together."
-Anais Nin
It's been a pleasure working on this series with this talented group of gals:
*Jackie, at Born Imaginative, grew up as an avid 4-Her, on a 50 acre
hobby farm, with parents who pursued a homesteading life. Now, with a
husband and two small children of her own, she is bringing an 1880s
farmhouse/30acre farm back to life in Southern Coastal Maine.
*Mary, at Homegrown on the Hill, lives in Southwestern Ohio with her family on a 5 acre homestead. Their goal is to be as self sufficient as possible. In helping with this goal, they raise a big garden and keep chickens, rabbits, and cattle for food.
*Staci, at Life At Cobble Hill Farm, was bitten by the homestead bug
in 2006 and although she began her homesteading ventures in a rented
condo, is now homesteading on less than an acre in Upstate NY.
*Sue, at The Little Acre that Could, shares her body with an auto-immune disease, and life with her husband. They live in a once-working Victorian farm cottage now bordered by a modern subdivision. She has dreamed of homesteading as long as she can remember and continues to strive toward that goal in rural Atlantic Canada.
Five bloggers, 7 weeks,
Big Ideas!
Homesteading Where You Are-Intro
Homesteading Where You Are-Make
Homesteading Where You Are-Grow
Homesteading Where You Are-Preserve
Homesteading Where You Are-Save
Homesteading Where You Are-Raise
You have such an amazing outlook!! You are so right that there really are no failures. They seem so in the moment but turn out to be invaluable lessons. I can't wait to see what's next for you!!
ReplyDeleteStaci, I believe we think a lot alike about this subject. Thanks for your encouragement!
DeleteDaisy, it's amazing how fast seven weeks flew by. I'm still in process of reading through all the information your group has written. It's all very inspiring and the different perspectives each week were fascinating. I hope to see another series in the future. It's been great to have some good reading during the Winter weeks.
ReplyDeleteHave a great day at the farm.
So glad you enjoyed the series. I'm sure we'll come up with more series in the future! It made me feel good to know that we are making your harsh winter a little more bearable. Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteI applaud you for supporting local farmers until you have your own! It will be so satisfying to watch as you journey toward your goals. I truly understand clean eating and it's importance to our health. I'm glad I got to know you better during this series, Daisy. You are thoughtful, generous woman.
ReplyDeleteAwww, shucks. Thanks for sharing your valuable point of view. We are both clean eaters. I look forward to working with you again.
DeleteI think you are totally right about failures. As long as you are moving closer towards self-sufficiency, nothing is a failure. Just a learning lesson! We've had a lot of those learning lessons in our first couple years on our homestead, let me tell ya ;) haha.
ReplyDelete;0) And aren't you better for it? There is value in those hardships. Things should keep getting easier, no?
DeleteI love your attitude! You are so encouraging. YOu have done so much in a short period of time and you make it all seem so effortless. I can't wait to follow your (hopeful) move and see what you do when you have the freedom to do so.
ReplyDeleteI guess it feels effortless because I am so engaged in finding the right path. Thank you for your kind words.
DeleteI appreciate your attitude and forward thinking. You are an asset now!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your kind words.
Delete