Homesteading is not for the Ikea dependent.
Broadly defined, homesteading is a lifestyle of self-sufficiency. It is characterized by subsistence agriculture, home preservation of foodstuffs, and it may or may not also involve the small scale production of textiles, clothing, and craftwork for household use or sale. Pursued in different ways around the world — and in different historical eras — homesteading is generally differentiated from rural village or commune living by isolation (either socially or physically) of the homestead.
Homesteading will not give you all the pieces you need to build the perfect farm. You will need to use your common sense and creativity and from that will come a pride that will supersede anyone wanting to look down their nose at you because your chicken coop isn't quaint and cute. Your chicken coop will be predator proof and your style of ranching will be unique to your climate. Do not be discouraged, you are breaking the mould, doing something no one else could do because they didn't have bits and pieces laying around. You are homesteading.
I have had the privilege of visiting many ranches over the last few months. One of the most outstanding things I find about each one is how they make things work. It doesn't matter that you don't have the latest and greatest from Crate and Barrel or the most brand new gadget from Martha Stewart. Homesteaders have the greatest talent for looking around and seeing what's on hand to get the job done. They waste nothing. Everything has a new purpose when it's done with its old life.
This is not a life for one who is dependent on having all the parts handed to them with a picture by picture guide to assemble and directions on how to use it. This is a life for the Lego "master builders" who can look at what's on hand and make something out of it. Why do we do this? Well, usually it's because all our money is sunk into feeding our livestock so we can't afford to buy the latest and greatest. But there are lots of factors. We also take pride in what we sweat and toil over. We often build it better than Made In China. Our ideas are more suited to the individual needs of our ranch. It means that we use hog panels for more than just hogs, bathtubs for things other than baths, and pallets for, well, everything. It means that all that we do might not be picture perfect but it is real. We aren't looking to get our picture in Better Homes and Gardens though we would be stink'n proud if we were featured in Backwoods Magazine because for us, that's real.
I walked out my door today on a hunt for material that could be used to fence in some ducklings that are not quite feathered out yet. As I walked down the drive I am surrounded but the things I love. Ducks, pigs, rabbits, chickens, the geese greet me as I walk by, the dogs wag their tails and the alpacas look up from their recline as they chew their cud. "This is the life!" I think to myself. It is not easy, it does not save me any money, but it gives me a quality of life that can't be compared. I know other people only look into our life and see the bottom line or they see a ranch with (dis)organized clutter. It's more than just the good feeling of raising your own food, it's enjoying the animals that bring us laughter in their antics as well. It's the manure that to someone else is just poop but for us it's the life of the soil that brings forth good food. It's not that we don't value the bottom line it's that we realize that money is just a stepping stool for getting to what is really important, enjoying life.
Go outside and look around. Are you keeping up with your neighbors? Or are you keeping up with your dreams?
