Staying Home

I've been blessed to have a life in which I don't need a vacation, and I still work . . . but this past month has been very unsettling, exhausting, and what I consider unproductive.  Since I'm not retired and I don't plan to do so, I was determined to figure out just what my problem was.  Yesterday, for the first time in over 10 years, I thought "I need a vacation." Then it dawned on me . . . for the past month or more, I've made two extra trips to town a week, every week!  As I thought about it, I realized it was the trips to town from which I needed a vacation!

My work schedule is usually ordered and pretty accomplished, but it seems since the first week of May, I've just been chasing my tail.  I had such big plans for how I'd spend my time while the land rested for Shemitah, and now here it is the middle of June and I'm still trying to catch up from the first of May!  I don't like that feeling a bit.  I can't say I'm really behind, but I feel a lack of accomplishment and that doesn't sit well with me.  Six days a week, at the end of the day, I want to be able to look back at the day and feel accomplished.  When I make a "to do" list, I want to see check marks!  It's not that I haven't had things to do in town, like mower shopping, extra orders to ship, and a few really awesome opportunities, but I've found myself just too tired to catch up around here when I land.

Facing the reality that I had to give up on one of milk goats was not easy.  I really liked her, but she was a lousy mother, a terrible fit for the herd and even after a month, milking was still a contact sport.  Feeling defeated wasn't easy, until Abba gently reminded me that the preparation was to be practical and sometimes we love someone or something that simply won't work out.  We have to pick ourselves up and move on.  Upon facing that difficult fact, I did prepare to move forward and have.  Now, to reward all my due diligence, I plan to stay on the place all week!  I don't plan to leave the place, at all!  My lists are already started and I can envision the projects.

I am blessed to have a life that needs no vacation and blessed to live in a place that I feel no need to leave to take a break.  I'm taking a vacation from being gone!   I may even post a few photos on social media with the caption, "Wish you were here!"

Convenience and Change

Good changes in life rarely arrive suddenly with a big impact and great fanfare.  It does seem that often bad experiences happen rather suddenly and often with a wallop.  Few of us try to plan for negative experiences.  Many good things in life do have a big impact, like weddings and babies.   Graduations, careers and relocation are also big, but these things aren't sudden, there's time to prepare.  As I look back on just how long it's been since this big move, I realize much of this has resulted in big changes, some gradual and much OJT [on the job training.]  Even in the trials and errors homesteading has been a blessing.  To be honest, I was excited about moving, but had no idea how much I would truly enjoy this lifestyle.

As I was contemplating the early darkness the other evening, a fun thought occurred to me that led to a cavalcade of notable changes since my big move.  There have been no pizza deliveries to my home in nearly a decade.  Not that I was big on delivery service, but once in awhile, it was a treat!  I've also not had to dress up to go out in the evening for anything but a goat auction in almost ten years.  Shortly after my big move, I remember running out of something as I was preparing a meal.  There was no "running to the store!"  Improvising became a natural part of life, and I love it.  Improvising has led to some creative innovation.  There is something truly exhilarating about being creative.

Planning has also become much more important.  It takes ten to fifteen minutes to get to a blacktop road, and then at least another ten to get to a road that goes directly to town.  Just the travel to town and back takes nearly an hour, so I try very hard to make the most of the trip.  That may sound like a drawback, but it really isn't.  It's quite rewarding to have become so much more organized and also amazing at how much I can actually do without.  I'm not "roughing it," by a long shot!  One of my kids says it's like camping, and another says, "it's a much needed break from the rat race."

Many homesteaders do not choose to have the conveniences I enjoy, while others bring most of the suburban amenities.  For now, this homestead enjoys many modern conveniences, while I move toward further simplification.  I'm grateful to have a roadworthy vehicle for town trips.  I've not gone so far back to basics that I'm hitching up a team.  That day may come and if it does, there will be far fewer trips to town!  The television went out the door years before I began homesteading, so being too far "off the beaten path" for television is not a problem, and the day may come when internet is no longer an option.  By that time, I'm thinking pizza delivery in town, will be a long forgotten "luxury" as well.

The changes that have come with this lifestyle, for me, are invigorating.  The sounds to which I've become accustomed are noticed by others who visit, while for me; the sounds of the city have all been forgotten.  The nearest "big city" is a metropolis of 35,000 residents, about 30 miles away.  My grandchildren always enjoy so many stars at night, and late night homemade dinners always involved all of us!  They'd "shop" in the fruit cellar and the milk parlor for their favorites that cannot be found in city markets or convenience stores.

There have been big changes in lifestyle since relocating, like flocks and herds; but it's the little changes of access and innovation that I really hadn't considered.  Grocery shopping is no longer a convenience, but fresh organic produce, raw milk, and free range chicken eggs are just a steps out the door.   Nobody is delivering any pizza or carry out, but there are plenty of options already pressure cooked and ready to open, at no charge!  A trip to town is not convenient, but only needing to go to town once a month is a definite convenience.