Have you ever noticed kind of a gap?
Sometimes it feels like there’s a bit of a disconnect between me and my non-homesteading friends. Ever been there?
Thankfully, considering I’ve been chasing this homesteading dream for about 7 years now, most of my friends/family now understand that Jill is just weird. And they’re used to it.
No one even raises their eyebrows anymore when we bring home a new farm animal or start building a new structure/fence/tractor/whatever.
So it’s all good.
But then there are those other times when I happily run to town in my muck boots, hair adorned with bits of hay, and manure-smudged jeans, and I see someone who doesn’t know me very well… And I suspect they think I’m a bit of an alien. Or just a slob. Or maybe a little bit of both.
Sometimes I wish I could just send them a post like this before we get to know each other, so they have a better understanding of my crazy lifestyle. Because, ya know, us homesteader folk are kind of our own breed of weird.
10 Things Your Non-Homesteading Friends Just Don’t Understand
1. We’re rather proud of the dirt under our fingernails
The short, chipped, grimy nails adorning my battered, prematurely-wrinkled hands would be a laughingstock in some circles of women. But you know what?
I love my hands.
These hands can quickly squeeze gallons of milk from an udder, nurture growing vegetables, convince a stubborn heifer to load in the trailer, build fence, hold the reins of my favorite horse, and knead the best bread you’ve ever put in your mouth.
I’m so used to my plain, grubby fingernails, whenever I do try to paint them, the flashes of color startle me all day long because I’m not used to it. And then I end up nervously picking all the polish off… So yeah, it’s safe to say this girl is perfectly happy without a manicure.
2. We really, truly like having a lot of projects going at once.
“Oh honey… You’re so busy…” They say it with a look of pity in their eyes.
I’ve really started to dislike the term “busy”, because I think it carries a such a negative connotation, and people have drastically different definitions of what busy really is…
I prefer my schedule to be “pleasantly full,” and I keep it that way on purpose. I am not a victim of my homesteading schedule. (And if you’re wondering how I get (most) things done, here are my best homestead time management tips)
Those days where I milk the cow, then make bread, then write a blog post, then help hubby with a fencing project, then jump on a quick phone call, then experiment with a new DIY recipe, then do a bit of garden work, then linger outside at dusk while doing evening chores, then check email before rolling into bed?
Those are are my favorite days. I love every bit of them.
If I ever get to the point where I feel the need to stroll the mall to fill my hours, please put me out of my misery. 😉
3. Food you grow yourself really does taste better.
No doubt about it, a vegetable picked 30 steps from your front door will always, always have better flavor than a veggie that’s been shipped half-way around the country.
Once you have the experience of looking down at your plate and knowing where each and every component came from, you’ll be hooked. It’s the best seasoning there is.
4. We don’t do what we do to make anyone else feel inferior.
Comparison is rampant in our culture. Some people blame the prevalence of social media, but I think it’s a problem as old as time. Every once in a while, I get the vibe that someone suspects I’m attempting to be a Super Mom with all my homesteading efforts. Let me just say this: I am as far from Super Mom as a person can get.
Like anyone else, we homesteading-folk prioritize what is important to us. So while you might think we are Super Human as we milk our cow, grow our own salads (AND make the dressing…), and whip up batches of homemade mozzarella, know this is simply where we’ve chosen to spend our time.
Case in point? While I may have a few homesteading skills, I am horrifically awful at doing laundry, my children have boring birthday parties, and I don’t sew or knit. See? No Super Mom here.
We’re just doing what makes us happy, and we aren’t trying to make anyone who isn’t into our lifestyle feel poorly about themselves. We’ll still be your friend, and you don’t even have to can your own applesauce.
5. Getting the first egg from your first chicken is a thrill like no other.
Or when the first tomato appears on the plant. Or you put your first packages of home-raised meat into the freezer.
Growing your own food is one of the most satisfying things I’ve ever done, and the first time experiencing the fruits of your labor is magical. It makes all the tough times, hard work, and disappointments worth it.
So, to all the non-homesteaders out there, please bear with us while we gush about our eggs and tomatoes. We’ll stop… eventually. Maybe.
6. We know it’s easier and faster to buy _____ at the store. But we still want to make it ourselves.
If there is one thing to know modern homesteaders, it’s that we hardly ever choose the “easy” route.
- Buying milk is infinitely easier (and cheaper) than keeping a milk cow.
- Buying French bread to go with your spaghetti dinner is way easier than making bread from scratch.
- Buying neatly wrapped meat at the butcher counter is far less messy than raising or butchering meat yourself.
This homesteading-gig is empowering. And fulfilling. And an adventure. But easy? Definitely not.
But for some reason, that doesn’t bother us. We’re just weird like that.
7. We’re not trying to reenact Little House on the Prairie
I’ve received some criticism because some of my recipes or tutorials use purchased ingredients. (For example: my homemade crockpot soap recipe uses store-bought lye instead of lye made from wood ashes.)
My response?
You’re missing the point.
The way I see it, modern homesteading is all about mixing the best of the old with the best of the new.
To be perfectly honest? I don’t want to take a bath in a small tub while someone pours hot water over my head. I rather like my shower, thankyouverymuch.
I also very much appreciate my dishwasher and washing machine. Can I live without those things? Yup. Do I think it’s wise to be prepared in case there is ever an event that takes down the grid? Sure!
But in the meantime, I’m thankful to have electricity in my homesteading efforts.
The old-fashioned homesteading lifestyle is one we heavily romanticize. And while there are definitely romantic parts to it, I’m careful to recognize that our homesteading ancestors lived the way they did out of necessity, and simple survival consumed a huge part of their day.
And yes, if Ma Ingalls could have had a washing machine, I’m willing to bet she would have loved it.
8. We actually like living a bazillion miles away from town.
I always giggle when I read the headlines of the listings in the local real estate magazines…
“Only 10 minutes from downtown!”
“Only 5 minutes away from Wal-Mart!”
Um, if you’re trying to convince me to buy a house, that’s not the way to do it.
Quick Side Note: if you *do* live in town, know that it’s still very possible to still homestead. You absolutely can live 5 minutes from Wal-Mart and still have a blossoming garden or even chickens. I’m a firm believer in that!
But for those of us who do live far from the grocery store, know that we prefer it that way, so you don’t have to feel sorry for us.
I sure can’t order in pizza, or swing by the store when I’m missing an ingredient for a recipe, but I’m cool with that. The peace and quiet and wide open spaces make it worth it. (And as a result, I’ve learned how to make darn good pizza from scratch.)
I know living this far out isn’t for everyone, and some people really, truly want to be within walking distance of the grocery, but my 40 mile drive doesn’t bother me in the slightest.
9. Scooping poop is better than therapy.
Or any type of manual labor, actually. (I can mow the lawn really fast when I’m mad.)
When I’m feeling stressed or angry, I stomp down to the barn, grab my pitchfork, and get to work. The negative feelings melt away with each scoop I toss into the wheelbarrow.
Side-Note: When you’re a homesteader, poop isn’t gross– it’s beautiful. Poop turns into compost which magically nurtures the soil and your plants. Embrace the poop.
10. If we don’t answer our phone, we’re not ignoring you on purpose.
Especially during the summer.
Sometimes we get so absorbed in the latest project, our social life goes out the window. Not always, but sometimes… At least for me.
I’m pretty horrible about meeting friends in town for lunch or play dates… It’s not that I don’t want to see them, it’s just that my brain is usually preoccupied with my latest homesteading mission.
For the non-homesteaders reading this, if you want to see more of your homesteading friends, may I suggest offering to help them put up tomatoes? Or pick apples? Or butcher chickens? They’ll love the extra set of hands and companionship, and it’s rewarding to accomplish stuff as you catch up.
So… can you relate at all? What other things would you add that your non-homesteading friends just don’t understand? Leave a comment!
More Homesteading Articles:
- Homesteading Stereotypes
- Top Money Principles for Homesteaders
- How to Vacation When You Have a Homestead
- The World’s Worst Homesteader
- When Homesteading Makes You Lonely
Annie says
Yes you are so right I live in the woods don’t go to store every time I mean something I make it.
Lesley says
AMEN!
Kimberley Meyers says
Jill, you are my role model! I am on the older side and only ave 12 acres, 3 horses, chickens and dogs. This year I am starting my garden seeds from scratch, and adding another garden space. When my 4 children were small, I had a garden and canned and preserved all I could. Now I have 9 grandchildren, and I hope to pass this love of the land on to them. I also teach school-so busy? Heck yeah and I love it! Thanks for all you do!
ANgie says
I LOVE this article. I am posting this on FB and emailing it to family and friends that just don’t get it.
Jordan says
I love the last one about not answering the phone. Most of my friends (and my constantly worried mother) don’t understand that when I’m working outside I don’t have my phone strapped to my hip nor would I want to answer it with compost covered hands. Its such a rarity these days for people not respond to a text within 2 minutes that it becomes and guilt ridden burden to leave the phone behind for a couple hours. I love the break from it! My friends have just come to think of me as flaky but I don’t argue with them because they just don’t get it.
Jill says
Me too Jordan! It feels so good to leave it inside and completely loose yourself in the dirt or garden or whatever. 🙂
Walter Elsey says
For us, the low stress levels. Im not saying there is no stress. Its a different stress. I lived on a large farm for 36 yrs. Now I’ve lived in the city for past 16 yrs and its a stress that has affected my health (not in a good way). We are planning another move. It will be to a piece of land that we can feel free and i can get healthy again. Thank you for sharing your life with us. There are lots to learn, and we can learn from each other
Barbara says
Yep! I tell my family and friends… “it’s a phone. Not a leash! Pretend it’s hooked to the wall like when we were kids. Leave a message I’ll get back to ya next time I make it to the kitchen.”
Rebekah says
I live in the country, but the nearest Wal-Mart is less than 10 minutes away. I live on 8 acres that raises nearly all of my family’s food. We have cattle, chickens, turkeys and lots of garden space. Even though I live close to a store I plan my grocery trip for every 2 weeks. I do this by making a menu based on what I have on hand until the next shopping trip. This eliminates those last minute runs. I even do this with my livestock feed. I purchase enough to last 30 days at a time. This way I am not wasting time and gas running to get feed. I rarely go to town. My hubby and I rarely eat out. And quite frankly, I don’t want to leave my farm. This is what my friends think is so strange. I never want to go anywhere, unless it is yard sales or a local auction. That is my kind of shopping. Lol! Love this post. Thanks.
jennifer says
“but dont you want to go anywhere?” nope, ive found my paradise 🙂
Jill Winger says
Oh yes– I totally get not wanting to leave! Our homestead is my favorite place in the whole wide world. Everyone else goes to the lake or the park on the weekends, and I am SO happy to just be hanging out doing projects and soaking it in on my front deck in the evenings. Paradise!
sharon says
I feel exactly this way, though my 6 acres are close to town. I I would love to move to a more remote place, but every time I start looking, something comes up to need modern medical. The latest is that my replaced ankle needs to be replaced again. That throws all the work on DH and it definitely isn’t his choice to have all the work. So yesterday my alpacas and most of the chickens found new homes and before the surgery, all but three sheep have to find new homes. It is definitely not fun to age.
BillieR says
I am so sorry! Best wishes for a successful re-replacement and a full recovery.
MAnn says
Sharon, You are so right…aging has a way of limiting how much you can do. I’ve learned to revamp what needs to be done and what I can do. This is called cutting back. The other option is to hire some help. Not for me; I like to do thing my way, myself.
Jackie Miller says
In total agreement! Sometimes I’ve wondered what is wrong with me? I never want to go anywhere, I’m so content to stay on the farm with my family and animals. Thanks for putting a voice to our homesteading lives!!
Martha Anderson says
Jill, thanks for the photos of the Prairie. I agree it is a bit of heaven. My dear husband is often the one wondering when I start another project. I love having chickens in the backyard, growing garden in the front. We live in Southern California, but home still is South Dakota. P.S. The note about the finger nails was appreciated. It seems I only need to walk around outside and my nails get dirty.
S says
How do you deal with friends always wanting to hang out or popping over unexpectedly?
Cris - Prairie Homestead Team says
Honest conversations are a good place to start! Simply explain that impromptu visits don’t work with your current lifestyle and texting and asking first are necessary for your sanity. And don’t be afraid to say ‘no’ to things! Check out Jill’s post here for some more: https://www.theprairiehomestead.com/2017/04/time-management-homesteaders.html
Julie says
Good for you
Christine says
Good for you! You are perfectly content and I love the way you have those trips to town planned out! I need to work on the menu planning! You give me encouragement!!!
Judi says
One if my best “city” friends says I’m her zombie apocalypse house because she knows I will always have food and will know what to do. Lol.
Adam Heim says
Hi, Judy, we do live in precarious times. I’m headed to Arizona New Mexico four corners area to look for property. If you know anyone looking to join me before the zombie apocalypse takes hold. Is there a homesteader dating site! LOL. Adam
Quincy says
Too true Jill! This spoke so clearly to me! We’ve been feeling many of these points in our transition to the homestead about a year ago. Our life sure is fun, crazy, and we don’t go out often but we love it and wouldn’t change it for the world. Love reading your clever posts 🙂
Malia @ Small Town Girl says
OMG this is so true!! I love it! Spot on for me and so many of my friends! Sharing on Facebook and Pinterest!
Adam Heim says
Hi, Judy, we do live in precarious times. I’m headed to Arizona New Mexico four corners area to look for property. If you know anyone looking to join me before the zombie apocalypse takes hold. Is there a homesteader dating site! LOL. Adam
Kim says
We are just starting to work on our little homestead but can relate to SO many of these already! Love it!
Denise Bennett says
I love your writing style! I always giggle when I read anything you write because the irony of homesteading satisfaction is exactly as you put it! Sometimes I feel guilty for being so content! I love being in control of my own schedule and delving into whatever homemade/nature project I feel like that day! I get it! We live on 120 acres of wheat and are building our new house. So fun to wake up and see the prairie sunrise. So great to collect eggs and baby talk to my dogs. So amazing to smell my horse’s skin. So delicious making homemade bread or coconut cream pie from scratch. (So nice to take a nap while doing laundry with modern convenience if I feel like it) How can this life be any better? love it all!
Trebor Sutler says
I couldn’t have said any of this better myself Jill! As a Homesteading, mom of 6 with a pleasantly full schedule.
Loreley Amerson says
Jill, I feel like we were separated at birth and are living parallel lives. I absolutely adore your blog and look forward to each email. We’ve been living the country dream for 13 years but we’ve always been homesteaders – even in the city. We just recently expanded our “operation” to include Dexter cattle and I’m relying on your experience to better educate myself.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge!
Tammy says
thank you so much, this is so true and had to be said!
My hands are now stained with Strawberrys from making jam. If my husband is not working his pt job, he’s out on the homestead working. We sleep at night early, and start all over again the next day.
Denise says
This is a perfect explanation to the comments I get in the office, like this morning after having to put on rain gear to go out in the pouring rain to open the chicken coop get fresh water and check on the horses then dress to come to the city to play office.
Brenna says
I love my morning routine; letting the chickens and ducks out, checking the bee hive and our small garden, then its time to go in and get ready for work. By the time I get to work I’ve been up for a few of hours and everyone else seems to have just rolled out of bed. They all look at me with sympathy and have said they feel bad because I have so much to do. I love what I do. I’d also love to quit work and stay home all day and expand our homestead even more, but we have children and they’re not free ? My afternoons are busy with sports and free outdoor activities around town with the kids. Being close to town and being able to do what we do on a little less than an acre is great. Sure we’d love to move out and get more land, but right now our children are our main priority and their schooling is very important to us. I always wanted to homeschool and look up to those who do, but our children have benefited from the public schools in a way we never could have imagined. So for now, I’ll keep working, watching the kids blossom and grow into incredible young adults, keep chickens, ducks, bees and our little garden. I’ll squeeze in time to can or make preserves and volunteer at the farmers market or the local csa. Like Jill said, some people feel pity because were “so busy” but I love it.
Jackie B says
We have been homesteading since 2006. I can’t imagine leaving this country life, it is perfect for us. My husband is able to work from his office at home and sits there in his underclothes estimating construction jobs worth millions of dollars in another state. On his breaks he can go out and work on fence or help a neighbor, mow some grass , help me with a project, till the garden, work on his tractor, etc. It is so nice to spend his time doing worthwhile projects and not sitting in traffic commuting to work. I love your article and I am often asked “But aren’t you so lonely being out in the country just you and your husband”? The answer is no, I love the quiet. I love walking outside alone at night. I love looking at the unpolluted starry sky. I love working alongside my hubby of 41 years. I was much lonelier when I lived in the big city amongst a million people that rarely talked to their neighbors! Everyone drove into their garages and pushed the garage door button and didn’t need each other. Thank you for your wonderful blog.
Jess says
YES! I love your uncanny ability to put these tidbits we all experience into words! And the “poop isn’t gross– it’s beautiful” part, had me laughing out loud! Embrace the poop ya’ll! This post is the perfect heart to heart to explain our weird behaviors. LOVE IT! Blessings to you and the rest of your awesome family!
ps- do you have a milking pail that you love? I’m in the market for one that’s easy to clean and sterilize, thanks!
Jill Winger says
I got my pail off eBay a long time ago. It’s been great for me, but hard to say if they still have them.
Adam Heim says
Hi Jill, is there a Homesteaders singles place to meet? Adam
Cam says
Try a feed store. We always bought ours at one.
Andrew McDonald says
For what its worth, I hand milk into a small stainless steel saucepan as my Daisy moves around a bit, then as it fills I dump that into SS bucket hanging on wall. For my situation, milking directly into SS bucket would be disastrous.
Laura says
There are times working in the garden and lose track time and have to pick my little one up from play group with dirty hands and knees. Your right, I have gotten some looks. I will never forget finding my first egg. I felt like a proud parent. The best is the look I get when I tell my older son’s friends we don’t have cable TV.
Kassandra says
I love that! My husband and I have a tv but all it will play is DVDs. We aren’t hooked up to anything! And many people look at us funny when we say we watch Hogan’s Heroes, Petticoat Junction and Andy Griffith! But I love it, it doesn’t dominate our day!
Rose says
I’m in my mid-twenties attempting to homestead (sort of), work full time and start a heritage meat company on the side. My friends think I’m insane for wanting to wake up long before the sun, spend a couple hours on chores before heading to work and for wanting to spend all of my free time with my animals instead of going out and partying. Frankly, I can’t understand why they wouldn’t want all this. I wake up early morning knowing my day will be full yet fulfilling, and while we struggle to pay the bills sometimes, we are still rich beyond all measure. Great post!
Jill Winger says
I’m the same way Rose– I truly cannot fathom why EVERYONE isn’t wanting to homestead… hehe.
Kate Bailey says
How wonderful to read this!! I have the same problem in Australia and could relate to every single thing ( especially the wonders of poop). My mother is coming to visit today and really doesn’t get it- I’ll show this to her so maybe she will see that even though I’m slightly odd there are others like me out there and it’s OK not to want to go clothes shopping 🙂
Poppy says
Love it! I dreamed for years of having a farm and people would always tell me “oh you don’t want to do that, it’s such hard work”. I don’t know what people are thinking. It is the most rewarding thing ever. I’m so thankful to have our land, animals and garden that keep me busy. Learning new skills and getting muscles from milking my sweet Lexi is so much better than sitting on the couch trying to keep up with Hollywood. I wouldn’t trade this hard work for cable t.v. if I was paid a sweet salary to do it.
Jill Winger says
I couldn’t agree more Poppy! People miss out on the amazing rewards of hard work.
Erin says
I loved this article! Even though my husband and I are not 100% homesteaders we still have two big gardens and chickens and live on a dirt road off a dirt road. I love canning food and make a lot of stuff from scratch and I know that intimidates some of my friends because they don’t have the skills we do. But you said it so well, we just enjoy it. And I always feel so proud when people come over we show them our gardens and give a ton of home canned goods away to people who just don’t know how to do it. I love showing my friends how to make jam or pickled beets. I’m so happy to share my knowledge with them. And it’s completely addicting. Now that we have some, we keep wanting more because it is so rewarding!
Kathie says
So true! 2 & 4 oh goodness, the times I’ve tried to explain those to others.
Steph says
It’s funny how much I connect to this post and I am not a homesteader (yet!). I do, however, know the pride (and the wee bit of self-consciousness) of walking around in public after a hard day’s work at a dairy farm, covered in flecks of manure and stinking to the high heavens. Nuthin’ better! 🙂 One day I will finally find a piece of land and enough money to set up a therapy farm for myself and others to experience all these things. This lifestyle has such healing power in it! Thanks for this post and the affirmation it gave to the realness and totally possible realization my dream life — hard work and all! As someone stuck in the office all day, it can’t come soon enough! 🙂
Jill Winger says
You are DEFINITELY a homesteader at heart Steph!
Trish Libonati says
Go for it Steph!
Joy Currie says
I love the part about being glad you have a washing machine and dish washer. I have homesteading friends who feel it isn’t really homesteading if you have appliances. I too could survive without electricity if I had to, but I’m going to put that extra time I save using my washing machine to good use doing all those other things “city folk” think are crazy!
Margaret says
That is so right Joy! We lost power the other day and it’s fun for a few days, but it got me thinking if I could live without power full time. The number 1 thing I would miss the most was water and therefore the washing machine and a nice hot shower! Of course we could learn to live without them, but the time washing clothes by hand could be put to much more productive use!
Jill Winger says
AMEN Joy!
Joecardio says
Hi, I think you should be very proud of your lifestyle choice. I am a teacher and love my job, but most people don’t. They hate their jobs. Sheer drudgery. For you to acknowledge that this is something you love to do, how lucky are you to have found something in your life , like homesteading, that you
Love to do and you can take care of your family by doing so. You are lucky to have been so successful in your endeavors. I am starting out small with my tiny efforts to begin aspects of homesteading. This year I finally got to put in a nice garden that will allow me to enjoy the fruits of my labour and then can or bottle or cold store food for the very cold months up
here in Nova Scotia. Bravo. I wish you continued success and enjoyment in your hard work. Be well.
Jill Winger says
Yes, it makes me so sad to see how many folks hate their jobs. I wish more people could have the fulfillment I do. And congrats on your garden endeavors!
Karen Brown says
Loved your article. I am 66 years old and I believe just as you do. I love mixing the new with the old. I lived for 20 years in the middle of a development and I still had a garden. As little as it was it still brought us pleasure. When my husband retired we moved further out on an acre plot. We are busy with chickens and a garden and I believe it keeps up healthy. Physically and mentally. We feel prepared to take care of ourselves. It’s a great feeling.
Jill Winger says
I agree Karen– this lifestyle is SO wonderful for keeping you physically and mentally sharp. It IS a great feeling.
Stephanie says
I agree ! I needed this reminder and encouragement this morning! Last week I did get a dirty look from a friend because my house was a mess and not this beautiful showroom home; and my garden and backyard is a collage of gardens, weeds, chickens, a dog running around…and nothing is “organized” for a magazine shoot. (God forbid though if her kids bring a muddy foot print into her home though!)
I don’t mean to speak bad about some of my “non-homestead/city friends” (which I’m finding is dwindling); but I do get weird looks from my friends when I meet up with them and all I’m wearing is eyeliner, my pink camo Browning hat, muddy jeans, dirty paw prints all over my country shirt and combat boots. (Nice cloths? Whats that?)
I love the life style I have chosen! Its worth the hard work, the sweat, the heat and from time to time the tears; but in my life, this is the most rewarding hobby and work I could give myself and my children. And yes the “non-homestead friends” raise an eyebrow when I get excited about my garden, tell them that I spent 4 hours slaughtering chickens (some of them have gone pale at that one) or squeal with delight as a new chicken lays her first egg; but I’ve finally begun to accept that. (And I do cringe when I hear my friends talk about “eating chemical foods, breaking a “little sweat at the gym, getting manicures, using margarine, etc.”) But this is the lifestyle I have chosen, and as time goes my ring of friends fills with more homesteading friends (either because I’ve converted them or I’ve just met more) expands. And I love seeing new pictures of their cow and chicks! Thank you for this reminder!
Jill Winger says
Well said Stephanie!
Abby Jo says
Best post ever! It made me smile. I don’t even own a cell phone anymore, and I find it rather freeing 🙂 And I love working in my garden, it really does clear the mind.
On another note, I am a romantic and I have lived off-grid. It’s not an easy lifestyle, but I found it really rewarding and super romantic. That’s how weird I am 😉
Jill Winger says
I totally get where you are coming from Abby Jo– I find even the tough stuff to have an element of romance to it. 🙂
Jenni Burns says
This is me almost to a T! 🙂 I’ve been meaning to write this very post to share with my friends but you do it, thank you! Note I can go plant more strawberries and stop thinking about how to say all that 😉 I’ll be sharing this post of you don’t mind! Bless you! I think we’d be friends if we were neighbors!
Jill Winger says
Share away! 🙂 And yes, I think maybe we should start a homestead commune and all live together, ha! 🙂
BrownThumbMama says
Amen! Even though we live in the city (and bees are the only livestock we have) these are all 100% true. Hubby’s guy friends are even starting to be big fans of all my homemade foods and natural remedies!
Kim says
Thank you, for telling it like it is w us homesteaders! I certainly appreciate it, especially your gentle humor! 🙂
Keep up the great work…I really like reading your articles!
God bless!
eva says
Jill, thank you for this post. My family thinks I’m crazy but I love this life and I couldn’t help but laugh about the grass mowing I was so irritated with my teenagers who didn’t get their chores done yesterday I immediately went out side and started cutting grass very fast I might add. Thanks for all the great posts.
LeAnn says
I absolutely love this post. It is fantastic and I can just share with my non homesteading friends to explain some stuff….which will leave me more time to play in the garden! Sharing all over!
Jill Winger says
Share away my friend!
Michelle C says
I would add one more to the list. Social life isn’t easy when you farm. You can’t just drop everything or go on trips. People get annoyed with us cause we just can’t leave.
Jill Winger says
Yes– amen to that Michelle!!
Missy says
Jill! I LOVE this post! This is SO true to me and my family. I shared with my mom and we both were like, “Yep, yep. That’s me!” We’re darn proud of who we are!
Rebecca Smith says
11. Please understand that if you show up at meal time in the summer you may end up with grilled cheese and watermelon because the work doesn’t stop because you came. I’m grateful for the visit but could you pull those weeds over there?
Jill Winger says
LOL– yes! TOTALLY been there. 🙂
Jane-Alexandra Krehbiel says
Great article. Everyone else can pay for their gymn membership. I will continue to muck stalls, haul hay and spread compost. This is the life we chose, and it works well for us.
Jill Winger says
Farm workouts are the best!
sharon says
I absolutely loved this and felt it so much described us. Now it would help if people would stop judging me by my housekeeping. None of my children even understands this.
Debra says
THIS is perfect! I am 20 years old and have been trying to farm/homestead while I am working through college. We have specialty and heritage chickens which I sell chicks and eggs from and we are raising our own hogs for meat. I am also trying to get into nubian goats for milk. So every evening and weekend we work outside instead of going out to town and people our age just think we are nuts! but this is the kind of life I love.
Anita says
Oh wouldn’t it be so fantastic to share this lifestyle with our friends! Like you said, you could invite other homesteaders to share in the “chores”, but wouldn’t be even more delightful if the friends that weren’t could join in as well? Maybe one day set aside as a barn party? I’ve done it before; had simple lessons in the gardening and harvesting, canning and all of my friends participated. Then took home some of the bounty! They were ecstatic over it and look forward to next the meet up!
Leanne says
Love this post! I would even say some of the same thing as an urban homesteader! Some things would obviously come off and others would be added. Like growing veggies in your front gardens instead of annuals or other non-edibles. And even collecting rain water can make people look in the city.
wendy says
Oh my goodness do I wish I could frame this post or send it for Christmas cards. Maybe just maybe thirty plus years of doing this would make sense to my family and some friends. I smiled till my cheeks hurt going yup she nailed that one and that one…thank you 🙂
Jill Winger says
Hehehe… wouldn’t that be funny in a Christmas card? ha!
Jess says
YES! YES! and YES! “Embrace the poop” 🙂 I have learned to love manure over our 2 year journey into homesteading. And the rest of the article is spot on as well. Some people just don’t understand! We do it because we love it!
sandy says
Love this list! And, it might describe me in a few years!
We bought property while living in another state with the intention of building our dream home after we moved near by. So, we moved into a rental house 6 miles from our future home, so I can be on site for the build. Too much rain has delayed our driveway, so I’m reading and learning about the native plants I anticipate planting, the wildlife I’ll be seeing, and the peace that will come from our little place in the country.
Once we are settled in, we won’t to leave except to visit grandchildren when they’re not visiting us. Around here, many people have ‘a lake house’, to which they travel many weekends. Not for us! We will be at our happy place everyday, without having double work to do with yard work etc.
Since we purchased our property, a Wal-Mart has been built about 5 miles away. Just because it’s there doesn’t mean we will be shopping there!
Ol' Timer says
My memories of childhood are filled with working in the 2 large gardens we had for our family of 6, the annual “stewing hen” butchering of old layers gotten from my Uncle Bob who had a large layer setup and all the canning we did from both projects.
Chicken and noodles from a canned chicken and home rolled and dried noodles made from the eggs from Carl (2 miles down the road where I walked to get 5 dozen eggs from his large group of free range chickens) are a different meal altogether compared to “store bought” ingredients!!
Mom’s “scratch” pizza still lives in my taste bud’s memory and even though I do eat take out pizza WAY too often, I want to try MY hand and duplicating Mom’s!!
Each fall we would get BUSHELS of peaches at a fairly local fruit stand (that is still there!!!) and the aroma of peaches canning wafting through the kitchen would drive a person crazy in short order.
In the decades since I’ve taught myself much about butchering learned much about the proper way to handle and “age” most meat and also worked in the meat department of a couple small local groceries too and like the home canned or “scratch” foods Mom made ( I was always in the way watching and wanting to “help”, often getting told I was a “house plant” and told to go outside) and I have a plan in the works for the next to years to “shift gears” since retiring and go back to a life that include s all the above and then some!
Sharing my plans with friends and my children, they already are shaking their heads. While they have been around during my venison shop operation and the XCross meat chickens I raised, all they can think of this idea is “Dad, you’re getting kind of old for ‘all that work’ ”
The one big “PRO” to all the factors one wants in their homestead is the fact that each activity can be geared towards not only how much time you wish to spend doing each, but thoughts given to where and how to do each custom builds the project to even physical/age issues. Blue Lake “Pole” green beans and strawberrys grown in raised beds are examples one can easily alter the “old ways” to accommodate aching bodies. Even meat tables or”dough rolling” surfaces built to the proper height offer wonderful relief to us “old” folk. A little thought and planning on each aspect makes most of it seem like a lot less work ……because IT IS.
Those that want to retire and “no longer work” sometimes find out their bodies don’t adjust like they think they should and the loss of activity on worn body parts is actually a NEGATIVE thing. Few realize too that the “work” of a homestead can be geared in a lot of ways to not only give a person some needed stretching and blood circulating activities that are VERY fruitful in themselves but it’s not like punching a clock where what you do and when you do it is dictated by someone else. “WORK” to me, is something I HAVE to do, if I want to or not. Homesteading is a “job” each of us dictates what we wish to put in it in time and effort and when it becomes “work” …..change it so it does not.
Free will is useless if not put into gear!! Few seem to be able to shift into a productive mode after retiring and plan out their projects giving them invaluable results without making it a ton of work too. For years many have this “dream” of not working and have linked duties of any kind to what they may have come to hate after decades of working for a paycheck.
Maybe when friends and family come visit when all is in place and up to speed they will accompany me on the way to the small barn to feed the chickens and quail and collect eggs and turn the pair of beef cattle out into the pasture.
On the way we will swing through the garden and grab a couple ripe strawberries grown at waist height and watch a couple morning honey bees from the hive grab nectar for fall honey, thump on the rain barrels feeding the drip lines to the garden, check the potato towers to see if more soil is needed yet and make sure the snap beans are not needing harvested again and maybe kick up a rabbit out of the blackberry patch.
If the smile on my face while we do so isn’t proof enough for them that this is a different and better way of life, I’m betting the smile I put on theirs with home cured and smoked bacon, fresh eggs and potatoes with onions will be.
God Bless!
Jill Winger says
I couldn’t agree more with your thoughts on “retirement”. I’ve often thought that it’s a huge detriment the way most Americans “retire” and then do nothing. Our bodies were make to move. You are an inspiration!
Ilene says
Yes, I can relate, totally! Especially the hands part. I admit, out somewhere where “dirty hands” are a strict no-no (around nurses and doctors), I do struggle to have my hands cleaned up. But if you’ve been putting up something that stains, like cherries, then THAT ain’t gonna happen because it’s a stain, not dirt!!
We live about five miles out of town, on a gravel and/or asphalt road that’s off an asphalt county road, that’s off the highway, and still we get Electrolux sales people, guys selling meat or oranges out of a truck, and certain religious groups that commonly go door-to-door in town. Yet, we don’t get pizza delivery, cable TV, or taxi service. I don’t get it.
We love living where we and our neighbors can’t talk to each other out of our respective windows, or hear their arguments. We love hearing the birds and tree-toads singing rather than sirens.
Yesterday, as we watched out our patio door, there were twelve or so fledgling wild geese, one parent in front, one parent on the end, walking single file across the field on the way to what we call “Jay’s Lake”. We had an appointment in town later, and as we passed “Jay’s Lake”, we saw them all on the edge of the water, chasing bugs, dunking in the water and so on. You just can’t see stuff like this in town.
Hubs and I are 68 and 72, and we hope we can stay here for the rest of our lives. We tease each other about having to drive the lawn mower into town. Heh.
Jill Winger says
You’ve got it made Ilene– what a wonderful life!
Irene says
Yes! I have only a small garden. I have 2 minute to my foodstore but I´d go there so much. I want to make my own food, I don´t want grass if I don´t have rabbits, but I´m on my way. Usually I´d bye any potato, I grown them my self. I expected to grown a lot of vegetables this year, but the whether in Sweden is terribel this year. I have strawberries and a lot of wild strawberries . So next year I will produce a lot of vegetables, I hope. Normal person! Oh no I usually goes whith a seized. I love to see my vegetables grow, I love there taste. the work and sweat
Elaine Toole says
I love reading your blog and emails. We lived off-grid for a short while and loved every minute of it. Circumstance dictated that we move back to town, but I still miss the times when we would wake up to the absolute quiet of the morning. I remember laying in bed early one morning listening to the silence and asking my husband what silence sounded like to him. I was so excited when we got our first chickens and could hardly wait to collect the first egg. I loved milking our nubian goat “Molly” and my husband who is lactose intollerant throughly enjoyed that milk. We haven’t found any goat milk in town that was as sweet as our Molly’s milk. We made wonderful ice cream with that milk. I don’t remember how many “hand crank” ice cream freezers our friends brought when they came to visit. They all wanted to make sure we had plenty of ice cream when they came visiting.
Being off grid meant that we didn’t have much freezer space (our refrigerator was propane with a very small freezer) so I learned to pressure can our meat. It was wonderful because when we had unexpecated company I just had to go out to the cold storage (our partially underground building), choose the jar of meat we would serve for dinner, heat and serve a wonderful, quick meal.
Our friends from town would visit often because they loved the peace and quiet of the country. Our house was not picture perfect, ( in fact it was a WORK in progress) but one of our friends ended up taking 5 film rolls of pictures on her first visit anyway. They would go out after dinner and lay on the lounge chairs to look up at the stars in wonder as they listened to the creek meander by. It has been 11 years since we have been in town, but I still have my wonderful memories and yearn for the “old days”.
Blessings to you as you enjoy every minute of your special life.
Jill Winger says
Beautiful comment, Elaine. It’s hard work, but such a fulfilling lifestyle, isn’t it?
intha says
most of my “non” homestead friends have dropped me due to not being able to meet them in town because:
goats are kidding
goats need milking
fence needs repair
etc. etc. etc.
and I show up at walmart with my hair a mess, in sweat pants with bleach stains because I need another gallon of bleach to finish cleaning out the water tanks before I got to a full time job. who has time (or actually cares) to shower, change and then drive into town for that extra gallon of bleach?
Kris Bell says
So perfectly said. I shall be passing this on and maybe even nailing it to the gate.
Erin says
Love this post! As a homesteader newbie, I can already relate to a lot of your points here! I was just saying to my hubby this morning that while most women would have a fashion magazine to flip through, I sat down excitedly to flip through our feed and farm store flyer!
Jill Winger says
yes, yes, yes!
Jennifer says
My husband, my son, and I are so right there with you! We get no greater high then spending a 3 day weekend accomplishing some homesteading project that we have been dreaming up for years…and then falling into bed more tired an dirty then we have ever been…and then the next morning looking out on our work and saying…”Can you believe we actually got that done????” We were actually just talking amongst ourselves about how we just listen to our “normal” friends now and say little about our own lives because there is just such a disconnect there in lifestyle.
Jill Winger says
Accomplishment feels dang good, doesn’t it? And I’m totally with you– I find myself rather silent about our life/projects when talking to a lot of people, b/c there is that major disconnect. Half of them don’t want to know what I’ve been doing, and the other half things it’s bizarre. 🙂
Christina says
I wish I could send post this on a shirt and everyone I encounter could read it. And for the record i am 10 minutes out of town but we still grow our food, can it, bake our bread, make our clothes, etc. Its definitely doable and very much makes my family happy.
Jill Winger says
You bet! Folks IN town or even on the outskirts can totally make homesteading work too. Keep up the great work!
Elizabeth Duplisea says
Hello Jill,
Thanks for taking the time to write this. It is nice to hear and learn from others who share in the same passions. I so get everything that you are saying in this article. The one that kind of stuck out to me was when you were talking about wearing your muckers to town…On the rare occasion that I do go to town I like to wear my dog chewed yellow muckers. I always say to my husband they make me feel like a farmer…For me the symbol of the yellow muckers represent hard work, laughs, tears and a get it done mentality. Keep up the great work Jill!
Jill Winger says
Amen Elizabeth– couldn’t agree more!
Ron says
Ahhh, I kinda feel I am reading a ladies column only. Is that true? All the comments seem to come from a great bunch of women. I thoroughly enjoy your writings, Jill. Continue in God’s blessings.
Jill Winger says
I definitely have a lot of female readers, but there are still some homesteading guys in the bunch too. Glad to have you Ron!
Jennifer Burrows says
You took the words right out of my mouth! Embrace the poop! LMTO!
Della Jenkins says
There’s just something about having the room to shoot off your own fireworks on Independence Day and noticing that the trees in the background are twinkling with fireflies. That kind of amazing display only happens in the country!
Jill Winger says
Preach it Sister! 🙂
Julie T says
Oh yeah. I get made fun of and people do get upset thinking it says something negative about them that they don’t garden or can or whatever else I am doing. I was just talking to my herbalist about some of this. Our priorities are different. And we like being who we are!!
Jill Winger says
Exactly! It all comes down to priorities and passions. 🙂
Karen says
Ohmygosh. LOVE THIS!
It’s so true. Every. Single. One. Especially #8…I don’t know how people survive living in town 😉
Jill Winger says
Meeeee neither…. 😉
Serah says
I giggled through this in complete agreement from dirt in nails is the new french manicure, country living, children raising and Ill call back after seeds are planted and ___.
-Serah
Jill Winger says
Amen Serah!
Betty says
I’m one of those ancient senior citizens who doesn’t want to give up all that to go and be waited on in a lodge somewhere. What would my little patches of dirt and my “livestock” do without me?
Jill Winger says
Good for you Betty!
Perry says
Totally agree. We finally we able to move “out” this past fall and after only having a small garden and a couple city chickens, THIS IS THE LIFE! I am on board with #5. Getting the first egg from your first chicken is a thrill like no other. Even though we had chickens in the city, I made a a big scene about the first “free-range” egg I was able to harvest. Now to convince the wife I need a cow, a pig, and maybe a couple of goats! 🙂
Jill Winger says
Oh yes– you definitely NEED a cow! 🙂
Kathleen says
Oh my word, YES! We’re not even super-serious homesteaders–we live in sort of a rural area 45 minutes from Washington DC on three acres with a large garden and some guineas and chickens. I also make almost all our food from scratch; DIY many items; cloth diaper our baby; and homeschool our children. We LOVE living out in the country and get a kick out of our city slicker friends who ask what it’s like living “out there all by yourselves” and who call us “farmers”. (My husband has a very good, full time, white collar job.)
I can also totally relate to the whole Super Mom thing–it’s actually sort of embarrassing when I’m getting to know someone new and my list of involvements and accomplishments comes up. People are always saying “I don’t know how you do it all!” and I get the feeling they think I’m trying to prove myself somehow. When really, like you, I just like to be industrious. 🙂
LOVE this list, Jill. Thanks, and keep up the good work! 🙂
Heidi says
Can totally relate! lol I just butchered some of the unneeded roosters and all my friends on facebook who live in town etc. are like “What in the world!? That’s so gross! How could you possibly kill an animal with your bare hands that was depending on you?!” la-dee-da-dee-da and so on… I just rolled my eyes & went back to canning my chicken meat lol I had 10 roosters, they’ve grown spurs, are becoming territorial, and are terrorizing my hens… not to mention I have a 21-month old who is running all over the farm… I don’t need to worry about a rooster attacking him ya know? lol
Jill Winger says
I totally hear ya! The butchering aspect is one part that a lot of folks just don’t understand… 😉
HomesteadPrepper says
I like #3 and #8. Food you grow yourself is much better than store bought that was picked too early and shipped for days to the local store. Number 8 is appealing as well. I like to live as far away from a city as possible.
Adam says
Lol…… I grew up on agricultural land….. Most of it being orchards, but we also had a huge garden, a few dozen chickens, and lots of work.
This post is me to a T…..I would rather spend a wet messy dreary day outside playing in the garden than a beautiful day at a pool party……translation: my converted city girl girlfriend thinks I’m absolutely out of my mind.
When we bought our house I insisted that it have good sun, good yard space, and be in an area where HOAs couldn’t prevent me from having a real garden, compost area, and the option to have goats, chickens and bees. Most of my neighbors think I’m just crazy since I spend nearly every waking moment in the garden or yard making improvements, weeding, harvesting or planning. But there are a few who have asked me to help them with starting a garden and teaching their kids or grand kids how to grow things.
My dream, which may come true in the next couple of years is to find a piece of property that has mixed zones….pasture/bottom land and wooded….that I can build a comfortable home that is as modern in amenities as possible, but completely off the grid and self sufficient. I want large gardens and orchards to grow everything I need with plenty left over to sell at the local markets, and livestock to provide meat and dairy.
I lived most of my first 17 years on a farm with a simple and fulfilling life, then I’ve spent 22 years dealing with cities and congestion, pollution and noise….I would like to spend the next 20-40 years, or more with dirt on my hands and knees, straw in my hair and fresh air in my lungs….not to mention fresh pies, canned veggies and fruits, pickles of every type and all natural jams and jellies…… 🙂 🙂 🙂 :-)…….I just need to decide on location…..
Jill Winger says
Your dream sounds pretty much perfect to me Adam! Hope you get back to your farm roots soon!
Cherisse says
This just makes me want to move to the country all over again. We just bought a house in a smaller town. I wanted the country but circumstances dictated a town living scenario in a town with bylaws not allowing anything more than normal pets. My parents keep telling me I don’t want to live so far from town, I don’t want to take on all that work, whatever else. One day! I will get my patch of dirt and my animals and huge garden and I’m sure I’ll love it.
Kelly says
TOTES Agree! We even Take our vacations here, We just pitch a tent somewhere on the ranch and let someone else do the chores for a couple of days, Then we start missing the animals so head back in, do a quick hello and scratches to all and then head out again for the night. So perfect. WHY would anyone want to leave their home and lifestyle? We do what we do because we LOVE to do it and wouldnt rather be somewhere else. Contentment. 🙂
Jill Winger says
I’ve totally considered doing the tent thing, ha! Everyone around here goes to the “mountains” to camp, but there are more people there running around than at our house. I figure, why bother!
Lorinda-The Rowdy Baker says
I can completely relate to every single point! Well…maybe not the poop. The only animals we have to scoop up after are the chickens, and I can’t say I enjoy cleaning out the coop – though my compost heap loves the addition. Is it possible that we are twins that were separated at birth? 😉
Paula Fields-Jones says
I can relate to everything but baking bread. The one that stands out the most is the hands/fingernails. My co-workers would just shake their heads and ask “what have you done now”, especially when its apple butter time. My hands get so stained from the apples and it take a bit to wear off. We also have cows and chickens, so most of the time I smell like animal dung.
Karen R says
Jill I agree. We put up hay with Percheron horses -mow the hay with two teams, rake it with one team. My husband and boys enjoy doing this. We get comments, some enjoy watching, especially the ones that remember it growing up and others don’t understand. I enjoy scratch baking and cooking. I know a lot of my friends eat out. Its a treat if we go out. I love growing fresh vegetables, picking eggs, butchering chickens, milking cows and seeing everything grow from horses, calves, chickens, and plants. Thanks for the website, I enjoy reading what I love to do plus getting new ideas!
Sarah says
This made me laugh out loud. It is so true! Some of our friends and family think we are crazy, but for us it’s just good fun. We get so much fulfillment from our little homestead there is no way we could ever go back to any other way of life. Happy homesteading!
Deb at Counting My Chickens says
Knowing that everything on your plate came from your own backyard really is the best seasoning. Loved that line and this post.
Jill Winger says
Indeed. 🙂
Carrie says
I have a rule at my house. “If you have come to see me – you are welcome anytime. If you have come to see my house- make an appointment! ” I have way to many other things to do then worry about a little dust on the shelves or so cobwebs in the corners. Besides the spiders eat the flying bugs and I don’t have to pay them. The very few friends I have left get my homesteading lifestyle. Many don’t understand why I am moving 1500 miles away. One of the big reasons is I can garden almost year round! That and I don’t enjoy dealing with frozen water tanks and wind chills of -40°. Been doing it all my life. Now I want to work a little less hard and still enjoy doing my gardens, my critters and Mt canning. Besides, more chores for the teenager help keep him grounded to what is important instead of in trouble grounded. If you come to visit me, you will most likely be given a knife to help prep food for canning. All my friends have learned to wear grubby clothes and to bring their favorite kitchen or garden tools with them depending on the time of year. If it is a slow time, we all still spin fiber or knit or crochet. My husband always says that all of this is cheaper than bail money, plus it tastes good or is warm. I actually go over to a friend’s house once a week to sweat like crazy and help her with her market garden. I get all dirty and sweaty and you can’t wipe the smile off my face.
Jill Winger says
Haha– YES!
Joanne says
Oh, how good for me to hear that there’s other people out there like me! I have a small scale farm, I am a homesteader, I have a family of school aged children.. and a grandchild that likes to visit us on the farm, I’m up early to milk the goats and do the barn chores (and I have a job ‘off’ the farm too)… phew! So my days are full as you can imagine!! But I chose to live this way with my family.. and love it!! It’s rewarding, satisfying, and fullfilling! We do so much more on our 20 acre homestead. Alot of our friends and other family members don’t understand our fullfilling lifestyle! I find alot of peace while at home on our farm. I have no need to ‘get away’.. my resort is right here!
Lee Ann says
You are singing my song! I love the dirt under my nails, my overalls and all my farm animals. God has blessed us with 3 1/2 acres and I homestead every foot of it I can. Great post; you said it well. We are considered an odd bunch by most but they don’t realize we are are not dreaming of our future like many but we are truly living our dream. Life is good on the farm. Our neighbor tells me I am the hardest working woman she has ever seen. Little does she know that to me it’s not work; I’m enjoying every minute and living my dream. What a wonderful life, I’m truly blessed!
Sheryl says
I need to add to the dirt under the fingernails….dry cuticles and cut/scratched-up hands. I’m occasionally envious of those pretty hands and nails I see around town. However, I wouldn’t trade all the work I do for anything. The benefits are too substantial. Besides, I don’t think anyone on my farm cares what my hands and fingers look like….wait…..there isn’t anyone out here. lol YAY
Jill Winger says
Oh yes– those definitely come with the territory too!
Mike says
I grew up on a small farm and in most cases, if we didn’t grow it or raise it, we didn’t eat it. We had many fruit trees, a large spring/summer garden and a large fall winter garden. We raised pigs and smaller on our place, even raising enough rabbits to sell to the local butcher house. My uncle had a bigger place about 5 miles away where the cattle away such were kept. Needless to say, canning, baking, sewing, all that took place in our family. I didn’t even know we were poor until I was grown! I followed a different path and lived in the city, but even now that I am retired in a nice manufactured home in a park, I have my garden out back, and what I can, I put up. Our grand daughter came to live with us last year (at 17) and told me all the things she doesn’t eat. That list included tomatoes and other veggies. I had her help me pick some cherry tomatoes and told her to eat one. We went round and round. Finally she put it her mouth to prove she hated it and her eyes got big and she gobbled it down and grabbed another. Turns out that kid likes all kinds of stuff out of grandpa’s garden!
Stephanie says
You’re so right about homesteading wherever you live! I dream of having a big house out in the country with enough land to do a lot of self-sufficient homesteading, but right now we live in a suburb right in the middle of town. My back yard is about 30ft by 60ft. I grow as many vegetables as I can in my 4×6 raised bed, and I have 3 chickens (with plans for 4 more in the spring!) It’s 100% possible, even if you’re 5 minutes from a Walmart, Walgreens, 2 Starbucks, Albertsons, Winco, and a Smiths… ?
Vickie says
Yes ma’am I can totally relate. We are now within 10 minutes from a Walmart though. It wasn’t like that when we moved here 21 years ago. I do use the Walmart and even sometimes visit the sonic that are now close by I could totally live without it. We used to schedule our trips to ” town” once a week and stay gone most of the day getting all of our errands done. I prefer to stay home and I think most of my friends wonder how I don’t get bored staying home so much. Well, I’m busy and I enjoy it. We homeschooled too so by the time I would make breakfast, get hubby off to work, homeschool, get dinner or lunch in crockpot, do animal chores, tend to the garden, let the kids play outside, work on Some project, along with normal chores of cleaning and laundry it is time for dinner. We have tv but mostly watch it for news early in the morning and then at night after dark unless bad weather then we might play a video game or watch a movie. Now that we only have one child left at home ( she just turned 18) we have talked a little about moving to a neighborhood one day. Neither of us really want to. I think we would then get really bored. So instead we bought 3 nubian goats and hope to be able to milk this spring. Lol. That’s just the type of folks we are. It is hard work but we love it!
Jill Winger says
I can totally relate Vickie! And I never get bored at home either. 🙂
Christine says
This really speaks to my heart! <3
KaiCarra of K'Cadences says
I’m so looking forward to starting this part of my life SOON! You are my heroes!! Love, KaiCarra
Elaine says
I too, shared it on Facebook. This is pretty much how I raised my kids and I miss it a lot! It’s a good life!
Deborah from Texas says
I think some of us were born in the wrong era. LOL I love making all of my cleaning products. And all natural living is great! I’m learning all I can about herbal remedies, and essential oil uses. I don’t use petroleum products on or in my body. I would love to be totally self sufficient. Even though we only have an acre of land, I still want to grow as many of our foods as possible. There is a meat packing company about 20 miles from us and I’d love it if we could buy our meat from them once a year. Beef and chicken mostly.
I’m 65 years of age, and the older I get, the more old-fashioned I get. I love making my own bread and canning and dehydrating our food stuff. We have too much junk in our store bought food stuff. Just MHO.
Donna says
Living 45 miles from nearest town and 6 miles from nearest neighbor and loving every minute of it. Now on our 18th year of homesteading and totally “off the grid” living.
Gina says
My husband and I are currently in escrow on our first genuine homestead property – 7.5 acres of open space in a small town in northern Los Angeles. Yes, we are still in California, but far enough away from any big city (let me breathe that clean air). We have been doing our best to have a little urban homestead in our city tract home. We keep chickens and raise a lot of our own fruit and veggies. But we can’t wait to get our hands in 7.5 acres of dirt! ?
We totally identify with everything you and the other commenters have said. Most of our friends don’t get it. They think I’m a little cooky to raise chickens, collect eggs, grow food, make soap and lotion and laundry detergent. And that fingernail thing! I sure don’t fit in with most of the women I know. But I’m good with that. I’d rather wear a comfy pair of jeans and a Tshirt that has holes in it from my chickens that I can’t resist picking up every day, than wear anything else. And does anything feel better than a good days’ work in the garden?
I think I’ll stay happily weird. Let’s all be friends and we can be weird together! ?
Hugs!
Gina
Kathy says
Love the post. And so true about poop! It is not gross! Also I raise Mealworms for my chickens. I get so tired of people telling me it is gross! My mealworms have a cleaner room than my kids. And they don’t even smell. It’s not gross, homesteads ways are awesome! Thanks
Janna says
This is one of my favorite posts!! I can SO relate and am certainly the “weirdo” in my family and circle of friends/acquaintances. However, I’m enjoying the process of homesteading on my small city parcel, along with having less stress.
Shawn Anderson says
My husband and I are also considered weird in his huge family. When they come into our kitchen they say its just one big experiment after another ( we like making things like kombucha and such ) we have over half our small acre in gardens, we can and freeze our produce. We don’t have enough room for cows so we buy our meat from our friends who raise them grass fed, which is awesome. We wish we could find & afford a bigger place and farther out in the country but this will have to do and it is nice for what it is.
I do so enjoy reading your Homestead Toolbox every time you pop up in my email, Thank you. Shawn A.
John Duffy says
a big AMEN to number nine! “When life gives ya poop, make compost”
A pitch fork is great therapy (physical and mental)…and a powerful deterrent to anyone inclined to get on your last nerve;
Linda S says
Back in the late 70s my husband & I & 6 young children moved “back to the land” in rural Wash. State. I had grown up in an affluent suburb of L.A, an only child of 2 career-oriented parents. When my mother finally came to visit our homestead & I was proudly showing off our chickens & goats & my garden my mother stood shaking her head in bewilderment. She said, “I grew up on a cotton farm in Arkansas, working ourselves to death & I swore no child of mine would ever know such hardship. And yet, Here you are.” She never understood our choice.
Cam says
I need info on making the raised beds like yours. I am pushing 70, cannot get on my knees to garden my beds any longer due to arthritis and replacements but, I love fresh foods and have canned since I was 8. I wondered what you filled the beds with. We are pretty much dead center in town but have a nice back yard with pecan trees & plum tree. Also, how do you turn the soil? My small tiller died and I hate to invest in another at this time since my husband was just diagnosed with possible pancreatic cancer. I raise my own herbs and usually tomatoes and peppers until this year. So, I really need to be able to plant as much food for us as possible to save money. Would having top soil trucked in be best or buy it at the home stores and mix with fertilizer from my daughters chicken pen? It has been a long time since I took care of a full sized garden. Any advice would be appreciated. And keep making that soap. I have the utensils and molds but, haven’t made it in a long time. I put colors in it for the kids along with a simple toy from the party favs aisle. They loved getting down to their treasure.
Lori Ashworth says
Love it!!!
Heather says
Dirt under my fingernails? Check.
Love being out in the boonies with no one around? Check.
Forget to answer my phone? Check. (Where is my phone anyway?)
Lots of projects on the go? Check.
Always do everything the hard way? Check.
I also feel like a weirdo compared to other people, and I feel guilty because of all of the above when I’m around non-homesteaders. I guess I just fit in with a different crowd. Thanks for the encouragement!
Deborah Killinger says
Jill,
Thank you for this list. It is so true. There are some who get it and then there are those who don’t.
jessi says
Very well said. The only thing I would say is I do love my hard working hands with their scares and wrinkles but I really do miss manis. It’s all for a greater good and I would not give up a thing for my pretty nails back.
Jo Rellime says
Great post, Jill! (Yes, I am still around & still reading your blog! LOL!) One other thing I often get is strange looks I get when folks realize that we don’t have a “dining or living room.” There is no sofa, recliner, TV or coffee tables in there and the dining room was gutted of all “dining room furniture” when I got frustrated one day and screamed “I NEED MORE KITCHEN/FOOD PREP/HARVEST PROCESSING SPACE!” I wanted my dehydrators, vac sealers, canning supplies, etc. all standing at the ready and I wanted storage space for all of it! So I stripped both rooms of all furnishings (donated to charity), bought shelving & cabinetry, a spare fridge & freezer, and turned my dining & living rooms into a “full time prep room & walk in pantry.” So where do my visitors sit when they come by? They don’t. They stand around in the kitchen with me (which is where I usually am anyway) or they can follow me to the basement where there IS one dog hair covered sofa and a coffee table. I just laugh and say “Yeah, I am eccentric.” Only those who love me unconditionally come back. And MANY do. They know who they are. 😉
Christine says
Great post! We can relate! We have 14 acres where we hay, grow meat chickens and heritage turkeys that we butcher, raise cattle, have a small orchard and garden. A year ago we lost two huge river oaks on the property and people didn’t understand why we didn’t hire someone to clean them up! My husband said, “The good Lord knew we needed firewood for the winter and He dropped those two tree on our property so I didn’t have to go anywhere!!!” He has worked his behind off cutting, splitting and stacking over 20 cords of wood and has another 10 to cut. We both work full time off the property and when my coworkers ask if we want to go out for an event, they cringe when I tell them we have to butcher chickens, turkeys, sheep, calves or that I have to go home and can some fruit or vegetables, so now I just politely decline. We love our lifestyle and wouldn’t want to be in a cul-de-sac with neighbors any closer than they are. Life is good and hard and very rewarding when you know where your meat comes from, that you could make it if the power went off and that you have heat and water sources without going to town to get trampled if the power went out! Thanks for sharing this!!!
Linda says
Jill, although you don’t say it, I feel like you mean that dirt is a life-affirming gift from God that actually imparts His energy and love when we handle it. Every day with endless blue skies takes you to another place and time and every encounter with His creatures makes you glad in your heart you can provide this experience for your children. You hit a harmonic note with so many folks with this post. You put into words what we all think about. We are a community of souls that support each others hopes and dreams and get the idea that each dream is special and sacred to the dreamer. Keep dreaming and sharing my friend-and always try to take us with you. 🙂
mike helmer says
Too true,
We are in the process of fixing a 30X60 two story barn built in 1920-ish.
The best way to hang out with us is to show up ready to work or at least paint! Lunch or dinner is provided plus a lot of laughs!
Carey Weingart says
Awesome read. I signed up when the Rhodes family visited you but this is the first time I have found the time to sit down and read one of your emails. Loved it, keep up the great work.
I come from a family of farmers that mostly faded away with my parents generation. I really enjoyed the farm when my great grandparents were still around, but entered the corporate world and lost touch. I now have 3 young boys that showed interest and I want them to get to experience it like I did. We jumped into homesteading about a year ago and now have a freezer full of our own chickens, abundent eggs, and more zucchini, tomatoes, and squash than we know what to do with. Tonight my 10 year old gets his first 4H check from chickens he sold at the fair. Proud of his accomplishment, and looking forward to the future.
Laurel says
Jill,
I can totally sympathize with you for the looks/vibes you pick up from folks who think your trying to be super mom. As you said it’s just a matter of prioritizing what is important to you. I was a single mom of 3 before permanent press clothing was the norm. While I put myself through school for a degree in engineering & was a Girl Scout leader for my oldest daughters troop my version of ironing clothes meant the kids new if the outfit made it to the top of the pile & it was still wrinkled then it went back to the bottom of the pile for more “ironing time”.
Tara says
You have summed up homesteading perfectly! I have wanted to live this lifestyle since as long as I can remember and my husband and I are so very close to living the dream! Moved to Montana last year (originally from Washington State) and if all works out we’ll own our little piece of heaven next year. I just found your site/blog and look forward to reading through it.
Gale L Stovall says
Jill I love your homesteading blog best on the internet when I open my email yours is the first one I read realy liked this post. Homesteaders have a need they are drawn to have a close connection with the earth plants animals. We love the lifestyle their is nothing better than to look down at your dinner plate and have the satisfaction of knowing every thing was raised on our farm. Sometimes when I go to town to feed store people look at me and guess if I am homeless or hipster. A lot of our friends and realatives thank we are crazy. We are retired now we have plenty of money to live almost anywhere but their is no place I would rather live then here on the farm.
Connie says
YES on all of the points!! We too, live out in the middle of nowhere and we LOVE it! When conversing w/family and friends (they know where we live) and they say,,,,”just run to the store for it” and I have to say….”hello?? My nearest BIG shopping space is a 100 mile round trip”…they say..”oh yeah, I forgot.” and giggle. Yes, we get snowbound, yes, our roads are not the greatest, but oh, the peace and quiet.
We live in south central Il, so we are NOT by any means out in no mans land like you all are out west (which we took a motorcycle trip through a year ago for a month and absolutely LOVED the miles and miles of miles and miles. : ) however, we do live (like we love to say, “out in the sticks) and had some friend come overnight that live in a Chicago suburb. I asked how they slept when they awoke the next morning and they said,,,,,,”it’s SO quiet, no sirens going off all the time and it’s SO dark! We slept GREAT!!” 🙂 Makes me smile. LOL
We love our little farm (our children grew up here and our 16 grands frequent our abode on a regular basis) with our few goats, two steers, cat, dog, 2 miniature donkeys and some chickens. Huge garden that we can from each year and it tastes so great in Jan. when the snow is blowing sideways! We know what is going into our food and we know that it is good for us. Our bees keep us on the sweet side of life and even though we are in our late 60’s we love it.
Can’t beat home baked bread with a little home grown honey. 🙂
God gave us this wonderful nature and we are very very grateful! 🙂
John Duffy says
Personally, I find grubby fingernails and a few callouses far more attractive than nail polish and a manicure. As far as forking manure goes, I agree it’s much better than therapy!
Keep doing what ya do.
Susi says
I’m becoming more and more of a fan with each of your blog entries I read. 🙂 I had to LOL when I saw what you said about collecting your first egg. I was in a rapture of TEARS when I got my first egg. 🙂 I raised six children alone, going back to college at age 36 with a tribe in tow, one of whom was still in diapers, to earn my Nursing degree. Retired now & children grown ( 8 grandkids!) , I have since childhood yearned for a farm, my own plot of soil to till and work on. I’ve been at it seven years now and deeply appreciate it when I encounter a fellow homesteader like yourself. I know how hard the work is but also know the incomparable joy of the yield. Many of my friends ( and some family!) don’t get why I want to live “in the middle of nowhere” as they call it. This is my own heaven and I thank God every single day of life for it. I sincerely wish you continued joy and many fine harvests. 🙂
Toni says
LOL! When I got my first egg it had been stepped on and had a slight hole. I blew it out, washed it, put a beak and google eyes on it and covered it with feathers from the hen who laid it!
I never get tired of collecting my eggs and thank my girls everytime. Or sometimes on a bad day, tell them to get with the program!
Regina Zwilling says
Yes. Yes! YES! Loves this. And I love seeing all the comments from other people who feel the same way. I love the hard work of it and I love the look of my pride on my daughter’s (5 years old) and son’s face (3 years old) when they do hard things. The peace, the fulfillment, the tastiness of living this way is the best. Thanks for so eloquently and humorously putting how I feel about this life into words!
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CeAnne @St. Fiacre's Farm says
Embrace the poop! Hahaha Can totally relate, my family thinks I lost it I’m sure. This city girl went country. Loved your explanation of how we choose to do these things rather than we can”do it all”.
Dianna Harrison says
Oh Jill I’m with you girl!! I left my heart in Wyoming. I love the time we had our little 17 1/2 acre farm. I still have a garden box here in town and grow most of my own herbs.
I also heal with EOs, and all things natural. Keep on with your great life.
Renee says
That is so much like my life! But you truly seem to have it a bit more organized. I’m getting there, thanks to you!
Erin | A Welder’s Wife says
Love this! They are all so true, especially living a ways from town! One thing I’ve had several discussions about is raising livestock for meat. It starts a very intriguing conversation, but so many people do not see the value in raising livestock or purchasing meat from local farmers. I love helping educate others on the value and importance of it.
Toni says
I have no problem eating meat but I do have a problem eating what I raise. It’s dumb really as I grew up on a farm where we raised and butchered all of our own meat. I guess it’s one of those personal choice questions 🙂 I am however blessed to have a local farmer that raises cattle, pork, chickens, lamb and turkeys, all on pasture and fed organics. I do keep my own flock of spoiled rotten laying chickens though and grow all my own produce. And I love every minute I spend doing it!
caroline stokes says
I live in England, in town, and work in a supermarket, so very convenient for the shopping and I walk everywhere, but the best part of the day is to come home and shut the door on the world.
My garden is only 30 feet square, but we have three cats, nine guinea pigs and three chickens, a small poly tunnel and four raised beds for veg. I grow (on a small scale) potatoes, tomatoes, cues, courgettes, peas, broad beans, runner beans, French beans, lettuces, chard, leeks, turnips, parsnips, beetroot, radish, strawberries, raspberries, sweetcorn, kohl rabi and experiment every year with something new. We compost and recycle as much as possible.
I love my garden and would love to have more land and animals, but that is something we look forward to in the future.
Toni says
Best post by anyone ever. You nailed it with why we do what we do. I especially like the hands. Eyes are the window to a person’s soul but the hands tell the story of a persons life. I am proud of mine too! Dirt under fingernails included.
And cleaning stalls? I had to board my horses thru divorce and I took a job cleaning stalls at that facility every day. Thru one of the most stressful periods of my life, I found my peace while working. Everything else just went away for a few hours and it was just me and the horses.
I think others look at my life now with my garden and my chickens and think “poor her” I think they don’t know what they are missing!
sharon oxley says
In the comment about using labor to decrease negative feelings, I totally agree, but please in your picture please turn your pitchfork upside down, have taken care of a few injuries involving pitchforks left like that
Emily Greene says
No I don’t relate. I see the benefit in having organic non-GMO food and livestock, but farming and homesteading stress is not for me. I’m sad when farming/homesteading people judge people for leaving farms and homesteads for the suburbs and cities. I personally like the city and thrive better with it. I’d like to hope homesteading/farming people can be just as accepting and open to us city folk whom they don’t understand. We are our own brand of weird too.
Emily Greene says
I personally hated the countryside and found it toxic for my health, too quiet, and too isolated. I understand that some people prefer that but I wish non-city people would sometimes understand where we are coming from that SOME people, like myself, actually feel better and thrive in the city, but that doesn’t mean all of us can’t learn some form of self-sufficiency or multi-tasking. Plus, there are plenty of ex-farmers/ex-country people who get sick of the country rat race, as it were (you may disagree or disbelieve it, but you can believe as you will). I do think its sad that country people and city people can’t get along better and find things of interest in either. However, there are some country people who are willing to concede that sometimes the country life isn’t for everyone and they sometimes even visit us city or suburban folk on our turf too. Sometimes, they can even find something nice to say about the cities. Ironically, aside from the dirt issue, you’d be surprised at how city people are also doing what not only makes them “happy” but also what relieves their stress and enlightens them.
Antonia Casada says
I totally agree with this. I would much rather talk with my chickens while cleaning out a coop, then go shopping with friends! I would much rather kneed a ball of dough with my hands, while covered in flour, than go to a fancy Italian restaurant. I would much rather sip sun tea from a mason jar (sometimes spiked), than go to happy hour at some bar with my girlfriends. Love the homestead simple life.
Dawn Craumer says
I love the fact that we raise our own beef, chicken, turkeys, pork, eggs, vegetables, fruits. I love that I can, and do, make many many things from scratch and put up my own produce, jellies, butters. I love that I could teach my kids to be self sufficient. I love that there is a lovely farmers market that is fulfilling the dream of two kids I know, where I can run to support their dream and pick up fresh food. In truth, I love my local Walmart too. It all has its place in my life.
Xotomi says
I grew up in PA and lived the last decade of my life in Texas. I recently moved to North East Florida. I have the worst luck growing in the South. We saw a tropical storm roll in and drown our Sweet Grapefruit trees. Our Muscadine Grape vibes have been neglected so bad I don’t know which trunks to cut back. I wonder if any of you are from the South, would you recommend some laymen’s books. Any topics from growing vegetables to how much fertilizer to use every year, and keeping chickens in this terrible heatwave. We had to give away our milk goat because her pasture became so soggy with the tropical storm that her feet developed rot.
Lexie says
I find it incredibly sad that my city friends talk about how “busy” their kids are when they fill every moment of their days with lessons and teams and trips because “otherwise they would just be on their computers all the time.” I wanted my son (now grown) to know how to play in the dirt and use his imagination. He grew up playing in the garden and cooking and canning. He knows how to raise animals and keep a garden and how to preserve both for his family and that’s the education I wanted for him. He also happens to be “book brilliant” too but most important, to me, is his ability to take care of his family and the earth, everything else is just “icing on the cake.”
Rick says
I would like to tell people I hate the term – Hobby Farm. This is not just a “hobby”. We have 5 acres. We have put 17 chickens in the freezer. We have put a hog in the freezer. We have Muscovy Ducks. We have 2 Black Angus steers. We had our first litter of American Guinea Hogs 2 weeks ago. This is all under a year since we bought our homestead. We LOVE it. Sorry the rest of the people that know us all think we are crazy. My favorite question was from a close friend. She asked – are you going to eat all your pets? It’s sad that people seem to think food magically appears in the grocery store.
Greg says
I might add this – strong calloused hands. Men and women both get them from hard work and we know immediately when we shake hands with a person who enjoys the same lifestyle that we do.