Today I'm typing from the airport instead of the homestead. I tend to be extra contemplative when I fly and this morning, as I made the two hour trek to the airport, wove through traffic, found a parking spot, stood in line, and stood in line some more, one thought kept dancing through my mind: Figure out what everyone is doing and then do the opposite. This idea served me well at the airport today: If ...Continue Reading
Dichotomies & Bandwagons
I’ve been thinking a lot about false dichotomies lately. They seem to be all the rage these days. A false dichotomy is when a choice or belief is incorrectly presented as EITHER/OR. It presumes there are only two options. “In philosophy, “you’re either with us or against us” is considered a false dichotomy or a false dilemma,” writes Brene Brown in Braving the Wilderness. “It’s a move to force people to take sides. If ...Continue Reading
Homesteading Skills to Develop Over Winter
Homesteading doesn't stop because the garden is full of snow or the hens have decided to go on an egg-laying hiatus during the winter. This time of year doesn't mean that there aren't any outdoor homesteading chores to do: the animals still need to be fed, ice needs to be chopped out of the livestock water tanks, and the snow needs to be shoveled. But the winter months seem to be a bit slower without the hustle and bustle of gardening ...Continue Reading
Just Like Us
I don't know what normal people read over their holiday break, but I dove into a book about the Donner Party-- the infamous wagon train that got stuck in the Sierra Nevada mountains in 1846 and resorted to cannibalism. I'm weird like that. I needed an audiobook to help pass the 15-hour drive to visit my family over Christmas. And the story seemed strangely fitting as we rolled across Montana in the middle of a blinding ...Continue Reading
Ultimate Guide to Chicken Nesting Boxes
Have you decided to add chickens to your homestead or are you looking for ways to improve your current egg-laying system? We've been raising chickens (both meat chickens and laying hens) for over a decade now. I've been sharing tips on raising chickens throughout the years, and I've got tons of thorough info available for you all on my website, including: How to Build a Chicken Run Ultimate Guide to Broody Hens Fly Control ...Continue Reading