Welcome

My great-great Grandfather hauling hay.

I have been wanting to write a blog for sometime now on homesteading, but I couldn't figure out where to start at. After mulling over this for awhile, I came to the conclusion that I need to just follow the old country farmer's wisdom of. “Simply start at the beginning and when you get to the end... stop.” So, that is what I'm doing. I am starting this blog with a short bio about me, so that you will understand where I am coming from and where I hope to go...and when I get done, I'll stop.

While I am new to the idea of homesteading and prepping, I am not new to that life style. I grew up on a small Midwestern farm that has been in my family since 1910. While growing up everything on our family's table, came from our farm. We raised cattle, chickens, and ducks for our meat and dairy products. We grew our vegetables, fruits, and herbs. Then either canned, pickled, froze, salted, or smoked the food for during the winter months. I have chopped and split more cords of wood then I can count. I've baled hay and straw, harvested soybeans, field corn, popcorn, and winter wheat. I have hauled water in buckets or used a hand pump so many times that my arms ache just thinking about it. :-)

I learned how to spin, weave, crochet, tat, embroider, and knit. I played in the fresh air, swam in the creek, and fished for tadpoles on hot summer days. I worked hard, I played hard, and it was a wonderful life.

In other words, I was the typical mid-western, down-home-on-the-farm girl. Then....I went to college, became a classically trained musician, traveled throughout the United States and Europe on concert gigs. Got married, had four kids and here I am today...A country girl living out of her element in the suburbs working with computers for a living. Which all somehow, makes totally perfect sense. ;-)

Am I an expert at homesteading? Nope!!! Not even close.!! So much from what I learned in my childhood, I have forgotten, and that is what this blog is about, It is my attempt in relearning how to become self sufficient once again.. It is is my journey back “home” and I hope you will join me in that journey, not only by reading, but also trying to become more self reliant yourself.

Thanks for reading and God's blessings.