Childhood Memories
We all are products of our childhood, and I wanted to share how my love
for animals, gardening and ultimately, "homesteading" began. On Instagram, @atablefullinthewoods and @moderndaysoldways are hosting a #gettoknowahomesteader photo challenge for the month of June.
Day 1 is "Introductions", so let's get started.
As a toddler we'd occasionally visit Dad at his feed store job and my highlight was holding the baby chicks & ducklings. Obviously, that imprinted me! And I loved going to zoos, especially ones with pygmy goats that I could pet (and try to pick up)! But since our family always rented, having a farm or even "pets" wasn't an option. Therefore, my favorite childhood years was the 7 years we lived on our landlord's farm. He had a few cows, several horses, a pony/donkey, many dogs (up to 8 at one point), several barn cats and for the last year or two we lived there, a flock of chickens and two Muscovy ducks. Mom said we could enjoy "farm life" without all the work. We witnessed several calves being born and would feed the cows and hoses carrots, apples or other treats. We'd dump the garden plants over the fence when cleaning out the garden in the fall. I remember them munching down the squash and bean plants with delight! Mom called it "Paradise in Disguise" because we lived in an old trailer, but were surrounded by God's beautiful creation on those 150 acres. She wrote with fabric paint "Welcome to Paradise in Disguise" on a flat stone she'd found on the property, and placed it on our deck.
I also discovered my love of dogs during those years, with the nieghbor's two chihuahuas, Bo & Daisy. But that's another story for another blog post.
During those years, we helped our landlord load hay wagons, stack firewood and mowed nature trails through the fields and woods. During the summer, the four of us would have campfires and camp out in our backyard. Sometimes the landlord's horses would get loose and we'd feed them corncobs while on the deck (that happened one time when we had company)! Working hard was what we did, as a family, and we never had cable TV, so we spent most of our summers outside. We'd pick wild blackberries and apples each year from our landlord's property. We'd then make and can up the applesauce and freeze the blackberries.
As a family, we'd also pick strawberries & blueberries as a family at a pick-your-own farm. The first few times I picked strawberries, I didn't eat any, until my parents encouraged me to try one. After that, I'd eat one and put one in the basket! 😁 We'd joke with the older gentleman who'd weigh our berries that it's a good thing we weren't weighed before and after picking berries! 🍓
Another inspiration was the "Little House on the Prairie" Series, and as a child, I dreamed of living a modern-day version of those "settlers" or "homesteaders". I loved the idea of growing your own food, bartering with your neighbors for what you didn't have, building your own home, and of course, finding my own "Almanzo Wilder". Even though they certainly had hard, difficult times, I somehow felt drawn to that simpler way of life. Perhaps that was also because we'd always learned how to be frugal and "make do with what we had", since we only had Dad's income, which at times was only minimum wage. Mom's enthusiasm for learning and adventure, combined with her positive outlook, helped us appreciate what we did have and find creative ways to make things work. As long as I can remember, I've always wanted to be a stay-at-home mom, and while that has yet to come about, the wonderful example I've had all these years keeps inspiring me.
Growing up, I was basically Mom's little shadow. Oh, I certainly loved Dad, too, but Mom was the one who we spent the most time with, since she also homeschooled us. The hilarious thing is she was more excited to do science experiments than me. One year for her birthday, I wrote something like, "I've enjoyed growing up with you. Thanks for being a sister and a mom to me!" Don't get me wrong, there isn't any "perfect family" and we had our share of difficulties, but doesn't everyone? The important thing is to appreciate what we do have and not constantly be looking longingly at the "greener grass on the other side of the fence." I learned that our earthly dwelling or how much money we have wasn't important, but who we spend it with and what we do with the time we have.
Gardening was also an important part of our life. My maternal great-grandfather lived to be 96 years old and had a large vegetable garden right up to the year before he died. I never met him, but I'm pretty sure he passed down his green thumb to me. I honestly don't remember a year when we didn't grow at least a little garden.
Mom and I gardened together until Mom gradually let me take over the gardening. By the time I was a teen, Mom joked that she was my helper and I was the "boss" in the garden! But that was pretty accurate, and to this day, she still comes over to help garden.
One of our homes we rented was built on an old "gravel bank", so the soil wasn't ideal for gardening. So, I
began raised bed "Lasagna Gardening" (basically layered sheet
composting) to build up the organic material in the soil & help retain moisture.
A few years later, a friend told me to look up a video called "Back to Eden Film" @backtoedenfilm. I was so impressed, that I began searching for wood chips. I even bought a small wood chipper, so we could make our own.
When we moved to our current home in November 2014, we had to start a garden from scratch. So, we covered the grass with cardboard and newspaper, compost that we'd made with the help of the chickens, and topped it off with wood chips. After gardening "my whole life", in various places, many different methods, in clay, fast-draining "gravely" dirt, I definitely prefer #backtoedengardening. We still have to water some and have persistent weeds, but it's hands-down so much better! Just this past week, I was helping a 84 year old plant her garden, which included asparagus and potatoes. It required a pick ax / grub hoe to dig the holes, and there was almost more rocks than soil. In our garden, a hand 3-tined cultivator is sufficient to plant potatoes (or squash seeds).
In summary, I'm very grateful for all these great memories and how they helped shape who I am today. In today's world, a "good work ethic" is hard to find in young people, and there's a growing need for farmers, as well as, a movement of people "returning to the land" to grow food for their own families. While we still have to purchase some food from the grocery store, my goal is that one day we'll produce most of our food right here on our little "slice of heaven".
Day 1 is "Introductions", so let's get started.
As a toddler we'd occasionally visit Dad at his feed store job and my highlight was holding the baby chicks & ducklings. Obviously, that imprinted me! And I loved going to zoos, especially ones with pygmy goats that I could pet (and try to pick up)! But since our family always rented, having a farm or even "pets" wasn't an option. Therefore, my favorite childhood years was the 7 years we lived on our landlord's farm. He had a few cows, several horses, a pony/donkey, many dogs (up to 8 at one point), several barn cats and for the last year or two we lived there, a flock of chickens and two Muscovy ducks. Mom said we could enjoy "farm life" without all the work. We witnessed several calves being born and would feed the cows and hoses carrots, apples or other treats. We'd dump the garden plants over the fence when cleaning out the garden in the fall. I remember them munching down the squash and bean plants with delight! Mom called it "Paradise in Disguise" because we lived in an old trailer, but were surrounded by God's beautiful creation on those 150 acres. She wrote with fabric paint "Welcome to Paradise in Disguise" on a flat stone she'd found on the property, and placed it on our deck.
During those years, we helped our landlord load hay wagons, stack firewood and mowed nature trails through the fields and woods. During the summer, the four of us would have campfires and camp out in our backyard. Sometimes the landlord's horses would get loose and we'd feed them corncobs while on the deck (that happened one time when we had company)! Working hard was what we did, as a family, and we never had cable TV, so we spent most of our summers outside. We'd pick wild blackberries and apples each year from our landlord's property. We'd then make and can up the applesauce and freeze the blackberries.
As a family, we'd also pick strawberries & blueberries as a family at a pick-your-own farm. The first few times I picked strawberries, I didn't eat any, until my parents encouraged me to try one. After that, I'd eat one and put one in the basket! 😁 We'd joke with the older gentleman who'd weigh our berries that it's a good thing we weren't weighed before and after picking berries! 🍓
Another inspiration was the "Little House on the Prairie" Series, and as a child, I dreamed of living a modern-day version of those "settlers" or "homesteaders". I loved the idea of growing your own food, bartering with your neighbors for what you didn't have, building your own home, and of course, finding my own "Almanzo Wilder". Even though they certainly had hard, difficult times, I somehow felt drawn to that simpler way of life. Perhaps that was also because we'd always learned how to be frugal and "make do with what we had", since we only had Dad's income, which at times was only minimum wage. Mom's enthusiasm for learning and adventure, combined with her positive outlook, helped us appreciate what we did have and find creative ways to make things work. As long as I can remember, I've always wanted to be a stay-at-home mom, and while that has yet to come about, the wonderful example I've had all these years keeps inspiring me.
Growing up, I was basically Mom's little shadow. Oh, I certainly loved Dad, too, but Mom was the one who we spent the most time with, since she also homeschooled us. The hilarious thing is she was more excited to do science experiments than me. One year for her birthday, I wrote something like, "I've enjoyed growing up with you. Thanks for being a sister and a mom to me!" Don't get me wrong, there isn't any "perfect family" and we had our share of difficulties, but doesn't everyone? The important thing is to appreciate what we do have and not constantly be looking longingly at the "greener grass on the other side of the fence." I learned that our earthly dwelling or how much money we have wasn't important, but who we spend it with and what we do with the time we have.
Gardening was also an important part of our life. My maternal great-grandfather lived to be 96 years old and had a large vegetable garden right up to the year before he died. I never met him, but I'm pretty sure he passed down his green thumb to me. I honestly don't remember a year when we didn't grow at least a little garden.
 |
| One year we grew 40 tomato plants! |
Mom and I gardened together until Mom gradually let me take over the gardening. By the time I was a teen, Mom joked that she was my helper and I was the "boss" in the garden! But that was pretty accurate, and to this day, she still comes over to help garden.
 |
| "Before" - garden on "gravely soil" |
A few years later, a friend told me to look up a video called "Back to Eden Film" @backtoedenfilm. I was so impressed, that I began searching for wood chips. I even bought a small wood chipper, so we could make our own.
When we moved to our current home in November 2014, we had to start a garden from scratch. So, we covered the grass with cardboard and newspaper, compost that we'd made with the help of the chickens, and topped it off with wood chips. After gardening "my whole life", in various places, many different methods, in clay, fast-draining "gravely" dirt, I definitely prefer #backtoedengardening. We still have to water some and have persistent weeds, but it's hands-down so much better! Just this past week, I was helping a 84 year old plant her garden, which included asparagus and potatoes. It required a pick ax / grub hoe to dig the holes, and there was almost more rocks than soil. In our garden, a hand 3-tined cultivator is sufficient to plant potatoes (or squash seeds).
 |
| Mom & I - on vacation to Maine several years ago |
In summary, I'm very grateful for all these great memories and how they helped shape who I am today. In today's world, a "good work ethic" is hard to find in young people, and there's a growing need for farmers, as well as, a movement of people "returning to the land" to grow food for their own families. While we still have to purchase some food from the grocery store, my goal is that one day we'll produce most of our food right here on our little "slice of heaven".
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