Real Life

Despite the name, real life is not a storybook.

Sometimes, the feeling of having everything you think you need is scary, because if you aren't perfectly happy, mustn't there be something wrong with you?

The reality is: sometimes things are going to die. Sometimes it's not going to be fun. Sometimes the very land that holds so many possibilities also makes me feel suffocated with all the work it brings with it. The storybook winters can also be kind of dark and dreary. Keeping something like chickens means cleaning up a lot of shit - literally.

What we got when we moved here was a headstart. We got to skip ahead 20 moves or so. So much of the infrastructure work is done. But there is a slight disadvantage too. We didn't go through any of the learning process we would have had we done it ourselves.

No worries. Life is a learning process.

Last year, an apricot tree died. Many of my tomatoes got blossom end rot and blight. I stunted my cucumbers and squash by starting them in peat pots. In some places weeds went unchecked. We got an incredibly early freeze. According to many locals, the earliest the area has seen in 30 years.

At the same time, I had incredible harvests of greens, peas, beans, and root vegetables. I grew enough tomatoes that I still always had some that were healthy enough to give us tasty snacks. The nectarines were to die for, and the ability to get a morning bowl of berries was heavenly.

Homemade strawberry ice cream with last summer's garden strawberries.

This year, we are moving into the realm of animals, starting with chickens and bees. So, both the risks and rewards become greater.

One step at a time.

As we carve out our life on Storybook homestead, it is with a goal of more self sufficiency.

It's unlikely we'll ever be off grid (the mortgage is paid with a computer programmer's salary, after all). But, I do want to know that, if we lost power, we'd be okay until it came back on, be it hours, days, or even weeks. I want to know that if food prices sky rocket, we'll still be able to feed our family. I want confidence that the food I feed my family has a minimum of chemicals and pesticides in it.

But, it's one step at a time. Everything is a continuum and balance is key. If we eat less processed food this year then we did the year before, I've improved my family's health. If my berries are coming from my backyard, rather then Mexico, I know they've had a lower impact on the environment and are almost certainly carrying less chemicals.

In the long term, I'd like to see virtually all of our produce coming from the homestead in the summer months. And still a majority in the winter. I will admit to liking some tropical fruits, but when I have fresh peaches and raspberries, I'm able to pass on that mango or pineapple.

The beef in this meal was local and the potatoes and veggies were from our own backyard.

Long term, we also plan to have much of our protein coming from our own land, mainly in the form of poultry and eggs. With only 1.5 acres, I can raise chickens or turkeys, but not poultry feed. We do enjoy red meat, but I don't consider our space to be large enough. Community has always been part of self sufficiency. With that in mind, we will try to get what we can't produce as locally as possible.

For the most part, I'd sum up my philosophy as an attempt to achieve balance. When I was younger, I saw the whole world in extremes. Now, life is an attempt to achieve equilibrium. That is what I hope to do on our homestead.