Monday Musings.

Self-sufficient.  Self-sustaining.  I wonder, is sufficient enough?  Is sustaining just the minimum?  Should we be self-thriving?  There are times when I feel that this is all such a struggle, and what is it for in the end?  I think that part of the joy for me is the process - the learning of new things; the challenges.  Can I stop at the store and buy a bottle of vanilla extract?  Of course.  But I would rather make my own.  A lot of the things I have learned have been out of necessity.  I am a one-income family and my time is spread pretty thin.  That combination is ripe for self-instruction!  I can't call the vet for every injection, so I learned how to do it myself.  Clogged drains, rodent problems, plumbing problems, holes in the wall, broken thises and thats, I call me. 

I am not a doom-and-gloom, end-of-the-world type.  I am ever hopeful.  A long time ago, I decided that this type of outlook was way healthier for me and I'm sticking to it.  I have gone through a lot to get where I am today, and I would like to think that I am getting close to self-thriving.  I would like to think that I am pretty much up to any challenge - because I'm not afraid of failing.  Joel Salatin gave a great example in his latest book about a baby just beginning to stand on her own - she struggles up on her own two feet, then teeters and falls back down.  Her parents and grandparents cheer her on - they are so proud!  Do they say, "Rosemary, if you can't stand up correctly, just go sit down".  (I am flagrantly paraphrasing).  It seems to me that we all tend to lose our cheering section as we get older.  Hell's bells - if you don't have one, create your own cheering section!  There is nothing wrong with feeling proud of what you can do, no matter what it is.  I don't trail regrets behind me like Marley's chains because I believe that things happen for a reason.  Sometimes that reason eludes you for years...other times, it's pretty obvious.  If this path I've chosen becomes an onerous and unhappy trek, then I'll stop and reassess.  Otherwise, I'm going to enjoy the journey and any twists and turns still left in it.

Whambang-est Giveaway - Day #4

Being self-sufficient means that you have to develop a lot of skills.  Sewing, knitting, crocheting are all skills that are not that difficult to learn (she says, cavalierly) and will save you a lot of time and money.  Or, at least, a lot of money!   I was only a so-so student in Home Economic class (what is it called these days?  Domestic Engineering?)  To my teenaged mind, basting everything first and THEN sewing it was redundant.  And a waste of time.  So, of course, I refused and did it my own way.  I may have only garnered Cs, but all of my projects turned out just fine.  Pfffffft.

Up for grabs today:  SEW U, The Built by Wendy Guide to Making Your Own Wardrobe. 

Topic for today's comment:  What was your biggest sewing/knitting/crocheting disaster/challenge? Mine was deciding to make a lined, wool fitted jacket with about 20 buttons when I was a junior in highschool. Without a buttonholer, mind you. I basically sewed the entire thing by hand, including the buttonholes.  Those were the days when I could actually focus!

(Comment by midnight tonight to be eligible for the drawing.  Sorry, shipment of the book is limited to the US.)

Congratulations to the winner of Dream Day #3 - Tombstone Livestock!  Please send your mailing info to swomersley at gmail dot com.

Whambang-est Giveaway - Day #3

My dreams have always been very grand.  I would have a pasture full of Appaloosas.   I would be the world's premiere bareback rider, resplendent in green satin and rhinestones (a particular favorite of mine at 8).  I would have a herd of Jerseys with a dairy and a cheese cave.  I would have a 100 acre farm in Vermont with a log house, barns -- you get the picture.  What I have is a humble homestead in upstate NY with four acres - about 1.5 of which are usable at the moment.  That has not kept me down.  No matter how limited your space, it is absolutely amazing how much food you can produce on small acreage.  I haven't even scratched the surface.

Today's giveaway is:  The Backyard Homestead by Carleen Madigan.

There is so much information in this book!  Besides my Carla Emery tome, this is my most-used reference book.  It covers broccoli to bees, parsley to pigs.  It's a well-written, well-researched, well-designed book.

Topic for today's comment:  What is your dream homestead like?  Are you living your dream?
(As always, cut off for entry is midnight Eastern time tonight!)  I need to add a disclaimer here -- I can only ship to US addresses, so many apologies to any readers from outside of the US.

Congratulations to our Domestic Goddess:  SweetLand Farm!  Send your mailing information to me at swomersley at gmail dot com. 

Monday Musings.

This whole business with Flora has made me realize that I have come such a long, long way from the beginning of my homesteading experience, a little over six years ago.  In my previous life, I had chickens, goats, a llama, and an alpaca.  But - for any problem/issue at all, I called the veterinary and they sent someone out.  I had cute rubber boots with flowers on them.  I wore little goatskin gloves and designer coveralls.  I had a full time job and a boyfriend.  I ate out at restaurants and had a clothing budget.  Then that particular dream turned nightmarish and ended.

When I moved to this little place, I put chickens in as soon as possible.  Then I moved through a series of good moves/bad moves (turkeys/quail/pigs/ducks/too many sheep).  I think that, when you've waited all your life for this kind of life, you can sort of lose your mind if you're not careful.  After a rough patch of hiccups, bumps and missteps, I am closing in on the right balance.  I learned quickly that you better take out a second mortgage if you're going to be calling the vet for every little thing.  Even for bigger things that you don't think you can handle on your own.  Thanks to good fortune, a benign Universe, pure luck, and a little divine intervention (just to cover all my bases), I ended up with friends who have been there/done that, and - most importantly of all, just down the road there is a knowledgeable, funny, smart neighbor (that would be you, Kay) who has helped fortify my self-confidence immeasurably.  I've also taken the time to read a lot and have developed a good animal husbandry library.  That beats running around, wringing your hands and looking for someone to save you any day.

Flora has been a handful.  A sweet, loving handful, but a tough nut, nonetheless.  After reveling in my celebration-ette of finishing the nine day penicillin treatment, I went out Thursday morning to find fluid building up under her jaw.  Again.  This time, I called the vet.  But, instead of making an appointment for a farm call (cha-CHING), I asked to speak to one of the vets.  I then went through the litany of symptoms, treatments, temperature, yadda-yadda.  We talked about cardiac problems, parasite problems, fluid build-up, quality and quantity of sheep droppings.  We talked raspy breathing and runny noses.  She prescribed two new medications, to be injected sub-cu every three days (hooray on both counts).  When I hung up the phone, I stood and emptied my pockets - hanky, reading glasses, empty syringe, notebook, pen, green tomato, and goat treat crumbles.

I still had to take a 5 minute shower, dress for work and drive an hour and a half to the vet's to pick up the meds, then an hour and a half to work.  But I believe I am getting close to arriving at where I want to be.