Homesteading and Gardening
I love the rural life - growing my own food, raising livestock and the peacefulness of living in the country. I think it is so much better of a life for raising children than city or suburban life. I've lived both and know the difference. I thank my Abba every day for providing us this place out in the country to live. We have a beautiful spot and it fills a need in my soul. There are projects unlimited, but it is all the kinds of work I enjoy doing.
We have a big garden which I am always expanding and improving. We have chickens since I built a chicken tractor. Right now we only have 6, but I can fit another 4- 6 in their abode and probably will in the spring. I'm thinking of doing a second simpler one to raise some for meat, too. We'd like to get some meat animals - calves or lambs and either a cow or milk sheep for milk. Our place is more than 50% grass, so we have plenty to feed enough to sustain us. I still want to make a greenhouse to expand our growing season. This year (2011) our frost wasn't until the end of October so we've had a good harvest season. We had a bad drought during the summer so things didn't do as well as I hoped, but we've had plenty to eat out of our garden. I learn more every year.
We heat with wood as it would be astronomical to heat this old farmhouse any other way and we don't have air-conditioning other than one small window unit upstairs. We've made it through 2 summers up here on the mountain without a/c and have found there is only about 3 weeks where we really miss it. We just remind ourselves that it is not long and cooler nights will come and then cooler days. Cooler nights have a lot more to do with staying comfortable than the days as we can get the house cooled down at night with fans in the windows. I get up just before the sun comes up and take the fans out of the windows and shut the blinds to keep the hot sun out. We then use the fans in the rooms to circulate the air. It is very livable this way.
I have a page with pictures of my garden here. I have another page with garden tips here and one for pictures of making my chicken tractor here.
We have a big garden which I am always expanding and improving. We have chickens since I built a chicken tractor. Right now we only have 6, but I can fit another 4- 6 in their abode and probably will in the spring. I'm thinking of doing a second simpler one to raise some for meat, too. We'd like to get some meat animals - calves or lambs and either a cow or milk sheep for milk. Our place is more than 50% grass, so we have plenty to feed enough to sustain us. I still want to make a greenhouse to expand our growing season. This year (2011) our frost wasn't until the end of October so we've had a good harvest season. We had a bad drought during the summer so things didn't do as well as I hoped, but we've had plenty to eat out of our garden. I learn more every year.
We heat with wood as it would be astronomical to heat this old farmhouse any other way and we don't have air-conditioning other than one small window unit upstairs. We've made it through 2 summers up here on the mountain without a/c and have found there is only about 3 weeks where we really miss it. We just remind ourselves that it is not long and cooler nights will come and then cooler days. Cooler nights have a lot more to do with staying comfortable than the days as we can get the house cooled down at night with fans in the windows. I get up just before the sun comes up and take the fans out of the windows and shut the blinds to keep the hot sun out. We then use the fans in the rooms to circulate the air. It is very livable this way.
I have a page with pictures of my garden here. I have another page with garden tips here and one for pictures of making my chicken tractor here.