Posts Tagged ‘Negativity’
Figuring Out Fall
Daylight peers over the horizon on a breeze of hot August air as I lay in bed contemplating the coming fall. The plans I had for getting ready for fall have been put on hold, at least while the temps push towards triple digits. With Brianne moving to college and the loss of an extra pair of hands I’m nervous that all I need to accomplish won’t get done in time. Even though we often have Indian Summers that last into October I’m still scared. But, if I know one thing it is that you reap what you sow. If I concentrate on the negative instead of the positive only negativity will enter my world, so I stay upbeat about what I have done and what I can do to get ready for winter.
So, here’s where we are. The greenhouse has a floor and windows; a door and framed sides, but no roof, at least not yet. Every day, from the break of dawn until the temperature drives me inside I work on enclosing the greenhouse using clap board I found on Craigslist. Once finished I will have all my gardening supplies in one place and will start seeds for a fall garden.
A new batch of meat birds are scheduled for early September. A replacement for the ill fated early summer batch that went to the opossums or were put down for safety’s sake.
And, if all goes well this time I’ll have a freezer full of chicken before we celebrate Halloween and eating homemade pot pies when the weather changes.
On the firewood front—I have about ½ cord laid in, but need 3 more to keep my house warm and homey during the winter months. With Brianne taking her truck with her to school the process of getting firewood and transporting it will be slow, but like the tortoise, it will get done, eventually. Labor for heat, not a bad trade-off.
I am taking stock of my pantry and supplies laid by and plan to bring in more staples before prices increase. Staples are at the top of my list and I’m hoping to trade avocados and lemons for some pork raised by a friend.
Good news! looks like my hard fought for refi will go through, finally, decreasing my mortgage by several hundred dollars. I’m also reevaluating other expenses and crunching down where I can. We’re not hard up, never really have been, but I have future plans to move to a less populated place in the country (more on that as it unfolds). Anything I can save is money that stays in the bank, to pay off my house and work towards my own freedom. It may seem like dog paddling, but my head is above water and that’s success in its own right.
All these projects are slow to progress, but they do progress. It’s all figured out in my logical head in the bright light of day, but come the darkness of night emotions and uncertainty seep in, shaking my confidence. I try not to go there. As long as I put one foot in front of the other I feel in control. Everything will be done. I know it. I have family and friends to help with the big stuff and gladly they are willing to do so. I was feeling unsure last night, but I’m not going there tonight. I have me list, my plan and a nice cup of chamomile tea to carry me through.
I’m staying the course, folks. Nothing will slow me down.
Welcome to SuburbanHomesteading.com!
Every day we are bombarded with bad news about the economy, layoffs, and financial crisis – the negativity is overwhelming. As many of us juggle to make ends meet, we hear more and more that people should simplify, become more self-reliant, more self-sufficient, even become modern day homesteaders. But what does that mean? How does a normal suburban family make it all work on a very normal sized city or town lot?
That’s what SuburbanHomesteading.com is all about – learning to become modern day homesteaders right where we live.
You’ll not only discover how suburban families can live this newly emerging lifestyle, you’ll also discover information, resources, tools, links, products, recommended books and lifestyle guides that can help make this lifestyle a reality…plus so much more as you visit the various pages of our site.
But, before you “dig in” to SuburbanHomesteading.com, we want to help you understand the new and sometimes confusing terms you’ll encounter — terms which are too often misunderstood.
Homesteading is a lifestyle of simple, agrarian self-sufficiency. ‘Homesteader’ applies to anyone who chooses to live a sustainable, self-sufficient lifestyle. ‘Suburban homesteading’, can be viewed as a simple living lifestyle, incorporating small-scale livestock raising and gardening, home food production and storage into suburban or city living.
Self-sufficiency or self-reliance refers to doing for one’s self and one’s family; not requiring outside help, support, or interaction for survival; it is a type of personal or collective independence.
Simple living or voluntary simplicity is a way of living that minimizes the all-encompassing (and often stressful) pursuit of wealth and consumption. It rejects the idea that ‘more-is-better’ and embraces the idea that you can have a better, more tranquil life with less. Voluntary simplicity is a way of living that is outwardly more simple and inwardly more rewarding — a way of “being” that brings our most authentic and alive self into conscious living.
As we launch ‘SuburbanHomesteading.com’ to serve the ever-growing population of modern-day homesteaders, I think back to the way previous generations lived and survived the difficult times in our nation’s history. With every major struggle, including the Great Depression, we, as individuals and families, have had to take steps to care for ourselves. I think about the Victory Gardens of WWI, the frugality during the Dust Bowl era and food rationing during WWII. Our citizens learned much during these times.
But, too often, we ignore the old ways; much to our peril.
SuburbanHomesteading.com won’t be a diary or journal or musings of my life, although you will see some references to what I am doing.
Rather, this site is all about YOU. It’s a place where you, the 21st Century Homesteader, can come for information, ideas, inspiration and encouragement as we all travel down an unknown path to an uncertain future.
None of us knows how long this current crisis or its aftermath will last, but what I am sure of is that each and every person who learns to take care of themselves and their family — who learns to focus on the positive and not dwell on the negative — will ultimately be better off.
My challenge to you as you enter this new realm of simplicity and calm is to focus on what’s truly important in your life – family, friends, your health and doing for yourself. Leave the ugliness of the outside world…outside. Make a new world for yourself, regardless of your situation. One that is serene and slow, enjoyable and beautiful in its simplicity. Step out of the fast lane and onto the slow path.
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Aenean nonummy hendrerit mauris. Phasellus porta.