I wake up in the morning regularly, before the sun is up, and begin the day following a similar routine, pull on my robe, let out the dogs, and put out their food. Then get dressed, brew the coffee, and go out to the hen house to collect eggs and feed and water them and the other livestock. In the winter it's a bit different than in summer but not by much except for hauling in wood for the fire and tending it to keep the place warm, the routine is fairly similar year round. Well at least most days are similar, there is always something that makes the routine hard to follow through. Kids needs, meetings scheduled at too early times for someones convenience, things to attend to in town, or having to meet some obligation somewhere that leaving early means the chores are left undone....
Everyday is different but similar........
I wonder how similar the days are for other people attempting to regain a more rural, slightly agrarian lifestyle.....
There is, I believe, a true need to at least attempt to regain and maintain the knowledge and abilities of the rural home from the past, without the fears of the hardscrabble existence that was for some of our forebears a harsh reality.
The pride in growing a garden and canning your own green beans, or raising a flock of chickens from egg to roasting pan and knowing you have a ready supply of fresh food in your backyard and sharing the bounty with your neighbors is truly a blessing and joy.
Being able to bake from scratch, and sew, knowing how to repair things as they need mending, to be able to build things that need to be built. Having need for, and care of, those things which make the bounty of the backyard farm a reality are things which I truly feel are of great value to pass on to the next generation and beyond.
I see in our community a resurgence of small farming activities, gardens and goats, roosters calls echo from hen houses in backyards all along the ridge where our home is. But what of teaching the skills and relating the lessons, preserving the experiences and how-to. Since people don't seem to visit with neighbors so much any more and the front porch is a thing of the past at most homes. It seems the welcome mat is out but no one calls from down the road or across the field. What to do? A dozen fresh eggs? A basket of squash? A fresh baked pie? A neighborly gesture offering some of the abundance and an opportunity to talk - to get to know the people around your neighborhood..... Sometimes it works, but sometimes not, we have become a less inviting society, more self focused and self reliant, and less needful of community and cooperation. And less and less aware of how to get the bounty of the land gathered up and preserved for the winter when the firewood has been split and stacked and it is time to relax and plan for the spring with a warm fire in the hearth and know the pantry is well stocked from the plenty gained from working the land.
So what to do - same old thing - but different
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