This article at the Urban Homestead made me think quite a bit about the past year and what the new year may hold for us here at Chicky Bit Run.
http://urbanhomestead.org/journal/2009/01/02/new-beginnings-4/
We've come a long way in the past year from where we started. A year ago we gave very little thought to what we eat or where it came from, who grew it. Never crossed our minds. It didn't matter that we were almost entirely dependent on Walmart and Kroger for our food supply; isn't everyone? One single event was a springboard for me, pushing me to look a little closer at what we were eating and how we were living....the Feb. 2008 beef recalls. That single event is what prompted me to look into factory farms, unstable food supplies, peak oil, homesteading and the works.
Nearly a year later, we've accomplished a great deal toward self-sufficiency. Our garden has tripled, we've added fruit trees and vines and a lovely flock of chicky-bits. But more than that, it's also changed our mindset. Everyday is an opportunity to be free from the shackles of corporate America. Everything that I re-purpose instead of throwing away and buying new is a dollar saved and a learning experience earned. I feel like we've stopped chasing the dream and are beginning to live it. A quiet, humble, satisfying life; one of hard work, long hours in the garden and over the canner and pride in a job well done. Not to mention the immense security one feels in seeing rows upon rows of homegrown, home-canned food.
Now onto 2009. Here are some of our goals, in black and white, so we can't forget them.
1. Add more permanent plantings
2. Expand the coop and flock of chickens
3. Keep looking for raw milk
4. Finish our 'Bug-Out Bag'
5. Keep purging the house of clutter and unnecessaries
6. Perfect our mozzarella cheese-making skills (and other cheeses too!)
7. Find the 'perfect' recipe for a loaf of whole grain bread
8. Can more instead of freezing so much
9. Finish up my 6 month food supply stores
10. Lose 20 lbs.
11. Learn/relearn practical skills like knitting, herbalism, candle making, lotion/soap making
12. Clean out the bed at the north side of the house.
I'm sure I've left out many of our goals, but that's a good start for now. I can always add on later. So there it is in black and white. My 'To Do' list for the following year. How's yours shaping up???
1 comment:
I'm working on drafting a big ole blog post right now to highlight what I *am* doing and what steps I've taken so far so I don't feel overwhelmed by how backward I am in the sustainability and self sufficency department. Because, dang, when I look at what I *am* doing so far it is pretty cool and I *am* doing well. It's so hard that the start of the new year comes when it's so gloomy and dark and I am inclined to go "wow, I have tooooo much to do and will never meet my goals." No wonder peoples' resolutions get broken so easily!!
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