Playing Catch-Up

I 'saw' a couple of virtual friends online earlier this morning and they both chimed in that they were going to check out my blog to see what I've been doing. Over the past year. Wow. Where do you start on a topic that big? At the bottom? The beginning? Hit the high points? It's sort of like those Christmas card letters we get each year that tells us how well George is doing in school and that Ulysses got a promotion, but other than that, doesn't say much. Anywho, I digress.

So what have I been doing for the past year? Learning. Lots and lots of learning.

I've learned to make homemade cleaners and detergents.

Learned to not be afraid of chickens.

Learned to make blackberry liqueur.

How to make fried corn like my Mamaw used to make.

How to make newspaper pots to start seedlings.

I've learned to can/preserve anything that I can lay hands on and that can't run faster than me.

I've learned to save seeds, bake bread, make homemade yogurt and buttermilk, blend homemade conditioners.

I now know how to start seedlings in a basement with a grow light and then harden them off in the garage.

I've learned to eat seasonally and appreciate/anticipate the change in season and diet.

I've learned to barter.

I've also done interviews for 3 major publications with one on the wing. You know, typical homesteading life.

One of the major things I've learned in the past year is patience. So much of our lives now is about immediate gratification, but with the agrarian lifestyle, it's all about time. You can't rush fruits to ripen, seasons to change, weather patterns to shift. All you can do is wait, be patient and appreciate the change when it finally arrives. Patience has been my biggest learning experience of all.

So that's what I've been doing for the past year. Just the same old-same old.