Homestead. Hobby Farm. Some people use these terms interchangeably. Some people are very emotional about either / or. For me, it is now a matter of the heart and home.
I had spent the last 18 months at home, growing the farm and learning many things about the land, animals and myself. I guess you could say I excelled. Our farm had become bigger than our britches. We need more fence and more paddocks. We need a better "barn" system with more stalls and coops. We need more feed and water bowls, and the feed to fill them. We went from 10 chickens to 30, 2 goats to 8, and no caged rabbits, as they were all "free range" and self-sufficient to 15 in cages.
It became painfully obvious that our one-income homestead was no longer viable as it was. I began thinking I could make up some difference at the farmer's market. I had to be honest with myself; spending a day sitting at the market taking money from people is just not in my personality. Yes, sometimes one has to step outside of oneself to survive, but I had other options. I did sell Brie and Houdini for some feed money, to help cut future costs, and for the health of the herd. Brie was well into her role of Queen Brie and I believe this took a toll on Mollie and her babies, including the one stillborn.
It was a very hard decision, and hubby along with myself teeter-tottered back and forth on what to do, but a door of opportunity opened, and still hesitant, I stepped through it. I took an outside job, one that I had done before several years ago. Actually, I had put in an application for a different job, again, one that I had done before, and instead got a call from a manager about another opening, the opening of the job I took. Apparently, it is a good thing that I did since I later learned that I was the ONLY interview. It sounds like a bit of divine intervention to me.
I am not going lie. It is bittersweet. There are things that I cannot accomplish anymore, such as running the greenhouse efficiently, spending extra time with the young animals to develop a bond or a trust with them rather than just be "she that brings us sustenance." And even that is not the case because feeding chores are delegated. I won't be hand-washing my laundry very often outside with the animals grazing all around me. I won't be baking so many homemade loaves of bread or fresh hamburger buns. I won't have the time to sit at my leisure and listen to the birds or view the beauty of my surrounds anytime I wish. I have to wait for the weekends, like "normal" people do.
It is going to be hard doing a job in town and then coming home and trying to accomplish a whole day on the farm. I know that people do it all the time. I will be one of those people because it is ingrained in my heart and soul. I am thankful to God everyday that I have this now hobby farm and my family and even an income to enhance my farm and make it better for our family, including our animals. I am thankful almost everyday. I do have what my mother has coined "Grinchy Thursday." Not only is Thursday the busiest day at work, it is also the day before Friday, and about 75% of Thursdays are spent figuring out how to sell all the livestock and sometimes even the whole farm because I am too tired and I can't do it... But by bedtime Thursday night, the Grinch's heart has grown back to normal size and all is well on Lost Arrow Acres again.
Some people knit, some people paint, some people workout...I farm.
