LittleHomestead

I grew up on a small farm in western New York in the 70's and 80's. We raised beef cattle, pigs, chickens, and ducks for food and kept horses for trail riding. There was always a huge garden behind our home and every summer was spent canning and freezing the produce for the winter. A steer and a pig went in the freezer every year too. We never went hungry, even when there wasn't a lot of money for extras.

It was hard work growing up in a farm family. I helped bale the hay, muck the stalls, feed and water the animals, gather the eggs and sometimes milk one of the cows. But I wouldn't trade my memories of hay seeds sticking to my brow or the smell of pig manure for memories of concrete and sirens.

Our family moved to a small agricultural property in 2010 and I've been reliving some of those fond memories ever since. I keep chickens for meat and eggs and do the butchering myself. The garden is a work in progress, but with the addition of compost every year, it will soon be very productive. I've planted fruit trees and small fruits. When there is extra meat or produce I can, dehydrate and freeze it for later. I cook from scratch and enjoy knowing that our food is wholesome and organic.

We homeschool our son and enjoy the extra time we have to spend with him. He has started college classes and I'm happy that he is doing so well.

I earned my BFA in drawing and painting in 1988 and I continue to draw for my own satisfaction. I have worked as a Landscape Designer and am currently working on developing a career writing and creating artwork. It is really nice to work from home and have time to continue doing all of the things that I find so enjoyable.

I recently started blogging about modern homesteading at:

http://littlehomesteadonthehill.blogspot.com/