Gardens + mountains in July

It is definitely high summer. The thermometer, garden, and lack of time to complete chores is a testament to this. Have you noticed this is my first update in a while? Well, needless to say, there’s been a lot going on.

This is our first summer at the new homestead. Which, by the way, we finally have a name for. In fact, getting our articles of incorporation and other paperwork in order has been another item we’ve been getting in order. I’ll save the announcement of our new farm name for the next post — that way you have something to look forward to, eh?

The days are filled with, in no particular order: taking care of Hazel, doing income work away from home, trying to keep the garden going strong, picking blackberries, cucumbers, etc., trying to keep the grass at a reasonable length, getting ready to launch our new building business (more on that one later, too), diaper laundry, some woodworking projects, more laundry…

Chanterelles from a recent walk in the woods

(One) Reality of Owning Land

I’m not going to lie. It’s been a challenging transition to actually owning property and balancing all of our needs and desires. This is, in some very significant ways, a very different way of living for us. I mean, we’re still building, gardening and doing all that stuff, but the responsibility of making land payments is definitely requiring a big time commitment in our household. I hope that eventually we can meet our income needs from our home- and land-based businesses, but all of those things take work of their own, and time to develop and flourish. 

For basically the past decade, my cost of living has been so low that I haven’t needed to worry about a steady stream of income year-round, and now that I own land and am living out this new part of my life I am fully cognizant of how needs can morph and evolve. Having a mortgage is not the cool or attractive part of having a homestead. However since I, April, nor Jacob are independently wealthy, our reality entails having enough income to be able to actually have a homestead in the first place. What a delicate dance for sure.

And so right now, we’re really trying to establish a sustainable source of income, one that is a) actually sufficient to make mortgage payments, b) reasonably enjoyable and something we feel good about, and c) has the potential to grow but not wear us down. We’re hopeful our local contracting business fulfills these needs. Time will tell.

Anyway… for good measure, here’s a baby picture for ya to conclude this post on a cute note.

Until next time…

Hazel… growing like a weed