Our First Steps: Small Spaces

     My husband and I both came from large family farms. That connection to the land, our food, and family values was something we wanted for our family, yet, early married life didn't offer the means for that. Our early years of homesteading life came in phases- steps, one at a time, that brought us to where we are today.

     We started with an apartment- a place were we loaded a balcony with plants, dried laundry on racks inside, and canned as much seasonal, on-sale produce as we could. Committed to purchasing whole food, our children came and grew with simplicity and meals around the table. A rental and a home in town gave us more garden space and an outdoor clothesline- another step forward.

     The early years were not overly self sufficient; not much food was produced in those small spaces. Those years gave us focus on doing what we could with what we had. Groceries were not 'organic', but they were whole foods we cooked and prepared simply and nutritiously. Handwork was honed and developed as was canning and cleaning. We reconsidered natural living and bucked the trend to be overtly modern. TV was foregone to make way for parks and museums. Staying out of debt was a priority as was growing a safe, healthy family.
      My early simple years gave me time to learn, research, and prepare for larger opportunities which came eventually- in their own time. When I stop and ponder the humble beginnings we faced then, I am amazed at how far we have come- from little steps to big leaps. Our humble beginnings may have seemed so small then, but today we realize without them we would not be where we are today.