From my childhood there has been a longing to stay connected to the land. My feed crave the cool softness of earth between my toes. For a time my path confined me to places less than fulfilling where my creativity kept itself with balcony gardens, desktop flowers, and early morning biscuits. Blessed with a husband who loved the farmland of his childhood, we longed to bring our children the joy of such connections; an education in life not found anywhere else.
After a rental and a house in town, our journey brought us to the home we have now. At the time few others shared space with us and only a couple businesses dotted the roads leading here. Sadly, the wooded areas and serene roads have been invaded by industry and cluttered living. We remain as we have been, the little farm at the end of the road. Children stand at our gate offering carrots to the herd and giggling as the donkey announces their presence. Despite the crowding, we still have woods to the back of our property offering us the scenic beauty of nature despite it all.
We live in an old two story house with wood floors and no central heat or air conditioning. By wood floors, I do not mean the polished wood floors of many dwellings, but simple wood of natural disposition and primitive humility. The furnishings are simple; here out of necessity not their appearance. A large metal shop doubles as workspace and barn, giving refuge to our herd, flock and the many machines/tools that aid our daily doings. Gardens and pasture mark every inch of space; no lawn or manicured landscape anywhere.
While the location is not necessarily ideal; the buildings may not be aesthetic, our homestead is a haven. This is the place I long to be at the end of my day; the gate I close when the world overwhelms me. My greenhouse offers me a solace from technology and a place to seek peace from the God of all creation. Sitting on the fallen tree play area in a pasture soothes tensions giving me focus and time to breathe.
Welcome to my homestead. Simple and plain; we wouldn't have it any other way.
2 comments:
Sounds inviting :)
Your homestead sounds so lovely. You sound like you feel the same way about yours as I do mine. My homestead is 39 acres of bliss. When we first bought this place in 1994, it was run down and needed some TLC. Through the years - it has been my "vacation home", "retreat" and "hiding place." We have been blessed to raise our girls and critters in the place God has given us - my "heaven" on earth. Blessings from Ringle, Wisconsin.
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