Seeds of Change

I spent the weekend shopping for a new generator and looking for pussywillows by the side of the road-so many of them were already covered with pollen! This unseasonably warm weather is crazy!

The last couple days have been filled with work and chores, and starting seeds on the windowsills. I spent the whole weekend thinking about how big my garden would be and how I could get more chickens, and maybe two pigs and a cow for meat this year, since this is likely to be my last summer that I'm not on call the entire time.

Then I got a call from school...they want me to go to Florida for the summer. Why couldn't I have gotten that call on January 30th? Can someone tell me that?

I know if I go to Florida, everything changes. I know that what is here at home will be other than how I left it. I feel like this is asking too much of me.

My mom always told me I was too rigid, "The only thing you can count on in life, Nikki, is change, so you've got to get more comfortable with it." Well I've had enough, I want some down time and some predictability. Security is probably a myth, but a fairytale doesn't seem so bad right now.

I wish I could be like the seeds. I love them, because they are 100% potential. Within those tomato seeds are fresh salads, tasty sauces, and all the smells of summer. Right now with these seeds, my garden and my life are perfect. Nothing has been ruined by storms, pests, or neglect.

In my head, all of my plans turn out perfectly and nothing is wasted. If only life were that way.

Voluptuous update: I have been making fresh bread everyday and it is amazing.

Simplicity update: The joy of clean hair cannot be underestimated.

Getting Ready

In 2006 DH and I purchased 34 acres of dreamland with an off-grid set up and a house (I use that term loosely). After our first weekend there, we started planning how we could move there permanently. The previous owner left us with 4 years of "Mother Earth News" "Backwoods" and "Countryside". We spent that whole first winter planning our homestead.

The enthusiasm for the big move has ebbed and flowed over the years. Him flowing, me ebbing. You see I love "Mother Earth News", but I also LOVE "Instyle". I really like to cook things from scratch, sew, garden, and live close to the Earth. But I also really like Tiff Co, delivered Pizza Luce', entertaining my friends, and regular spa treatments.

My husband spoils me relentlessly. We make a low to average income, but because we have no children, we spend most of that money and all of our time on whatever we want. But feeling so tied to our jobs, mine especially is a less than ideal situation, is frustrating.

We have a small, old home in a transitional neighborhood in Minneapolis, MN my husband has a good job in corrections. Between us, we have 3 college degrees, but we cannot afford to have a baby. Daycare would be cost prohibitive, and really in the United States, shouldn't a family of three be able to be provided for by one decent income?

I read recently that the average income in the US is $35K, and the average family has 2 to 3 kids. Is it so wrong that my husband wants his wife to raise his children rather than someone making minimum wage wearing non-latex gloves? We purchased our home for $110K, I drive a 12 year old car, we have no debt, other than the house and school loans, but we can't live on $35K, can anyone?

So, long story short, we are making the big move. We are renting out our house and planning to go to the farm by June first. Many of the modern homesteading sites and blogs include good information on woodfire cooking, livestock, and homeschooling. Many of them also describe what kind of armory (yep gun cache) that you need to fight off the government...

WOW. This blog is intended to be an alternate. I want simplicity, I want to raise and eat real food, I want to live with the rhythms of Earth, I want to quit my job and have a baby.

I want Voluptuous Simplicity. I want to throw parties, have time and money to travel, avoid tapered leg jeans and anything with a sports team logo on it; for me the definition of wealth is having what you need when you need it and being able to enjoy it.

I may succeed, I may fail, but as DH says "I'm tired of paying for the dream, but not living it."