Nasturtium, geranium, and thai basil.

A new potato plant, ready to be earthed up.

I stocked my bookshelves with many many books that together would serve as a wonderful reference library for me as I learn along the way on this journey toward what many call self-sufficiency.

Banana pepper plant, providing its lovely fruit for us.

I also loaded my seed basket full with myriad seed packets, representing the hope I would have for my homestead of providing much of my family’s food. Todd caught the vision as well and planted plenty of fruit trees and built raised beds to enlarge our family’s plans for living off our .18 of an acre to the best of our ability. It’s not a lot of space to work with, but we do our best to use what God has given us to the best of our ability.

Catnip, going to flower.

But back to planning—it’s a wonderful idea–and a very crucial step to any successful endeavor. However, there does come a point where the planning stops and the labor starts….where the reality of a project we’ve planned for months is now upon us and the REAL work starts. This is where I am at.

Ethel, about 6 weeks old and looking like a teenager.

I’m at the very place I dreamed of for years while trying to convince Todd of what a worthy effort urban homesteading would be for our family. I’m at the place where we have done most of the planning, and all it is now is implementing all of those plans and maintaining them daily, weekly, monthly, yearly.

It’s the place where you realize, “Wow, I’m really doing this, and I can’t back out now.”

New, thriving zucchini plants.

Not that I want to back out, mind you, but I’ll admit to you that this life is not easy for this city kid who was raised to believe that idle time was what we were all supposed to live for so we can spend it on talking on the phone, watching television, sleeping, eating, partying, and whatever else my heart desired. It takes the diligent practice of discipline to maintain healthy lives for all of the plants, animals and, most importantly, the people on the homestead. We all have needs, and they all must be met daily.

Stormy the newly-dubbed “barn cat”, not giving me the time of day.

But when I weigh what my life could be without all these new chores to do and responsibilities to fulfill,  my thoughts often return to the depression that I’ve felt over the years due to wasted time on idle activities. I ask myself, “What would my life be like if I didn’t have these daily tasks to take up my time?” I quickly realize that these tasks, time consuming, dusty, dirty, tiring, and perplexing as they are, are all part of the life I’ve striven for years now to achieve. The life that I believe that God has set before me to live.

Now, the REAL work starts–and it’s going to profit my family in ways that we will bless them, of course. But as for me, the hard work will profit me exponentially. I just know it.

Blessings,