People think we live in quiet solitude in our isolated mountain farm. This is so far from the truth, but to look at any photograph one would only see the tranquility of nature, not human affairs.
My life is messy, the dishes are never totally done, either is the laundry, you should consider yourself lucky if you catch me on a day when my floor is clean. Seeds, and plans and projects and renovations make a "clean" house impossible. But if you came to my door I would welcome you with a clean chair and a nice cheery spot to share our tea. I would hope to delight you with the latest from my culinary repertoire, today it would be smoked rainbow trout with homemade goat cheese. Then, if you stayed the afternoon you would join me picking nettles, dandelion and chives for supper. We would gather eggs and feed the chickens and turkeys, then watch their existence for a while with awe and delight.
When we bought this place 10 years ago it was little more than a shack in the woods. It met our qualifications of a road, power, water and sewer but it was all 40 years old. It has all been updated and upgraded, but we are still not done. Then we found rot in the forest and had to cut it down to save our house. The piles of debris wood sat for years as we used them for construction and firewood. Last year we got rid of the piles and now are working with cleared land, this year we must plant to get ahead of the grass.
Simultaneously, today, my husband is putting in a new septic system, one acre is ready to be planted in fruit and berry bushes, we have to get an electrical plug in checked because my freezer keeping going on and off, we have no water til we get to the top of the hill to clean the filter, we have 20 rooster than need to go. Next week new waterlines will be put in and a new garden constructed on another half acre which as cleared last fall.
We were content to buy a cabin in the woods, we are still content today. As nature evolves around us, we must evolve too. It has made us "be" more, better than we were before moving here. I want to show everyone how wonderful this life is, so I take perfect pretty pictures. I don't normally speak on such a personal level, but today, in celebration of the new moon bringing the new beginnings of life to nature, I feel compelled to expose the truth.
Life is messy. The only way to show you the perfection of this lifestyle is to show you the mess, then you can appreciate the transformation and the generosity of the wild natural world we are all meant to play in. Peace
Click the photos to make them bigger!!
Rose, you are right, life IS messy! There is never a time when there is nothing to be done, and if there was, I would think I am not doing enough, lol! Hope you get that electrical issue worked out, you definitely need that freezer. Thanks for letting us see more of your homestead and all the work it entails, messy or not, still beautiful! And homemade goat cheese....yum!
ReplyDeleteOn our property, we've come a long way but got a long ways to go. I would welcome you to our home too but don't expect everything all tidy. :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm the third generation in my family to work on the old house I live in. When I was trying to fix the kitchen 10 years ago, I found a small babyfood jar inside the wall. It had some pennies and a note from my mother that said, "Looks like you're still working at what I spent my life trying to do. Here is a contribution toward your building fund." A house on a farm is a living thing, it's health has to be constantly maintained, just as we watch our own. My house is a chore, but I love it, and I love the messy, dirty country life. Gotta go bury a chicken now.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the visit and the kind comments ladies. Jan you never cease to fascinate me with your interesting stories. Joanna we usually have the snow you are experiencing and would never be digging in the ground so early. Erin your world always looks perfectly put together, you work very hard to make it look effortless, I know. Too bad we weren't neighbors what fun we would have together. Peace
ReplyDeleteOh my aching back from work around our yard. Let's sit a spell for that tea and relax for a moment in time as there is always a mess needing to be cleaned ... even at my home that is only three years old. Life happens and messes are made. When my dad visits he always comments that we have so many dishes (ALWAYS). I have to remind him that he and mom don't cook for a family ... and we cook each meal from scratch so dishes are bound to be dirtied.
ReplyDeleteI love the rock wall. I also understand the messy house...Ha! You should see ours.:)
ReplyDeleteSo very well put! My life is sooo messy! Most importantly though it is full. Full of business of life and learning and growing! My floors are most always dirty and laundry is behind but I don't care.These things will always be here for me to do.My son is growing fast,and the animals and garden need tending,my husband is not always with me...I have my priorities! I would love to come have tea with you..I bet we could talk all day!
ReplyDeleteMessyness is part of life. Wouldn't it be boring if everything was tidy and organised? It's against nature surely!
ReplyDeleteLife is messy. It just is. Even if the laundry is all done at one moment, the minute someone gets ready for bed it starts all over. Clean is highly overrated. :)
ReplyDeletePeace
i can't live in a mess for too long...ruth, thats the anal part of me squeezing out from time to time.
ReplyDeletewish I could be different...but hey thats me
lovely photos!
Look at all those beautiful rocks! the CAT equipment caught my son's attention...he wishes he could come visit. :) I hope all the work goes as smoothly as possible!
ReplyDeleteThe good news is that the mess often means that stuff is going on; at least, that's how I rationalize it at my house. But just looking at your photos, it's easy to see that stuff Really Is going on at your place! Hopefully, you'll get a minute to breathe in between projects.
ReplyDeleteI am so happy to have you all share my world. It does my heart good to see people feel the same way about things. thanks for the visit, peace
ReplyDeleteI feel this post. My life/home is very messy at the moment, but something great is eveolving from the mess.
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