What was once a novelty, is now the day to day life. The videos of families chasing chickens, or tilling their garden which were once a dream, are now the daily reflection – what once was inspiration is now education.
What initially was a season on the farm has become seasons on the farm. Like a great symphony, each section has its own theme, and those themes wind together to create a beautiful piece of music.
It has been three years since this little experiment went into high gear. We have sold the city dwellings, and now spend full time on the farm with 25 chickens. Not a day goes by that we don’t think about a dog, or pigs, or some more company.
When we started the unknown was overwhelming. How would transplants do with their first breath of cold winter? What if the holes that we burned in the plastic were not wide enough for the flowers? And more importantly, would anybody buy these flowers we were attempting to grow?
Those questions and billions more have occupied my thoughts for the last years, though each day they tended to get quieter. If we were to have a State of the Farm address (that just looks funny writing it – imagine how funny it was in my head when it bounced in) – the State of the Farm would be getting better every day. We are not where we want to be, but we are further along than we were yesterday.
I was probably a bothersome lot in the beginning, pestering the older farmers about everything from high tunnels, to germination rates and soil health. And you know, even today I still have tons of questions, but what I’ve discovered is that I love to learn.
I’ve also learned that I love to share – actually I knew that all along. It has gone in overdrive though over the last years and now I am the farmer answering questions from others and is very enjoyable.
So to those who would read this, and find my blog as inspiration, please let me pile it on thick. I love this life and each day find purpose, enjoyment and don’t regret our move. It has been a great joy and I would most definitely encourage the leap if you have not already taken it.
To those who might read this more as education I would offer this simple reflection- enjoy the journey. The chickens will get out, and the weeds will grow. But your life – the movements in your symphony have an end. Each movement has its own ups and downs. Enjoy each section and finish each section, before beginning the next.
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