A Week in the Life...

This previous week has been an ever changing series of events.  At times I've wanted to cry, occasionally I have laughed, and more frequently than my Mama would be proud of, I have cursed!  In dealing with a multitude of events, and trying to make sure we are caught up with the quickly approaching Spring, my blog post got put aside, twice.

Many people assume that living on a farm, or homestead, whichever you choose to call it, is a day to day life of serenity and sunshine, where you awake to the birds chirping, the sun shining and a day free of stress and obligation.  A part of that is sometimes true....occasionally....once in a while..... 

lA better description of the reality of my life is that I awake to the rooster crowing, goat kids screaming and/or an alarm blaring, the varied Missouri weather of 70 degrees one day and 30 the next, and a day that no matter how much you get done, you know more is waiting to be done.  The ever changing events of any given day can lead to frustration beyond belief.  Those are the days I realize that I need to learn to react to with a shrug and laughter, more often than anger and frustration.  Sometimes though, you just have one of those days.

We were actually making progress on the stands for barrels for planting in the green house.  We went to town and bought lumber, measured carefully and, after a couple of adjustments due to something that didn't cross our minds about how we were seating the half barrels, we ended up with some sturdy, waist high stands.  These stands will hold 4 half barrels that will be used for planting "salad" in the green house in the fall in hopes that we will have fresh grown greens and other salad fixings all winter long.  The plan will be to grow lettuce, spinach, kale, radishes, and onions, directly sown in the barrels.  I'm sure we will adjust our plans as we get further into the project. 



In the meantime, while we need to start seedlings for the summer garden, at least some of these barrels can be covered with a firm surface to create "tables" for our starter trays.  I cut some scrap plywood for that purpose, but I am getting a bit ahead of myself.  After finally completing the stands, I knew we were within minutes of getting my greenhouse to the point I could actually set a plant in it!  We hauled the stands to the greenhouse......only to find a minor problem.....

Though the greenhouse had withstood the high winds of spring on top of our hill for three weeks, for some reason it decided to succumb to the winds that day and go belly up!  We discovered it rocking back and forth on it's top.  It was amazing how quickly my demeanor flipped.  I went from feeling satisfaction and pride in knowing we were almost ready to add plants.....to wondering how in the world we were going to undo what Mother Nature had just accomplished. 

In looking back, I can laugh at how ridiculous my precious greenhouse looked, and can almost hear Mother Nature's witchy cackle as she reminded me that I needed to take the time to do things right.....like stake down the greenhouse!  Fortunately for us, we have a wonderful group of friends and a great family, so within a half hour of our frustrating discovery, we had help on the way, with a plan for up-righting the greenhouse and the rope it took to get it done.  I wish we had taken pictures of the process, because it actually turned out to be a very simple undertaking, that I couldn't see in my stressed out response.  We simply rocked it to one side, secured a rope to the bottom board, that was actually on the top, at the moment.  That rope was secured to the UTV and three of us guided and supported the greenhouse to it's proper position, while Papa pulled the rope with the UTV to pull it over. It's been 6 days since the greenhouse decided to do somersaults in the wind, and now is upright, staked down, door back on, barrels in place, plywood cut for tops of barrels, and a few plants started.  It feels and smells like a greenhouse.  It will have additions made to it, changes made to it, and further work done to it.  Just like life, it will be a constant work in progress.

Despite all the unforeseen issues, the past couple of weeks have allowed us to move the broilers to a large pen in the barn and make them a new feeder and waterer that will ensure they will have what they need to grow fast, and prevent many of the trips into the pen with feed and water.  We have moved the turkey poults to an outside pen, moved the quail to the large brooder box, butchered a pig to teach a friend who was uncertain how to butcher one himself, set the incubator full of Chukar eggs and officially check my digital thermometer for an accurate temperature reading, helped a friend milk out a Nannie goat with a sore udder, hung some shelves in the canning kitchen, had a short visit with my parents, and hosted Easter dinner complete with massive egg hunt. The nice days have been busy with outside activity and the rainy, cold days have been used to plan the outdoor projects that will be done when the sun shines again.

During my upside-down day, I realized a few things.  First of all, life is never still.  Life is a constant stream of changing events.  Our reactions to those events our what help to determine whether we are going to have good days or bad days.  I work on my reactions constantly, and while some think I am too laid back, others think I am too volatile and harsh.  I have high expectations.  But none of my expectations are any higher than the expectations I set for myself.  Rolling with the punches must be a developed skill to allow life to be enjoyed.  In addition to learning to roll with the punches, it has been critical for me to learn to understand the differences in Men and Women.

No, I have not just now discovered the physical differences in the sexes, but have focused on the psychological and emotional differences.  Do I respond well to those differences?.....nope....not usually, just ask Papa if there is any doubt.  I am still, at times, totally confused by these differences, but I am aware of them.  This awareness is the beginning of understanding and compromising. 

Let's take for a minute, laundry.  Ladies, did you know that most men DO NOT MIND dressing from the basket of clean clothing?  Really, they don't care!  Their clothing is available and clean.  Good enough for them!  Men, did you realize that there are women who find it important to fold and put away laundry after it is clean and dry, but also ORGANIZE their closets and drawers?  Yes, my clothing in my closet goes from white to cream to gray to black to brown to rust to red to pink......and each section goes from sleeveless to short sleeves to long sleeves to sweaters/jackets.  I can find what I want quickly, put together outfits that I feel good about wearing and quickly change from dirty jeans and boots to something clean and nice to run to town for feed.  And, yes, that is important to me.  I truly feel better about myself if I go to town free from the odor of pig or chicken shart. 

How about the perception of tools.....and their storage, or lack of.  Some men truly find it easier to return to the place where they last used them, and search for them than to have to open a tool box or cabinet to find them.  They actually usually know where they used it last, and are perfectly happy with the extra time it takes to do a project caused by the search for the elusive 1/2" box end wrench, that they used 4 weeks ago to replace the lawn mower blade.  The see no need to waste time organizing the screw drivers by size and design in a separate drawer from the wrenches arranged in size order.  They will be used and thrown in the last opened drawer, if they don't get left where they are.  On the same line, gentlemen, do not be surprised if your tender loving lady becomes a fire-breathing-rainbow-word-spewing-dragon.....when, even though they have bought you the fourth set of screwdrivers in less than that number of months.....they can not find one to complete a 2 minute job.   

Gentlemen, the view of watching your lovely farm woman use your best screwdriver, along with your new Eastwing hammer to chip away the large boulder that is preventing her from planting that new rose bush in the perfect spot, is about as pleasant to you as the feeling she gets when she finds Gramma Emma's antique bowl in the dog pen full of dog feed!

The author who wrote, "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" surely lived on a farm where two very intelligent people are trying to come to an agreement on the best plan to get the same result.  Or they lived in a home where the most important jobs of getting ready to have company for dinner have been strongly debated for eons. 

For the lady of the house, the importance of mowing the yard for the third time this week is definitely up for debate.  While the man of the house, sees no need to make sure the floors are swept for the second time today....after all, "those young 'uns are going to be running in and out all day anyway"....and who will know whether the stove was shiny and the counters were spotless, because they are soon going be covered with delicious food and no one will care.

Life has away of giving us balance, if we accept it.  It gives us ups and downs, it gives us sun and rain, it gives us cold and warmth, it gives us men and women, all of which are not only necessary to survive,  but useful to creating a life we enjoy and want to pass on to our children and grandchildren.  I recently had an impromptu Easter dinner at the house.  No one who came knew that my stove was not as clean as I wanted it, that both my washer and dryer were full of laundry in various stages of completion or that my bed was not made.  And apparently no one cared that my laundry basket was full of clean clothing waiting to be folded, nor did they care that there were cobwebs in the corners or that I didn't take time to change from my "chore clothes" to "company clothes". 

They did enjoy the food, loved being outside for a HUGE Easter Egg hunt, and visited and hooped and hollered throughout the afternoon.  The grandchildren will not have memories of a dinner where Nana was cranky and running them out from under foot, but will remember getting to sweep the floor (even though the corners were missed) without someone coming behind them making them feel like they weren't good enough.  They will remember getting to "stuff" the Easter eggs with candy with their Great Grandmother.  My 8 year old granddaughter will remember getting to peel potatoes for the first time (with a vegetable peeler).  My grandson will remember feeling the pride of putting the baby goat back in his pen, by himself, without being made to feel like he wasn't fast enough to do it himself.  These are the feelings I want everyone to feel when they are with us.  These feelings are only nurtured when you allow yourself the time and opportunity to truly and realistically set priorities and gain an understanding of the that are truly important to others.   

Spring is definitely a busy time, where every spare minute can be filled.  No matter what you get done, there is more waiting to do.  So I challenge you all to take a deep breath, smile at your family, and enjoy what you are doing.  If you are doing it just because it needs to be done, you are missing so much.

I mean really, who would want to miss a moment like this?  Welcome to my life! :)

Quail, a great backyard meat source

Our venture into raising quail has expanded more this week after hatching our first Brown and Golden Jumbo Coturnix quail.  These little buggers are absolutely amazing!  Papa has admonished me more than once for just sitting and staring at these little bumble bee sized, fuzzy balls of energy.  I've heard them described as fuzzy popcorn, and after hatching our first bevy, I see why!

I started with 83 eggs I purchased from a friend (despite visiting for over an hour, she could not get them to lay one more for an even 7 dozen!).  I was more excited to start the hatch than I was informed so I made some mistakes, but still have ended up with a moderately successful hatch.  I have learned many things in the process so as I start an incubator of Chukar Partridge eggs this week, I hope to avoid some of the previous mistakes.  I'll explain what I did, and what I SHOULD have done.

I purchased the special quail rails for my automatic egg turner since my schedule does not allow me to be at home for over 24 hours at a time.  On March 1st, I loaded them up, setting them neatly into the incubator with the large ended down....(I know, I know....I will get to this) and a small amount of water in the reservoir in the bottom.  I knew the incubation period was 18 days, so I marked the calendar for March 14th, 4 days before hatch, for "lock down". 

I had done some experimenting on my digital thermometer and discovered that it read a full 2 degrees higher than my thermometer/thermostats in the house, which read exactly the same, so I made an adjustment to all the thermometer to read 104 degrees. 

Since my current incubator is a still air, I have learned that the target temperature is 102 degrees, plus or minus a half a degree either way, rather than the standard 99.5 degrees that is usually discussed when setting up an air circulated incubator.  I had done some homework.  :)  Another source I had read had suggested that unlike chicken eggs, quail eggs did not need to have a higher humidity, hence adding the small amount of water.

Now, for what I SHOULD HAVE DONE!  I should have placed the eggs in the trays SMALL END DOWN.  I have learned that this is the case with ANY egg you plan to incubate in an automatic turner.  As the chick develops, it develops in the upper part of the egg, hence the need for the larger end to be upward, allowing for better growth and development and allowing the chick to more easily turn to the final position for breaking out of the shell when it is time.  I also should have filled the water reservoir and used the plugs in the top of incubator to manage and maintain the humidity level at 45 - 50% during the first 14 days, and increase it to 60 to 65% during the last three days of "lock down".  The increased humidity during these last three days prevents the membrane inside the egg from becoming dry and tough as the chicks begin to pip their way out.  If it becomes to tough, the poor little guys are stuck and "shrink wrapped" within the membrane and will suffocate and die.  I did learn this in time to up my humidity some, but still had some issues with a few being unable to break through the tough membrane. 

Let me take a moment to explain the "lock down" period, as I understand it.  If you are hand turning the eggs, you will need to so, 3-4 times per day during the initial incubation period.  This prevents the chicks from becoming stuck to the side, and encourages movement which prevents deformity in the embryo.  The "lock-down" period is the last four days prior to the anticipated hatch date.  The eggs are no longer turned, if hand turning.  If using an automatic turner, they are removed from the turner and laid out on the screen bottom of the incubator. 







With quail, it would have been a good idea if I had added a breathable mesh to the bottom, to prevent them catching their tiny feet in the screen.  I will do this in the future.  You can use something like the non-skid shelf liner, inexpensive and easy to find, cut to size.  You could also use plastic canvas grid from a local craft store. 











The next four days are the time the chicks spend doing their final development, getting into position and beginning to break through their shells to emerge into the incubator.  This is the first time I realized how long it can actually take from the initial pip to final emergence.  I was frequently over 24 hours from the time I first noticed the tiny protrusion of shell until the chicks actually broke out of their shells.  Patience is much needed during this time, and with the exception of adding or removing the plugs to maintain humidity, you should leave things alone....especially NOT OPENING the incubator for any reason.

The chicks will not all hatch at the same time.  Some may begin hatching on day 16 while the last may not emerge until day 20 or 21.  If the eggs are older than 7-10 days it may take extra days for them to hatch.  There is no rush to remove them, and remember your goal is to not open the incubator, because they have enough nutrients from the yolk sac that they have absorbed in the last few hours before hatching to last them up to 30 hours.  I left my first ones to hatch in the incubator for nearly 24 hours with no ill effects.  When you open the incubator the humidity will drop and hinder the ones that are still trying to emerge from the shells.  I ended up having to help the last 7 of mine....which TOTALLY NOT RECOMMENDED.  They had struggled for quite some time and the humidity had dropped to the point that the membrane was very tough.  I did ultimately break the membrane for them.  Again, this is not recommended and they may be detrimental to the chicks.  I was to the point that I was certain that they would die without help, so I had nothing to lose.  I  DID NOT REMOVE them from the shell, just opened the membrane that they were unable to do, and left them to their own devices.  It appeared that it was too late for one, but the other six still appear to be doing well.

While the chicks are hatching it is time to prepare the brooder box.  This area will need to be dry, free of drafts and have a source of light/heat that will keep it at 95 degrees.  You need to avoid shavings or sawdust initially, as these little critters may try to eat it and die.  I put paper toweling down or easy clean up.  I added some water in a very shallow dish (plastic lid) filled with marbles.  The marbles are not only attractive to the chicks, but they prevent the chicks from getting into the water and drowning.  I was told by someone who has raised several quail that, "they really aren't very smart!"  

Even though the gamebird starter feed is in small crumbles, these guys are so tiny, I ran a few cups through the blender to make a powdered feed for their first week.  Then I cut the bottom off a plastic container to make a short bowl for their feed. 






The quail chicks will remain in the small brooder box for a week or two, depending on the number and how quickly they grow.  Then they will be placed in a larger brooder until they are at least 4 weeks old.  Their environment should remain at 95 degrees for the first week, and can then be reduced by 5 degrees per week until they are 4 weeks old.  By this time, unless it is really cold, the heat source can be removed.  By the time they are in the larger brooder, they will be under a heat lamp that can be raised a bit each week to achieve the temperature reduction. 

Some of the Coturnix Quail are Brown and some are Gold.  We got a mixture, so we will be able to see which variety we like the best.  We will be keeping the largest for breeding and eating or selling the rest.  They grown and mature quickly reaching full growth and weight at 6 weeks and become viable adults producing fertile eggs beginning at 8 weeks of age.   As the birds age will create a habitat with some "cover" for them to enjoy and an area with dirt or ashes for dusting their feathers.  I look forward to providing updates as the project continues and they grow and develop into meat for the table. 

The video below is a quick peak at them running around in the brooder box.  They remind me of fuzzy bumble bees without the stingers!  Ignore the background conversation.  Papa and JD were discussing some of their projects and their day and didn't realize I was videoing and I wasn't paying attention to their conversation. :)

 

 On a side note, our Texas A & M quail are growing rapidly.  We need to clip their wings to prevent any escapees from flying away.  They continue to react quickly and will dash out the door at lightning speed when you are cleaning the cage, changing the water or feeding them.  So far, we have only had one casualty.  Unfortunately, one quick female was fast enough to get out the door on me, but was not fast enough to avoid the grip of our Mountain Feist's jaws when she hit the ground.  We were able to retrieve her and dress her for our freezer.

It is hard to believe that these birds were approximately the same size as the one I held in my hand at the beginning of this post, just 6 weeks ago.  They are now "full grown" and can be put in the freezer at any time.  We will wait to butcher until we can try to sex them, so that we have several breeding covey.   They should be laying fertile eggs within the next couple of weeks.  We will be hatching those to raise for meat as well.  We will also sell hatching eggs, hatched chicks and adult birds as well as frozen meat as extra supply allows.

Goats, Goats, Goats....Bob, David, and Daffodil

 The newest additions to our farm family include three boer baby goats, 2 bucklings and a doeling.  Thanks to Papa and the grandkids, they are now fondly known as Bob, David, and Daffodil.  The grandkids named the boys...something to do with Minions!  ;)  I never know what those children are going to come with next.  They always have a long, thought out reason for their decisions.  One of them named every animal he got "Bucky".  He even went so far as to call his little sister "Maddie-Jo-Bucky" when she was born.  I am relatively certain she will be very glad he has outgrown that, if she is not already.  But, I digress. 

These three cutie pies are now 3-4 weeks old and are weighing 11 - 12 pounds each, gaining a pound to a pound and half each last week.


Having bottle baby goats has been a new experience for us, but thanks to the help of some great friends and some helpful Facebook groups, they, and we, have done well.  We did not realize when we got into the goat business, that we picked one the few animals that will actually eat themselves to death!  We were warned over and over again not to over feed them.  We were told that they would eat all the milk a person would give them, to the point they could actually become fatally ill.  So we asked a lot of questions, and researched many resources on the internet.  According to the charts we are still over feeding slightly, but they are gaining, doing well, and have only scoured for a day or so when changed feed and mixed the new milk replacer a bit richer than it was supposed be mixed.

We are currently feeding them three times a day, the minimum for 10-15 pound goats, and giving them approximately 13 ounces per feeding.  They are each starting to eat some grain, and are developing their personalities.  They think we are their momma.  They will be moved out to a pen in the big barn as soon our current cold and windy snap is over, but for now they remain in a lean-to off my canning kitchen, out of the wind and with a heat light available in case it dips down too cold. 

At this point we plan to band the bucklings making them wethers and butcher them when they are big enough.  Somewhere in the neighborhood of 6-8 months based on our research.  We enjoy beef, but it has become outrageously priced.  Our second option for red meat is venison, when one of us is successful during the fall hunting season.  Last year it was me that put one in the freezer and this past fall Papa got one.  We have been told that goat is a meat that is between those two, so we are confident we will like it, but if not, there is also a high demand in our area, so selling the boys at butcher weight will not be a problem. 

Miss Daffodil is expected to be our herd Matriarch, as we build a little herd to supply our family with meat and add a bit of income from, and for, the farm. 

Feeding these three has been an entertaining experience with some trials, a little frustration and a lot of laughter.  Since they constantly think they are starving, it was a juggling act to try to feed one at a time with the bottle.  It worked ok the first few days, but soon became nearly impossible to manage them one at a time.  Papa decided that as soon they knew what the bottle was, it was time to build a bottle stand so that all three could eat at one time.  A couple of hours in the shop and few wood scraps and viola!

Hands free feeding of three!  You can also see in the above picture, we wasted no expense on bottles!  These 20 ounce soda bottles are perfect for feeding them and we bought some nipples that screw onto the bottles from our local feed store.  Cheap, easy, and here are three bottles that are not in a land-fill.  I'm uncertain of exact dimensions, but will post a picture of the stand so that you can get the idea and make your own if the need arises.

We do have a large coyote population in our area, so we decided that this was the perfect time to add a large guard to our farm as well.  Meet Sally, a Great Pyrenees puppy that we purchased from a local family.   Sally lives with the goats and will soon be the herd protector.  We will have to introduce her to the other animals slowly, one at a time so that she understands that she is to protect them too.  They are not a threat to her goats and belong here as well.  She is becoming a sweet heart, bouncing over to get her petting while the babies eat.  She runs and plays with the goats, to the point that I actually think she may believe she is a goat.  :)   For now we are the protectors of the goats, and of Miss Sally, but it won't be long until the farm will be hers and she will keep the predators at bay.  I am going to enjoy that day, and look forward to being able to have turkeys once again without loss to predators. 

As I finish this post, I am thankful to live at a time that I can use modern conveniences to keep our animals warm as needed when winter cold snaps get our attention.  The use of heat lamps, running water to maintain a good supply of fresh, thawed drinking water, a barn to give shelter from the rain and snow in the cold temperatures, without having to work for hours on end out in the elements ourselves, are all blessings.  Though we are moving toward a more self sufficient lifestyle, doing more or ourselves and depending less on processed foods and big box stores, it is nice to know that we do not have work as hard our forefathers, making me very happy to be able to be a Modern Missouri Pioneer. 

 

 

 

Living With Your Expectations

In my last post of December 2015, I spent some time reflecting on some struggles that I have been having since Papa got sick last summer, and began looking at the ways I had let myself get off balance.  I had gotten off balance with myself, off balance with our life and off balance with our plan for moving forward.  Papa's experience has led to many changes in our lives.  I had set unrealistic expectations for myself.  The first item on my list of foolish expectations says a lot:

1.    Do whatever needed to be done that Papa could no longer do on his own.

I have never been one to ask for help, but I have stopped to realize that our pioneer ancestors did not do things entirely on their own.  They traveled west in wagon trains for safety and to pool resources.  After arriving at their destinations, they settled in communities.  There, within the communities a neighbor that was in need that was helped by the other neighbors.  Whether trading labor, bartering for supplies, creating threshing crews, attending barn raisings, or participating in quilting bees, the Pioneers worked together to make sure everyone was as successful as possible.  Fields were plowed and planted, hay and grain was harvested, even firewood was cut by groups of people, not individuals.  

It seems to me that surrounding ourselves with like-minded people is a good step toward building a community of Modern Pioneers.  Self-sufficiency in today's world can be different that for our ancestors.  For us, we want to avoid purchasing processed foods in the big box stores as much as possible for both economic and health reasons.  We heat both our home and our water with wood, saving our propane for our dryer for the few times we need to dry clothing and cannot hang them on the clothes line.  I grind wheat to make whole wheat flour, that I use to make bread and rolls, and even pancakes.  We raise pigs, rabbits, calves, chickens, and are looking into raising goats for meat and eggs.  With all that being said, if something goes awry for us, it means a trip to the store, work wasted, and sometimes money spent to correct the situation.  For our ancestors a lost crop or animal illness or death could mean the difference in surviving the upcoming winter. 

I have electricity and have modern conveniences to help with the tasks needed to live our modern pioneering lifestyle.  This is necessary for us, as I also work a full time job that requires me to be gone from home for a minimum of 48 hours a week.  Without our modern equipment, there would not be time to actually do the things we want and need to do.  There is a part of me that would love to life off grid and be totally independent of the electric companies, big box stores, etc.  But that would be mean no off the farm job, and working it 24/7 like our ancestors did.  We have bank loans, and other modern obligations that simply do not allow us to forget about society and disappear into the wilderness to live on our own, not to mention the fact that we are soft and spoiled and not as young as we used to be!  I don't know many people that could suddenly go off grid, step back in time and forgo all that modern society offers.  I do, however, know many people that want to grow their own food, process fruits and vegetables for winter storage, process their own meat, heat with wood, make their own soap, cook from scratch, etc.  With our Facebook group, SW Missouri Homesteaders Buy, Barter, Sell or Trade, we have begun to develop a group of local people that have the same goals of living a self-supporting lifestyle that we do.  This group has shared ideas, traded items, traded labor, taught each other knowledge and skills and been an unfailing support system. 

We have been supplied with blueberries when we could not go pick for ourselves.  We have had our cow milked numerous times, before we decided to sell her after Papa got sick.  We have helped friends render lard.  We have worked together to butcher chickens.  We taught friends to butcher rabbits, to can green beans, shared recipes... the list goes on and on.  I have resources just a call away.  The problem I had with the expectation that I should be able to do it myself is mine.  I have a very hard time making that call for help.  I need to remember that is ok to ask for assistance, accept offers of help and offer up help in return.

One of the differences I have noticed in today's society is that people are not as in tune to what to what is going on around them.  We all get so wrapped up in our own places, our own ideas, our own struggles, that we forget to look around us at others to see if there is anything that we could do to help them.  Right or wrong, that is a fact of life for all of us in our current society.  We can work to make that better, one step at a time, one instance at a time.  Noticing that someone is struggling and offering up help is the root of community.  When that does not happen, there is no shame in asking for help.  There is also no shame is changing the way we are doing things, that might be less labor intensive that would either allow Papa to do it, or allow me to do it in his place.  It is time for me to look around and see what we can do differently, what we can do to trade labor with friends and what we can barter or hire done. 

I now realize that while there are a lot of things that I can do on my own, and that Papa can still do, there is no reason to struggle, take a chance on injury, and have impossible expectations.  We have a very supportive family and a group of supportive friends that will need our help as well.  So, for those of you who feel like you are banging your head against a brick wall, trying to get things started and keep them going, I have the following advice to make your journey easier and more pleasant.

First, examine your expectations.  Are your expectations realistic?  Are you working with a plan that has a firm foundation and that you are building on in steps?  Are you gradually adding the parts you need to create the lifestyle you want to live?  Or, are you expecting to jump in with both feet and do it all from the beginning with no problems, no struggles, no help and no failures?  (Don't ask me about my initial plan...how do you think I understand the differences? ;-) )  Build a plan that adds a little at a time.  Perhaps a garden is the first step, with learning to freeze and can your surplus is the first step.  This can be done in many ways.  You could even choose to can your own food by taking advantage of Farmer's Markets or bulk sales at the store, without any acreage or any dirt under your fingernails.  Pick what is important to you, and build from that.  Don't try to do it all at one time.  If your expectations are unrealistic and impossible, you could quickly become overwhelmed and have set yourself up for failure.

Second, periodically re-examine your expectations and your plan.  Are there adjustments that need to be made? Is everything on track? Is there anything that you need to back up and re-evaluate?  Don't be afraid to make changes.  Some of life's most important lessons come out of failures.  The least you should do is see what things can be improved upon and take steps for that improvement.  Make sure you are continuing to work on the things that are important to you and your family.  Your needs will be different than everyone else's needs, so your plan should be unique, specialized to your family.  You can learn many things from others, but that does not mean that everything you learn needs to become a priority in your plan or that the priorities of others need to become your own.

Third, utilize your resources.  Take advantage of family and friends that are willing to help by teaching, working, helping or sharing.  Don't be afraid to ask for help when it is needed.  Think about the pleasure you feel when someone asks you to teach them or help them with something.  This feeling of pride and worthiness needs to be experienced by everyone, and when you acknowledge your need for help, you are allowing someone else to experience those feelings, as well as getting the help you need to accomplish the tasks at hand.

Finally, take notice of the family and friends that share your goals and plans.  Be mindful of the things they are going through.  Offer up a hand, show up to help with whatever is being done that day, pay attention and make sure that you are providing as much to the relationship as you are receiving from it.  Nothing will end a relationship sooner, than one party feeling taken advantage of; one person constantly helping, advising, giving to another, but the other never reciprocating.  Enjoy gifting as well as receiving.

I am working to make some changes in my attitude toward our life.  I will be working on improving what we have and making sure that if we decide to expand to include raising a new animal, learning a process, or perfecting a new technique, we are ready for it.  I will remember that we can't do it all, and we don't need to do it all.  We need to focus on what is important to us.  We have friends that are willing to help, and will need help in return.  Most importantly I will work toward being realistic in what I expect and accept the fact that it is ok to not do it all. 

Last year was a good lesson in many ways and I look forward to continuing our journey toward a simple, healthy life being a Modern Missouri Pioneer.