Among the Homestead

Building the Modern Homestead

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A look into the past

Lets redefine the modern homestead. First, we have to look into the past. Throughout history, families and homes look different from what we have today. There were multi-generational families, where the kids would learn and consistently be around older members of the family. The homes produced for the family. It was hard work to keep the homestead functioning. The homes of the past produced gardens, meat, eggs and close knit family units. Families worked together to make sure they had what they needed for the coming winter. This kind of home required people to be renaissance men or a jack of many trades and a master of some. It required people to build skills along with a strong sense of community to support each other.

Today, we have homes that take instead of give. We generally hire other people to fix our problems. We buy our food from a store. The focus of how we survive hinges on systems outside of our control. How do we change that? How do we build a productive homestead? What comes to mind when we hear about a modern homestead? A farm? A house with a garden and some livestock? The modern homestead needs a fresh look. We should be thinking how can we have our homes produce instead of take.

A photo of the shire from Lord of the Rings.
I will admit, I do dream of living in the shire, so creating one sounds like a good idea to me!

Is modern agriculture the answer?

No. Modern agriculture is devastating. Things changed between the 1930’s and the late 1960’s as modern technologies were introduced to make farming easier. As a result, the small farmer was out competed by the large corporate farms. All of this progress does not come without faults. The heavy use of synthetic fertilizers were produced to sustain monoculture crops like soy, corn and wheat which caused soil depletion. What modern agriculture really is, is the cultivation of fields. Fields that become barren land. If modern agriculture is not the answer, then what is?

You can solve all the world’s problems in a garden.

Geoff Lawton

What is the solution?

There is probably more than one solution to these issues. But I can tell you where it begins. It begins, with you. Take steps into turning your home into a homestead. Over time, transform your home into a place that produces instead of takes. One purpose of Among the Homestead is to chronicle the journey as I build my own homestead. As I build content, I will explore different ways to design the life I want to live. Begin by learning about food production and plant propagation. Grow some plants! Horticulture is the cultivation of plants. The focus needs to shift form agriculture to horticulture.

The quote by Geoff Lawton says, “You can solve all the world’s problems in a garden.” Many people mistake the message that he was trying to convey. It doesn’t say that we can fix all the problems with a garden, but in a garden. What does it take to build a garden? It requires us to be resourceful, learn new skills and problem solve. All of those skills, if used elsewhere can help remedy a lot of different problems.

Do we need the right to food?

We all have the right to food. Sounds good, but is it? Currently, we have the right to food from the system. However, since the right of food is given it means that we are not in control of our food. We saw some food shortages already happen due to disruptions in the supply chain in 2020. Instead of the right to food it should be the right to grow food. Then the power shifts to the homesteader that is designing a system that produces. The goal is to reduce your reliance on systems that support your life or homestead. Think in percentages, not totality. When you get chickens, design it so that you grow some of their food instead of relying on the store to buy feed. Reduce your reliance.

I am not sure if this is an exact figure but I heard this in a podcast earlier this week. Marjory Wildcraft said, “If 1/3 of people had chickens, the need for eggs from the store would go away.” Again I am not sure if this is the exact quote or figure but the point remains the same. Reduce your reliance by growing some of your own food. It begins with you.

When you have created The Shire, give me a call, I’ll be there barefoot and all!

Resources

I have included some extra resources to get you motivated to transform your home to homestead.

The Survival Podcast

Tenth Acre Farm

The Grow Network

All Around Growth Podcast

The Future of the Modern Homestead

You can spend your whole life traveling around the world searching for the Garden of Eden, or you can create it in your backyard.

Khang Kijarro Nguyen

Sitting at our back doorsteps, all we need to live a good life lies about us. Sun, wind, people, buildings, stones, sea, birds and plants surround us. Cooperation with all these things brings harmony, opposition to them brings disaster and chaos.

Bill Mollison

Living Your Best Life

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The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.

It’s 2021! I don’t have to go into detail on all the drama associated with last year. With 2020 out of the way, there isn’t a better time to start building the life you want. We are focusing on the dash that sits in between the year you were born and the end of your life. That dash is what matters. Similar to planting a tree, the best time to start working on living your best life was 20 years ago. If you haven’t done that, the second best time is now. We will explore the following questions that will help develop your dash. You may also want to read my first blog post titled, Making the Most of my Dash.

  • What does your best life look like?
  • How to use a less than ideal situation to build what you want.
  • How to use the my three things technique to work on your goals.

What does your best life look like?

First things first. Discover what your ideal life looks like. Do you want to own a business? Side hustle? A 9-5 job? Work part time and use a side hustle to fill in the gaps? Figuring this out is a key step in the process. Take the time to think this one over, but don’t dwell. Define some clear goals and write them down. Doesn’t matter if they seem unattainable, write it anyway.

I have some goals as far as what living my best life would look like. The trick is getting to the point of execution. Are you stuck in an less than ideal situation with another job, but can’t leave? How do you use that job as a tool to get what you want?

Using a less-than ideal situation

Living your best life might seem impossible especially if you are stuck in a less-than ideal situation. I have worked at UPS for 20 years. Yes, you read that correctly. 20 years is a long time. A long time of devoting my life to something that isn’t exactly an ideal situation. It was never my plan to stay there that long, it was supposed to be temporary. Yet, here I am 20 years later working at UPS. I can complain about UPS all day long. Sometimes, I do. But that does not get me anywhere. I still have to show up the next day. I can use UPS and the fact that it is a stable job and provides for my family. I can use that peace of mind to start some side-hustles. It is a delicate dance though, the day job can zap all my energy and motivation, leaving little time for working on what I want.

My three things

For those of us who have a lot of commitments, implementing the “My three things” method of completing tasks has helped me. I first learned of it from Nicole Sauce at the Living free in Tennessee Podcast. The idea is that you must complete three things every day towards a specific goal. I do not include general chores or daily responsibilities. Someday’s you might only have one my three things task for the day. Because life is busy you also might have 20 things to complete in one day. Which is going to happen, but the my three things for that day are the tasks that are completed no matter what. This can become complex and ongoing. Big picture goals need a longer time commitment. For example, being debt free or losing weight.

Listen to the Living Free in Tennessee Podcast Episode 275 to learn more about the my three things technique. But, don’t dwell much on technique. The important thing to remember is to start working on completing some goals.

What is your best life?

Well, that depends. Depends on you and your family. I can’t answer this one for you. It is something you will have to figure out as time moves forward. Have you always wanted a garden? Does having a garden fit into your life currently or do adjustments need to be made? Having some minions, I mean kids around can help with getting stuff done around the house. As a result, it will free time up for you to work on some goals instead of cleaning dishes all day long!

Tick tock, tick tock

Time is moving forward so you must act now to build your best life. I drag my feet all the time, waiting for the “best” time. The time is now. Often times the hurdles to getting stuff is not the task but ourselves. Move out of the way, step back from the situation and focus on completing some goals.

I have heard the phrase “the new normal” being pushed to the public. I’m not a fan of the phrase. As time moves forward it will be more difficult to build the life you want. Are you one of the people, wanting life to be like the “old normal?” Well, I have news for you, the “old normal” wasn’t that great either and we should not want to get back to that. We should be looking to build a different life that is drastically different from the old one. One that is is full of meaning and purpose.

There isn’t a better time than now to start living your best life, I know I am!

You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.

C.S. Lewis

The Ongoing Journey

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On a bridge in Honduras, discovering my journey

I have been having an ongoing conservation with Rob Kaiser from the All Around Growth Podcast on the subject of spirituality. The conservation reminded me of some poetry and some thoughts I had on this topic. I wrote these thoughts years ago, but they seem relevant today.

A Quiet Despair 

My heart is numb to this pain I feel

I do not understand why I feel no remorse

My soul is callous to the sin I bear

This evil clings to my heart in a quiet despair

I do not realize what has become of me

Like everyone else, I feel lost and confused

I cry to God, wondering why I am this way

And alone I sit in my quiet despair, all alone 

The remoteness that I feel causes me to hide

I hide away from what I really am

My soul thirsts for you but yet I deny

And hold on to something that is hard to let go

So alone I sit in my quiet despair, all alone 

Departure

It was not until recently, when I departed from “religion” that I began to understand my relationship with God. My departure from church was an attempt to grow closer to God. I did not want to go to church so I simply did not go. Why should we feel that we always have to go to church because that is what we are supposed to do. I want to go to church for the right reasons. I needed time away so God could bring that desire back into my heart. I have to believe it 100% in my heart for it to be real to me.  

Read Departure on my old blog @ Among the Realm

Check out another blog post @ Among the Realm titled, Finding my Path

There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.

C.S. Lewis

The Art of Storytelling

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You must be curious as to what storytelling has to do with building a homestead. My answer is everything! A homestead is not a far off vision of what we will obtain when we have land, chickens, a productive garden or an income generating farm. I want to begin to redefine what a homestead is for our current and future generations. My blog is titled, Among the Homestead and I will be writing about topics related to homesteading. However, I will also write about topics that in the world of homesteading have nothing to do with building a homestead, at least in the traditional sense.

I want to leave a legacy to my kids, grandkids and beyond. I will do that primarily by telling stories. Stories that our told throughout this blog, my old blog @amongtherealm and verbally passed down through what I hope to be generations. Since my Dad’s passing in 2003, I became a husband and a father. My wife and my kids never knew my Dad. Some of the stories will be about him so my family can get a sense of who my Dad was. I will also tell stories of my childhood and the events that shaped me into the person I am today. At the core Among the Homestead is a homesteading blog, so there will be plenty of posts on homesteading projects, side hustles, growing food and permaculture.

A Magical Memory

Growing up I became interested in magic. I began to learn magic tricks at a young age. I poured countless hours into this art form. I am sure my parents were tired me of using them as audience members, but they never showed it.

One of my favorite magicians growing up was David Copperfield. Every year he came to Cincinnati to perform his magic show. When it came time for his Cincinnati show, me and my Dad would always attend. It was a big deal for us. It was the one thing we always did together no matter what. We began the evening with eating somewhere downtown, which was a rare occurrence. Arriving at the theater, I could feel the magic in the air. But it wasn’t only because of David Copperfield. It was also because this was a special event that me and my Dad did together. David Copperfield was a great storyteller. As you watch below notice how he used magic and stories together to create a powerful piece of magic. The second video, has his commentary with some audio commentary about the story behind the trick.

Stories + Homesteading

You still might be wondering what telling stories and homesteading have in common. Stories are powerful and bring about connection. A well crafted story can transport us into another world or bring people into ours. Homesteading is a part of our life and hopefully that grows over time along with new stories. Stories can enrich our lives and bring us together. That is what I hope to accomplish with this blog and our homestead. Enriching our life and others along the way. My Dad impacted a lot of people, read more about his story, The Dirt on the Ball Field.

Ken Burns clip: On Story

The Future of the Modern Homestead

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Victory gardens were encouraged for families during war time.

We all have likely heard the word homesteading in our daily strolls through social media. Is homesteading a new fad that people want to pursue? Do they know how to incorporate that daunting word into their already busy lifestyle? Probably not, however there was a time in the past when everyone was encouraged to have a homestead.

Victory gardens were an idea from the past that encouraged self reliance and community. We all wish other fads from the past would have stayed preserved in the time they lived, however building a homestead is something everyone should be encouraged to start. This idea of homesteading is the opposite of what’s in place in today’s world. How do we remove this stigma that comes with homesteading that we need lots of land or time? It is true, certain tasks require a lot of time and land, but there are simple tasks that a family could do to make a tiny homestead work for them. I don’t have actionable advice yet on what that might look like. It will be different for everyone. As I build my homestead, with simplicity in mind, hopefully some ideas will present themselves and I will chronicle them on this blog.

Victory gardens, were used to reduce pressure on the public food supply. Besides indirectly aiding the war effort, these gardens were also considered a civil “morale booster” in that gardeners could feel empowered by their contribution of labor and rewarded by the produce grown. This made victory gardens a part of daily life on the home front.

From Wikipedia

Though the problems of the world are increasingly complex,
the solutions remain embarrassingly simple.

Bill Mollison

The Dirt on the Ball Field

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A signed baseball from my Dad. It reads, “Good luck Andy, Dad”

My Favorite Christmas

One year for Christmas, I wrote my Dad a poem about him being my baseball coach. I cut a baseball in half and placed it in a shadow box and printed the poem out and placed it on the felt backing. The excitement on my face, was barely contained as he ripped open the paper that hid my favorite gift. The wrapping paper, glided to the floor and his eyes gazed upon the words that I had carefully written for him. In this moment, he looked at me, with tears in his eyes. My heart was full. “Merry Christmas, Dad.”

My Favorite Gift

You probably assumed that this was my favorite gift to give to my Dad. It definitely was that, however, my favorite gift was what my Dad gave to me to pass on to my kids. The gift of being a good coach on and off the field. Even though he is not here with me in the physical sense, the closest my kids will come to knowing my Dad is through me. Thanks Dad, for being my coach and guiding me to be a father to my kids. I wish you were here to show them how awesome you would be as a their PawPaw.

Giving the Gift to my Kids

That day is here, I have a son and a daughter and while I haven’t been their coach in sports, I do coach them in many other areas. Do I fail? Absolutely. Am I perfect? Not by long shot. This poem is a reminder to be a good coach to my kids and hopefully someday they will feel the same way about me as I did with my Dad.

The Baseball Poem

There is one favorite memory I will always cherish from my childhood. It is that age-old game of baseball. I remember stepping out on to the field for the first time in my new uniform and those brand new cleats that I had to have. The grass always seemed to be freshly cut even though most of the time it wasn’t. The dirt on a field always seemed to be placed just right for a great game of ball. The lines of chalk neatly outlining the diamond were ready for the first runner to follow. I loved the smell of baseball. It is one of the smells that cannot be described; you just know that smell. I played ball from t-ball through junior high school. I learned all there was to learn about the game from my Dad. From rally caps to game day losses, my memory of this game will never be forgotten. I will remember this game especially because I could look in from the field and see my Dad in the dugout. My Dad was the head coach of our team. He treated everyone fairly including me, his son. He was a great coach. He brought our team to victory one season. We had an undefeated season and went on to play in the tournament. But as long as my Dad was the coach every season was a victory.  My Dad taught me to always give the game my best effort and win or lose; the game would give me back all I gave and more. My Dad was right. My Dad, my head baseball coach is my hero. It is not because he was my coach but because he is my Dad. I hope and pray I can be as good a dad and head coach to my son.

Love,

Your Son the Left Fielder

To learn more about the kind of person my Dad was read the blog posts posted below.

My Dad the Coach

A Trip Down Memory Lane

The best coaches don’t do it for the money, they do it to ensure their players receive the same values and experience sports once gave them.

Anonymous

The name on the front of the jersey represents who you play for, the name on the back of the jersey represents who raised you. Do them both justice.

Anonymous

Defining our Pathways

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I have intentionally chosen the name of our little homestead to reflect what I want to constantly be building into my family and my life. That name is Pathway Homestead. The idea is that we all have one major pathway, which also connects with other small pathways that branch off the main one. Throughout life our main pathway intersects with many other pathways (other people, work/life, community, spiritual) which grow as we do (I will dig deeper into that later).

Consider a trail in the woods, there is one main trail with many branching off to other areas of the woods. Some of the trails can lead to danger/risk, amazing views/experiences or both. But if we always stay on the main path we will never know what is out there for us to experience. In the photo above, there are two trails branching off a main one. Did you notice the sign? What is missing? There isn’t any direction on the sign. That choice is left up to the hiker. Similar to life, there are many pathways we can choose. Often times there is not a clear direction marked for us.

As I try to discover my pathways, listed below are some of the ideas for this blog and the new pathways I will be exploring as this journey begins for me and my family. It is a work in progress and nothing is definitive yet, but it is a start!

  • Mission statement
    • Pathway Homestead establishes and manages simple sustainable systems and landscapes as a pathway to restoration for individuals and intentional communities.
  • Revenue Model
    • Pathway Homestead profits from four primary revenue streams; food production via multiple urban farms, plant, tree and seed propagation, permaculture design consultation utilizing our unique pathway design model, and educational opportunities/events. 
  • Tag Lines
    • Creating/connecting new pathways to connect you back to simple living.
    • Learn. Engage. Impact.
    • Helping you to design sustainable pathways to living a simple and happy life.
    • Helping you to discover your pathway to healthy and sustainable living.
    • Learning together to build a simple, yet resilient life. 
  • Other Ideas
    • Helping you to find your path within your homestead.
    • Cultivate the desire to learn.
    • Build a family team around homesteading with a outward focus and living a simple life. 
    • Build a legacy for my kids to expand on. For example, a homestead business that supports multiple streams of income. 

Occasionally, I will link to previous blog posts from my old blog titled Among the Realm. I wrote a post when I was on my travels in Honduras, about Finding my Path, which goes along nicely with this post.

Sitting at our back doorsteps, all we need to live a good life lies about us. Sun, wind, people, buildings, stones, sea, birds and plants surround us. Cooperation with all these things brings harmony, opposition to them brings disaster and chaos.

Bill Mollison, Introduction to Permaculture

Making the Most of my Dash

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make the most of your dash

We all have a beginning and an end. That beginning is marked by a four digit number and the end will also be marked the same way. In the middle of those two numbers, sits a dash. That dash, although small on paper signifies your life. It signifies my life. The nagging question in my mind is, what am I doing to live the best dash possible? I was introduced to this idea from The Survival Podcast. I was also introduced to the idea of starting my own business and discovering what I want to do with my dash. As I move forward with this blog, I will begin to unpack what that actually means for my life.

This blog, titled Among the Homestead is the start of a journey to making the most of my dash. This is the beginning. My wish for you is that you will stick around with me on this journey to the end and learn about making the most of your dash.