Overwhelmed, yet determined.

Confused, but committed to finding the answers. Both feelings I've become well acquainted with over the past few weeks. I've been working on 2 very different, yet connected projects, and have learned a lot, some of which may help others, and further the ideal that this life CAN be for everyone. If a reformed city girl can do this, ANYONE can!

One of the projects I've been working on is "the garden". Let me be perfectly honest and say I am NOT a gardener. I hate to get dirt under my finger nails. I would rather not crawl around outside on the ground, or get mud on my shoes so thick I can hardly keep them on. I rarely enjoy sweating, physical labor is not my strong suit, flying bugs freak me out, I don't care about calculating the size of my flower plots to allow for proper spacing or selecting the proper automatic sprinkler nozzle to ensure adequate irrigation of my vegetable plot.
    

But, in reality, I know that none of my whining and complaining and foot dragging matter in the least. Not only are those attitudes petty, they in fact rub off on those around me and become nothing but counterproductive. So, I pulled up my big girl pants and muddled my way thru, and along the way I learned some things. Things about myself (I'm still pretty strong for an old gal ;)),
things about the other people I live with (all you have to do is ask for help), things about our land (it takes a LOT of manure to make good dirt), and things about the future (I'm not gonna let me stand in my own way). Also, gloves are a must!
    

 In the end, I measured, marked, and dug 2 flower plots and planted them with Lupines and Zinnia, transplanted Hops and Honeyberries, started hundreds of seeds in the greenhouse and lost a good deal of them (lesson learned), helped design my "Three Sisters" plot, and tried to keep my mouth shut about how much I really didn't mind the solitude of the greenhouse, or the sound of the myriad of insects buzzing about while I worked, or the smell of the earth as I fashioned it into something that will add to our lives immensely. All this while helping to juggle the cooking, housework, and wrangling an almost 2 yr old grand-daughter who realizes she is the light of the world.

My second project is much dearer to my heart, yet no less daunting. I am building a dairy goat herd from the ground up. I say "I", but really it's become a farm-wide project along the way. I've always been fond of goats, and in doing research for the farm, we decided Nigerian Dwarf goats were the perfect fit for us. We will not only consume the milk and cheese made thereof, but also make soap, lotions and possibly other wholesome, good for you products.

So, plan in hand, I began to search....and search....and search. Turns out there aren't many Nigerian Dwarf goats in our neck of the woods, so I widened the search to include surrounding states. Finally, I began to find possibilities, but realized I had to learn the language! Pedigrees (CONFUSING), abbreviations and acronyms galore ( *D, ADGA, AGS, NDGA, GDCH, etc), first-fresheners (first time moms), and tons of emails later, we have settled on 4 does and 2 bucks from as close to home as possible. Easy, right?

During the search, I read everything I could on goat husbandry...OMG I have to do WHAT? Milk twice a day, at the same time every day, no matter what? Burn their horns off? Vaccinate and castrate? Bottle feeding? Trim hooves, shave udders, tattoo ears, watch for bloat (what the hell is bloat?), and deworming? KIDDING? You mean the vet doesn't rush out and do that? Add in the "interesting" personalities of the goat world, and a nice dose of miscommunication to the mix and viola! I am now officially a goat lady! Well, I will be next week, when they finally get here...

In the beginning of this post, I mentioned these projects are connected, and I think that may the most important idea I want to convey. On this journey toward sustainability and self-reliance it pays to realize the interconnectedness of all you do. The bottom line is, if you don't work, you don't eat. Not only that but, your animals won't eat either. I may hate that garden, but the wheat, oats, barley and corn planted in it are not only going to feed me, but sustain my little herd thru the winter. My hard work now guarantees my grand-daughter has fresh milk in January. My husband will have cheese for his crackers in December, and I will have the peace of mind that I didn't give in to the ideas of a "city" girl. I can call myself a farm wife and be proud.

Tina