spending the weekend at my grandparent's home, he at 95 and her at 92, we recorded stories with our video camera of his time in the war....how he started a car with a blow torch....
hilarious, inspiring, humbling.......
they laugh A LOT and i love them for that and all they taught me and still do....
here our society thinks we are so progressive with 'eco-friendly' this and that
no way
after listening to my grandma talk to me about her life on the farm, the only thing they threw away were chicken bones
even at that, throwing away meant burying them
they would dig trenches in their garden (my mom does this still) and throw away the chicken bones or fish bones.......buried in the garden to decompose and add nutrients to the soil
humbling.........
they would go to the store for only flour, sugar, coffee and salt
it really made me think if i could do that - it would literally be a life changing endeavour
Jason can't live without peanut butter or coffee, so I could just keep using my organic co-op in DeKalb for my peanut butter ( you use the same container - fill up, go home )
- i'd utilize my farmer's markets a whole lot more
- cook only fresh
- no more store bought anything in a package except the flour/sugar/coffee/salt
humbling yes, inspiring: most definitely
i keep asking myself "if she can do it, why can't i?"
Jason and I talked of this all the way home, and here's what we have decided...
that I need to start small and gradually work my way to only throwing away chicken bones in the trench in the garden
getting a few hogs = yes
getting a hoop house = yes
getting a milking goat or cow = yes
we have big plans, which means we most likely will either do all three or nothing....Jason is an 'all or nothing' type of guy (and i love him for that)
(they even plant where they usually plant annuals....they are no dummies!)
please note: if anyone in my area has pasture raised hogs for sale now, a hoop house (or know of where to get a very nice one), or a milking Nubian goat or jersey cow, please contact me us: info@nadafarmlife.org
xo+self sustainable blessings,
My family lived like that too. My only Grandmother left is 86 still living independantly on a small plot in Nebraska in her trailer home. This is her first year of NOT planting a vegetable garden. I have learned much from her...and especially my greatgrandmother who fried chicken and baked pies till she was 90. She had 15 children, four sets of twins and nursed them all while baking bread and washing diapers. We could all benefit from returning to basics...flour, salt, sugar, coffee(and tea). I would need some oats :)
ReplyDeleteLove this, it reminds me of my great grandmother... I think of her often and all of the stories I have heard about her, knuckles bleeding in the middle of winter while hanging laundry outside and all that you said above. We have so much to glean from them!
DeleteI hope you do it ALL! I would love to live that way. I'm sure it would take baby steps to get to that point but I know if anyone can do it, it will be you. And I will so inspired and am already looking forward to following you on this journey.
ReplyDeleteOh my...what a lovely couple...are they really in their 90's?? Wow...they look great! So fun that you recorded their stories. That will surely be a treasure:).
ReplyDeleteAnne-Marie, I would LOVE to live like you aspire to. Each year, I try to add one more thing and get into a good habit. I am excited for you to get pigs. We raise them, too, and the meat is wonderful! Good luck with everything my friend!
~Julia
I would love to read about your familys self-sufficient life, I find that kind of living very inspiring and would very much like to live that way too. We have taken a few steps towards it raising chickens and sheep, but to turn your own mind-set is the most difficult thing to do, because there are so many things you gradually have to give up, things that are associated with our modern lifestyle. But if there´s a will theres a way!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely couple your grandparents are!
I wish you good luck and inspiration!
Eija
you are so right....there is the will, but the way is hard!
Deletewe have thought of sheep, but have decided to have our efforts towards other animals, due to pasture restraints....
i will have to stop by and learn from you Eija
thank you!
This is such an inspiration! To only throw away chicken bones. Sadly, I can't even imagine. I love your idea of starting small and not getting too overwhelmed. Can't wait to follow your journey.
ReplyDeleteit will start small....unfortunately....I honestly do not know why I can't just jump right into living like that....Jason says to start small, so I will
DeleteSo glad to see your granfather is fine! And what a wonderful happy couple they are.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, so inspiring!
Denny and me always think to our grandparents and great grandparents that lead their lives the way your grandparents did. Why it has all become so difficult nowadays? Why do we have so many false needs?
Yes, we do talk so much about our green achievements but I think they (I mean the granparents) would laugh at us. They were the real green ones!
I' m looking forward to seeing what you are doing next!
Fra
p.s. Another common features Denny and Jason share: they're "all or nothing" guys! I love that too even if sometimes they're difficult to handle!! LOL!!!
Anne Marie,
ReplyDeleteHow blessed you are to have your grandparents still. Both of my grandfather's died before I was born and my fraternal grandmother was a city girl. My maternal grandmother was a country girl and her husband was a butcher. My mom would tell me stories about them and her grandparents farm. Ohhhhh to have been able to have seen it all for myself. Now that I have my chickens, my dad says that I remind him so much of his grandmother who was a country girl. I never lived very close to any of my grandmothers so I was not able to listen to too many stories or experience too much of their lives. I miss that so much, which makes me just drink up other people's stories. Would love for you to share your videos of your grandparents interviews.
Now, the question is, how do we incorporate this lifestyle into our modern day lives. How do we turn back the clock and find time to do the work? Finding the time to sew our own clothes, bake our own breads, cook from scratch, milk our own goats and cows. It can be done, the proof is in our past families and our heritage, why can't we find the time? I would love to discuss this with you more and really get some ideas that we can all put into practice. I could go on and on about this because it is my passion and my heart's desire. If only I didn't have to have a paying job so that I could stay home and do what my heart begs to do. BUT, I do have an amazing husband who is like your Jason, and Fra's Denny, he can do anything, and he is also an "all or nothing" guy. Okay, I could go on and on but I need to get my chores done and I will be smiling extra big while I do them, thinking of our ancestors and the blessings they have shared with us.
Love to you,
Debbie
Absolutely! let's keep this conversation open, so I can learn from anyone who is willing to share....there are only a few people online who really embrace this....i had thought about documenting everything from video to pictures to online journal and my scratch journal....Fifi O'Neill actually gave me that advice a year ago, and now I think I am ready to do that....
Deletethank you so much for the encouragement Debbie!!!!
"I need to get my chores done and I will be smiling extra big while I do them, thinking of our ancestors and the blessings they have shared with us."
DeleteSweet. Positive thinking!!!
Anne Marie, do you think that by our taking on more of these homesteading chores, we end up spending less time with our children? I think, and I may be wrong, that during the days of our grandparents and those before them, the children went to schools where they were given a very good education, unlike some of the private and public schools of today, sadly. Hence the resurgence of homeschooling. When a parent or both parents are having to homeschool their children in this day and age, how do we find the time to complete the necessary, everyday chores needed to survive living off the land and still find time for schooling and relaxing family time? It is mandatory to be able to teach our children how to live in mainstream society, so teaching them farming skills and basic reading, writing and arithmetic are not enough anymore. It is so hard for me to wrap my mind around how to merge the two. There truly are NOT enough hours in the day to do all we want or need to do. Robby and I are watching a documentary type show called "Mountain Men" on the history channel. It is about 3 different families who are living in the "wild" off the land. It is fascinating to me to watch these families and the struggles they have. One man lives in North Carolina with his wife and I think it is 7 children. The amount of work he has to do everyday is just amazing, but I am sooooo envious of that families devotion to living sustainably. The two other families are in Montana and Alaska and have a whole different set of condtions to have to contend with.
DeleteAnyway, I know I am rambling on and on, but I just would love to hear other people's feelings on how it all gets done. My children are all almost grown and they are in public school, but I know many of my blogging friends and more of my own personal friends are homeschooling and I would love to know how it all gets done.
Sure wish you would document everything, i would LOVE to read it and see it all:)
Write me more and share more ideas PLEASE!!!!!!!!!
Love,
Debbie
well now...who knew this would turn into a discussion forum!!
DeleteI think the points you bring up are ultimately the decision of that certain family...how much they can handle...and I am most definitely positive that Jason does not want me to go full throttle on this idea because he knows I would do it...and drag everyone behind me....and I mean drag
my best tips of advice for anyone thinking of starting implementing these self-sustainable ideas is the same advice I always give anyone who approaches me with that question "do you think I should homeschool my children"...my answer is: if your husband is not 100% for you homeschooling them, then do not do it....your husband is first and your children second...
you can even go further back than that and say that if you are not comfortable with you...100%...don't take any large steps forward, but a small step...test the ground you are walking on...and then embrace that new position for awhile and see how you fare
I might have to see if I can watch that series...sounds just about perfect on some evening when Jason has the kids in the canoe....thanks Debbie for all your thoughtful thinking - do not ever apologize for 'rambling'......it's refreshing
xo+blessings,
Anne Marie
very inspiring. how special that you still have your grandparents in your life. i sure do miss mine.
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry you don't Traci....but I know my time with them is short.....and I want to learn all I can when I can so I can pass onto my children a lot of their wisdom
DeleteI would like your grandparents. Getting set up as your grandparents did is so worth the while. We haven't needed a hoop house because we have year round warm weather, but having goats and cows for milk and butter is the "cherry on top of a chocolate cake" to me. I hope you find yours soon!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful post Anne Marie.
ReplyDeleteI love all of the comments too.
Starting off small so that we do not get overwhelmed and that we can stay focused.
Blessings to you.
Many, many summers we have lived with only going for the staples of sugar, coffee and salt. We grow our own spelt fields for flour. It truly still can be done. Some of our most precious memories. But true, starting small is better than nothing and it is hard to remember that sometimes. we think it is all or nothing :) I am talking to me here ps. we have weanling yorkshire's piggies for sale. We have the best sow mama, never needed a farrowing crate because she has been outside, has up to 18 piglets at a time!
ReplyDeleteand goats are very easy for milking. I suggest starting with 1 before a Jersey cow. Our Jersey could give up to 4 gallons at one milking and we milk twice a day! You would want to have a cow share program or pressure can your milk for when she is dry :) But you have the best butter and creme and sour creme AND Creme fraiche ALL THE TIME xo
ReplyDeleteLoved reading all your comments....beautiful post!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad to see I'm not the only person who wants to jump in the deep end, instead of wading in slowly!
ReplyDeleteI want to do it all, and I want to do it right now. I'm trying to see the wisdom I know is there in doing/changing what you can when you can, especially with a new baby coming shortly, but I get so excited! Expanding my herb garden, adding a few new items to the garden, and chickens are this years goals. Raised beds, fruit and expanding the big garden are next years. Maybe I'll add talking the neighbors to filling in the muck-hole pond we all share (really, it's nothing but a mosquito heaven, despite all they've attempted) so we can actually put the land to use will go on the list too : )
All that to say this is one of those posts that resonates deeply with me, and reminds me in this "Why make it when you can buy it" world, that there are plenty of "Why buy it when you can make it" people like myself around, if you know where to look.
those all sound like exactly the same thoughts as me (minus the muck-hole...but we would love to dig a pond!!)
Deleteand yes, why buy it when you can make it; like bread, salad, and a plethora of other foods and items
however, with that being said, if we only did things ourselves, how are able to help support other families?
Quickly- So true, how would we help support others? Sadly for me, though where we live is very rural, almost nobody has a family farm/produce-meat-etc. business to help support. We get our milk raw and local (and hush-hush) which thrills me to no end- supporting a sweet, elderly couple in a small way. More to mull over...
DeleteI love this post. How special your visit must have been! I am always so inspired when I hear stories from my own grandmother growing up in the country and the way they lived then. It's amazing all that they did (and even still do). We want to do more, but find we have to take one thing at a time as well. In the meantime, I'm thankful for the inspiration and motivation I find to keep on and do better...
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely read! I too want to live this way! Pigs & a hoop house are on our list as well! Have you read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle? I refer to it over & over. It also has fabulous recipes. I milk two Nubian does and they truly are fabulous animals. So docile. You will love them! What joy there is in living off the land. Thanks for being such an inspiration!
ReplyDeleteyes, I have loaned that book out to someone, and they haven't returned it :( (hint hint if you are reading this!)
Deletethat is what started me not purchasing bananas - but I have any how here and there as a treat for the kids (and me)
thank you Jennifer!
I see this is a great subject....and God-willing, I will be able to save enough money up to purchase a high res. camera so I can document our life here as a family more true to life!
ReplyDeletelet's keep this discussion going on future posts!!
thanks for all your emails and support...you guys are so inspiring to me- thank you -
xo!