I meant to do a Sustainability Saturday roundup of delicious and utilitarian canning recipes this weekend, but a) I had a roller derby bout which totally leveled me and b)… I went and bought another 25lbs of tomatoes and the canning continues this week! What was I thinking? (I’ll tell you what I was thinking: “I do not have enough quarts of tomatoes to make as much tomato soup as I will want to eat this winter.” This Saturday, canning roundup!
On Sunday, DH and I dragged my sore, tired self through the last day of the Western Washington State Fair (http://www.thefair.com – how envious must other fairs be of that URL). I was pleased to discover that DH is like me; i.e. actually finds great pleasure in meandering around middle school art exhibits, looking at quilts, and making goofy faces at the 4H kids’ bunnies. Poster board presentations on preparing for horse shows elicit smiles instead of impatient toe-tapping.
DH grew up in a farming community. I grew up in a hippie-turned-software-executive-but-we-still-pretend-we’re-hippies-even-though-we-drive-$60,000-cars community. Not exactly a comparable background there. But when I sneakily mentioned maybe wanting a farm someday, I was surprised when I hit a brick wall. (Also, apparently my sneaky skills need some work.)
“Farms are work,” he said. “24 hour, 7 day a week, hard work.”
I was initially insulted – of course I know farms are work. I am not one of those people with an aversion to hard work. But then I clarified that I didn’t really want a big farm, just a homestead. For some reason, changing what I was calling it made it worse, not better. Apparently big farms are better because they have people working for them, but a homestead… “Who’s going to feed the animals and [list, list, list].”
“Us. Me.”
DH looked skeptical, and I can’t really blame him. He met me when I was living in DC working 60+ hours a week in an office building. He didn’t know me when I was taking care of six horses while working and going to school full-time, or working full-time in a 22 stall boarding facility. He’s never seen me haul hay and fix fences and wrangle large, cranky animals. I am definitely not under any illusions that having a farm is like playing Farmville – best done from the comfort of your climate-controlled office.
As we meandered through the pygmy goats and watched the babies play king of the log and butt heads, I continued to try to convince him that this was a good idea. No luck, but he is going to allow me to drag him down to visit these guys because “he’d see.” He is totally going to see.
LOL–I remember when we were in college and went to the Colorado State Fair. You wanted to take home the sheep and goats. I see it has progressed.
Always! I think wanting to take animals home is an always thing with me. Hm… perhaps that is where DH skepticism comes from. In fact, the desire to have a homestead is separate from my desire to cuddle cute and fuzzy animals. Perhaps I should clarify that with him
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Hippie software executive eh.?
Yeah, Sun meant there were a lot of them. Also, scientists and engineers because of NOAH and Lockheed and NORAD. Boulder is just such an interesting combination of people!
Jess you need a village. ;p
I’m working on a business plan with a group of investors right now to buy some farmland and own it communally. We all realize we can’t do it alone and don’t want to live on a farm 24×7. It’s 30 min from Seattle and would have someone there to care for the animals that we would all pay. As soon as we get something more cohesive I’ll be blogging about it. I feel like I must dabble in farming or wither. Heart you!
It taaaaakes a villaaaage… /end song.
I absolutely love that idea and hope it takes off. Just can’t wait to see what you guys get going up there.
Part of my problem is that I don’t feel like doing it all ourselves is the answer. But it feels like it is the only option right now for those of us who want to control what we’re putting in our bodies and the practices we support with our dollars. There should be a better option and one of the things my brain is working on is what it would take for us ALL to have good and convenient choices available on the level that would make complete DIYness unnecessary.
Also, <3!
Jess, you might find this blog interesting: http://scienceblogs.com/casaubonsbook/?utm_source=bloglist&utm_medium=dropdown
This lady has done something similar to what you want to do, and talks about many of the issues you hit on here.
Ooh! Yes, I know of her and thank you for that link!! You know those things/blogs/people that require so much thought and consideration that you end up putting it on the backburner and watching The Office instead, and then you forget it’s there and waiting for you in all its depth and profundity? That is what Casaubon’s Book has been for me thus far, and I NEED to be reading it on a regular basis. She is brilliant.
Is this pic the infamous PINK HAIR????
It is! It actually looks kinda pinkish in this picture, doesn’t it? Seriously…just barely though.