A Homestead For Everyone
We have a daughter and family, who live in Wyoming on a homestead! It’s amazing! They have chickens, ducks, goats, pigs, a cow or two, turkeys, and other assorted animals. Their eight children all take a part in the care of the animals, as well as the massive garden they plant in the spring; and in preserving the bounty in the fall. It’s a huge, every day project, yet they love it.
When we visit I am always in awe of all they do. There is so much work involved, but they rarely look at it as work. The goats provide milk to drink—(and yes, goat milk is amazing,) and as it turned out, several of the children were allergic to cows milk but thrived on the goat milk. The garden has me jealous of all the bounty and cringing with embarrassment as I compare my pitiful little six item garden to their fifty-two different varieties of plants, all of which they enjoy all winter during the cold, snowy season!
I have pictures of the little ones picking up the chickens and toting them as pets, as well as the goats! They love their life and it shows!
What surprised me, however, is the suggestion that this type of lifestyle is not only for the fit, healthy and robust of us, but also for the ‘disability people group.’ It not only ‘works’ for them, it’s encouraged since working with the animals and tending gardens can be therapeutic!
Now that said, it’s true that there are times when a healthy youth might be a welcome addition to the workload and another adult might need to help with overall organization.
But for those who are interested, a homestead is just the ticket to a lifestyle which offers freedom otherwise unavailable. Sometimes it means adapting to circumstances required to getting the work done. It may mean using a single arm to do some of the chores, or adjusting to impaired vision but still being able to see enough to do necessary tasks.
There are challenges, (and as varied as there are people!) but as humans, many of us have an innate desire to interact with animals and to grow things. Some are happy to have a dog or cat and grow flowers.
Others take a different approach and choose to tend cows, who will respond to the sound of a person’s voice, enjoy the bounty of eggs from chickens who are often very willing to allow attention from their owners. (Even our local chickens are not unwilling to allow our grandchildren to pet or hold them for a spell. They actually squat when we get close so you can pick them up!) And goats, like chickens and other animals can also be very social and enjoy interaction with humans!
Starting small and evolving into a greater farming atmosphere is often the best option. That may be true even for the ‘able-bodied’ since there is a learning curve and doing too much, too quickly, can be frustrating.
Our daughter and family started slowly when they moved west, from the east coast. They began with goats and chickens and gradually over the years added a different animal or two a year, as they acclimated to the work load, and the criteria for raising animals in 4-H.
Our world is rapidly changing. Food processing has changed how we eat, allergies are increasing, as is obesity. Perhaps the idea of homesteading may be interesting —or maybe even intimidating. But if a person starts small, whether it be from an animal perspective or from a garden point of view, you may see a glimmer of possibilities rise, and challenge you to try!