2021 – The year of the Homestead… so how did it go?
It went… it went quickly, it went with bumps, twists, and turns. We made it though, whew!
Now, I don’t know about you, but I was REALLY hoping 2021 was going to do a 180 turn from 2020 – but NO, 2021 told 2020 “Hey, watch this!” This pandemic has left me without words to even express my feelings. The anxiety we all likely felt (or still feeling) from the upside-down world we are living in has certainly put us all to the test. However, I don’t want to focus on this as I’m sure neither do you. What I do want to talk about is how we did for our “Year of the Homestead” and encourage you to tell us how your 2021 went.
Let’s review:
We said everything we were doing was with our homestead in mind, and we most certainly accomplished a LOT towards our little piece of paradise.
Animals:
We brought almost all the animals to the homestead that we have been wanting, this is a turning point for us and a huge relief. These animals are the backbone of what will help us achieve the level of self-sustainability that we are reaching for.
We were able to get six Silver Fox Rabbits, two Myotonic (fainting) goats (one buck and one doe), three Nigerian Dwarf goats (one buck and two does), four American Guinea Hogs (two boars and two gilts) and not one, but TWO Dexter cows (one bull and one heifer). We did also get some more chickens (because you can never have too many), and a few turkeys. Unfortunately, we have since lost the five turkeys.
If you click on those links, it will take you to the videos of the animals if you want to see more.
We also completed SO MUCH on the property. Jeff and I have a hard time seeing everything we have done, but when I sat down and started to list out what we have accomplished – WOW, we did better than we thought! It actually doesn’t look like we did much, the ever-lasting bamboo still remains the bane of my existence. You cut down a hundred and it only looks like you cut down five.
We were able to finish clearing the front portion of the property of the crazy evasive bamboo, and we moved our RV to the front. We moved the sawmill to a better area and really started getting some of our felled trees milled up. Some of that wood is going into my Soap Shop (*YAY*), and we are almost done with getting the inside ready to get the countertops built. We cleared out some more land, expanded the area for the chickens and the donkey, started to build a bridge, and are almost finished with the front fence line.
Of course, we still have a LONG way to go, but hopefully we have given you some ideas to help you in your journey to the life you desire. We are getting there slowly, and if 2022 ticks by as quick as 2021 we really need to hustle. Stay tuned for our next blog where will announce our “2022: Year of …..”
In the meantime, please let us know if you have any ideas we haven’t thought of, or if you have any questions – we are more than happy to answer any you have.
Stick with us while we head into the New Year - Stay safe 😊
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