The Simple Life

MORNING

There is something to be said about living a simpler life. Most of you know that I am a homesteader. What most of you do not know is how simple my life is. So I think it’s time for a heart-to-heart conversation.

When I wake up in the morning, I get myself dressed and haul my seventeen-year-old son to work. He works a farm job as a beekeeper for a company that you all have never heard of, but I promise you all have eaten the honey from them.

He gets up, gets dressed, and takes off for a day of manual labor and bee stings. He absolutely loves his job, by the way. When I get home, I fix myself some breakfast and coffee; this always consists of bacon from my local butcher and eggs from my backyard. If I’m feeling spunky, I’ll pull some potatoes out of the root cellar barrel from last fall’s harvest and make some home fries.

FIRST WALK

After breakfast, I take my first walk of the farm today. I only have 3 acres, so this isn’t a big deal. I check the turkeys and chickens feed and water levels, and then I head down to the small pasture where the goats and sheep are.

I check on the babies down there and also check the feed, water, and hay. I walk the fence line to make sure nothing needs my attention, and I’m not chasing any animals down today. If you want to get goats, learn to lasso, trust me on this.

After an animal check, it’s off to the greenhouses and the garden. How are the soil moisture levels? Are there any weeds I need to get out? And since I grow all of my crops organically, What does the pest situation look like today? Do I spot and crop damage? Are the aphids taking over? Do I see any beneficial insects like praying mantis, ladybugs, or assassin bugs?

It seems like a lot, but it is second nature after a decade of living this simple life. Finally, it’s to the fruit orchard and the beehives. How are the trees looking? Are the leaves healthy? Am I getting good blooms? Is there plenty of activities coming from the beehives? Are the bees bearding? Do I notice and drones on the “front porch” of the hive?

Then it’s off to the computer. Most homesteaders these days make the majority of their money online. After all, the big farm payouts only come twice per year. In the spring with the babies sold from the herd and in the fall after the harvest.

Around mid-day, I will do a few chores, maybe a load of laundry or sweep the floors, and then it’s nap time—a one-hour recharge in the middle of the day. I wake up and do a twitter check. Online is my money, right? And then it’s off to grab my son from the honey farm.

AFTERNOON

After he comes home, we tackle a few more farm chores, or if there is a project we’re working on, we’ll throw a couple of hours into that. About that time, my wife returns home from work with my other two kids in tow. She’s a teacher, and they go to the school she teaches at.