With my head held high! Next week marks one month since leaving my office day job to pursue matters of the home. This has been the best decision we could have made for our family, and I am so thankful Bob continues to push through and work full time to allow me to handle things here on the Homefront.
My days start by being snuggled out of bed where I relax my the woodstove and drink a hot lemon water tea Bob has already prepared for me since he has been up longer than I have. By this time its 7 AM. Bob mills around and gets ready for work while I tell the dogs good morning. Bob mades himself breakfast, and always asks if I want anything, but I like to eat a little bit after my water. I usually end up eating his leftover eggs or oats, because he makes extra knowing I’ll be hunger soon enough. Then I’m packing his lunch- its usually homemade granola (the recipe below!), leftovers of whatever we had the night before, and fruit. He is so good at never complaining about eating things so many times in a row. Then we read “The Daily Stoic” by Ryan Holiday, to reflect on throughout the day (this month’s topic is awareness). Once Bob leaves for work- its go time. I take hot water out to the chickens- they are fancy they like a little tea in the wintertime. I feed them and start collecting eggs so they do not freeze in these cold temperatures. I go inside, feed and water the bunnies and sweep out their cage. Then I get dressed, prepare my bags and by 9 oclock I’m out the door on my way to the gym, where I work out on the elliptical, bicycle or treadmill for 30 minutes followed by an hour long yoga class. Take a quick shower and head on home. Once a week I leave from here to go to counseling and two times a month I leave here and go to acupuncture. But normal day to day, I head home and collect the eggs. Come in and say hi to the dogs and eat lunch. Then I will clean the house (LOTS of sweeping to do) while letting the bunnies run around downstairs whenever the cat is in a deep slumber upstairs, which happens to be VERY often these past few weeks. Every tasks takes just a bit longer to do than normal living off grid but adds such a joy to it. Bob and I will usually get to FaceTime or call for his lunch break, which is always a nice time to kick my feet up. Then I take the dogs for an afternoon walk, where I leash them and make them go at my pace. They get so worn out by the end they are trying to lay down before we get home! By 3 o’clock I take more tea and food to the chickens collect and wash the eggs from the day and start preparing a delicious meal for when Bob comes home. In the times I may have in there I try to sneak in a bit of reading or knitting. And once Bob gets home, we enjoy a meal together and relax and spend good quality time together with the animals until it is time for bed. It has really been so perfect.
I can feel the spring blooming into my heart, although it is far from spring weather outdoors. The more we get into March, the more sunlight we gain each day, the more excitement I can feel spreading throughout my body. Bob has done our seed order and we should be receiving them in the next couple of weeks. Everything is going to change- like it always does- but like it never has before. I’ve been sitting at this computer for an hour now, hunched over, taking notes, writing down events to go to, planning on how to become a better farmer- fuck, not even a better farmer, but just a farmer. This isn’t something I have ever done…I’m just the farm hand, I just do what the farmer tells me to do. Now I’m making the decisions? Bob and I got into a small argument over who was going to do the crop planning this year. I said I couldn’t because I never have. This is essentially what I have quit my job for. So what if I’ve never done it. I need to do it now. I’ve never had to be responsible for anyone other than myself, and now suddenly, I am responsible for my husband, the 5 pets and 35 + birds I’ve adopted and my unborn-but-soon-to-be-born child. This is a lot going on people! But here’s why I am more excited than I am scared, more pumped than I am bogged down, more happy than I have ever been: commitment. I am committed to this life. I am committed to Bob- to supporting him and allowing him to support me, to us being the best of friends to each other, and for us to find our parts and do all of these things together. It is so easy to feel overwhelmed. It is so easy to shy away when we feel vulnerable. It is so easy to just stick to things we know we are good at. Its a lot harder to have hope, to have faith in yourself, or to put your trust in another person…but it is so damn worth it, because when you do these things, you see how magical life really is.
Homemade Granola:
Mix together:
4 cups oats
1 & 1/2 Cups nuts and seeds (I like I cup Cashews and 1/4 cup each sunflower and pumpkin seeds)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
In a measuring glass mix:
1/2 C melted coconut oil
1/2 C raw local honey (or local syrup)
1 tsp Vanilla (substitue for other flavors if feeling playful)
Combine liquid to dry and spread out in a pan on parchment paper (this will help the honey stay on the oats and not get sucked out onto the pan. Bake for 21 minutes at 350. Halfway through I like to add in Coconut flakes by stirring it all around and patting it down to be nice and even and flat again. I also like to flip the pan. When it comes out it will still cook and it is SUPER hot. I like to put it out in the snow to cool and once its completely cooled I like to add chocolate chips and dried fruit. MMMMMMM
(I like to substitute the vanilla for orange extract, walnuts or pecans for cashews and add cranberries) I’d love to here other suggestions!
