Anyone who thinks this is the ‘simple life’ is seriously misunderstanding the logistics – it both a continuous journey of discovery and learning and a battle to get the things done that need to get done to make it all worthwhile. The tasks are never-ending, and sometimes priorities are built on nothing more than what is closest at hand or most pressing; sometimes the weather decides, sometimes the season, sometimes fortuitous opportunity, and sometimes from just sheer procrastination.
Not to downplay the pleasure that we get from this life – not everyone is so lucky (not that everything we do is pleasurable, but that we find pleasure in its purpose and experience for us), though luck is an interesting term when we’ve made specific choices (many that most people would not be interested in making) to get us here – it has been a long and hard journey for us, too – we may look lucky now but we’ve paid plenty of dues and if the airplane hasn’t fallen on our house yet, that doesn’t mean it won’t {we’re still waiting for our divine Mercedes Benz}.
That said, this is the kind of place where time pauses – though the list never shortens, and the seasons seem to come faster than we are ready for, we are not beholden to much, including time. We spend this timeless time trying to improve our systems like the chicken tractor – and finding a Winter use for it: turning it into a greenhouse?, thinking about the realities of rabbits and bees for next year, building bookshelves, kitchen garden beds, renovating the old porch to a working greenroom, fixing the mower – always fixing the mower, making pickles and putting up veggies/fruits – picking berries, setting up bread and other goodies for deliveries and thinking of new goods that we (and you) might like, and my recent meditative escape – foraging/drying/making teas. In addition to normal things like homeschooling and my PhD dissertation writing and Josh’s reading/writing, we also have interests like making art/making fire systems/cooking delicious foods and longer-term goals and plans of a magazine publication and on-site workshops and residencies (cabin planning is in the works). And our current dream project of the Rock Bottom Homestead Hearth – a community bread clay oven for both classes, future gatherings, and bread building relations.
Happenings, man – there’s always happenings around here…
Rock Bottom Homestead 