These last few months as I transitioned to a M-F 9-5 sort of job I haven't written much. Much of what I had to say was kind of drowned out by how I was feeling as I adjusted to a few new things- there was a lot of instances where I knew I needed to change my mindset and was having a hard time doing so, especially about my job. Now that I have, things are flowing more easily again and I am trying to reconnect with the homesteading I love so much in some way while I still am waiting to add chickens in the spring. There's just not much happening around the SemiFarm in the winter, you see, not much to write about. There's no vegetable garden, no cold frames, it's too early to start really dreaming about seedlings, and I have been so in a funk in my writing there hasn't been much to tell in that respect either.
So here I am devouring homesteading books. I've already read Jenna Woginrich's Barnheart.which I will say has quickly become one of my favorites- I am so glad I bought it. I commiserate with Jenna on a number of things but mostly it helped me remember how different we are as people in our live experiences and how much I treasure that. I love her words and how they flow from the paper just like a conversation- something I only hope I can do here on my blog.
I am also reading Joel Salatin's "Folks, This Ain't Normal" which is very eye opening about our relationship to food and the natural world around us. Joel's writing style is different than most books in that his also reads like a conversation or lecture but is non-fiction. Took me a while to adjust to it but I just adore it.Great book- highly recommended and will probably get passed among my friends for quite some time.
Other than reading I have begun baking bread from scratch again. I found a wonderful recipe for a honey oat loaf here and with some modifications (quick oats cuz I'm a bit impatient) turned out a very good product my new boss and co-worker were much impressed with.
I'm looking to join a CSA perhaps this spring for meat if I can find one. My article on fiber farm CSAs should be out soon in a national magazine- see if you can spot it! I also have more magazines to query as I learn to balance my writing life and this new work schedule. Hopefully 2012 will be full of new beginnings here.
What I have learned most through all the past few months is that it never feels good to put on airs. Just be yourself and follow your heart in everything you do- genuine and true. Trying to impress others, while important, should never be your primary goal or you will fail and hard and exhaust yourself at the same time. It's something you can't control that is best to let go of- just by being the best you you can be. That has to be enough.
My homestead isn't really ready yet. Not much goes on here right at the moment worth sharing, but we're growing and evolving every day as I figure out who I am and how to cope with how I feel about the world around me. We're a scrappy bunch us Hunters but we do the best we can with what we have and that's all we can do. I'm a damn good me. How good are you at being you? Do you hide behind personas at work than you do at home or are you genuine all the time? How do you balance the two worlds?
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