I won!! and the Why...

I won a survival Seed Vault from Blue Yurt Farms and these other great blogs!!

Five Little Homesteaders
Faulk Farmstead
This Original Organic Life
Earthworms and Marmalade
RiddleLove
Homestead Honey
The Jahner Farmstead
Learning and Yearning
Green Eggs and Goats
The Toups Address
The Farmstead
Little Homestead on the Range
The Randazzo’s

I have been reading these blogs lately and have learned SOOO much from them. Great garden tips and some really good recipes. It isn't all milk cows and acreage either... many of them are urban gardeners and homesteaders.

But pt. 2 of whats going on in my head lately....

Ralph and I have talked some about what "turns me on" about the homesteading blogs I'm reading and all of this "hippy back to nature stuff" Don't be offended by the question, he is as much a hippy as I am but being a cowboy he doesn't like to admit it... my first clue is his favorite musician is Guy Clark. He does admit he likes the idea too and I think we have summed it up into a few reasons.

1. That is how things were when we were a child. I remember the full acre garden, eating carrots straight from the ground and planting seeds. He remembers not having electricity, cotton fields, pea crops and feeding the pigs. We both have good childhood memories of those things. (and a few bad.. i had to promise if we get a milk cow we will get an electric butter turn so he will NEVER have to do that again.)

2. We never had time for this before. When we owned Zippys Pizza w were working 16 hr days in a restaurant... who could plant a garden? In fact we have neglected the pastures, the fences... there is a whole bunch that needs to be done. With horseshoeing we usually leaves out in the morning and we are home by 2 pm... we finally have time!! We have been workaholics all our lives and although this has been how I have wanted to live, I never had time to DO it and I do now... so i will.

3. this little guy (and the other 15 grandchildren)

Tristan lives right next door and loves animals. (he is now napping on my bed with both puppies) I think growing up doing chores and working with animals builds character and we want all of our grandchildren to have those experiences.

4. It really isn't that big of a leap. We have horses, 100 acres, we always shop the outside of the grocery store because we believe the stuff on the inside shelves are full of preservatives, sugar, salt and other horrible things (not to mention cost a fortune vs preparing a healthy "real" food meal.) We buy local when we can.... after this winter is clear we have to start collecting our own firewood, why not just garden and add a couple animals to the place???

5. Zombie Apocalypse? I doubt it.. but... there is a chance that something in this world could go wrong: epidemic disease, no power grid, collapse of our economic system... maybe its because so many people on facebook keep posting their conspiracy theories, none of which really seem plausible but then again when we got hit by a hurricane, none of what we saw there seemed plausible before either.  It does make me think.... what kind of shape would be in... really?

6. Ralph said to throw in here I'm cheap like his mother. lol. But it does make sense economically to produce what we can.

Those are the reasons we are going back to our roots and turning the ranch back into a working ranch and farm.

Brood Mares grazing on the back 40 (sadly it doesn't look like this anymore!!)

Next Post... its going to be quilty. I have some blocks Im sending off for the do.good stitches dream circle and for quilts for an orphanage in Mexico City.