Divorcing your Homestead

Okay… maybe divorcing your homestead seems to be a bit of an exaggeration. But, sometimes there are days where this lifestyle can be overwhelming and you just want to give up.

Behind the reasons we all homestead the thought may cross one’s mind where everything seems to be overwhelming such as: crops are not growing, animals are dying, everything is falling apart. Which leads to many sleepless nights when you want a divorce or even a separation. I view it like this “It takes two to tango” and if your homestead is working against you there is an issue. We as homesteaders don’t give up on our dreams; we find solutions, and continue to work harder to fight for what we love and enjoy!?????????

Many of us have a vision of this lifestyle that is filled with positive dreams where everything is full of crops, flowers, weed-free all around, and animals that are healthy, and nothing at the homestead doesn’t fall apart. And when I say fall apart I mean everything seems to fall apart all at once. However, we are in the real world where sometimes are dreams may be harder sometimes to obtain.

When we first bought the property the first thing we got was chickens. These chickens were going to not only help put some food on the table but help provide a little income. Then last year all 30 of our chickens were killed by one fox. After numerous times of trying to catch this monster, we were unsuccessful. One rainy day we saw the monster on our driveway it was so early in the morning we were shocked and didn’t act fast enough to grab the shotgun and shoot him. It is a little embarrassing knowing we had chickens and now we had to purchase eggs from the local store. This year we turned it all around with a little help from our neighbor. We bought 15 more chickens; they are happy and having a fantastic time, but we are prepared because the neighbor has dogs that help protect their goats and chickens as well as ours.

Next, has anyone had a year where their garden has been overrun by insects or diseases, or has been ruined by flooding?? Well, we have and this is where we wanted to actually give up and divorce our homestead. The feeling of failure was taken over us and we really needed to take the time and re-evaluate what needed to be done and how to do it properly. So with some thinking, we decided to test our soil ( which was in awesome condition). We decided to add more raised beds and start a compost bin to help nurture the plants. Last year was ruined by a flooding season in Oklahoma so it was probably hard for most homesteaders in this state. We couldn’t give up on our garden so if something did not work last year then we are growing stuff that works for us this year.

The big downfall is when everything around the homestead starts to break down or needs to be replaced. Doesn’t it seem like when one thing falls apart then almost everything does? So in this case instead of thinking of divorcing your homestead just take a deep breath and start at one thing at a time.

Homesteading at times can be a one-way bond but you should never give up on your dream. Find blessings on what it has to offer and what it can bring us in the future. Don’t dwell on the negatives but envision all the positives. There will always be a tomorrow. Learn to build a better relationship with your homestead and it will start working for you!

This article was originally written by Tana Mason and re-posted in memory of her. 

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