You know I have been thinking a lot lately about the fact that I am basically a Suburban Farmer so that also makes me a Suburban Farmers Wife as well. The truth of the matter is to run counter to the mainstream isn’t always easy I mean we think differently kind of like “Hippy Farmers” Yes it’s trendy right now but we haven’t always been trendy and I can promise you it won’t last some folks once they find out how hard raising chickens, bees, and gardening is will quit……but many of us will persevere because it is our life’s calling.
I have to tell you when I sat in high school as a teenager I knew that I was different for one I could not stand cafeteria food and I realize even now when I go downtown to clubs and I am wearing my blue jeans instead of a dress and I might still have dirt in my toenails from working in the garden I am so a Suburban Farmers Wife and I’m proud of it! This means life is not always pretty at the lil’ suburban homestead especially right now as we are letting some of our gardens grow weedy to provide flowers for the bees. As we deal with chicken drama and naked chicken butts from our picking chicken flock, and as we have box traps in the yard to catch rodents it means it ain’t always glamorous folks.
It means I sit on the deck and the chickens cackle to me so I will often let them out just so they will be happy. It means butchering chicken meat and folks at work saying or thinking your sick. But the same people proudly walk out of the grocery store with their chicken nuggets and drumettes…….sorry folks one difference between you and those of us that slaughter our own chickens we make sure they have a great quality of life first yes we are more humane in our approach and therefore as I eat one of my chickens I feel no guilt I am proud that we gave them the best of the best and their time on this earth was met with love and care and their end came swiftly and humanely.
It means I go home everyday and collect our eggs, check on the garden, harvest any veggies, can veggies in the summer, and harvest the honey on top of all the rest of my normal household chores that everyone else has.
It means I spend more money on chicken feed than I do on clothing or make up. It means I collect books on gardening, herbs, and bee keeping. It means that you can come into my house at any time and there will most likely be a mess of canning jars or some project in process. Last summer my friend came by while I was dehydrating cabbage and our house stunk to high heaven! It was hilarious and other times during the summer vinegar permeates the air from me making homemade mustard or pickles.
We even have to think differently outside the box….always looking for ways to save money and utilize off gird resources such as our woodstove insert.
Oh yes I am that person who cringes and gets sick to her stomach when you let your pest guy spray all around your house they use toxins we can’t even imagine. Oh yes when my neighbors spray their weed eating chemicals it makes me sad but I still like them so many people don’t realize that this earth just needs us to care for it and that there are other better ways to deal with pests or we just live with them. I am the lady that lets the spider hang out in their corner trust me they are doing us a favor as long as their not poisonous. Take the time to learn about beneficial insects and spiders and snakes. I hate snakes but I am learning to keep the right ones around……education is critical to being the life of a Suburban Farmer’s wife.
Just know if you go in my garage you may stumble on herbs drying or our meal worm farm, and if you go into our office we will have wine coming of age. There is always something going on! Does any of this resonate with you? If so you are part of an elite club we are homesteaders, farmers, dreamers, and vigilant die hards but we are fueled by passion that there must be a better way for all of us. A way to live the dream, a way to eat healthier food, a way to live gentler on this planet. There has to be a better way!
There are so many positives to being a Suburban Farmers wife so don’t let my description deter you if its your life’s calling too!
Fondly,
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Thanks for taking us on a mini tour of your life as the farmers wife. I reckon there is always something on the go for you. I also have herbs drying… just got a fresh load of garlic in that i’m going to re-plant and asparagus. How are all your vegetables? I would love to see more pictures of your garden… I’m nosey that way!!
Thanks Mr. CBB so much for your comment! I would love to take more pics of the garden hopefully I will have more time this weekend! 🙂 Mr. CBB by the way it sounds like you are a suburban farmer too LOL!
I love your story. I identified with everything you said. I live in a private community in the mountains and there is convenent the says we cannot have farm animals including bees. I do have veggy herb, and blueberry garden and I make just about everything I can. My neighbors do think I.m a little different until I give them a jar of my homemade jelly or a glass of our homemade wine. I won.t change my life just to fit in. It took me 58years to realize I was I was born to live simple. Keep up the good work that you provide
Thanks Judy so much for your kind words. I agree that friendships can go far with homemade jelly and wine for sure 🙂 So glad you stopped by today and commented!
I teared up a little while reading. You have an awesome blog and I am enjoying reading your post on FB as well.
Carrie thanks so much! I so appreciate you stopping by and sharing such a kind comment 🙂
OMGoodness, yes! It’s a different mindset, and one that some people don’t understand from the outside looking in. People look at the way we live and think it’s “different”. I, like you, will let the spider hang out in the corner. I don’t kill snakes or spiders unless they’re poisonous. We don’t shoot coyotes as they’ve never bothered our calves – NOT ONCE. A 1500-lb protective mama cow is deterrent enough apparently. In fact we’ve watched as our calves bounced playfully toward a coyote looking in spent hay for a rat or mouse meal, the coyotes would dart away from the calves. I realize that it was us who plopped our home in the middle of a cow pasture, other critters were here long before us. There’s a balance of course, but that balance should not be to eliminate or kill everything that moves. Thanks so much for sharing this post.
~Taylor-Made Ranch~
Wolfe City, Texas
We definitely have a different mind set don’t we! It’s crazy to me I will go back and see posts I have missed sorry for missing this one and thanks for your encouragement!
I was with you all the way until the spiders. Just kidding. I wish you and all the previous commenters were my neighbors… we’d all be jamming strawberries together instead of me sweating in my hot kitchen alone 🙂 The ‘different’ thing is so hard for me. Glad the internet exists.
Yes Katharina…..different is not always easy but we are kindred spirits on line together! So glad you stopped in and trust me I had a spider the other day continually getting in the way so it finally had to come to its demise…….but its not my first train of thought and thats what matters. I will be in the kitchen working again starting tomorrow…..looking forward to the work!
Hey there Karen, it looks like you have a new place here 🙂
Wonderful to see you!
Suburban/rural or urban all gardening is good 🙂
*anna
Hi Anna! Yes its taken forever for everyone to find me over here because some of the stuff to put in place to transfer didn’t work and I was like no worries I have started over before 🙂 I loved your Summer Solstice ost and I shared it on my Facebook/Blog wall! Happy Summer Solstice and hope all is well!