Thank You!

I often think about the title of this blog – what people are expecting it to be and whether the content matches their expectations.  There is a slight worry of possibly disappointing people, but then, in the same breath, I remind myself that I did this mostly as a creative outlet for myself and as a way to share some insight of what I have learned because of living on a farm that others may find helpful, interesting, or at least humorous.

Over the past few months as I have made a conscience effort to share the story of a reluctant farmer’s wife, I have begun to realize that I have come a long way.  I’m not nearly as reluctant about this life as I was when Brandon and I first started dating.  Don’t get me wrong, there are days when it is inconvenient and I would be totally fine if the only animals we had were the dogs and of course the laying hens (without eggs, Romney Ann might starve).  There are days when I wish we could just pack up and go on vacation on a whim instead of planning for weeks to be gone for three days.  There are days I wish we could be on time to a baby shower instead of getting the cows back in the pasture (we were actually late to OUR OWN baby shower once because a pig was having babies – true story).

But then there are days where I see the difference that is being made in the environment, even if only on our little slice of land.  There are the days where I have a conversation with a customer and it just clicks the importance of where food comes from and how it’s raised.  There are the days when the sun is setting and I think, these damn chickens are supposed to be IN the pen, but goodness gracious, they sure do have the best view.

Over the past 6 months, I have attempted, and hopefully somewhat successfully, shared the farm through my eyes – the joys, the beauty, the difficulty, the heartache, the life lessons, AND the crazy ways that living in this place has affected our lives out of the pastures – in our house, in our vocations, in our parenting.  I have realized in a new way, because I am now officially putting words to it, that there are so many things I have learned by marrying a farmer and I am a better person for it. On the most basic level, where my food comes from and the hard hard work that goes into raising and growing it.  More deeply I’ve developed a greater connection to creation – farming practices that are sustainable and regenerative to this planet we were entrusted to care for.  And even more deeply still, a connection and opportunity for a simpler (but not always slower) way of life for our family.

I just wanted to say thank you to those who have cared enough to follow along. I hope that whether it’s the idea of using an old door in your home or trying to locally source your food – whatever it is that’s come from this blog that’s made you take notice and stick around – I hope it has been helpful or at least entertaining.