A Look Back...Moving Forward...A New Beginning

March 31st will mark 7 years that we have inhabited Rocky Oak....We purchased in 2008, but did not move over here until 2009.

We have "homesteaded" since 2000 and in that time we have experienced so much...We are the kind of people that like to try new things....We have raised lots of breeds goats, chickens, turkeys, quail, several breeds of pigs,ducks, rabbits, had a horse, a donkey, and we have had calves and a cow...

We have gardened for 25 years, big and small gardens...We have raised many things in our garden...I have canned for many years...I have hung clothes on a line for many years of our almost 26 years of marriage...We have had times of feast and times of famine as is life with self-employment...we have sown and we have harvested...we have cried and we have laughed...What many people find interesting and do for a hobby we have lived as a way of life long before it became the "new fangle thing" to do...We are simple people with simple thoughts and dreams...We have expanded our homestead over the years and we have downsized...We have had health and we have had sickness...The one thing that has remained constant is the fact we keep aging! With age comes changes...we grow in wisdom and we begin to realize whats important...Sometimes we find what we once held dear to our heart wasnt so dear anymore...Our kids grow up and move on...we become grand parents...Life keeps moving forward...In the months that have followed leaving our church, much in our hearts have changed.....much in our lives have changed...its a long story and not one I care to venture into on this blog, but maybe on my other one soon...We are finding many things we believed and were taught were maybe not right...We are finding a freedom we never had...The changes in our hearts are being reflected in other areas of our lives...We are finding what truly makes us happy....

We are finding out who we really are without all the influence of a 'group'(church body)...We are finding life is awesome and not all about rules and regulations...As I age and my health continues to decline, I find I need simplicity and crave solitude...All the busyness on the homestead that I once embraced I am finding I no longer wish to have all that busyness...Simple is good! Farm Man and I are finding balance in life and on the homestead...Its been a journey in both instances for sure! But one we are grateful for....For a very long time we 'homesteaded' for a way to survive if the S*** hit the fan...We found that always looking ahead didn't allow us to enjoy the moment...We missed out on a lot of joy in life...We also found that some churches are more concerned with satan than God and when we are always looking for the devil behind every bush, we miss the blessing right in front of our face...Life is good...Its gone all to soon...Some of the goals we had set for ourselves will be changed in the coming months to reflect the changes in our hearts and lives...We are very happy with where we are at the moment...Chickens, pigs, turkeys and bees are good for us...they are simple and easy....I want to enjoy them rather than them be just another chore...I dont want to wake up someday and realize life has passed me by and all I have done is work...The truth is, none of us know what the future holds....we could prep for 20 years and never need it....and then again, we could need it all tomorrow!...The point is, for us, is that the past few years we have spent so much time worrying about the future, that we have missed the right now in many instances...I look back now and realize that was time wasted....time I can't get back...however today, I can begin to move forward with a renewed mindset to enjoy every moment for what it is...We will face tomorrow....tomorrow...Today I want to enjoy all we have worked so hard to have....I want to embrace the sacrifices we have made and know someday my kids can benefit from that...I want no regets, no woulda, coulda, shoulda way of thinking....I want to be able to spend time time with family, friends, and not always worry about work and chores...Its time to slow down and just enjoy what we have and what we have done...This season I want to work less, play more and enjoy Rocky Oak for the sanctuary it is!

Keep Calm, and Enjoy Life!
The Homestead Lady

Progress

We are making progress on goals here at the homestead...Some are easier to attain than others...but we will reach all of them this spring and summer hopefully...if not, well at least we are making progress!

We added 50 meat birds to the homestead last week...Should be able to process them out in May....For us that should be right at a years worth of chicken...Lost a few within a couple of days of them arriving, but the hatchery is re-shipping what I lost at no charge...The little hen house we bought a few weeks ago has worked perfect for a brood house!

We also ordered honeybees...We ordered a nuc from a man locally and we can take our equipment and he will transfer the bees for us...This will be our first time keeping bees so I have been reading up on keeping them since last summer....We will go with a langstroth hive, seems they are the most popular and from what I am reading the simplest to keep...around here people seem to have really good luck with them...Our bees will be ready for pick up in May...

Our peach trees are loaded with blooms and absolutly beautiful hoping for a bumper crop of peaches this year....The dogwoods are bloomed out and things are greening up...

Since my first hatch of eggs didn't do as well as I had hoped we went ahead and added another 102 hen eggs and 6 turkey eggs...they should hatch in a couple weeks...Both my turkey hens are laying so I am collecting eggs to put in the incubator as soon as the chicken eggs come out...Then I am hopeful to turn the incubator off for the season...

We are selling out of rabbits...We are selling cages and all...I love rabbits, but we have a freezer full and just don't need anymore...so they are nothing but a food bill at this point and that is just a waste of money...So, they will be sold....I have a lady suppost to call me today for me to quote her a price for my entire set up...if she don't buy we will take everything to the auction Saturday morning...if anyone lives close to extreme NE Oklahoma and interested email me at thehomesteadlady@hotmail.com and in the subject line put rabbits.

Still no piglets but it can't be far off...she is huge! I am eager to see how many she has....All will be sold except 2 which we will process out for the freezer...another years worth meat...Its awesome to raise your own!

We went to a misc. auction last saturday and picked up some really awesome stuff...My most favorite find was seeds....500 packs of various flower seeds....At .99 cents a pack that was 500.00 worth of seeds and I gave 57.00 for all of them complete with display! With bees coming we figured we could plant flowers around the house and in the woods and feed the bees! For that price I couldn't pass it up! (pic below)



All in all things are going very well here on the homestead...This is my favorite time of year and I spend alot of time outside just sitting in the sun...I love nature watching...We have tons of doves around here and I enjoy watching them...Nature is an amazing thing...

Duty awaits so I need to sign off...


Until next time....Stay calm and homestead on!
The Homestead Lady

My awesome seed find

Peach bloom with honey bee

Amazing peach blooms....100s of them

Chicks I hatched on the left and meat birds on the right