Making the decision to get out of the rat race and start a homestead was pretty scary. I grew up on a farm so the lifestyle didn't scare me. But I had gone off to college, got married had a family, got loans to buy houses and cars. All the things society said that I should do.
I had a brand new home, sold it for a bigger home. Had a beautiful fast sporty car traded it for a bigger better car. Got offered a promotion at work....none of these things brought me joy. I spent all my time at work to pay for them and no time to enjoy them or my family!
So selling everything and moving a 1000 miles was scary! We moved to a place sight unseen!! This wasn't our property it was a property that we were looking after while we prepared our land to live on. A caretaking situation if you will. It didn't work out and that setback is one of the reasons why we are not yet on our own dream property.
This spring we will attempt to finally get moved to the property. It is exciting but it's a little scary too.
While the caretaking situation didn't work out and was a bit of a setback we have tried to make the most of it and use the knowledge gained for future success.
I have had these pictures for YEARS and made the video clip a long long time ago. I haven't shared it because every time I watch it I get emotional. You see when I look at it now I see so many newbie gardening mistakes so the perfectionist in me is like OH DEAR. LOL, But there is also another emotional connection. When we landed in the new place we had sold everything and paid off ALL our debt. When my husband arrived and we turned in the Uhaul we had a couple hundred dollars left...that is it! And A LOT of mouths to feed. We didn't know ONE person, not ONE connection. It was SINK or SWIM!!
Oh did I mention that my husbands truck broke down to? Yes, REALLY!
My husband has many skills and luckily a local company snatched him up and within days he was employed. At a job that would help him make many connections in the community.
We were quickly headed into winter. The place we were staying was so miserable. We had not had time or money to better winterize the place and pretty much most of his pay for the winter went to keep us from freezing. Yep, coldest winter in 100 years -15 degrees and we just moved from a tropical climate! Yes, REALLY
So all winter long I stayed up late nights to stoke the little fireplace to keep the house from freezing. It got so bad at one point we could only heat one room. We had electric heaters that were driving the power bill through the roof and still we were cold. The wind just blew through the place!!
I had plenty of time to study, I had been for years but it was time to get SERIOUS!
With one vehicle we decided that it would be best if I stayed home and tended the critters and worked a garden.
So as soon as the snow melted, it was still freezing at night, I started working on a garden spot. The only place was a little hillside. A neighbor told us about a sawmill that would let people take scrap material. So I went there and got some boards to make raised bed terrace rows. You will see them in the video. I had started a compost pile in fall and all winter I babied it. Turning it, covering it etc. It was rewarding watching it steam. We were eating from the grocery store and the cost was extreme and the quality of food was really bad. I knew we needed to eat healthier and we really needed to save some money so I started plants in the house and went full speed.
This little garden isn't anything special to look at but it is special to me. Sharing it is like sharing a part of ME. You see we ate canned goods from that little garden for years. That little garden taught me that I COULD feed myself! Paying off debt is a really big deal but honestly, anybody can do that! To know in your heart that you can grow food and SURVIVE in a life-changing situation that was very EMPOWERING for me, It changed me forever! Not a day goes by that I don't think about growing food! Because I need to and because I WANT TO!
Sugar Creek started in my mind many many years ago but that little garden was THE true beginning of Sugar Creek Homestead. I hope that you will view it and if it inspires ONE person to grow their own food then I am glad that I finally got the courage to share this very personal part of ME.
Thank you so much for stopping by the homestead!
@SugarCreek