My work commitments start to taper off as summer approaches, and the days stretch seemingly forever after I’ve gotten home from work. I often start the evening with the intention of completing a specific task, only to get distracted by…
Weeks 43 & 44 at Farm 96: Orchard Expansion
Spring break often feels like a ‘preview’ of summer. Last year, around this time, I was buzzing with excitement and nerves – I was under contract on my dream homestead, I had a decent plan for moving, and there was…
My Impulsive Journey into Maple Sugaring
For most of my life, my dream homestead included a maple forest so that I could produce my own maple syrup – it’s the quintessential New England dream, driven by fond childhood memories of frequent trips to Vermont. I didn’t…
Week 29 at Farm 96: Firewood & Firewood
I’ve talked and dreamed about living the wood stove lifestyle for years, and I’ve enjoyed nearly every second of the reality – finding firewood, processing firewood, loading up the firebox even early in the morning and late at night… it’s…
Week 26: 6 Months of Farm 96
It has officially been six months since I realized my lifelong dream to purchase a farm of my own. The goal is to build this property into a semi-self-sufficient homestead. Naturally, I have been heavily focused on all that needs…
My New Life as a Homesteader | Revisiting the Rules 6 Months Later
While sitting in the comfort of my apartment in anticipation of realizing my lifelong dream, I set a couple of rules for my ‘new life as a homesteader’. Now that it has been nearly six months since assuming the ‘homesteader’…
Weeks 23 & 24 at Farm 96: Finding Firewood and Constructing a Compost Bin
As a reminder, I organize my week’s accomplishments according to my ultimate goals for this homestead property. Here’s what I’ve been up to: Resource Acquisition & Preparedness At this point, my life basically revolves around firewood – finding it, splitting it, stacking…
Week 22 at Farm 96: New Wood Stove Install & Reaching Energy Independence
At one point during my dad’s long illness, he was hospitalized for 181 days. I had paused my career to take care of him, so I spent most days that winter at home. It was also, coincidentally, the coldest winter…
Week 14 at Farm 96: Solar Panels!
It was a huge week on the farm, so I’m not going wax poetic – I’ll just get right into it: Energy Independence Usually this category comes last – while just as significant a goal as the others, it’s not…
Week 7 at Farm 96: The Orchard Begins!
For all the money that I spent on my perfect custom couch, I certainly haven’t been using it. I got a lot done this week! Here’s what I’ve been up to: Food Production My orchard has officially begun; I planted…
Weeks 5 & 6 at Farm 96: Project Creep & Poison Ivy
I’ve been a little behind on updates – the weather has been stunning, if not a bit too hot, and the pressure of summer ticking away has pushed me towards focusing on anything but writing. As I work, I’ve been…
Achieving Semi Self Sufficiency on the Homestead: My Goals – A Revisit from the Farm
In early January of this year, I sat down to write about my goals for my future farm life. It’s wild to look back on now – not because the goals have changed (they haven’t), but because I wrote it…