Ahh, A Homestead. Rise in the cool of the morning. Race outside to a new day, Gather still warm globes from nests, making sure to avoid those vicious beaks. Sit alone, smell the hay. Nose is cold, hands are warm Only hear the birds and her deep breath Blowing curls of steam as she munches her grain Quietly standing, warm tomatoes, clutched within the palm, staring across the open land, breathing deep the smell of plants, as you brush against them. Checking on the babies, there are always babies, promises of growing potential. Constant entertainment. Bad day, pull out all the hair. rail aginst the elements. Good day, makes up for the bad and then surpasses your greatest dreams. Synergy realized. Ahh, the homestead. Little Bit Farm

-- Little bit Farm (littlebit@calinet.com), October 31, 2000

Answers

LBF! Yeppie! You're right--only at my place we can dash out in the cool of the crispy fall mornin and welcome another beautiful day. EVERY day is beautiful! Open up your lungs and quickly fill'm with fresh country air almost to the point of'm bustin. Cough, cough, gag and slmost puke---what's this? Oh, I forgot---winds outta the east. I guess the hog factory 1/4 mile east is up and runnin today. Well anyhow, Exhale quickly and head for the shop. It won't be as bad in there as outside. Start the old woodburnin furnace and shortly the sweet, pungent smell of sassafrass wood soon fills the surrounding air. Throw on a little katalfa and red oak--the "perfume" of the hogs is now not much of a problem. Country life! I wouldn't trade it for the world! Thank you Lord for loanin me this farm but those hogs! Can you move'm to town? It already stinks there!! Matt.24:44

-- hoot (hoot@pcinetwork.com), October 31, 2000.

How nice it sounds as I have 2 children fighting and yelling ! Auh Motherhood.

-- Patty (fodfarms@slic.com), October 31, 2000.

Thanks for the smiles.

-- Cindy (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), October 31, 2000.

Patty, enjoy as a Mother, step-mother, foster Mother--(now Grandma) they are gone sooo soon you wonder when it got sooo quiet! And I'm still trying to figure how to shop & cook for just Two!! Enjoy!!! I still can't cook for just Two --so this week I'm takeing extra food to my daughter's home as she is expecting a baby & home schooling the boys & getting ready to move--thought she would appreciate the extra dishes to heat up! And takeing food to my oldier Mother so she doesn't have to cook. Give those kids a project & enjoy them --they will be gone before you know it--& you will be wondering how to cook for just two of you! ha Have a great one, & enjoy!!!! Sonda in Ks.

-- Sonda (sgbruce@birch.net), October 31, 2000.

The house is quiet I can now enjoy the homestead .I can hear the chickens , the cow in heat , and the pigs playing .Life is good .The snow geese will be here soon and I can't wait for the sky to be white and my ears to be filled with there noise .

-- Patty (fodfarms@slic.com), October 31, 2000.

Feels good huh! I put a roof on my goat barn, pretty big too, all by myself the last two days! It's hooked to the garage, so I sat on top of the garage peak both evenings and watched the sunset and looked way out over the place and hills. So quiet. (except for the little goat girl who gets her head stuck in the field fence every once in a while!) And the roof didn't cost anything. I measured and cut and used all the plywood we picked up for free here and there. Tomorrow is tar paper and all the rolled roofing we took off the old barn we are tearning down.

-- Cindy in Ky (solidrockranch@msn.com), October 31, 2000.

AAAHHH morning here on the homestead...stumble contact lense-less over several cats and kittens, over the ice cold floor to the bathroom, put in my eyes and take in the surroundings - fog. That's it, just fog. Once it clears, I'll be able to see the surrounding landscape, but I'll be at work by then. Oh well. The cats are being unbareably cute, the kittens are chewing on my toes, and the tea is hot. Cream of wheat with a couple of Tbsp of Nutella stirred in - oh yeah, baby, I like this kinda party!

-- Soni (thomkilroy@hotmail.com), November 02, 2000.

Heaven!!!

-- Phyllis (almostafarm@yahoo.com), November 03, 2000.

I think we all want to remember that the first part of homestead is HOME. My home of my dreams is one where I have a little room and the animals to share it with. I want to garden to be more independant and to have room to be me. Home is where the heart is and my heart just got back to the land before the rest of me. gail

-- gail missouri ozarks (gef123@hotmail.com), November 04, 2000.

Hi All, my chickens dont lay eggs in the early mornin, Latly I have been so busy with the 6 kids I cant get my homestead work done. Sona I do not look forward to only cooking for 2. Do you think it will realy happen? I cant think that way. My 6 kids are fosters I dont plan on quiting but I might get old someday hu. I still love my homestead even thuogh I am to buisy to stop and smell the roses, or cows as it is in my case. I live across from a dairy. The land here is very very beautiful, whats a little cow smell? Lisa

-- Lisa Kay (hopplehomestead@safezone.net), November 05, 2000.

I wonder if those city folk know the feelings we are all describing?!? Many a day I walk out to the barn in my knee high Wellies and my Pajamas to my chores. My 4 year old twins help feed the cats while I tend the goats and chickens. My campfire coffee pot has perked the coffee by the time I am back inside and I get out breakfast fixin's. I love lookin' at "my" backyard of fields and Mountains as my breath comes out smoky from the cold and the girls and I are freezing our butts off while doin' chores only to rush back into the fire and a warm breakfast. Nothing is ever finer to me then feeling Gods presence out here!!!! Of course there are those mornings where the woods' too green to ignite so we are freezing our butts off back inside too. That's cause I shoulda cut that in the spring instead of last week!!

-- Evelyn B (peontoo@yahoo.com), November 05, 2000.