So, if you've been working on your Homestead as a while, this post will be old hat, if you're new to Homesteading or about to head down the path hopefully this post is for you.
You're going to be overwhelmed for a while, but don't start another project until you've completed the one you're working on. I wanted to do everything all at once, but ended up with a lot of half done stuff, and no real production to show for it. As time has gone on we've added one thing to the next, function stacking as best we can. I'm beginning to see real, tangible benefits from both the chickens and the cattle on our land, and can't wait for the fall garden and the rabbit manure to add into our soil.
You're going to have bad days. The bull is going to walk through a fence and end up in the road. Feral dogs, or skunks, or hawks are going to decimate your chickens. Your brooder is going to be too small and you're going to lose chickens to snakes and smothering. Your pigs are going to dig under the pen in search of better accomodations. You're going to forget to turn the water off and come home to a pig version of a waterpark, twice. Your tractor is going to break, repeatedly. You will be ok. Ask me how I know.
The Homestead is a metaphor for life. There's a line from a Keanu Reeves movie, "Half of life is just showing up." The Homestead demands that you show up everyday. Rain shine, hot or cold, dry or wet, or any combination thereof. Failure is the greatest teacher I've ever had. I've had my share of failures in life; relationships, jobs, teams I was on and teams I coached but one few gifts I have is tenacity. No matter how many times I've been knocked down, I've gotten up one more time.
Keep getting up. Reach out to folks and ask for help. Learn from every failure and give thanks for every success. The good days eventually outweigh the bad. :-)
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