The Progressive Homesteader

I don’t know what I’m doing.

I’m really not doing anything yet. I’ve got a sourdough starter going. I am on day 3. So far, so good. I’ve got some old Patagonia overalls and rubber Birkenstocks. My parents raised me to be fairly thrifty and environmentally conscious, so I try to use less plastic and I keep the AC thermostat at 74 degrees. I don’t know what I am doing.

This is the kind of thinking that has kept me from pursuing what interests me and makes me happy. At 44 years old, with four kids—one off to college and another learning to walk—I have decided I am over trying to squash these ideas as a fantastical dream.

As I search the digital world for content and support, however, I feel excluded from being a part of a community that wants a simpler, more self-sustaining life. I am not religious and I don’t want to prep for a zombie apocalypse.

In summary, I believe humans should be part of the world. We should have a greater connection to nature and the earth. We should be givers, not takers. Unfortunately, we have come a long way from being givers, but I would love to feel like I and my family can live lives that impact the natural world in the least negative way possible. And I believe we will, in turn, benefit from that positive connection.

I don’t know exactly what I expect the outcome of this experiment to be. Will we end up with a dozen chickens and homemade quilts on every bed? Will we buy a big plot of land and grow our homestead someplace more rural? Will one of my children become the premier expert on sustainable farming?

I have decided I am not starting with an end in mind. I am going to explore this world and areas even more, with a focus on what interests me in the present. Currently that is reducing our reliance on plastics, a plan to build out some raised garden beds in a few weeks when winter wanes, and probably a handful of chickens.