Memories Of My Life - Chapter Seven - Our First Garden

Our house at the end of dead end road.

I have told on here before, that my husband was driving an over-the-road truck while we figured out where we wanted to live. I went on the road with him and our cat, and put all our belongings in storage. There came a point though, where we really wanted a home again. We kept looking for a place we could start our "modern homesteading" life. So we stayed with my parents, and then I took a job so I could save more money toward a place. Instead, I found one in the paper for rent. It was perfect for us!

Tires covered the area we wanted for gardening.

When we moved out here we were able to hike all this land anytime. We could take wood off it too. The landlords had 4 daughters that I babysat in exchange for money off our rent. My husband mowed the area by their pond and gazebo in exchange for money off the rent too. He also painted their house trim for money off the rent. There were some months when they owed us money, instead of us paying them! It was great. We could also use the pond and gazebo and had camp outs and things down there.

The same area cleared & plowed.

We learned all about gardening out here. I learned a majority of my canning skills from this garden. I was working as a home health aide during the week, and my husband had to do most of the canning during that time. He canned green beans, tomatoes, corn, creamed corn, pickles, etc. He put a lot of them up. It helps if you both, husband and wife, are equally committed to this lifestyle. To help each other, makes the jobs not seem so over whelming. 

Backyard, garden & landlord's house to the right.

Hunting was only permitted to a couple of the landlord's very close friends for the most part. So even during hunting season it was not overly populated. It was a very quiet place to live and we were even more secluded than where we are now. Since the dead-end road ended at our house, nobody ever drove by or came here unless they knew us. Very private and this is where we were able to get our puppy, Nikita.

Crops starting to come in.

If you want to live the "modern homesteading" life and are in the city now, and don't know how to get out, this is one way. Think about the fact that you have to live somewhere. So find a house to rent in the country. Like we did. Before this house we rented an apartment in the country. Not as country as this though. This one is near small towns. Jobs aren't plentiful in little towns............but that is not to say there aren't any. I found one taking care of an elderly couple in their home. It was a nice job and I enjoyed it. There are convenience stores, hardware stores, grocery stores, farms, etc. in small towns. Someone can find a job if they need one bad enough and really work at getting one.

Excited! They are coming in good!

At this house we continued baking our bread and cooking from scratch. We bought our first wood heating stove, and I learned the advantages of using firewood. Then we found our wood cook stove and put it on layaway at a local antique store. We still use it today. I learned to cook on it and found it to be an awesome way to cook. We used kerosene lamps in the evening, not just in an emergency. We had a snowstorm that knocked everyone's power out for days. Our landlord had to use a generator from his store, they stayed with family in town. The neighbors all left. We were the only ones able to stay in our house. Everyone kept asking how we were able to do that. Our house had electric, but we had prepared! So important to do wherever you live!

My husband did a lot of work out here.

We spent most of our day outside here. Even in the winter. As we were hauling wood from the forest around us and it was fun for the most part. This forest was beautiful, had waterfalls running through it. Abundant in wild game. We saw one bear there. One thing wrong with it though was the highway (88) ran alongside the property, even though it was buffered by lots of woods. We could hear the traffic all day and all night. Especially the tractor trailers. It was good for us in the respect that my husband drove a tractor trailer. At that time he switched to driving in our state only. So he was home a few times during the week too. With the highway running right by it was easy for him to stop home.

Never had any critters in our garden!

When we moved from there in 1999, it was just before the big scare over the year 2000 thing. We did not know what was in store for us. But we had to get our own place. Renting meant someone else could always tell us what to do and limit our homesteading lifestyle. So we found our own homestead surrounded by thousands of acres of state forest, off-the-grid and just waiting for someone like us to love it and nurture it. Which, we have...........our Peaceful Forest Homestead gives us something that no other place could. Peacefulness, quiet, serene living with self-sufficiency as much as possible in these times. God is truly blessing us!

"For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands, happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee."

Copyright © 2010  Kathleen G. Lupole

All Photographs Copyright © 2010  Kathleen G. Lupole