The Joyce of Living

I thought I would take a minute to help explain a part of the homesteading life that seems to throw people off. Let me first say that we hate killing our animals. But ultimately, there comes a day when we prep and plan to do just that. The animals we have on our property have a purpose. The dogs help alert if there are predators after our critters. The chickens produce eggs and meat for the freezer. We also raise rabbits. We have a few that we keep for breeding purposes but their offspring will eventually be harvested. On “killing day” our anxiety is usually high, hoping that everything dies as humanely as possible. Again, we don’t enjoy killing these animals that we have raised since birth. At the same time, we’re not just raising pets. We are raising animals that will help sustain us. All of this was new to me until a couple of years ago. I didn’t know how I would handle the slaughtering of our livestock. But I knew that if I wanted to live a life of self-reliance, I would have...

Can you believe it?  We made it to the year, 2020.  As a child, I would watch favorite cartoon shows that my parents watched when they were small children.  One of my favorites was "The Jetsons."  I just knew that by 2020 we would be flying around in cars, going from here to there by the speed of light.  While we as a nation have progressed quickly, we are still a ways off (THANK GOODNESS) from that super "techy" world.  Let's be honest; the world we live in is already too fast paced.  Slow down, people.  Stop and smell those beautiful flowers that will be blooming before you know it. 2019 seemed to be a repeat of a couple years prior.  I've been in a terrible slump over the past three years.  And to be honest, I'm sick of it.  It's easy to just set back and let the world pummel you into a pathetic sad hole.  I am so ready to make some major changes in my life.  But change requires work.    So, for the ...