About 10 years ago, I started pursuing a more natural lifestyle. I jumped on the bandwagon and started making my own laundry detergent, fermenting cabbage, brewing kombucha, buying raw milk (rarely, as most of us are lactose intolerant...but hey! I wanted to be down like that), and buying as much organic as my tiny budget would afford. Eventually, I began to long for farm life. It seemed like the next promising step in our journey of health and wellness. At the time, we were living in a 1,000 square foot duplex with two small children.
Fast-forward 10 years and 3 more kids later. Do we live on a farm? Nope. Do we still rent? Yup. Not only do we rent AND live in a housing development, but we’ve fallen off the “natural wagon" plenty. For a short while we lived way out in the country, in what seemed like it would be the perfect home. The mountain views were unrivaled! We could see Mt. Rainier AND Mt. Adams from both the living room and dining room. Every sunset felt like a life-changing experience. We lived almost an hour from everything and it was totally worth it. However, the company who managed the property had a laundry list of ridiculous rules. The home was on well over an acre sandwiched between an apple orchard and a huge corn field, but we weren’t allowed any pets. Not only were we not allowed pets, but we weren’t allowed to burn a candle! That one still gets me. We were also not informed that the owner would be our next-door neighbor. They were across the field, but still! She walked by the house every single day! Suffice it to say, I started having literal panic attacks in that house, and we eventually moved.
Now we are back in the housing development where it all started. We aren’t in a duplex, but a nice home with a small yard. In the state of Washington, you’ll likely pay $300,000+ for a small 30 year old home on half an acre, and we live on the cheap side of the state!
I know this sounds like a bunch of complaining, but I am just trying to lay the foundation. To put it simply, I am not where I thought I’d be.
That’s a whole lot more background than I intended to talk about! Now my point……..
Country living is a state of mind. PERIOD.
We live in 2020. You can go, do, and be anything. If people can farm in the middle of Los Angeles, I can make the best of my situation.
Here is a list of ways that I can “live in the country."
Read about it. The kids and I read lots of books set in the country. These include books like Little House on the Prairie and farm/homestead/unschool “how-to” books. However, sometimes these types of books will only make you worse. Put them down for a while if you need to. I literally flung one across the room last week, when I realized it was only making me worse.
Grow a garden. My small yard is probably 20% garden. I’m no master gardener, but it brings me happiness. :)
Compost. I think I’m composting. The results are yet to be seen. Ha!
Make bread. Sourdough bread is so easy. The key is a dutch oven. We are talking about bakery-style quality.
Ferment all the things. Make sauerkraut, ferment pickles (traditional, not boiled), and kombucha.
Get chickens! Our landlord was excited when we asked if we could have chickens. Then he called us back to tell us that some of the neighbors complained too much when he had chickens, but that we could get a small dog instead. *sigh* We almost had chickens.
HOMESCHOOL! Unschool! School at home. Whatever God calls you to do, and whatever works best for your family.
Dry your clothes on a line. I tried this in our duplex, but it felt dumpy to me. Hmmmm. Maybe I’ll try again.
Make as much as you can from scratch. #goals
Rent goats to cut your grass. Hello, HOA. Probably not going to happen.
Let your 4 four year old run around in his underwear. Mission accomplished #check
Preserve food. I still haven’t tried canning and I really want to. Dehydrate. Freeze.
Buy beef in bulk from a local farmer. I love doing this when it’s doable($$).
Buy local and support other local farmers. Visit a farm! My parents have a farm, which makes this a pretty convenient option for us.
I’m sure there are many things that I haven’t listed, but this is a start.
Country living can be a state of mind! That's where I'm living.
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