We've recently been toying with the idea of living in a warmer climate that would allow us to garden year round, so we got down to it and talked about whether this was something we truly wanted. I'm sure the crazy weather we've been having lately spurred this conversation, but ultimately we realized we both are happy where we are right now and decided to dig in and pour all of ourselves into our homestead.
Taking inspiration from other bloggers who come up with a word or phrase for the year, we've decided our phrase for 2014 is "dig in." For us, that means saving as much money as possible and investing it in improving and adding to our homestead. For example, we have plans to expand our apiary from one hive to three, start a small vineyard, plant nut and fruit trees, and improve our current garden space.
This year is all about planning for the future, and we are ready to dig in and add elements to our homestead that aren't necessarily full of instant gratification. It will be years before the grape vines, nut trees, and fruit trees produce for us, but it's ok. We are in it for the long haul.
And really, when waking up to sunrises like this, I'm fine with the wait.
What are your plans for the new year? How would you like your future to look?
~Tammy
Shared with Maple Hill Hop
I'm glad you're not moving! So selfish of me since I have zero say so in anything there, lol, but I like reading about your homestead. :)
ReplyDeletegood for you that you are on the same page. :)
ReplyDeleteI think staying is the right choice for you, as I can tell how much you love it there. Sometimes a place just "feels right" ya know?
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you'll stay there: everybody is moving to those 'warmer climates' and those places are not only crowded, but they have considerable more problems, such as availability of space. Most pre-existing housing is 'grandfathered' in: any new development or houses you must pay massive taxes on—bleh. I've lived in those places till the prices drove me out; and the laws are terrible: developers can tear your property to bits just to get at something on it like clay for kitty litter, and there's nothing you can do about it. I've also lived in some of the harshest climates in this continent, and still farmed or gardened. It's all about how you're able to plan ahead: that's how all homesteaders have traditionally done it. Setting by stores of things for the coming cold seasons. It just means having to have little quilted coats for the chickens, and keeping the bees in the house for the winter.
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely sunrise in those pictures.
Future? I can hardly think about it anymore: I have no future: there is only Today.
You are wonderful people who love nature, wildlife, animals, and their place of living. I admire you for change of lifestyle.
ReplyDeleteI wish you all the best. Greetings :)
Fabulous sunrise! Can't blame you for wanting to stay put!
ReplyDeleteBest wishes on all of your goals! I'm looking forward to watching every step!
Good on you! Make the most of what you have already! Cold weather brings it's own challenges but it also has abundant blessings. We often re-assess our goals too - and like you, mostly when the weather is dark and miserable. :-)
ReplyDeleteI love your 2014 word! That is what this country was founded on...."digging in" and making it work! As always I love to see what you are up to. Have a great day!!
ReplyDeleteYou have so much invested in your current place, I am glad you guys decided to stay :)
ReplyDeleteYour sunrise photos are gorgeous! Once summer and warm weather rolls around I'll bet you'll be glad you decided to stay put.
ReplyDeleteOhhhhh....I got goose bumps at your future plans. We're waiting for a few years for Austin to finish college so we can move outta CA. Washington and Oregon are states we toss around in conversation.
ReplyDelete"digging in" is a place I would love to be in at this time. But we are in the "moving out" phase as we have outgrown our current home. Now if we can just sell it and find a new place to start digging in, I would be so happy! So glad you are going to expand upon your homestead! I love seeing what you decide to do next and learning from you!
ReplyDeleteWonderful plans you have there! I have been thinking of my word/phrase and still haven't found something that completely defines what I want for/from the year.
ReplyDeleteWishing you a lovely day.
xoxo
We are planning on planting grapevine this spring. We have apple, pear and peach trees. We have 4 pecan trees. We also are really wanting to get some honey bees. This is another plan for this year also. I also want to get a female persimmon tree. We have a male tree but it does not bear fruit. I am also looking forward to getting my herb garden started back in the spring.
ReplyDeleteYour plans sound awesome. I can't wait to hear more about them.
ReplyDeleteAs always, I love your photographs and your blog is one of my favorites. I can't wait to see what you are up to in 2014! I am hopeful we will expand our garden and grow tons of fresh veggies!
ReplyDeleteSounds great! I am sure you will accomplish much this year. I love that you want to self-sufficient. Prayers for a wonderful and blessed 2014.. Yes, who would not enjoy waking up to that beautiful scene.. Blessings!
ReplyDeleteI hope you will continue to share your progress with your plans of self sufficiency!
ReplyDeleteWow, what a beautiful post. From the heart, I love that.
ReplyDeleteWe also plan to have a larger garden.
I am excited to learn more about your plans of self sufficiency too.
:-) Best wishes for 2014! Dig In ... I love it. :-)
I can see why you would want to stay - gorgeous! Love your plans, I wish you the very best in accomplishing them, which I am sure you will. Our plans for this year is to finish the loft remodel. It's going very slowly..... Hugs xo Karen
ReplyDeleteBeautiful sunrise! You really do have such a beautiful setting, I can understand you wanting to stay! We can never leave our farm, but we have been talking seriously about going south for the winters. Cliff's body has such a hard time in the cold, and being in pain just isn't much fun. So... time will tell, but it is possible that some day we will have two places!
ReplyDeleteWe are so hoping that the apple trees we planted last spring survive this harsh winter.
ReplyDeleteWe've had rough luck with fruit trees. Each time we invest & plant, we get an absurd winter that is hard on even old, established orchard trees of our neighbors.
We have a good ground cover of snow, so hopefully that's acting as insulation for their roots.
It's amazing & gratifying how fast you see the rewards of these long term investments, though..
We planted several pine trees as tiny saplings when I was expecting Lilly... They are much taller than me now! The years sure fly.
We have revolving cycles of relocation talk.. it's a harsh climate here for Mitch, who works outside much of the time. He's been scoping out land in Montana that he wants to go look at. This will probably be our forever home.. though maybe when the kids are grown we'll split our time with somewhere milder.
That must have been a tough conversation.. as difficult as those choices are we always seem to do what's best:) and in your case, you are going to DIG IN:) You are smart to save and put time and effort into building your home. This is the time to do it!
ReplyDeleteYou can still do so much in colder climates!
ReplyDeleteAnd we are NEVER moving again. Ever. Never ever. We're here until we die. And then we have a cemetery in our field. We really might never ever leave here.
We too, are "dug in", for all the right reasons. Our parents moved here to be close to us. Our kids came home from the hospital to this house. As much as I want a couple more acres…well, that ain't gonna happen. We, too, will celebrate digging in this year. Thanks for making me realize how lucky we are.
ReplyDeleteGlad you are both on the same page for digging in for the long haul! Who wouldn't want to wake up to that beautiful sunrise.
ReplyDeleteHappy new year T. Look forward to seeing pics of your fruit and nut trees.
ReplyDeleteLovely sunrise photos. I am happy that you decided to Dig In.. Sounds like you have some awesome plans for the place.. Have a happy day!
ReplyDeletebeautiful shots and great choice!
ReplyDeleteSuch beautiful photos and I love your phrase and plans! That's where we're stuck because we know we'll move one more time but we haven't purchased the property yet. I want more fruit trees but hate to pour more money into this property. I look forward to seeing & reading about your journey!
ReplyDeleteHi, Tammy! Sounds like we've got the same ideas as you guys. Do you know about the annual Dept of Conservation trees program? I just posted about it over on my blog (crankypuppy.blogspot.com). You can get walnut, pecan, elderberry, and other tree seedlings for as little as 60 cents each. My father-in-law has planted his entire acreage with trees from this program and says they are nice, healthy stock. The deadline for orders is April 30th, but they sell out of the "good stuff" early, so you might want to take a look now. Leave me a comment if you stop by, would ya?
ReplyDeleteI love seeing the sun coming up through the trees, too. Always inspiring. And something about this time of year really fits the term, "dig in". Already thinking about dirt and transplanting and put in spring bulbs I'd been hoarding in the fridge last week. Hoping to get our own fruit trees in this year, too. Good luck! Stevie @ ruffledfeathersandspilledmilk.com
ReplyDeleteWonderful goals and aspirations! This year we are taking the plunge and building the small greenhouse we've always wanted. I'm so excited! We are also adding a spring/fall garden, which means goodbye to some more grass. There are so many ways to extend the harvest in cold climates and I love learning how to do it. Happy New Year!
ReplyDeleteWhat lovely goals you both have. And that sunrise is gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteYour goals are good ones. Like one of the other commenters here I felt goosebumps when I read this post. I wasn't going to say anything, but since someone else admitted to it I felt I was in good company. ;-) Oh! I can't wait to hear about your adventures.
ReplyDeleteThat a fabulous word for the year!!! I can't wait to see where digging in this year takes you!!! :-)
ReplyDeletehi tammy, oh, i loved this post!
ReplyDeletewhat wonderful plans you have there. can't wait to hear more about your goals.
big hugs!
I think you have a very good idea for a future. I hope you make your dreams come true. It can be a lot of fun moving to a warmer climate. There is nothing like fresh grown fruits and veggies year round.
ReplyDeleteThat is so great that the two of you discus and agree on a plan. I love that. My hubby and I worked our butts off for years so we could enjoy our life on the road in our trailer. It was a fifteen year plan and it worked. We are loving our life on the road. Now our goals where do we want to live when we are done..
ReplyDeleteHugs~
I'm so excited about 2014, last year was tough so we're packing our bags for a brand new start and travelling for 6months. 3months in the US woo. I just really want to break my old roots so i can grow some brand new ones. it's so exciting you are planting some fruit and nut trees, i love almonds so much!
ReplyDeleteWe just had our year-end review, spending all day going over aspect of our farm and household . Part of the review was to consider what we want our life to look like 5 and 10 years from now. Like you we decided to stay put, at least for the next 5 years (and possibly forever). I think it's important to think long-term sometimes and have a plan so we never feel trapped.
ReplyDeleteIn light of your decision, I think you will appreciate this from the poet Gary Snyder:
'Find your place on the planet. Dig in, and take responsibility from there.
Very cool shots.
ReplyDeleteSeeing that many were choosing a word I chose "moment"
~ because I want to remember to be in it ! :)
Yes super great word, I love it! Love your plans too, sounds wonderful. These sunrise shots are glorious, so beautiful. Happy weekending Tammy and planning for all the things to come to your way in this new year.
ReplyDeleteThat sunrise is just breathtaking and I love your word for 2014. Dig in is such a nice idea no matter what we're digging in to - life, goals, dreams, etc. Here's to an amazing new year for you and yours!
ReplyDeleteLove it, dig in is great! My wife and I continue to live more and more off the grid every year. I can't wait to see where this takes you! :-)
ReplyDeleteWhat I would like about living where you live is that the change of seasons is more appreciable than it would be in a warmer climate.
ReplyDeleteI'm seriously thinking about more chickens and eggs for sale. I think we are in a good spot to sell eggs to people who want fresh but don't have chickens or access to them. Bees too, but maybe not this year.
ReplyDeleteIt would be nice to live in a warmer climate for sure, it's good to have thought about it but still decided you like where you are for now :) I hope this turns out to be an awesome growing season. I'm hoping to be able to plant more and preserve more this year.
ReplyDelete