home•stead

noun

1.  A house, especially a farmhouse, and related outbuildings

When most people think of a homestead, they envision a farm complete with a red barn, chickens clucking, Bessie the cow and Wilbur the pig.  There might also be row crops and fruit orchards, and bee keeping involved.  Perhaps an occasional goat or sheep is also part of this vision.  And don’t forget the big white farmhouse with porches to sip iced tea on and the cupola crowned with a rooster weather vane.

That is the stereotypical homestead – romantic and ideal.  While the above description closely matches the homestead that we dream about one day running, our current “homestead” looks much different.  There is no barn, no chickens, no cow, no bees, no pig, no goat, no farmhouse, and last but not least – no rooster weather vane.

We believe that homesteading is more about your approach to lifestyle choices than about where your residence actually is.  In other words,  we believe that you can “homestead” in a city loft, a suburban dwelling, a rural farmhouse, and everything in between!  The common thread is that the individual is striving to live as self-sufficiently as possible in the environment they are in.

This blog will chronicle our homesteading attempts in our current environment – suburbia– as well journaling the milestones in achieving our dream homestead.  We welcome everyone on our journey towards self-sufficiency.  We know that we have much to learn.  We can’t wait to hear your comments and suggestions!