I have been around here for a few months or so. I have asked and answered questions and have found the folks around here to be for the most part extremely friendly and helpful, though at times a bit feisty. A little while back I posted a post saying that I was leaving the forum for various reasons, one being the amount of time I have (or don't have). But I found there were questions I had that needed answers ASAP and this was the best place I knew for information. So I started gradually coming back in. Some of you seem to know each other (whether in person or just via the forum) so I thought it was about time I introduced myself.

I am, as you can see at the end of the post, Cathy N., keeper8. That means I'm a "keeper" at home and there are "8" people in our family. We have 4 boys and 2 girls, ages 13, 11, 9, 7, 5, 2. We live in eastern Ontario, not far from the US border. We immigrated from New York almost one year ago. My husband is the pastor of a sovereign grace Baptist church about 20 miles from our house.

I am the homesteader in the family, along with most of my children. My husband and oldest son are not all that interested in farming, but they are totally supportive of my efforts and are willing to help whenever I need them. My city-slicker husband has come to love the country (though I don't think he'll ever get used to the children and I going barefoot:o)), and is just as eager for our own homestead as I am.

I began being a homesteader (defined as an attitude of the heart) at the ripe old age of 8 when I first began reading Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Little House" books. I devoured them, memorizing parts of them. I showed my mother how to braid our onions together by their tops, and we tried coloring the butter with carrot juice. I dreamed of having my own chickens, a cow or two, maybe a pig. As most girls that age, I wanted a horse, as well.

I never got to raise any animals as a child, since my dad wasn't very sympathetic to the idea. We did have the occasional dog or cat, but I didn't count those. I wanted a real farm, just like the Waltons on TV. (Not the big-business, specialized farm.) Time went on, I survived adolescence, went to college, got married. We lived in the suburbs (where big, noisy dogs are allowed, but not quiet goats, or even chickens) for about 9 years. By then we had 4 children, and my husband was starting to re-think his ideas of raising them so close to the city. Gradually, I won him over to the country...and the first "country" dwelling we lived in was rented from an ostrich farmer in the middle of Texas cattle country. Soon we moved to a rented house on a Brahman cattle ranch, on a dirt road off another dirt road. (Most country roads in Texas are dirt.) However, the yard was too small for animals of our own and I just couldn't make a garden grow there. I'm a born Yankee, and I just couldn't get used to having two growing seasons.

Eventually we made it to New York, and we started looking around for that "just right" place. Before we found it, the church here in Ontario contacted my husband, asking him to candidate for the pastorate. He did, and we were accepted. We chose not to buy property right away, as we are still waiting on our permanant visas. We are renting a farmhouse on an acre of land in the mean time. This area really seems to be a buyer's market though, as you can hardly drive a country mile without seeing a for sale sign. A lot of it is land (no buildings), but we have had our eyes on several different properties with buildings that have been on the market for over a year.

But at least now we're getting started on really homesteading. This year I planted a huge garden (at least, huge to me, being my first real attempt at gardening: 30'X80'). I have been canning applesauce, apple jam, sliced apples (there are three trees here, 2 of which are the early kind), green and yellow wax beans, pickles. The tomatoes are coming on a little late, but there are LOTS of green ones on the vines. I tried broccoli, but I couldn't keep up with it. We also have cabbages, carrots, sweet corn, popcorn, pinto beans, watermelon, peas, lettuce, onions, garlic, radishes, spinach, pumpkin, sage, parsley, sunflowers.

A birthday gift from my old junior high Sunday school teacher bought our first rabbits, which lived just long enough to give us nine kits. Of the six that made it, we have four ready to butcher and two does to keep for further breeding. I took from our grocery money to buy 30 chicks of a dual purpose breed developed by Frey's Hatchery. They gave us two extra; one met an untimely death at the hands of my 2-year-old, so we now have 31 birds currently living in an 8x8X4 movable pen which my husband built (2X2 framing covered with 1-inch chicken wire with laundry soap buckets cut in half for nesting boxes, covered with tarp on one side, with handles at the four corners for lifting and moving--2 or 3 children and I can move it easily). We ordered straight-run chicks so as to have some cockerels for the freezer. If this beginner knows anything about the difference between pullets and cockerels, I'd say we'll have a dozen hens and a couple or 3 roosters to winter over, and at least 15 cockerels to freeze.

I am reading up on growing our own animal feed; next year I hope to extend the garden enough to at least experiment with this and get to know the various grains we would use. For winter bedding for the chickens, I plan to rake and store grass clippings and leaves as soon as we can get a make-shift hay bin together.

We have been homeschooling since our oldest started school. I usually bake our own bread and have always cooked from scratch. I sew dresses for my daughters and myself, unless I can get them cheaper at the thrift store. I enjoy quilting, knitting, crocheting, cross stitch, and other types of handiwork. I never learned to tat, but hope to make that a project for my older daughter and myself this winter. We do not have a TV any more, and have cut way down on the amount of computer games the children play. Instead, we work puzzles, play games, and read books. I have always enjoyed doing laundry and hang it on the line whenever possible. When the snow gets too deep, we use racks inside. We iron the Sunday clothes and do the mending until there's nothing left to mend. I have got patching jeans down to a science now and can do it fairly quickly on my machine. I like to wear the old-fashioned big aprons with the big pockets--nothing's handier for clothespins, apples, cucumber pickings, wiping hands, etc., and I suppose I'll find myself using them for eggs as well.

I have never been so busy in my life, but I love the life we're getting into.

If I keep going, this post will become a small book. I do have a way of rambling. But at least if any of you have read my "white farmhouses" post, you'll know my wacky sense of humor is balanced by a real, earnest desire to live the homestead life. Thanks to all of you who have answered my questions.

-- Cathy N. (keeper8@attcanada.ca), August 20, 2001

Answers

Cathy, What a lovely big family you have, it must be lots of fun, and pretty closeto the Walton's in size too. You are getting the homesteading part down too. All that fresh food and country living is so good for the children too. My inspiration was "Ma and Pa Kettle". Seriously! I thought they had the greatest life with all the kids and critters too. My 5 boys are men now and I am the only one who is still homesteading and still having great fun doing it. My sheep raising is an education unto itself but it is good to learn something new after all these years. Give all your babies a hug for me, they grow up much to fast. karen

-- Karen Mauk (kansasgoats@iwon.com), August 20, 2001.

wow! Cathy I am sooo impressed (and exhausted! ;-)) after reading your post. To recount a popular quote: You go, girl! And I liked your 'intro'. Being new here(found this forum last week), I am starting to 'recognize' people that contribute on a fairly regular basis. I wonder, should we all do a short intro? Would it be too much? Maybe just the basics, like hobbies, experience, etc. nothing too personal? What does everybody think?

-- yancee in texas (rnanning@comwerx.net), August 21, 2001.

And just what do you do in your spare time? HA HA !! I always enjoy reading the introductions and yours was a real pleasure. I, too, loved the Waltons and the Laura Ingalls Wilder books. Shared them with my girls and can't wait to share them again with the granchildren. Now the best read for me is Countryside. I usually devour it in two days. (and I work outside the home). Always leaves me wanting more. My favorite articles are the ones like your introduction. We're slowly coming more and more into the homesteading ways and loving every bit of it. Aren't chickens just the greatest? I'm vegetarian so ours are for eggs only. If hubby would only give in we would also have a milk goat. I too always wanted a farm but raised in the city. Thanks for giving us a window into your life and sharing with us your blessings. Best to you and I'll be looking for more posts.

-- cindy palmer (jandcpalmer@sierratel.com), August 21, 2001.

Hi Cathy. I'm in Nova Scotia. My inspiration (I think) was Little House On The Prairie and Anne Of Green Gables (all the books in both series). All i know is that as a kid I gardened and my mom and I used to wish for a fireplace or woodstove (budding pyromaniacs maybe?) but dad hated the idea of the mess and I had cats and dogs but that was it for pets. As a teen my picture of my future was me on a farm as an old lady with lots of cats. hee hee well, I have my little homestead but I am far from alone. 2 kids aged 4 and 2 1/2 and a commuting hubby to pay for my methodical madness. farming is not his first choice in life but he says it makes great conversation at work etc...LOL I have been here 5 years now and started with a laying flock of Araucanas with a salmon faverolle rooster (Samson and the Delilahs). When the kids came so did my lack of patience etc so the chickens went. We worked on a garden plot the last few years and this spring I threw caution to the wind and got pigs, meat birds, turkeys, and sheep. We are working slowly at building the barn and the meat birds are soon freezer bound (lovely big monsters they are!). I am really lucky to have good friends with experience in farming and homesteading too help guide my steps and warn me of pitfalls and problems. Except for the fact that it feels like I am going it alone alot (hubby helps when I really need it but sometimes I have to call on friends for help because he isn't here or doesn't want to help)I am very happy doing my thing. The kids get a charge out of chasing the chickens, cats and dog around, finding the one egg a day we are getting and puttering in the yard and gardens. There are days when I miss the sidewalks (like in winter when you can't walk on the side of the road for fear of getting splattered by a speeding logging truck and so are pretty much property bound and isolated)but I really don't think I'd give up this way of life. If we move it will be to a larger property and God willing on the water. Hubby says as soon as this barn is done etc his dream is next on the list and that is a sailboat. It'd be nice if we could combine both our loves with a farm on the water (maybe if we win the lotto at current prices!):o) Welcome to Canada, Cathy, even if it is Ontario (kidding!!)

-- Alison in N.S. (aproteau@istar.ca), August 21, 2001.

Welcome Cathy! One thing for sure, you'll never be bored here, we are a lively group at times!

-- Annie Miller in SE OH (annie@1st.net), August 21, 2001.

Good for you Cathy! Sounds like you have it together. Be patient with hubby. It took 30 years for mine to come around to the homestead way of thinking. Now that he is retired, he has become a big help with the gardening and canning. Only thing is, he gets to pick and choose his job. What great training for your kids. I know they are a lot of help. BUT, they grow up so fast. Before you know it, they will be off homesteading on their own.

yancee in texas, good idea. Would do my intro now but have used up my time at the computer. Have to budget my time. No job, no place to go but still have a LOT to do.

-- Belle (gardenbelle@terraworld.net), August 21, 2001.

what a wonderful family you have! and bless you for homeschooling! You'll never regret it!

My only question is, will you have to move if your husband ever changes churches?

-- Suzy in Bama (slgt@yahoo.com), August 21, 2001.

Suzy, first and foremost is my family; I will stick by my husband even if he were to call quits to my homesteading. It saddens me to hear of marriages breaking up because one partner wanted to homestead but the other did not. In the (unlikely but still possible) event that we would have to move, I suppose we would sell whatever we couldn't take with us and start again somewhere else. I know that hurts a lot with most people, but in my 35 years I have moved 15 times. I have never put roots down into soil (although I came real close to it as a ten-year-old in Maine). I have put roots down into friends; it's leaving them that always hurts me the most. We actually have never owned land, and if I could talk our landlord into letting us have more animals, I'd be content to keep renting. We are mostly interested in buying property so as to have something to leave to the children.

The last pastor of this church served for 27 years before retiring. He is still a member of this church, although most Sundays he helps out with a mission work we have in Ottawa. The people here were looking for another "keeper" and we hope this is where the Lord will let us live out our lives.

-- Cathy N. (keeper8@attcanada.ca), August 21, 2001.