First Days of (Mini-)Homesteading

The chickens are in huddled near the door of the newly constructed coop, happily pecking the ground for bugs and fussing noisily at anyone who threatens to come between them and their afternoon snack. The stalls of the not-quite-finished barn are ready to hold the 3 Nigerian dwarf kids who will come to us after they're weaned next month. A good portion of our yard is now lying under cardboard, compost and winter rye, waiting for the magic of decomposition to turn it into a garden plot. It's beginning to feel like a farm around here.

After years of dreaming of living a more self-sufficient life, our family finally has the opportunity to turn that dream into a reality. In July we bought a  4 1/2-acre  property just outside the city limits of Davidson, a small college town in central North Carolina. In this blog I will record and ruminate on our journey as we seek to turn this little bit of earth into a haven for living beings that will nurture and delight us as we seek to care for and protect them.