Ulog 82: My Trek To A More Natural (And Simpler) Way Of Life

Perhaps it's just me, or that I rarely paid much attention in the past... but whatever it is I have started to notice more and more information being offered in the form of magazines about herbal and natural remedies being available.

Just the other day, we were in a big store check-out lane when I glanced down and saw three (out of nine) magazine covers offering up wellness ideas for herbs, natural herbal remedies and more homeopathic tips on the covers of some world known magazines.

Now I am admitting that five years ago these covers and the thoughts of herbal remedies wouldn't have caught my attention, but since moving to our current homestead... I am ALL about growing herbs and finding more natural ways of being healthier.

So let's take a walk down my path to how I knew I wanted to be a homesteader, gardener and live a more simpler lifestyle.

How I Knew I Wanted To Live This Way

Growing up I can remember sitting at my maternal grandmother's Formica aluminum kitchen table as she cleaned vegetables from her half acre garden and prepped them for canning to replenish her pantry for the upcoming year.

She'd clean bushels of beans, baskets filled with tomatoes and even be cleaning the perch she and my great-uncles had caught from a lake property up north. My gramma was constantly canning throughout the year.

I can recall watching her every move and thinking how I wanted to be just like her.

Gramma rarely bought vinegar (as she made her own), she never bought plants from a nursery (as she grew only from seed) and she had every canning gadget imaginable. Her kitchen was a true canners' paradise. Even at a young age I recognized this.

She passed her preserving knowledge down to my mother; who canned until I was in my pre-teen years. I would help both my mom and Gramma clean, peel, prepare the jars and learn secret bread and butter pickle recipe that had been handed down for generations.

Into my teenage years I continued helping Gramma with her garden, learning the ins-and-outs_ of canning and realizing her way of life was my desired lifestyle.

Later in life, after being married for a decade, we moved to a very rural area, had 18-acres of land and I started to truly be able visualize my homestead life. But alas, a broken married halted the dream.

Fast Forward to a decade later...

I remarried to someone with close enough lifestyle ideas, live on a 1/3 acre property and have flourished my garden, gained exemplary gardening skills and have been able to learn new skills (making my own soaps, health and beauty aids and more) and have the time to create my ideal homestead.

Granted the size of the property can be a hindrance at times, but some day we'll find that ideal 5-10 acre parcel we both desire.