I never want to paint a picture of life on a farm or homestead as all doom and gloom or all sunshine and rainbows. We all know life is difficult and has its ups and downs. But there can be this idea that because you are working the earth and out in nature its going to be wonderful. I do enjoy it so much, but you have to have a passion for it, or the hard times will stretch you beyond what a normal person will endure.
Its zucchini that gets a vine bore and barely produces. Its tomatoes that get blight despite all your efforts. It’s corn that falls over and over again. Beans that don’t flower until when you were supposed to be harvesting. Its peppers who barely produce sizeable fruit. And pumpkins that get killed by frost. It is sick goats, dead kids, does who cycle time and time again and don’t get pregnant. Its years of buck kids and little to no doe kids so you can’t grow your herd or sell to provide for the herd. It’s too much rain and months of drought. Its hot sun scorching your skin or bitter cold days that bite your face and fingers. And yes all that happened in 1 year!
While it’s a tough go we do it for the love of farming. For the love of that fresh pepper despite how small it is. For the canned sauces that do make it to your storage for winter. For the years of healthy goats and easy kiddings. For the feel of the sunshine and the rain as you work the earth. There is pain there is heartache but there is joy.