A CASE FOR THE IMPERFECT HOMESTEAD.

Comparison is the thief of joy. This is a phrase Hannah once told me that I've always loved. Nothing makes me feel like more of a failure than scanning permaculture books like "The Resilient Farm and Homestead," or "Gaia's Garden" and thinking, "Man, our farm looks nothing like these." I know they're well-established homesteads which have had lots of helpers over the years, but still. Hannah and I are doing our best to have a beautiful farm but farming always seems to get in the way.We long for a beautiful farmstead, but beauty is just not always all that practical. A beautiful farm takes a lot of work, and we've got a lot of that going on already. We work full time and that work sustains us, but little more.The thing I have to keep in mind, however, is that our farm––in conjunction with our neighbor's farm––is paying the bills. And that is a beautiful thing in and of itself, but also where the majority of our time goes. So unfortunately our aesthetics often get pushed aside. But if that means our homestead is perfectly functional, so be it. So be proud of it. Even if you don't get a hundred cans of tomatoes put up. Even when you fail to make your kimchi. Even when the turkeys eat your winter garden, but you still have plenty to eat and are surviving––or could easily survive––entirely off of the farm, that's something to be proud of. That's something you should consider successful, even if it looks insane.In fact I almost prefer it this way––the slow way. Sure, we could take out an equity loan and pump up our farm, build the cellar and barns we need, maybe even get some solar electricity to them. But the way we are going about it now–-slowly––allows the farm to adapt. It makes every new accomplishment that much more ours. We earned it. We built it. We did it ourselves. And when it is finally beautiful––which, by God it will be one day––and perennial plants abound, and the farm takes care of itself, and we have everything we need, we'll probably still be dissatisfied. We'll look at the current books and think, "Man, our farm looks nothing like these." So, really, what's the rush?- Jesse.