Ever since I can remember, the sight of the rolling green hills dotted with cows, and golden fields of wheat alongside the highways of Kansas filled me with a sense of longing. I grew up with a fascination for farm life, a longing that only deepened as time passed.
As a child, I loved to visit my grandparents and my cousins who lived “in the country.” I remember enjoying a feeling of space and freedom that I didn’t get in my city backyard or public parks. Free to wander and play, without worrying about neighbors. To this day, I still feel the most free and comfortable being alone, or with just a few people, unperceived by others.
My love for animals knew no bounds, and I was absolutely horse crazy. Eventually, I got my very own Shetland pony. This was a dream come true for a teen living in the city with just about an acre of land. Our home was a haven for all kinds of pets. Dogs, cats, anoles, parakeets, rabbits, rats, and even a ferret found their place in our family. God bless my parents, LOL!
As a kid I volunteered at the zoo to care for the petting zoo goats, llamas, and sheep. I really enjoyed this work, even scooping poop! Bringing hungry animals their flakes of hay and alfalfa, and making sure their enclosure was clean, was satisfying work. I had a lot of fun, and it really fueled my longing for farm life.
I wasn’t just an outdoor kid though. Immersing myself in books about farms and animals, both fiction and non-fiction, was a common pastime for me. From books, I learned the names of all the breeds of various livestock, and the basics of their care. Dick King-Smith’s tales like “Babe the Sheep Pig” and the Sophie series became cherished favorites.
At age 8, I joined 4-H for a few years, and cherished the moments spent visiting other people’s farms and gardens in my community. Each summer, I eagerly anticipated visiting the livestock barn at the county fair. I didn’t care about the rides, the games, or the food. I wanted to see the animals! Watching the farm kids in those barns, tending to their sheep and goats, I relished soaking in the sights and sounds of rural life. To this day, I still enjoy livestock shows, and they still fill me with longing that my farm doesn’t have ALL the animals!
I remember my piano teacher had copies of “Country” magazine on her coffee table, which I would devour while waiting for my lesson to start. They were full of beautiful photos of rural life, and articles about old fashioned ways, with a big helping of nostalgia.
Even through college, I held onto my dream, though I jokingly referred to myself as “pet starved” due to rental restrictions. Life took its course – marriage, children, and the financial constraints of graduate school for my husband. The dream of owning a farm seemed distant, but not forgotten.
Instead, we started small. We bought an inexpensive home during graduate school (due to the 2009 housing crash, this was possible!) adopted a dog, and started a garden. I brought my toddlers into the garden to work alongside me. I learned how to grow and preserve food. I taught myself how to bake bread, ferment foods, and made a sourdough starter. I got a wheat grinder and a meat grinder. I want to emphasize that from childhood on, I’ve never pursued any of these hobbies out of fear, or a “prepper” mentality. It has always been pure joy for me, plain and simple.
When my husband completed his PhD and secured his first job, we finally took the leap. Our current home, just outside the city limits, may only have two acres, but it’s the stuff of my dreams.
We wasted no time in creating our own little farmstead. We started a garden, planted fruit trees and berries, and welcomed chickens and rabbits into our lives. And in the future, I dream of adding dairy goats to our menagerie.
What’s more, I’ve found a way to blend my passion for farming with my love for textiles and crafts, another cherished hobby from my childhood. By raising angora rabbits and cotton, and growing natural dyes in my garden, I’ve melded my two lifelong interests into one fulfilling farm life.
Living my dream farm life brings me immeasurable joy. I’ve never been a thrill seeker. I’m like a hobbit, valuing peace, quiet, and things that grow. Each day I tend to my animals and cultivate my crops, with my children and my husband, just like I always imagined I would. Dreams do come true!
[…] after I learned how to spin yarn, I started looking into raising my own fiber animals. I’ve always loved animals and have wanted a farm for as long as I can remember. We only have two acres, but I figured there must be some kind of small animal we could raise. I […]