Homesteading

"The real things haven't changed. It's still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with simple pleasures; and have courage when things go wrong." - Laura Ingalls Wilder

In my family of origin, we had a weekly Monday night tradition of watching Little House on the Prairie. This was a big deal, as my mom was very anti-television at the time. We would all gather in the family room, turn on the TV 10 minutes before 8 to "warm it up," and scrutinize the challenges and successes of the Ingalls Family.

As a kid, homesteading seemed romantic. I wanted to plant a really big garden and to make my own clothes. I liked the idea of relying on your neighbors and being a resource for others in times of need.

As an adult, I like buying clothes on the internet. But I derive a great deal of joy from my little garden. And I have learned to accept the help of neighbors - even when I really don't want to.

In these difficult times of pandemic, we face many of the challenges homesteaders faced - shortages, uncertainty, financial hardship, fear of the unknown and a feeling a being at the mercy of the world. Granted, we can still buy things on the internet and remain connected to one another digitally, but it seems to me that remembering the struggles and successes of our forebears can help us navigate the uncertainty of now. Over the past week, I've made a list of some of the things we've done in my household to manage.

• Plant. Last Monday, we planted peas, potatoes and carrots. It will be a while before we have anything to eat, but it felt good knowing that in May, there will be some produce of the most local variety.
• Fix things. Most of what we actually need, we already have. I spent some time fixing the composter, painting a sad looking bedroom and even darning a pair of my son's favorite socks (it's harder than Mrs. Ingalls made it look!). Living in a disposable society has made it easy to forget the importance of making do with what we have. 
• Go outside. I haven't done the math, but much much of what went on at the "Little House" actually went on outside of it. My house is small - though palatial in comparison - and we need to be outside. We have done yard work, built a fire in the yard, walked in the neighborhood and admired nature. I even had the distinct pleasure of sitting in my boyfriend's driveway on Saturday - what a treat!
• Try new things. Charlie made his first ever meatloaf last week and George learned to prime a wall. I learned how to go up in my own attic without fear. We have an abundance of time, so we may as well use it. This week, I hope to brush up on calculus. 
• Stay connected with people who matter. My 80+ neighbor hosts a daily driveway meeting. This predates the pandemic, but the tradition continues - only now with more shouting. My neighbor is also mostly deaf, so 6 feet away requires shouting and lots of it. I've had texts and phone calls from kids at school, their parents, neighbors, friends and colleagues. Each morning, my Advisory gathers to have a Google Meet video chat. We check in with eachother, share fun stories and remind one another of why humans need other humans.
• Innovate. Humans are a creative species and necessity is the mother of invention. Right now, it's hard to replace resources, so we have been forced to make do. This led to the best meatloaf ever served in my house (who knew carrots would make it better?), no repeats in more than a week of quarantine dinners, a new way to paint the ceiling (that roller on a stick never worked well for me), and kids finding cool ways the show me the math they had completed. Who knows what we might think of next?
• Play. I am busy most days and there is always work to do. I am sure this was truer, even, for homesteaders, but I bet they remembered to play more often they we do. We've played cards,  Trivial Pursuit and challenged one another to draw carrots on Instagram. Wii games have supported our collaboration skills and our competitive natures. It's just a matter of time before we break out our favorite board game, Mind Your Manners!
• Enjoy the simple things. Coffee in the morning, a chat with a person you love, that kid who redid the problem three times to get it right, sunshine, sleeping in a little, the morning paper, warm socks, people who share and a good meal. What could be better?
• Laugh. I am lucky to live with two of the funniest people on the planet. But I've also been fortunate to find laughter all over the place - and it has helped. Tremendously.
• Be brave. These are scary times and if you allow yourself to wallow in fear, you can. There is so much to be afraid of - getting sick, infecting others, going broke, people knowing your real hair color, running out of food and getting into a nasty argument with your fellow housemates. We need courage - and lots of it - to navigate whatever come next. If we redefine the simple acts of survival as acts of courage, it can help us face those things that seem really hopeless.

Things are going and will continue to go wrong. We needn't romanticize homesteaders to learn from them - because, let's face it, the world was a racist and unjust place back then. While we must be remain grateful the modern conveniences that will see us through, we can also connect with the determination, creativity and simplicity of those who have faced pandemics in less modern times. After all, the real things haven't really changed.