A Full Day of Homesteading

We always look forward to what Connie of Urban Overalls has to share! If you are an avid homesteader, a wanna be homesteader, she’s got the scoop for you!

Homesteading is an adventure. It can provide a sense of fulfillment and be a source of pride. On a homestead you may find the following: animals (for food), vegetable gardens, fruit trees and/or shrubs, compost system, assorted outbuildings to contain/protect tools/equipment, as well as someone who has some skills that are often associated with days gone by. Such skills may include, but are not limited to cooking from scratch (no box mixes), canning, cheese making, beer/soda/wine making, fermenting foods such as sauerkraut, sewing/mending clothes, curtains, quilts, etc… and repairing, reusing, and upcycling parts and pieces into new products. In short, all steps towards self-sufficiency.

Now while books or blogs may enchant you with bucolic scenes, you may get the sense that homesteading is easy or at the very least…. pretty. No weeds. No mud. No bugs. No dirty clothes. No offending aromas. Homesteading could be straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting. Picture perfect. But let me set the record straight… there are beautiful moments. The rest? Not so much.

As an example, here is what my day was like. Just an average Saturday. A summer Saturday. A Saturday spent in the yard and garden while friends went to the mountains to hike. Or other friends who got out their bikes for a pleasant morning ride. And others wandered the booths at the local farmer’s market. We did none of those things.

Day in the Life of an Urban Homesteader

Woke up and had coffee.
Dressed in my work clothes that I wore yesterday and still smelled of sweat. Oh… and the pants have several holes in them. In embarrassing places. Did I mention that I have a sewing machine and that I know how to mend clothes?
Did not make the bed. There is work to be done before the heat of the day settles in. No time (in my head) to make the bed.
Skipped making breakfast. If you are unsure why, reread the second sentence in the previous bullet point.
Weeded for the entire morning. My nemesis? Bindweed. Lots and lots of bindweed. And the weeds are visible to my neighbors. (We do not have a lawn service company stop by like others on the block). We do not spray harsh chemicals. Our main method of weed control is simply pulling them.

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To stay up to date with the day to day happening around Connie’s Homestead, follow Urban Overalls on Facebook. She will inspire you and challenge you to step up your game on the homesteading front! Connie- Thank you for sharing your expertise with all of our readers, it’s much appreciated!