Don’t be a Stranger.

There’s a double meaning in the blog title, Don’t be a Stranger.  First, and probably most obvious to you, the reader, is that we’ve been a stranger to you! If you subscribe to the blog, you haven’t heard from us lately (well, in over 3 months to be exact). But the same isn’t true about our social media, so follow us there if you haven’t already – Facebook, Instagram. Yes, just over 3 months have gone by since my fingers hit the keyboard to bring homestead blog updates to you. Why? Well, the homestead. There have been so many new updates including:

• Winterizing….and more winterizing.
• We have new animal residents – pigs!
• Chicken egg laying drama.
• Amazing total solar eclipse road trip vacation.
• We have a new human resident.
• Socializing.
• Gardening.
• The Harvest. 
• Putting food by.
• Homeschooling.
• Continuing education to become a Certified First Responder.
• ….and on, and on, and on.

I have plenty to blog about! Maybe a bit more time will be available now that the weather is changing and there is less to manage outside.

So, onto the second meaning in the blog title, Don’t be a Stranger.  In June, 2017, we moved from our home of 12 years to our new “neighborhood”, 250 miles away. Although we’ve owned our homestead property for 8 years, the only time we spent here was pretty much at work and we met very few people. Referring to our new homestead location as a “neighborhood” is perhaps a bit of a stretch of what most people imagine a neighborhood to be. Our closest full-time neighbor is 1 mile down the road. And we are at a dead end off of a dead end road, so we do not exactly have any thru traffic going by. It’s what many people would describe as isolating, but we see as quiet, peaceful, and perfect.

Since June, we’ve met many full-time and seasonal neighbors. Not only have we met these neighbors, but developed work shares (more on this in future post), bartered goods and services, been given help, knowledge and goods expecting nothing in return, and most feel good….grew new friendships – the, “it’s Friday, c’mon over for dinner and a movie” kind of friendships.

Maybe this sounds like your community, but it doesn’t precisely describe where we came from. Our last community was very friendly, but the interconnectedness (is that a real word?) never seemed to exist. My theory? Here on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan when your closest neighbor is 1 mile away and there are only a handful of neighbors beyond them, we truly will be better off knowing each other because there may be times we need each other. The closest grocery store, gas station, car repair, or health clinic is 25 minutes away…on a clear weather day. We feel like we’re part of a “we’ve got your back” sort of community.

While we love our homestead being at the dead end of a dead end road, we also still need human interaction (yes, as an introvert I am admitting that even I need human interaction). And while many of us out here are here for the peace, quiet, and tranquility, we still need each other’s company as well.  How lucky we have been to fall into the company of  wonderful people who provide great conversation and natural companionship.

When we purchased our land, and then later made the transition to full-time living on our homestead, we didn’t really put much thought into what “community” would look like here. Fortunately for us, it was just what we needed.

Wishing you Love, Peace, and Nature

-Lisa