Dreaming of the Country

So Jason and I have become mildly…okay, absolutely, obsessed with shows like Filthy Riches and Appalachian Outlaws lately. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen these shows or not, but they’re fascinating.

 Filthy Riches is about several families all over America who make their living off of the land, but not in your typical ways like farming and such. They dig for ginseing root in the mountains, catch blood worms, make trades for things, and fish for eel. Fun stuff like that.

 Appalachian Outlaws focuses 100% on the ginseing diggers, and how they can only legally do it for two months out of the year, and there are only so many permits to do it, so everyone does it illegally. There’s a lot of gun wielding, family saving, and cuss word bleeping, so you know I’m all about it.

 Anyways, it’s had me thinking lately- could I do things like this to feed my family? Things that depend solely on the land and what it can provide me with? I’ve always dreamed of having a big, flourishing garden than I can feed my family with. 

As odd as it sounds, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what it would be like to have a bunch of farm hands that I’d need to feed three meals a day. What it would be like to see them all lined up at the table for breakfast before heading out for the day. Feeding those who help our lives grow.

 I’ve recently been reading a lot of books that involve ranches and farms, and it’s been killing me feeling cooped up in the city. I’ve always had some country in my heart, having spent a lot of time growing up in Myakka, which is on the outskirts of our town. Spending time out at the park with the gators and the hogs, and walking through the treetops, though that walk came later on in my life. Also spending time out at my cousins with her horse, her cow, and the other animals of her neighbors. 

Thinking back to my childhood, some of the most fun I ever had was spent out at her house, jumping in the pond and riding horses. Whenever our parents would get together, we would hide out in the barn all night, pretending it was our own little place. It had a fridge and a TV and would just have girly time in there, talking about the boys that we liked. The best would be when a storm would come through while we were in the barn, and we’d turn the TV off and just watch and listen.

I’ve been missing all of that so much lately.

 Jason and I have been in talks lately of buying a house instead of renting. We know we’re going to remain in town, and that we can’t afford much right now, but to be honest, we’re not looking for much. I’m well aware that Jason can basically single-handedly build a house, besides the electrical and the plumbing, so I’m open and willing to enter into a house that needs work. And as of this moment, we’re really just looking for a home that would suit us for about five years, that we can work on a little, the possibly rent out or flip.

 But all of this talk of buying a house has me searching acreage out in Myakka and down south of us, and dreaming about the future. We’ve talked extensively about buying some property out there, then slowly building a house ourselves. It’s just dreams right now, of course, but it’s on my mind frequently.

 If you need me, I’ll be dreaming of being out in the country in my garden, my dog at my feet, while Jason works in the barn, building me a dining table or some other piece of furniture.