I
kept trying to think of something profound to say on the 10th
anniversary of my move to the Big Island, but my muses are all out
eating grass, so I'd better keep it simple.
Ten
years ago, today, I left a crowded plane and muttered a fatigued
hello to Hawaii. It was the first time aircraft was involved in one
of my many, many moves and the first time I'd shipped my belongings
hoping they'd arrive soon after I did. (spoiler: they did)
Much
has changed. I used to live in the city, on the hot, dry side of the
island. Now I live on the cool, rainy side. I have 2.5 herds under my
management. 22 goats, 19 pigs, one baby bull. They drive my crazy and
keep me sane at the same time.
I've
learned, loved and lost (animals, that is). I've had injuries along
the way, some insignificant, some with lasting damage, and on two
occasions required the ER and stitches. Yet having said that, my
quality of life has much improved over the years. Farm work is hard,
with long hours, but I have fallen in love with the simple, sweet
rewards. I found the love of my life and we work this hobby farm
together. We both have our strengths and weaknesses, favorite and
least-favorite tasks and, as I type, he's in the kitchen making
johnny cakes. Cause why the hell not?
I
have a better understanding of the difference between preferred
amenities and absolute necessities. It wasn't all by choice and I'm
not boycotting anything, (aside from the occasional abomination of a
movie), but you may be surprised what one can live without.
For
example, roughin' it in a tent on a small plot of land made this
abundantly clear:
Top
3 necessities
1.
air
2.
water
3.
food
(and
in Hawaii, shelter is optional)
amenities
I wish I had today
1.
generator
(the
power to run the router and laptop requires sunshine to please the
solar array gods. Until stated otherwise, posts are
weather-permitting)
2.
clothes washer
(yes,
that means I do our laundry by hand. I do have a kickass clothes
wringer, though. Before that laundry day sucked. You ever wring out a
pair of jeans in a door jam?)
Why
a blog?
In
the past, I needed to walk five miles (down over a thousand feet
elevation) to my local library to use their internet, then turn
around and hike five miles back up to my home. It was inconvenient. I
once went 3 months without using an internet connection because I had
injured my knee. I'll admit I went a little nuts during that time,
but I digress.
As
of last fall, we now have internet on the farm and it's time to shed
some light on the crazy shenanigans that happens here.
This
blog is under construction. My hobby farm is under construction, as
well. Stay tuned, misadventures ahead!
Sincerely,
The Goat Mama
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