You're Doing What?

My wife didn't quite realize just how serious I was about changing our lifestyle when we moved out here. Or, at least, my own. I've never, EVER been an outdoors kind of person. It's just not my thing, never was. No, I was always inside, reading a book or playing a game, never doing the outside thing. Well, I did play sports as a kid, but that's different; that was fun. Doing outdoor stuff that's work? Even mowing the lawn was a nightmare. I was a city boy, not a back-to-nature kid.

Well, well, times have definitely changed.

See, I was serious about the whole idea of becoming as self-sustaining as we could on this little hobby farm. That means we're going to have to grow the food ourselves. It saves a lot of money at the grocery stores, which are higher-priced here on the Island. But still...that means getting down in the grubby dirt and doing actual manual labor.

And I'm enjoying it.

Don't get me wrong; I'm still writing, still doing the sci-fi/fantasy thing, still enjoying the benefits of modern life. But there's a whole new world out there, and as crazy as it sounds, I like it. I never understood the appeal of gardening until now. And all I've done is dig two small garden beds for her, one of which has twenty-nine garlic bulbs that will hopefully sprout in the spring, currently covered in straw to protect them. And I didn't just use a roto-tiller; I used a spade and a pitchfork and dug down deep.

The dogs love it out here, since they have their own private dog park in the back to play in. The kids love it as well. And my wife and I are really getting into the spirit of country living. It's very, very different from the city, or even the small town we lived in before coming here. It's...peaceful. The stars come out at night, and there are a hell of a lot more of them in the sky when we're away from the street lights.

But the part that blew my wife away was that my older son and I actually built a simple but effective composting tumbler together. That's right, a homemade composter. And it works very simply: You put the composting ingredients in, then seal the lid and just roll it around the yard a couple of times to tumble the compost. She can't believe I'm actually doing that. I really should have taken a picture of it; it was a fun project for Ashton and I.

So, I'm going all-out on this new way of living. Those who knew me before probably don't believe it. Heck, I'm not sure I believe it myself at this point. But, it is what it is; I'm running a hobby farm, so it's time to make it real.