31 Days of Green Acres - Day 2

Perhaps this is the story we're asked to tell most often.  Weekend Farmer Husband is most typically the one who recounts the tale.  Consequently, although the story is mine, I've not spent much time developing it, giving it chronology, words, or most importantly, legacy. Yesterday's anxiety about a 31 Day series has become today's relief that there's time for me to refine, retell, and claim the story too.

Compelling because it was such a change from how we'd oriented and lived our lives, this story also seems to attract others who dream of country living, self sustenance, homesteading, animals, food production, home renovations, and more.  Liberty Farm speaks to many dreams, ours included, but we didn't always understand this.

At first, the  motivation that we could articulate was singular.  Financial freedom beckoned, and we were willing to reinvent ourselves and the way we lived to achieve it. 

People always ask, "What did you do?" or, "How did you decide?" or, "How did you get started?" So, get in the Way Back Machine and journey to the summer of 2009.

The answer isn't complicated.  We just did it.  I know I've alluded to this in other posts, but to be fair, it's a little more complex than that.

Please keep in mind that with an singular goal, initially it didn't seem like too far a reach.  In hindsight, if I'd known then what I know now about our changed hearts, passions, and goals it would have been too much. 

But, financial freedom is pretty clear cut and can be "reduced" in essence to a series of business like decisions.

Weekend Farmer Husband's work environment was changing and as the economy collapsed, pay matrixes, loads, sales models, etc. were being reinvented. He felt it would be prudent in the long term to hedge our family from the impact of our comfortable life style choices.

And, I wanted to come home.  The more I worked outside our home, the less I could support the increasing demands of Weekend Farmer Husband's job let alone our family.  Home education, parenting, our marriage, and community was continually strained and our relationships were suffering. 

So, the city mice put their big, comfy, finished home up for sale in a loser market, and started looking for a burrow in the country.

And with only an inkling of what was to come, we put security, conventional wisdom, and to some degree social reputation on the line because we ended up teetering on the brink of foreclosure.

Thank you Nester, for gathering so many bloggers together and hosting the 31 Days event.  If you'd like to check out the other courageous participants, click here!

31 Days of Green Acres- Day 1