[MuddyMess]

Family. At a young age I was exposed to gardening, raising livestock etc. Then life, job ,kids, I went in a whole other direction. Was living in the burbs of Atlanta. Nice 1/2 acre lot. Above ground pool ,deck all around it, NO HOA, etc etc. I had planted fruit trees in front yard already. About 5+ years ago I was standing in my back yard and something just hit me in the gut, saying that pool isn’t necessary, growing food is. I tore out the pool and most of the deck, had soil and compost brought in , made a small in ground bed, then numerous raised bed. Had a abundant garden that year, started back canning, realized we needed more space. Looked for 2 years and finally found our place. That i call Muddy Mess hollar, 7 acres, house build in 1842 ( it had been updated on inside recently) barn , a small pond, lots of fence already in place. From the time I sat foot on this place that gut feeling went away, I truly believe this is where I was ment to be so I could provide for my family and help the community as much as possible. We now have chickens, pigs and a milk cow that will be delivering her second calf on our homestead ( I call it my staystead, because I’m staying right here. Don’t even like to go to the store for necessities) sorry for the long post, but I would encourage any one that gets that true gut feeling that want go away follow it, is it risky, yep probably, lots of work ? Oh yes, some days you will think why did I do this, but when you lay your head on that pillow at night take a minute to think about what you accomplished, no matter how big or small the chore, I can always smile knowing I’m taking care of my family.