Earlier tonight the family and my in-laws took a trip to the Adams County (NE) "Fairfest". It's the first time I've been to any kind of fair outside of Kansas and Missouri. The basics were the same, though our own county's fair is at least somewhere green. This one was in a gravel lot that made the toddler's stroller hard to maneuver.
Whenever I go to a fair I realize that any 4H kid probably knows more about raising livestock than I do. I want to learn, of course. One of the things in the back of my mind is retiring to a subsistence farm. Raising a few chickens, ducks, goats, rabbits or whatever I can bring myself to slaughter occasionally, or that produce something we can use without killing the critters, and grow fruit and vegetables on a couple acres for canning and fresh food.
There are a lot of problems with that plan, of course. First is getting started. You have to have the land, the patience and the time. Since I haven't spent most of my life on a farm, there is a lot to learn as well. That kind of operation doesn't just spring to life and run smoothly like a new car engine. You have to expect some failures and have contingencies in place to make up for them.
I have no illusions that it'd be an easy thing to do, either. It's not something I could start doing at 70 and expect to be able to handle it. I haven't had the benefit of a lifetime's worth of physical labor to build my body into something that can handle wrestling hay bales or feed bags. I'd get worn out pretty quick on a farm. I know that.
Still, having spent most of my life working at a desk, or at the very most on the floor behind a stack of servers, I have this itching at the back of my spine that comes up from time to time. Those are the times I just want to go dig a ditch somewhere. I want to stand exhausted beside something I've accomplished, wipe the dirt from my brow and say, "well, time to fill that back in." I call those times my ditch digging days. Times when I'm frustrated with my lack of physical activity and sense of accomplishment.
Being sore after a day's work because you've moved a ton of bricks or dug a trench for a water line, or planted ten rows of vegetables fells more real that being sore because you have bad typing posture. The irony being that as I write this I'm sitting at a computer, and the kids in 4H are probably still taking care of their animals and will be back at it early in the morning.
Practical issues keep me from gaining much experience beyond simple academic knowledge. I hear we could raise a few chickens, but our dogs and neighbors make me think that wouldn't be a good idea. Maybe that's something I just need to get over. Another excuse that is preventing me from trying to do an unfamiliar task.
Beyond financial considerations that would come from a minor failure like being unable to keep a few chickens alive, what would I lose? Would the experience be worth the cost and the time lost? What are the benefits of being successful?
I think the equation comes out pretty positive.
No comments:
Post a Comment