I’ve heard this a time or two over the last year… yes! Im still alive on this beautiful planet!
Life has been fresh, FULL and wholesome :)
If you followed my journey before I took a year+ hiatus off the internet, then you probably know that my partner Jay and I spent the last decade seeking out the hidden pockets of Nature that man forgot to touch, and considered ourselves lucky to call those secluded pockets “home”. We got to know the West quite well over years, enjoying our fair share of foraging and harvesting wild food, hot springin’, skiing, rockhounding and just plain rompin’ around.
In 2021 we decided to expand our comfort zone out passed Colorado which was new territory for us to explore. We reached beyond the realm of the Western Region and found ourselves awe-struck and humbled by the quaint but mighty Ozarks.
We decided it was time for the next big adventure, living life as a “beginner” again. Learning new terrain, foliage and fauna, patterns of nature, ways of life and allowing ourselves the freedom to just BE in one place. Being stationary is a new lifestyle for us, but it has granted us so many beautiful opportunities we could have never experienced while living nomadically. We have been able to take our stewardship to new levels. This year alone we built ourselves our own dreamy permaculture garden, learned all about pasture pigs, raising our own and began implementing rotational grazing to improve soil quality throughout our property, we planted 40 fruit/berry trees which is the start of our food forest, and began our own wildlife conservation project. Our homestead is where most of my energy flows to these days. The love that gets poured in, is always reciprocated. Though it has only been a year, my values and priorities have shifted immensely. I don’t see myself trading my Sovereignty or Self Sufficiency for a roadtrip anytime soon. Putting down roots feels so good :)
a Before and After of the garden we built this year… the crowned jewel of all art projects ;)
That being said, I took a little over a year off from Metalsmithing (which led to putting a pause on my business as a whole) in order to put down said roots and truly enjoy the transition into my new life here in the Ozarks. BUT, as full as my cup is these days, I still have a strong desire to create and craft! Little by little I have been tinkering away at getting my studio set up which has been a long term project as there was no electricity, insulation, ventilation, walls, floors etc. in the then shed when we bought our property.
As of November 1, 2022, my studio is finished and I am finally able to dive back into all my stones n metal again, yaaaay! I cant express how happy it makes me to make that long-awaited statement.
There is so much G R A T I T U D E in my world, and you are a part of that. Thank you for being here on this journey with me. I cherish you more than you know!
p.s. I am curious if you are interested in learning more about the permaculture projects we have been working on, or if there is more you want to hear about going on in my lil homesteading world. Let me know!
all the LOVE!