How to be a "real" farmer

After living on the farm for five years, I've decided it's high time I learned what in the heck I am doing. Or, to be more exact, what it takes to be a farmer. A real one.

I have always admired stories of women of ago who worked their fingers to the bone from sun-up to sun down ... survivors, these gals, and I feel like such a wimp, slug, prissy gal when compared.

But I do live in 2012. And I do have electricity, indoor plumbing, freezers, Internet, Jiffy Mix, etc. etc., and most of these things I do not desire to live without. So what do I want to be? How do I want to be?

"If you aim for nothing, you're sure to hit."

So, I am aiming to be a modern-day pioneer woman. (Gasp, laugh, roll your eyes, I don't care.) My mission is clear and my journey has begun (I know, I know, only five years AFTER I moved on to the farm).

First thing on my list was to find out in plain black and white print, what I'm doing wrong. I checked out a few books from the local library about chickens, misc. farm profitability and other farm-related topics and now I'm more convinced than ever that I am way behind. In fact, my lifestyle has no resemblance to that of a "real" farmer and if I have any hope of walking in the shoes of my homesteading ancestors (surely there are a few in my geneaology somewhere), I must implement some radical changes. And blog about them.

Change #1: Wear an apron.

Aprons seemed to be a very vital part of the day-to-day life of a farming housewife, and this change isn't so hard because aprons are also trendy right now (not that I really keep up with trends). If you do want to feel better about yourself and your own style, imagine me outside today (mid-20 degrees) hanging laundry while wearing sweatpants, sweatshirt (with hood up), feed coat, feed gloves (the lovely yellow-orange kind) and a giant tropical-themed apron tied right under my bust so I can easily (efficiency above flattery) reach my clothes pins. Feel better about yourself yet? I thought so.

Tune in next time to see how my next "change" is going.