To be truthful, that title was part of the website host’s template!  But I (Jen) found it so apropos to start this blog/site that I had to use it!

Why so appropriate?  Because this site is the start of a new adventure, a new journey, a new future.

There are so many things I want to share and give readers that I don’t know where to begin other than the ethos for this blog.

I won’t deny that it started as a way to branch out a business of farming/gardening, DIY, up-cycling, and other wild projects, but then it started occurring to me that I had something special to share – Farm Life.

You see, farming is a way of life, a culture, a mindset.  The winter of 2018-2019 has brought us some of the most chaotic and taxing weather in our lifetime (in our area) with negative fifty degree weather, wind, and ice, but there’s always that guy – the one that trudges out to the barn to feed the livestock.  To make sure that they have food, water, bedding; that they’re warm, comfortable, fed and content while the rest of the family stays warm in the house.  That guy that skates across the ice, risks frostbite and pneumonia to make sure that God’s creatures are cared for by their stewards.  That guy that chops firewood if the pile and power is out.

Farming can teach you the hard knocks of life; it can also give you wondrous things.  I remember the first time I saw a newborn kitten – my dad, for all his calloused hands and dislike of farm cats – scrounged around through the horse mangers until he found the little mass of kittens and brought one up gently to me to pet, then quietly put it back for mama cat to find (and subsequently hide all over again!).

This new beginning is most definitely going to be a journey.  A journey of learning – for both us as JCT Rustic Homestead as well as for you, the reader/viewer – and sharing.  Social media has impacted the world in a way that our grandparents – and even our parents – had never dreamed.  Farming and Farm Life is something that’s nearly lost in this era.  It’s a tough life full of ups and downs.  But it’s a good life.  It’s one I’m proud to be a part of, and one I am desperate to share.

So sit back, relax, and enjoy the journey – ours and yours.  I’m sure you have something wonderful to share as well!  Consider sending us a note – one of encouragement, suggestions for posts, or talk about your farming or homesteading life or dreams – and consider subscribing for future posts.