Bigger Boats

Yes, I'm still here. Don't get excited. hehehehe

It's been busy around here as always. Anyway, one day when I actually had time to breath, I was sitting out front of our house enjoying the view of the pond scum taking over our pond,( That was sarcasm folks.) when I remembered what an older gentleman told me once. You see, he loved to go boating. I don't know if he loved to fish on his boat, or if he just loved the whole aspect of just being on the water. Either way, he LOVED it. He said that whenever he purchased a new boat he would love that boat. It was the best boat ever! Until, he actually got it on the water.He would look around at the other boats on the water.  He always saw a bigger and better boat. This made him to never be satisfied with the boat that he had. He would turn to his wife and say, "Honey, one of these days, I'll have me a boat that size." She would just shake her head and say, "There is always a bigger boat."

I got to thinking about how some people are with their homesteading. "If we only had a bigger tractor....."  "If we only had a bigger garden....."  " If we only could have more land...." I admit, I'm one of those people.  I'm all happy with what we have until I see someone who has a better garden, or a better tractor, or (heaven forbid) more goats. In fact I seek out places that I know are "better" than ours. I visit farms where they have many people tending their gardens and their lands and I wish that I had our gardens and lands looking like that.

You know,I use to laugh at people who come to our farm and say things like," Oh, how I wished we had a place like this."   or "  I can't wait to get more goats like you." or " I would love to have all of this land!"  Well, at first I would laugh at them and explain that they wouldn't want it if they knew how much work went into it.  I mean, don't get me wrong, I love our place, but there are times I would give it up for a nice condo near a pool.  Like the time when I was milking the goats and had over a half a gallon of milk in the pail when the dog barked, scared the goat, and the half a gallon of milk ended up soaking me from head to toe.  Or the time I wanted to see my sister graduate from collage, but couldn't because we had no one to milk the goats for us that night.  Or the time that it was 90 bazillion degrees outside and we had to put up hay or the animals would starve that  winter. Oh, and don't forget standing on your head picking the 4 rows of beans in your garden that you were stupid enough to plant all at the same time. (Cough, cough, yes, that was me.)

Yes, I use to laugh when people said thing like that. Because if they only knew what went into making a farm, well, a farm. But then I remembered that I did the same thing when I went to visit those other farms. I was wishing that our farm could be like their farm with nice fences, crystal clear ponds, beautiful, well groomed goats, and a garden that could be in a Home and Garden magazine. I remember, I'm just like everyone else. We need to look at what we have and appreciate it. Someone out there would give their eye teeth for our 50 acres, or 10 goats, or our 1978 Ford tractor.  We need to sit back and enjoy what we have   instead of always wanting something else. Because.............Well?........

There will always be a bigger boat.

So until next time,

Small Farm Girl, boater