Last summer, Tim Buchheit and his executive assistant Lori, were returning from visiting one of the Illinois Buchheit stores when they took a short-cut and drove past our homestead.  Jim, my husband, had chicken coops for sale and Tim turned around to check them out. They stayed for several hours touring our homestead.  We talked about “homesteading” for hours.

ann-houseFortunately, the interior of the 120 year old farm house we moved off its rotten foundation to set on a new basement was tidy enough for guests and Lori loved the stick built country kitchen set up for preserving the harvest.  It was a pleasure to make their acquaintance.

That initial meeting turned into an opportunity.  For some time, I had been wanting to find a way to share my knowledge of homesteading as so much of this lifestyle could be applied not only to rural but also urban households as well.  So when the Buchheit family invited me to host talks such as Chick Chats and write a blog, Jim and I decided, after much deliberation, to modify our routines slightly and share some of our skill sets with you.

Homesteading is my heritage.  My grandfather died leaving my grandmother a widow with six children to support.  She and my dad worked the farm as well as sold eggs and fruit from her vineyards and orchard. She taught me never to complain about what comes your way in life but to always be thankful when you can make ends meet.

ann-bread I remember her black and chrome cook stove with the hot water reservoir and the tantalizing smells from her kitchen. She made the best fresh sweet peas and egg dumplings in the whole world!

My mother also passed down her homesteading skills as she was an accomplished gardener, canner and seamstress.  It was nothing for her to put up hundreds of quarts of produce for her large family.  She made 10 loaves of bread and 2 coffeecakes on baking day. And now, I slap that dough down on the table to work the gluten the same way she did. She loved chickens, pigs and her dairy cow on the farm but loved her family even more!

ann-house2

Our life’s journey has now brought us full circle as we have just purchased my grandmother’s house.  Out of the original six hundred acres that my ancestors purchased in 1833, all that is left is a small 4 acre homestead.  It is in sorry shape but we invite you to join us as we restore the house and land.  I will be writing several times a week from our present farm sharing posts on topics that I sincerely hope will help you to enjoy a simpler life.

 

 

My name is Ann May and I can’t wait to meet you!