Everybody needs a break occasionally, a change of scenery or new people to meet. A reset on daily life. I love my home and the quirky day to day management that keeps it running. But sometimes I just need to get out.
A new place is always inspiring, it gives me ideas and helps get my creative juices flowing. A new person who I meet and talk with may give me a new perspective and change the way I have always perceived an idea. I usually return home with a million ideas and thoughts flitting about in my head, things to make and create, ideas to explore. Slowing down my life doesn’t mean stagnancy. To me, it means prioritizing the important things in life and letting the rest flow around you.
I am not a naturally outgoing person, I think I am little reserved, a little shy (thank you childhood hangups) and I can go for hours or day without talking to anyone. But then all of a sudden I crave social interaction, I seek out people, enjoy them laugh with them and have a wonderful time and then go back to my quiet life which soothes my soul. This probably makes me slightly odd but I am guessing, I am not alone. Homesteading takes a different kind of person, someone who wants to rely on themselves and doesn’t mind being alone often, This is one of the things I like best about homesteading blogging, the chance to meet people who are like me.
People always ask how can you leave or get away when you have so many things depending on you. Animals to feed, gardens to water, produce to process and so on. Its hard to leave during the peak season. May-August is busy and almost overwhelming at times, but that is when I also need a break. I have several definitions of a break, sometimes I just need a few hours and sometimes I need a week.
A few things to remember when leaving your farm or homestead.
Milking and Twice Daily Chores
When I have had an animal in milk I usually try and milk once a day and let the babies have the mom for the evening milking. Its a lot easier to try and convince your neighbor or house sitter to watch your place if they only milk once a day. Timing needs to right with this one, you don’t want your milk supply to drop. Another way is to own a goat or cow share with someone. When you need to leave town you have a “milk partner” to pick up the slack.
Food and water
Buy the largest water buckets that you can afford, just for this reason. Even with a great housesitter, it gives me peace of mind to know that the animals could last a few days if something happened. Stock up on animal food and make sure the bins are clearly marked.
Research Your Housesitter
Word of mouth is always how I have found my housesitter, I ask people at the feed store or ask my friends with farms of their own who they use. Facebook ad pages are another good way to find a house sitter. Always ask for references and make sure you call those references.
Leave Detailed Instruction
The more information the better, Always assume that your housesitter knows nothing about animals or your homestead. That way he or she has very specific instructions on how to take care of your farm. I once had a housesitter who killed several animals by accident, overfeeding them because I didn’t tell her that lambs can bloat, or koi fish can die from overfeeding. She had never had fish nor young lambs so when they begged for food she assumed they were still hungry. The more instructions the better.
Pay The House Sitter Well
Pay them well, Give a bonus if they do a good job, a good housesitter is priceless. You are leaving your livelihood with someone else and money is an incentive. Children and my homestead are the two most important things in life, so childcare and farm care are the two things I don’t scrimp on money wise.
Establish Good Relations With Your Neighbor
For short day excursions and overnighters don’t forget to look toward your neighbors. Set up a house care exchange with them. Now I understand not everybody enjoys their neighbor or even likes having a neighbor but this is the simplest way to go anywhere. Leave at noon be back at noon and the neighbor only needs to do a few things. We have one immediate neighbor and we do not always see eye to eye on many things but I know they are not moving anytime soon so we work hard to establish a good relationship with them.
Simplify Your Routines
Take a hard look at your daily farm chores and see if there is any way to streamline or simplify your daily routines. What is easiest for you might not be the best for temporary help. Tidy up the barn and animal spaces, make things easy for someone to find things.
Leave Emergency Numbers
Always leave emergency numbers with the housesitter and the neighbors. It is a good idea to leave the number of a farm or homesteading friend who would be willing to go to your house in a pinch. Leave the name of your vets office and detailed instructions on whether or not your animals visit the vet for an emergency. No one wants a $500 vet bill for a meat rabbit.
Mini Vacations
During the busy summer months, we are too busy with the productivity of the homestead to take long vacations. When everyone else is taking extended vacations, my family likes to go on mini vacations. One or two nighters at the most. Some are just a few hours spent away from the house, these are just enough to give us a break and enjoy new scenery and be home for the milking. We also really hate spending money on frivolous things so many of these activities are inexpensive or even free.
Ideas for mini vacations
- Raft trip
- Camping overnight
- Free museums
- Farmers markets
- Hiking
- Backpacking
- Go swimming
- Visit a new town
- Flea markets
- Picnics
- Library programs
- Look in the newspaper- community event section
- College or community theatre
- Summer fairs and festivals
- Wine tours
- Water parks
- Zoos
- Aquarium
- Art Walks
- Rent a forest service cabin
- Visit a national park
No matter what you do for fun there is always a way to enjoy your self and give you the time away that you need. I would love to hear your favorite mini vacations or tips on keeping the homestead running while you are away.
