Deadlines
External deadlines make
me nervous, so I try to avoid them at all costs. When I was in
college, I was the one who wrote my paper the weekend before even
though it wasn't due 
until Friday, and I now weed
and topdress new garden beds the week before they're supposed to be
planted so that the seasonal deadline doesn't creep up on me.
But sometimes you can't
avoid deadlines, and this weekend is one of those times. My
editor emailed me the final draft of The Weekend
Homesteader for
corrections, due Monday. Sure, I could have argued that I wrote
into my contract that I had a month for this stage (mostly because I
thought they'd mail proofs and I was afraid a flood might slow things
down). But I'd rather have the manuscript zip over to China ASAP
so the presses will start rolling.
So I've broken one of our
farm's cardinal rules and am working during the weekend.
(Watering the forest garden by hand too, to give me a break between
chapters.) Now that I'm 75% of the way done, the stress of an
external deadline is finally lifting off my shoulders, but I don't
think I'll have any extra deep thought to spare once I get the book off
my plate.
Which is all a long way
of saying --- we're taking a week's vacation from Walden.
I hope you don't mind the extension. Go enjoy your garden instead!
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About us: Anna Hess and Mark Hamilton spent over a decade living self-sufficiently in the mountains of Virginia before moving north to start over from scratch in the foothills of Ohio. They've experimented with permaculture, no-till gardening, trailersteading, home-based microbusinesses and much more, writing about their adventures in both blogs and books.
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It's so hard to get a vacation to just sit back and enjoy the work you've done on your homestead - take a much needed break and enjoy the forest, the breeze, the flowers, the bees - and each other
Peace . Love . Laughter
Dharma Dogs
Michele --- I'm getting a lot better at relaxing on the homestead. Mark's insistence and our beautiful porch make all the difference.
Charles --- We're always glad to have virtual visitors on our farm!
Good luck with your homestead!