It doesnt take long for nature to reclaim what was once wild. Grass grows tall, vines climb onto the path and take root, branches lean into the open space to better catch the rays of sun.
For the most part we let this place be her wild self but, from time to time, we need to reclaim the paths around this homestead for the use of two and four legged creatures. So, this is my little homesteading diary about tasks having to do with caretaking this land as well as protecting this land from possible intruders.
I have had the priviledge and responsibility to live in this beautiful place for nearly five years. After three and a half years of backpacking, woofing, and working odd jobs finding a 10 acre abandoned farm where my partner and I could hide away from the prying eyes of the world felt like a dream come true. And it has been a dream! As a teenager I imagined myself exploring the world and as a college student searched to find a way to live outside of the exploitive system I was raised in. Thanks to exchange websites and our work ethic my parnter and I have lived rent free since 2016.
That is not to say this journey has been easy. We do not pay rent in money to the owner of this land but rather pay with our time and labor. And from time to time battling the greed driven dramas of realtors, owners, and potential buyers.
When we negotiated the opportunity to take care of this farm in exchange for a house to live in and the electricity bill covered by the owner we knew this place was for sale. Showing potential buyers and realitors around the land and the two houses was part of the deal and the part we most disliked about the trade. For the most part we didnt vibe at all with any potential buyer and even less with the realtors.
Visits were always few and far between and most days we busied ourselves with the tasks that such a big piece of land requires. We have gardens, animals, and a lot of trails to keep up with. In general I tackle the branches and bushes that try to overtake the paths with a collection of hand tools.
A small saw, sheering scissors, a sithe, and these clippers are my favorites to use. These clippers in particular have been with me for nearly a decade as I garden and lanscape across the Americas. They are worn and in need of a new spring but, they hold a magic and seem to know me from all our shared adventures.
This is the space that I needed to clear. This multifloral rose grows aggresively and is much to low for the taller folks who are touring the property recently. I wanted to trim away the overhang but also leave a tunnel afect. This hedge row is a great breaker of the south easternly wind and also a portal that divides the yard around our house from the open field and mountains beyond.
Just past the rose portal the area opens up into the field of espinillo trees, grasses and wildflowers. It is fall now and the once green grass has turned gold and the wildflowers are releasing their seeds to be sown by the wind in rain. As you can see the trail ahead must be forged which I or my partner will do with the help of some power tools.
While I worked so many thoughts bombarded my mind. I wondered what the land thinks about all of this, the potential of this land being owned by a new set of folks, the potential that these new folks are actually just wasting our time and making us open up these trails for their own diversion, how much I dislike the realitor and his obvious distain for us living on land he wants to sell. And on and on.
But then, I remembered. We arent working for the realitor, the potential buyers nor even the land owner. We do this work for the love of the land and care for the animals who also transit these paths. No matter the future, no matter the past, whomever owns this place is of little importance, we are lucky to live here and be protected by this beautiful place.
With this fresh perspective I sat beneath the rose portal to admire my work and felt inspired to capture a new image of myself and this landscape.