The Good Life

In the 1970s there was this wonderful BBC TV show called The Good Life, or Good Neighbors, in America.  It was a brilliant show about a couple who suddenly decide to leave the rat race, and turn their upper-class, suburban home into a homestead.  They dig up their front and back yards, plant vegetables, and raise livestock.  In London.  In the 1970s.

Yeah, the neighbors weren't pleased.

I love this show!  We first watched it before the move, but after we had bought our current home.  So the dream, my dream, of a homestead was already alive.  But this show brought the dream into focus.

But as much as I love that show, it wasn't until today that I processed the full implications.  See, if I want a pretty house with some space, fruit trees and a good sized garden, then we are on the right track.  But if I want a homestead, a real one, then my husband and I need to have a serious talk about yard versus garden, and livestock versus acreage.

So.  New plan.  Discuss with thoughtful and open-minded husband the prospect of turning the front yard, or most of it, into a beautiful and productive vegetable garden.  Turn the side area into a fenced pasture for the yet-to-be-decided livestock.  And allot the area over the septic for the chickens.

The pros:

• Less mowing
• Better soil in front of the house
• It can be beautiful (or so I have read)

The cons:

• Um, no yard!  We live in a rural area (duh) which means that the neighbors won't really have a say, but we would still be different from the other houses on the street.  It would be a major transition for a girl and a boy from suburbia.  And it will make us stand out.  I don't like to stand out.
• Where would the kids play?  We have two boys who need large areas to run around.
• I can't think of another con, but I am sure there are more.  I'll come back to that.

I think this is a question of commitment.  Am I committed to being that different and off-base?  Are we ready for the full-deal, or are we only playing at the homestead idea?  And would that be so bad?

I don't know.  I definitely don't have answers.  But I am intrigued by the new epiphany tonight.  A front yard garden may be the missing link in this dream.