The goal

I spent 5.5 years in college. I have a degree in Media Communications. I work in production at a television station. And I regret not a bit of it; in fact, I love it. But it is not going to be the way life works forever.

For starters, I'd like a full time job. This, I hope will happen sometime soon. Secondly, I'd like to have a few kids, three maybe four. Now, as much of a multi tasker as I am, I like my multiple tasks to be pointed towards a more unified outcome. For now I am a worker bee, of a sort, but when it's time to be a mom, I want to be, for the most part, a mom. But alas, we may never reach a comfortable point to become a single income household. This complicates things a bit.

I have an idea. A way to be a stay at home mom, provide some household income, and something to occupy the parts of my mind that are used for work now, not to mention a veritable mountain of yarn - the mental image of which makes me a bit giddy.

Since I have begun my sentence in the middle of my mental paragraph yet again, let me explain where I'm coming from. The boy and I have intended from the get go, to work towards owning a home with a few acres attached to it, somewhere out in the sticks. Yup, critters and quiet and neighbors who are a long walk away. We want to have laying hens, from time to time a pig, a calf or two, and I have been lobbying for a few dairy goats and some sheep. I am beginning to have an effect. He's still not too keen on the sheep, but he's warming up. I think I'll get my goats. And now, there's a distict possibility of a small flock of alpaca. The boy discovered today the monetary value of alpaca fleece (with just a little help from yours truly), simply sheared off the animal no other work done. It's quite impressive. The cogs started turning in our minds.

This is not a new thought, even to us. The reason I wanted sheep was for wool, ultimately for cheaper yarn. I had thought about looking into cashmere producing goats as well. I have not yet gone so far as to consider angora rabbits, but who knows. The point is, I think if I worked up to it, I could provide a reasonable amount of household income selling wool and alpaca fleece, roving, yarn, and hand dyed yarn, not to mention, keep myself supplied in yarn to knit with. The boy is actually excited about this prospect. I'm floored.

So the goal has perhaps shifted slightly - smallish house, parcel of land, chickens, cows, goats, sheep, and alpacas, a relationship with a fiber cooperative to process the wool and alpaca fiber, kids, us, hopefully nice neighbors, a meaningful job for the boy, a church family that we love, and ultimately, a life that means something to us and makes us happy.

Does it sound too much like utopia? Am I crazy??