Life is full of twists and turns. Some more sweeping than others. Corporately dictated staff reductions recently brought my thirty-five year career in the paper and packaging industry to an abrupt end. It was not unexpected. But disappointing none the less.
Looking back, I could tell you endless stories of friendships made, customer's unrealistic expectations, the idiosyncrasies of individual machines, and growing a profitable business in a small market. My husband - who is still in the industry for another company - and I worked together for about twenty-four of those years. It was good. We are now resigned to the realization that times have changed. And we have to change too.
We both grew up in the Piney Woods of East Texas where we plan to stay. It is "home" after all. We are fortunate in that our grown children and their families are nearby. Our farm is about 4 acres with an acre or so being involved in gardening and raising chickens. That is a manageable space for us.
And so we begin a new adventure. Lazy K Farmstead. Lazy because a respectable ranch or farm in Texas must be a Rocking something or a Lazy whatchamacallit. K is a special name in our family. And Farmstead. A farm and its buildings. We are more gardening than animal farming. And we do have several buildings/sheds around the place.
I'm Teresa. I have always been somewhat of a creative spirit. A "city" girl - population of our small town is about 13,000. One of my earliest memories is baking my own birthday cake when I was 7 or 8 years old. My maternal grandmother taught me to sew. My paternal grandfather was my gardening inspiration. YouTube taught me canning. This farmsteading yearning has been growing within me intensely for 10 years or more now.
My husband, Dewayne, spent his early summers farming potatoes, purple-hull and black-eyed peas which they sold roadside. Sunday dinner included a chicken he was sent to get from the yard and bring to his mom ready to cook. They raised pigs to be butchered at the first cold spell each year. His dad and uncles would work together and split the pork between their growing families. He has been a mechanic of some sort all his life.
So we are not novices to some of the skills needed for this new venture. We are not experts either. But we hope that the things we share here on the website and on social media platforms will inspire you to be lifelong learners. And to be less fearful of change.
Sharing our lives of family, love, and homesteading. We will share daily lives and special occasions. Cooking, gardening, chickens, building, grandkids, travel. Join us as we make the memories that we hold so dear.
Teresa (aka Nana)
