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Only two years have passed since I've started this journey into the homesteading world. I remember thinking to myself, this will be fun, this will be a wonderful experience. While I was correct on both of those assumptions, there have been more times than I can count, or care to admit to, where I had no idea what I was doing.

I read book after book, and spent late nights that turned into early mornings reading various blog posts about gardening, raising chickens and keeping fruit trees alive. I also received copious amounts of input from friends about these subjects. While I thought all of this would prepare me for what I was about to get myself into, it didn't. It's fun being wrong.

This truth is, nothing will prepare you more than firsthand experience itself. The moment you dip a chick's beak into water as you introduce her to her new home, when you are trudging out to the garage at three in the morning to check the brooder temperature and clean pasty butts, or that moment you see the first bud on your dahlias bloom and you come back from the garden with a bowl full of fresh spinach for dinner.

It's those experiences that keep me going. It's the good that has helped balance the unfortunate and sad experiences this life brings. It's a lot of work and it's not for the faint of heart, but the fact that I still get excited when I see an egg in the chicken's nest box tells me I should keep going.

While there are people out there who have been doing this their entire lives, I'm sure they would tell me there are still new experiences they learn from every year. Which is why I'm here writing this column, to share my experiences. The good, the bad, the unfortunate smells and the rewarding insight on how I have grown closer to nature through this new adventure. Stay tuned for more.

Miriah Kardelis is a modern homesteader who is always looking for new ideas. Reach her at [email protected].