The beginnging is like a jig saw puzzle

 As I was thinking today I had this thought,the beginning of homesteading is like a jig saw puzzle.You bring home this box with a picture on the front.The picture represents your ideas of what an Urban Homestead should be or look like.For better or worse there it is.You open the box and dump upon your table this pile of pieces.How many pieces there are goes back to your ideas but luckily for you unlike an actual puzzle you can throw out,not use or rethink those pieces.
 Now what to do? To solve a puzzle I start out by sorting out the pieces in a way that makes sense to me. These pieces are now the different areas you can use to create your homestead,indoors and out.Starting from the edges working in or working from the inside out does not matter,you are working towards your goal.Sometimes you will have to turn a piece,move it around,put it back until later when it will work better or to be left out all together.Putting a puzzle together takes careful thought over time and so does homesteading.No one got there overnight,not even me. As you fit the puzzle together it will start to look like something,your idea of a homestead.( I am adding this,never let any one make you feel as if you are not homesteading right.Never. This is your life,ideas and home all things that should make you happy.)
 In the end there may be some holes in your puzzle where the pieces did not fit,were left out to be re thought or just plain stumped you for now.That's ok, every homesteader has holes.Keep working at it,things will work out over time.
 To cheer you all along here is a short list of holes here at Hrafinstaad:

1. I still buy Ramen noodles and Mac and Cheese in a blue box,the boys love them plain and simple.
2. We have no rain barrels ,We live in wet Oregon where there are only about 6 weeks out of the growing season where it may not rain, we mostly dry garden..Do we need rain barrels? The vote is out,I'll let you know.
3.I don't always bake our bread,life happens enough said.
4.I buy our soaps.I made some,no one would use it and making the kinds that are more involved scare me a bit.
5.Local beats Organic but some weeks Price beats them all.
6.Lately I have been using the dryer every time I do laundry.I donated our drying rack,the boys and I think it was haunted since it seemed able to walk.And see number 2 as well,rain.
 There are most likely more to the list but I am ok with that. We have time and wiggle room to fix the holes or not.

Rois