A Girl Can Dream

(Photo taken at Ort Farm in Long Valley, NJ)

It’s kind of crazy for a little suburban girl to want to uproot to the middle-of-nowhere, start a small farm and train a sled dog team. But I guess I’ve never been all that sane.

Yesterday I biked around Sandy Hooky with my dad, Dan and Dexter. The weather was just cool enough for Dexter to run the whole five or six miles without any problem. It felt great to be back on my bike after a month without it (although my knees thought otherwise at 4 am this morning).

On the way down to the shore, my Dad and I talked about selling the house and moving to the country. We’d get a little house on a big piece of land, and raise alpaca. My mom would grow her fruits and vegetables on a larger scale, and my sister would make farm-fresh baked goods (pies, muffins, etc.). We’d sell our goods at farmers’ markets, or maybe in our own little country store.

I’d still do graphic design, but I’d also tend to a small chicken coup and train sled dogs. In the fall, we’d have a pumpkin patch for people to visit, and the sled dogs would cart around guests’ pumpkins. In the winter, we could pull people around on sleds. A taste of Alaska, right in New Jersey.

Of course, this is all just a fantasy. Fun to think about, but something my parents won’t really do. But that doesn’t mean I won’t. I’m looking at farms for sale right now. Much too early to seriously consider, but fun to dream. A few more years of working and building my freelance portfolio, and paying a mortgage won’t be out of the question — especially if it’s on a little farm in bumble-fudge.

In the mean time, I guess I’ll keep working with Dexter. Hopefully in the spring I’ll get another sled-worthy dog, and by the following winter I’ll have them training together. I also hope to have a successful garden next spring/summer. My own miniature, back-yard farm.

A girl can dream — even if it’s not about handsome men, expensive shoes, or designer purses.

Domesticity

I’ve been feeling especially domestic lately. I’m on the hunt for a bread maker. How great would it be to plop in some ingredients in the morning, and have freshly baked bread by the late afternoon? I love bread, and home-made is really the best. I’ll also scrounge up a nice bread box from the thrift store.

Speaking of domesticity, I’ve been thinking (dreaming, longing) about my next abode. I’m 23-years-old, and need to be content with renting for awhile. And I really should be, who wants to “settle down” in their early twenties? I still want to extend my feelers out into the world and see where I’ll end up.

Despite that, I’ve got this ever-present desire to find a cute little house on a few acres of land. I want to have my own vegetable garden. I’d love to have a (very small) chicken coop, with 2 or 3 chickens. I want to be more self-sustaining — plus fresh food is just so much tastier.

That dream could be a long way off, or maybe not. It really depends on where Rob and I decide to live. Northwest NJ has a lot of interesting living opportunities, and I’ve been considering everything from complexes and townhouses, to single-family ranches and lake cottages.

In the mean time, I’ll have to satiate my desire to be self-sustaining by baking dog biscuits and finding that bread maker.