Making the Next 60 Years Your Best 60 Years

My first 60 years started in Strasburg Colorado, a small farming town about 30 miles east of Denver. My growing up years were continued in Denver, Commerce City, Craig, Silverthorne, Adams City all in Colorado with a short stay in Provo Utah before a return to Colorado, first to Cortez and then to Brighton.  As you can see, my growing up years let me get up close and personal with a major portion of Colorado.

Growing up in the 50s and 60s was a time of change, certainly for me but everywhere the times were changing. My draft number was above the cut off so I did get selected to take part in the Viet Nam War like so many of the other young men my age did. I have seen familiar names on grave markers when visiting the military section of cemeteries.

After graduating from high school I helped my mom move to Arizona where my step dad was working. Staying there helped me meet the girl who would become my wife. Shortly after our marriage I enlisted in the Air Force. We lived in California for a few years before I was sent to Korea for a 1 year remote tour before returning to California and then to Nebraska and last of all Germany.

After 32 years of marriage we finally became empty nesters with the marriage of our youngest. and that is really where the post begins.

Both Rhenda and I experienced growing gardens on small or family farms as we grew up. During our time on the Gulf Coast in Biloxi, while I was in AF technical training, we spent hours at the beach drawing our dream home in the sand. We also talked endlessly of having a small family farm and growing our own food. Shortly after that peaceful, almost carefree time of just the two of us, reality took over as the demands of a growing family and work pushed our farm dreams into the deep reaches of our memories.

Despite the disconnection from our dreams we kept the essence of those dreams active by growing what we could wherever we were. There were gardens in community plots and pots in window sills.

When we became empty nesters we also became restless. The pull of having our own place where we could grow most of our food became stronger with each passing year. About this time, what we had called a small family farm started being called a homestead. We have had three halted starts to having a homestead, one in southern Utah, one in Oregon, and one in Missouri. Each of those were successes for us and taught us a lot. The first two were not sustainable situations. The Missouri homestead had an early, unexpected interruption that turned our future upside down.

Fortune has been good to us and our future is being returned to right side up as we will return to our Missouri homestead within a month of this post being published.

As I prepare to turn 70 with Rhenda close behind in age I can say with confidence that Seniors can homestead. Our YouTube channel has put us in touch with an increasing number of seniors who are currently homesteading There are many who want to homestead. We applaud those who have made the jump and encourage those who are contemplating and dreaming.

Our journey to having a homestead has not been easy. Taking care of it will also not be easy. The sacrifice and effort is rewarded with healthy food, lots of exercise, fresh air,  connection to the soil, and a community of like minded people who are cheering and often stepping in to help out.