You must be curious as to what storytelling has to do with building a homestead. My answer is everything! A homestead is not a far off vision of what we will obtain when we have land, chickens, a productive garden or an income generating farm. I want to begin to redefine what a homestead is for our current and future generations. My blog is titled, Among the Homestead and I will be writing about topics related to homesteading. However, I will also write about topics that in the world of homesteading have nothing to do with building a homestead, at least in the traditional sense.

I want to leave a legacy to my kids, grandkids and beyond. I will do that primarily by telling stories. Stories that our told throughout this blog, my old blog @amongtherealm and verbally passed down through what I hope to be generations. Since my Dad’s passing in 2003, I became a husband and a father. My wife and my kids never knew my Dad. Some of the stories will be about him so my family can get a sense of who my Dad was. I will also tell stories of my childhood and the events that shaped me into the person I am today. At the core Among the Homestead is a homesteading blog, so there will be plenty of posts on homesteading projects, side hustles, growing food and permaculture.

A Magical Memory

Growing up I became interested in magic. I began to learn magic tricks at a young age. I poured countless hours into this art form. I am sure my parents were tired me of using them as audience members, but they never showed it.

One of my favorite magicians growing up was David Copperfield. Every year he came to Cincinnati to perform his magic show. When it came time for his Cincinnati show, me and my Dad would always attend. It was a big deal for us. It was the one thing we always did together no matter what. We began the evening with eating somewhere downtown, which was a rare occurrence. Arriving at the theater, I could feel the magic in the air. But it wasn’t only because of David Copperfield. It was also because this was a special event that me and my Dad did together. David Copperfield was a great storyteller. As you watch below notice how he used magic and stories together to create a powerful piece of magic. The second video, has his commentary with some audio commentary about the story behind the trick.

Stories + Homesteading

You still might be wondering what telling stories and homesteading have in common. Stories are powerful and bring about connection. A well crafted story can transport us into another world or bring people into ours. Homesteading is a part of our life and hopefully that grows over time along with new stories. Stories can enrich our lives and bring us together. That is what I hope to accomplish with this blog and our homestead. Enriching our life and others along the way. My Dad impacted a lot of people, read more about his story, The Dirt on the Ball Field.