Speaking from the point of view of a former resident of a Sugarland, Texas, subdivision, I can attest to the fact that homesteading is a continuum that ebbs and flows. That may be a mixed metaphor, but you'll see what I mean.
We started in that subdivision with a garden and a subscription to the (old) Mother Earth News. Our goals were to move to the country and grow our own food, both veggies and critters. Our sons were small when we made the move to rural south Texas, and we did all those things. Rabbits, chickens, horses, cattle, huge garden, baking our own bread, canning pickles and jelly. The whole nine yards.
Then the kids grew up and moved away. Suddenly there is no need for all that food.
Then, family situations changed. Our parents became ill and later passed on. Our job responsibilities changed dramatically. The need to travel to take care of family became a priority. We still live in the country, but we no longer garden here. We have a remote country place in southern Missouri, and we garden and keep goats with the neighbors so that someone is there to look after things we no longer can.
My thoughts on homesteading over the years have changed, simply because my life situation has changed. Will I get to go back to being the farm lady / homestead woman again full time? Who knows? I have given up on fortelling the future.
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