Dust, Determination, and a Slow Season on the Farm
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Some seasons on the homestead are full of big, exciting projects… and then there are seasons like this one, where progress looks more like drywall dust, paint rollers, and a whole lot of determination.
So… here’s the truth of it, drywall dust and all.
Life in the Dust Cloud
For weeks, our living room has looked like a snow globe—just replace the snow with fine white drywall powder that sticks to everything except the place you need it to. We’ve been mudding, taping, sanding, and priming nonstop, trying to turn this old workshop-turned-house into a real home.
This week, the walls finally turned white. Primer brings a strange kind of joy after staring at bare drywall for far too long. We even painted the subfloor to seal it and protect things until we can install hardwood later. There’s something satisfying about seeing a space start to look “normal,” even if you know there’s still a long list of finishing touches ahead: window trim, door trim, stair railings… the usual suspects.
And the ceiling?
Well, I waved the white flag. With 16-foot cathedral ceilings, I realized I could spend the rest of my natural life trying to make the drywall look perfect — or I could switch to beadboard and keep my sanity. Beadboard wins. That project is coming up soon.
Cats, Combustion, and Critters
The cats have been doing their part, too. We bought them a new heated outdoor shelter, and in return they’ve taken it upon themselves to become woodland apex predators. These cats are catching rats half their size and strutting around like they run the ridge. They’re getting a little… rounder… but they’ve earned it.
Out on the property, we’ve been knocking out the unglamorous essentials:
- Weatherproofing the chicken coop
- Winterizing the Rooster Training Camp (still one of our best inventions)
- Replacing leaky outside faucets
- Burning trash
- Clearing brush along the treeline
Nothing flashy, but all necessary — the kind of chores that make winter survivable on a small homestead.
The Tractor, the Snail’s Pace, and the Pivot
We finally got the tractor home, and of course the starter had opinions about that. Thankfully, Melissa’s dad knows his way around an engine, and we’re working through it. Once it’s reliable, that thing is going to be a game changer for next year’s projects.
This whole fall has felt like progress in slow motion. House work. Outdoor chores. Cleaning up messes we didn’t create. Pivoting where we need to. Choosing sanity over perfection. It’s been a long couple of years, especially after the setbacks with the house build, and while we’ll never see restitution, we’re focusing on what we can control from here on out.
We’ve been taking care of the essentials: the home, the land, our animals, and each other. Simplifying. Tidying up. Reducing debt and unnecessary stress. Saving where we can. Building back the right way so 2026 can be the year we finally make real forward progress on the farm.
Looking Toward What’s Next
Even with the slower pace, we’re almost there. The house is this close to being truly livable in the way we always imagined. And once the hardwood floors go in, my next big project is the deck. After that, we’re turning our focus outward again — garden beds, fencing upgrades, new pasture plans, maybe a few new critters depending on how things shake out.
It feels like we’re standing right on the edge of a new season, one where the dust settles (literally) and the farm gets the attention it’s been patiently waiting for.
Thanks for sticking with us through the quiet periods and the messy ones. Homesteading isn’t always grand stories and dramatic progress — sometimes it’s slow, steady, and unglamorous. But this slow season has been necessary, and we’re grateful for it.
Here’s to a winter of finishing touches…
and a spring full of real momentum.
’Til next time,
Joe & Melissa
Gnomestead Farms — Ellington, MO