I've been feeling truly happy lately, like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders. We took time to relax and enjoy the autumn equinox and the harvest moon. It was a cool three days of just being.

The evening of the harvest moon was a good time! We drank rhubarb wine and sipped dandelion tea in front of the fire before coming in for the night. I also had several healthy concoctions sitting out bathing in the moon light.

We talked about life, this homestead, the worries and the wonder that we've been experiencing. We also sat in comfortable silence. We could hear an owl in the distance, the rusting of leaves and other nocturnal activity all around us.

Sitting in front of the fire, watching it dance is hypnotic. I always seem to find clarity whilst gazing into those flames.

Over the past four years my focus has become much clearer. Although we do live a homestead lifestyle, my passions run far deeper than off grid living often accounts for in books and blogs. My passion is for nature, and nurturing and growing my connection with it. I get a thrill from exploring, studying and gathering wild medicine. I love to grow it as well.

We've chosen a life where we can be gentler, kinder and more mindful of the earth and so we are. We do our best because it matters. What is more important that caring for this magnificent place we get to call home? Nothing is more important.

The more time spent in nature, the better my soul feels.

It feeds parts of me that have long been starved and broken. With the wind at my back I feel less disconnected, confused and lost.

This relationship I am building with nature is beautiful and fulfilling. I am brighter, healthier and more alive than I can ever remember being before.

I feel gratitude that I can stand in my kitchen and run my hands along these jars of carefully grown and gathered herbs, plants, roots and bark.

It is more than just natural medicine but a connection with something that so many have forgotten. I can't help but wonder if this loss of connection with mother nature, with our own wellness is what leaves so many feeling incomplete.

That void is impossible to fill with entertainment, convenience, hospitals and instant food. Nature fires up all of our natural senses. You can see, smell, taste and hear better when you are in the wild. There is a sense of rightful purpose and timelessness when working with herbs and plants. You just start to see clearly the right and wrong of things in the world.

Chicory Root freshly lifted from the soil.

Natural ingredients = medicine.

Rose hip oil, infused by the power of the sun.

Raw All Natural Home-made Vinegars. We provide the environment - nature does the work.

I know some people think I am quite a strange one. A homestead blogger that writes more about plants and feelings than the practicalities of homesteading, but this is my journey. If I share all of these things that I believe so deeply, openly and honestly, perhaps I can change the world for the better, just a tiny bit.

The truth of the matter is that life here on this homestead is more than just a catch phrase or the in-thing. It is freedom and awareness and a connection that runs. Mostly, I really do just want to run wild and be free. The more freedom I taste, the more I want. The more nature I experience, the more questions I have. If I can spend all of my remaining days learning from nature, making concoctions with natures gifts and living a life that nourishes my spirit - I'll be a happy woman.

You can also find me at: walkerland.ca | Facebook

If You Love The Earth, You Know Me. Thoughts From A Kitchen Witch.