The New/Old Five Jars

"This blog is not a one-trick pony. Instead, this is the chronicle of one very full life that's lived across the traditional boundaries we use to divide our knowledge."


The Year of Reinvention 

I've been a busy girl. Since I started this blog, I've gone from being a full-time archaeologist and part-time writer/homesteader to being a full-time freelance writer and farmer. When my full-time, high-demand job with benefits was cut back to part time thanks to the economic woes that have plagued us all, it prompted me to take a fresh look at my priorities.

I finally made the leap to working full time for myself so that I could be home. Here, on the farm, with my daughter and my husband and the projects and passions that I love.

In 2011, thanks to a few not-so-subtle shoves from the cosmos, I've reinvented myself.

The Five Jars

When I started Five Jars, I chose the name because in my first year of homesteading I began to explore making jams and jellies. In that first year I made five types of jellies that really made me proud -- fig preserves, fig jelly, pear preserves, peach jelly, and a stunningly yummy jalapeno jelly that my friends and family still ask for by name.

Each of those preserves and jellies had a distinct flavor and personality of its own. Each had particular demands and needs if I wanted that perfect outcome. Each was a little reflection of myself, my farm, my family, and my values.

The New Five Jars

Since I've reinvented myself, I've toyed with the reinvention of this blog. I'm ready for "relaunch." The thing is, nothing's really different. I'm the same person with the same passions as I was two years ago. But I am a far more integrated individual than I was then. I've found my balance.

So here's the idea.

Five Jars, Five Integrated Parts

So many blogs are "a crafting blog" or "a homesteading blog" or "a motherhood blog." That tactic separates us into bits and pieces of ourselves. And it just doesn't work for me.

Each of the Five Jars in this blog's name has come to represent a part of myself, a piece of that whole person. Each holds a classic piece of me, something that can't be completely separated or completely combined with any other part.

Like the name, this blog is about me. All of me. In five parts -- Five Jars:

• Motherhood. This one's pretty obvious. I'm the mother of one very small girl with one very big personality. 
• Homesteading and Food Justice. I live and work on a historic family farm that's been in my husband's family since the 1830s. My daughter is the 7th generation to live in our house. Sustainable farming using the newest and the oldest methods is my calling -- and the biggest part of our day to day lives. 
• Writing, Business, and Marketing. I pay the bills now by working full-time as a freelance writer. Most of my business is high-quality online content, social media management, and business writing. I can't separate my love of the written word from the rest of what I do -- every part of my life informs the words I put on the page. 
• Healthy Living. I have practiced yoga since I was 15 (half a lifetime ago) and sitting meditation since I was 20. When I was 25, I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, and have kept my chronic pain under control using yoga, meditation, a (fairly) balanced diet, and exercise. I most definitely don't look like an athlete, but my body functions day-to-day because I stay active. To me, mind and body are integrated -- separating meditation from exercise from diet seems silly. 
• Archaeology and Historic Preservation. As I've said, I live and work on a historic farm and my academic and professional background (ten whole years of my life) is in American archaeology. I loved my work in those years and will always have a passion for protecting this country's human heritage (which dates back to periods thousands of years before the U.S. even existed as a country). We're currently trying to have our property placed on the National Register of Historic Places, so I won't be ending my love affair with Preservation any time soon. 

The Shelf

If those are the Five Jars, then this blog is the shelf. This blog is not a one-trick pony. Instead, this is the chronicle of one very full life that's lived across the traditional boundaries we use to divide our knowledge.

Integration is what makes it all possible.