I remember telling my dad once that it felt like farming was more about construction and small engine repair than anything else. My dad laughed and told me my brother (who works in a large agricultural facility) had just told my dad that "…farming was mostly figuring out how to keep old diesel equipment up and running."  

There are likely harder times ahead

Many people have been increasingly concerned about supply shortages. And rightly so. Where I live, outside of Denver, the grocery stores have not gone back to normal. I have three children myself, and the apparent breaks in our supply chain are unnerving. It is easy to get overwhelmed.  

People tell me how lucky I am since the lockdown. My kids and I raise most of our meat and grow a fair amount of our vegetables. I've got about 1300 square feet of vegetable garden these days. I've also got four acres on which we've raised chickens, sheep, and goats for food. We've got a productive chunk of land, but it all started as a little backyard suburban garden.

However, "most" and "good amount" is by no means "all."

We are all vulnerable to some degree

To have this land we grow so much of our food on, I live in a lightly policed, unincorporated area. As a petite divorcee, I'm an easy target, and I have had to deal with a lot more crime than my friends living in planned, policed, regulated subdivisions.