I don’t like dirt.

I have a confession to make.

I’ve spent a lot of my life avoiding dirt. My mom tells this story about me that goes like this:

When I was little bitty, before I could talk or walk, I would crawl around on the ground and pick up the dust bunnies I found. I never put anything in my mouth I wasn’t supposed to. No beads or pennies or anything like that. But I would bring her these dust bunnies in my little fingers for her to “take care of them.” My mom thinks I was trying to tidy up my “space” since I was at floor level!

To this day, I can’t stand dust bunnies. Or crumbs. Or any other type of dirt on my floor. I guess I was hard-wired that way.

I’m not a person that likes to make messes, and my ultra-cleanliness can be annoying to a fault. Like when Frank and I first got married and I had to cope with the fact that he WOULD, inevitably, spill/drop something at least once a day. Not a big deal, right? But for some reason, it bothered me. And when I say that, I mean that I was bothered by myself. I would literally get annoyed at myself FOR being bothered. Absolutely ridiculous.

Tracking in leaves and grass from outdoors also bothers me. Hair on the floor? Bothers me. Dishes in the sink? I’ll be darned if they’re sitting there overnight. Can’t stand a messy sink in the morning.

I’ve probably reorganized our pantry seven times since we moved into this house in May. My brain says, “IT COULD BE NEATER.” And yes, I totally vacuum our furniture once a week (and the floor every day).

I like (*sigh*) my house to be clean.

Yet, if you’ve been around me for ten minutes during the last two years, you might have learned that I’m currently toying with the idea of having a small, self-sustaining farm one day. With big protective dogs, chickens, and a dairy cow (and calf), and a big, big garden.

I think I’m 10 here?

Me this past Monday on the WAPF farm tour.

You might be asking yourself, how can someone who doesn’t like dirt want to farm?

That’s a great point.

Which is why I feel like I should clarify.

I DON’T like dirt where it should not be. Like INSIDE. On my floor.

But I DO like dirt that acts as the earthen womb for growing things.

And I like rich, dark compost dirt, crawling with worms that create fertility.

I like dirt that acts as insulation.

Super stylin’ dirt house

And dirt that becomes beautiful vessels.

And I like dirt that naturally cleanses my body.

If we ever have a farm, the first thing we will do will be to nourish and tend to the dirt, so that it can return tender grasses and edible plants, which will in turn nourish our animals and ourselves.

So really, I do like dirt. :) I like dirt a lot. Just not inside my house!

Dirt | Worms | Dirt House | Pottery in Cairo | Playing in Dirt