Lodi Homestead - A piece of the American Dream in a global pandemic.

“We are all Americans”

I forget the question Meredith’s son asked his mother, but her response rang through me. In these crazy times that is the year 2020, as a nation we’ve got a lot on our plate currently - from the coronavirus pandemic to social and civil unrest and to the resulting economic fallout from it all. I’ve always asked myself, what does it mean to be an American? What makes us different and separates us from the rest of the human beings of other nations? Diversity, for sure. The United States is a young nation full of different backgrounds, cultures and values. And as we know: diversity, free-flowing ideas, competition and collaboration builds a stronger society and advances humanity forward. But it doesn’t come without it struggles - freedom doesn’t come free. Sacrifices are made through trial and error.

So what did I come away with from Meredith’s answer to her son? Americans come in all shape, sizes and thoughts. Americans lives in big cities and they live in small rural areas. Americans love their guns and their right to bear arms, while others dislike them and don’t believe the 2nd Amendment was meant for “weapons of war”, while others believe that American citizens have the right to own whatever the government has access to. Americans also may know how to hustle in one way - using their network to connect people, brokerage deals, build and sell businesses, while others hustle with their hands building, producing or manufacturing tangible products. Some Americans want to be left in peace to do as they please - to travel or to stay in one place, while not having the feeling of being watched upon. Americans want to be able to provide for themselves and their families without having to be taxed for things they don’t agree to, while other Americans don’t mind contributing to the greater good of society.

Again, what did I come away with from “We are all Americans”? Americans come from all different walks of life with unique values and beliefs. Some are native born, some are foreign born, but the respect that we have for one another, the ability to share cultures & ideas - while having the freedom to provide for ourselves & families in our own unique ways…. that’s what makes us American.

Meredith and Manny purchased a piece of land in Acampo back in November 2019 with plans of living off the land - and just in the nick of time too, as the global coronavirus pandemic forced people to go crazy and react in strange (but understandable) ways. The economy shutdown. Amusement parks, sporting events and concerts were shutdown. People were told to quarantine, work from home if possible. Schools were closed and kids were to learn from home. We were forced to change our daily routine and lifestyles in a quick manner and for some reason, many had to go poop a lot of times all of the sudden. My social media feed was pleasantly filled with freshly baked artisan bread, beautiful colors of vegetables and fruit from the garden and even some people picked up (new) hobbies that they always wanted to focus on. Americans were rekindling what it meant to be a human and to be happy, down to the core. Hope for humanity was on the horizon.

One of those that stuck out on my feed was Meredith’s. I could see her passion for her family and homestead building up. So when I had to travel to California for a wedding, I had to reach out to her and pick up on the opportunity to document Meredith’s passion and her family’s humble homestead. I came out of it learning more than I expected and left feeling inspired, for if I were to ever own a piece of land such as theirs.

Manny, the owner and operator of Strive Academy, a Jui Jistu gym in Lodi, had to temporarily close under California state orders. So this gave them an opportunity to work on their 5-acre property and build upon their American dream. Waking up at 5:30 in the morning and working until the sun goes down (and even a bit past that), there is nothing more satisfying than putting in the sweat and elbow grease to provide for yourself, your family and even with the local community. Meredith’s sons were eager to help and learn life sustaining skills along the way.

Below is a snippet of what Meredith & Manny’s day looks like. Just an evenings worth, but I’m sure they smile like this everyday. Happiness has a different look to everyone and this is how Meredith & Manny lives it.

If you’re interested in following along on their homestead journey, find them on Instragram: @yellow_little_homestead. And if you close to Lodi or in the California Central Valley area and want to support their bakery, follow their Instragram account: @amassar.pao. Amassar Pao means “knead the bread” in Portuguese but is strictly a Jui Jitsu term that refers to a chokehold that Meredith is “very fond of”. 😅

After baking some delicious goods, it was time to feed the chickens and goats, milk the goats and collect the bounty from the garden as Manny continued working on putting up the pasture fence for their cattle and horse. The white chicken are meat chicken that are ready to harvest in 7-9 weeks from birth. The colored hens you’ll see are the egg-laying birds. I could also get into how they’ve made their homestead to be self-sustaining with very little waste, but I’ll keep those secrets to myself or you can reach out to Meredith to inquire for yourself 🙃.

What better way to end an 80 degree Fahrenheit day than to run through the sprinkler before getting ready for bed?

Thank you Meredith & Manny for allowing me into your home and into your private lives. To witness a small piece of the hard work you’ve done to provide for your family is inspiring. And thank you for sending me home with some delicious baked and canned goods! I can’t wait to watch your family grow.

What does being American mean to you? What has this pandemic taught you about yourselves? Let me know in the comment section below!