Motorcyclist Laima, who ran four stores, quit her job, sold a motorcycle, bought sheep and made cheese: less stress in the field | Lifetime

Initially, Laima lived in Vilnius, then in Latvia. He had at his disposal four cosmetic stores run by a woman. In addition to business matters, there was also a hobby: a motorcycle, and Laima not only liked to ride a motorcycle, but also participated in various events and meetings of motorcyclists. In one of them she met her future Latvian husband Nikolajs. The couple married while Laima worked in Latvia.

Together they also attempted to cultivate in Bauska. However, he eventually moved to Lithuania, Varėna district.

Here he discovered a 20-year-old uninhabited farm with five acres of barren land. The farm is now run by chickens, which graze 60 sheep and several cows.

Yes, Laima’s story sounds short. But in life, as in sentences, there are multiple and wordless words and margins.

“And I wanted to live a life like this …”

“I ran four cosmetic stores, two of them in Latvia, two in Lithuania. I am going to sales, but in the end we decided to run away from the city, “says L. Stankeviča.

It was a time of economic crisis, around 2010.

Why did the desire to leave the city grow? As usual, there are many reasons for the changes, most of the time they are not ripples on the lake surface, but rather float deeper.

“It just came to our attention then. Even more so when you don’t own a business. You are a hired manager, so you can’t always make the decisions you want to make. A lot depends on the shareholders.

When you work with sales, there is always a little for everyone. Sales – losses, gains – losses.

And he wanted to live such a life so that everything would be enough: there would be enough time, there would be enough money. I wanted to live not for consumption, not for sale, but stay life, “says Laima.

“I glued my childhood memories to YouTube videos”

Laima soon spoke about her idea to her husband, a ship engineer who grew up in an apartment building.

“He was born in Riga, lived on the ninth floor and didn’t even have a town when he was a boy, in his grandparents’ town. He had no idea what it meant to live in the country. It was a big challenge for him, but somehow I convinced him, “says Laima.

My husband is a shipbuilding engineer and he likes challenges.

According to Laima, both are adventure seekers, so the offer turned out to be interesting for the man: “And why not? Pueblo, interesting. My husband is a shipbuilding engineer and he likes challenges: build something, install something. I was interested because I didn’t think much about living in a skyscraper. “

From the beginning, the family went to Bauska in Latvia: “We were still trying to drive from Bauska to Riga, work there, and then we realized that being in a traffic jam doesn’t make sense. And we are determined to live on the farm. “

It was in Bauska that Laima started making cheeses and became acquainted with Lithuanian cheesemakers.

It is true that the knowledge about the town in Laima’s life was also only from childhood, because her grandmother lived in the town.

“It just came to our attention then. So I glued my childhood memories to YouTube tutorials and tried to do something. But it looks the same when you sit at the computer and Cool. Very different when you really need to do it all and start from scratch. Fantasy differs from reality by one hundred percent, “says the interlocutor.

“Beekeeping was very similar to the Winnie the Pooh experience”

Speaking of the beginning of agriculture, Laima laughs when she remembers trying to build a bee farm.

“Before that we tested the chickens and the bees. Beekeeping was very similar to the Winnie the Pooh experience, ”he laughs.

“Did you get stuck?” I ask him.

Imagine, I gave my husband a real beekeeper outfit on his birthday because I thought this was the most important thing in beekeeping.

He climbed onto that huge oak tree in that suit, hanging in a swarm. And for me, an attraction, I went out to the house, drank a glass of wine and saw him hang out there. So beautiful.

Suddenly I see him hitting at inhuman speed, waving and yelling something. It turns out that the grid broke and the bee got trapped inside. That is the end of our beekeeping, which actually did not even begin, “says Laima.

And the chickens?

“And everything is fine with the chickens. They are very suitable for sheep, for cheese production. When a cheese does not come out, it is given to the chickens. You know, protein and everything else. Put the eggs well after that, “he explains.

“Have you ever seen cosmetics in your life?”

After cultivating in Bauska, the family bought an old farm in the Varėna district. It was this district that you chose because Sūrininkų namai operates here.

Money was needed to start the farm. And generally, he had to get used to the feeling that he would get paid every month.

“It seems like I’ve won a lot though. But I spent all the money, I passed. And clothes, makeup, hairstyles, cosmetics.

We are in the reality of life when we need income. When you win in the city, everything is easier, you get a fixed salary every month, and here you have to get that money off the ground, you have no skills and understanding. It was difficult, “says Laima.

By the way, now a woman does not use cosmetics at all. First of all, after having worked in this field, you have excellent knowledge of the composition of cosmetics, which is why you say that only hygiene products are sufficient and that no chemical cosmetics are needed.

“Oh, the sheep would probably be surprised,” he says. – If you are serious, then you start to think, is it better to go inspect the farm and participate in its activities, or stand in front of a mirror? I met my former colleagues a little earlier. They saw me and said, “Lord God, the holiest, have you ever seen cosmetics in your life?”

Speaking about the start of the farm, Laima says that they and Nikolai both sold motorcycles and bought four sheep and a baron for the money they received.

There is less stress here, but more work on a regular basis.

“I remember we only had ten euros left. But I’ve always had one not local optimism. I thought everything would be fine for us to stretch. Then you focus a lot and you do it, ”says Laima.

“I try to remember each client, their name, where their children study”

Laima is responsible for cheese production, sales, communication with customers on the farm, and her husband is responsible for all agricultural work.

Laima makes cheeses with sheep’s milk and calls them “happy cheeses”. According to her, the experience of the previous stage of life gave a lot to this time.

“When you have both management and customer communication skills, things are much easier. Of course yes. I try to remind each client, their name, where their children study, what they graduated from, and the like. I could sell the cheese without even asking, I know what they are eating, “says the woman.

Laima’s farm cheeses are sold in various small shops, he sometimes goes to the Tymo market in Vilnius and is also actively communicating on Facebook.

“The cheese making process itself is not complicated, but there is a great need to understand what it is doing and why. The baggage of knowledge must constantly expand.

We both consult and we are interested, and we are going to see how the others produce, we communicate with the “Cheese House”. Gradually grasps knowledge. It is still good to learn foreign languages, so there is a place to get knowledge. The Lithuanian language is little knowledge.

Although I started learning how to make cheese on YouTube, nothing occurred to me. Then I met cheesemaker Audrius Jokubauskas, he showed and explained the essence of the production. And I learned a little, “says Laima.

“Happy people make happy cheeses”

Why are cheeses happy? Because, says the woman, happy people make happy cheeses.

“Animals graze freely, no one is tethered, no one restricts their freedom. We choose such a life so as not to get stressed, to work a little. As I say, we are in voluntary self-isolation.”

Neither Laima nor her husband kill or eat farm animals because they cannot eat what they raise.

It is true that neither Laima nor her husband kill and eat farm animals because they cannot eat what they raise. “This is how we stay deep in our subconscious: the townspeople. What we grew up with, somehow does not fall in the mouth“Says the cheesemaker.

There are no helpers on this farm: the spouses work in pairs. But there is no shortage of volunteers and friends for whom knowing the town is fun.

“A brother comes to the flock of sheep. For him, a serious specialist in marketing and advertising, it is a good moment of leisure, his head is completely ventilated, “says Laima.

“Someone is calling and I am not afraid to answer you”

“Sometimes I miss you,” says Laima, asking if she is missing. urban Sunyvenimo – Sometimes you want to go to the cinema, which I love and I spent a lot of time in the cinema. Missing. “

But when you lose something, you discover something: “Yes, you find peace. Someone is calling and you are not afraid to answer. Because in the past, if you were already calling, you knew the problem: someone did not sell something, did not deliver it, did not bring it. People do not call to report good news. And now everything is calm. “

“Don’t you regret living in the village? After all, is life slower here? I ask, because I think it would be very useful to write a note of joy and peace.

“I will break all your beliefs, life here is not slower. You work constantly. If you live in the city, get up, read something, look at it, and here you open up and you’re already working.

You went out to the field and started your work day. It ends when you lie in bed. You’re always process.

Yes, maybe everything is happening here more calmly, there is less stress, but more constant work.

There are difficult times when you think: what am I doing here? I am not sitting on my sled at all. But after a day you think differently again. I wouldn’t imagine anywhere else now. “