We're going to live on a farm !!!!

[quest4quiet]

I am so excited! DH and I have been having some $$ troubles (overpriced crappy apt) and are just generally miserable lately. I just got out of the navy and he's been a sahd for the past 8 yrs. His full time job barely covers rent/car note. Needless to say, the transition wasn't as smooth as we would have liked. We ended up stuck somewhere we hate due to $$. It's tiny and right on a busy highway. Our beloved dog Sarah was hit at xmas by an @## admittedly going 80 and had to be euthanized . DD and DS have no outside area to speak of. There are 3 windows in the whole place, so it's like a tomb...... basically, it's been the worst 5 mos ever.

Yesterday, the tides shifted. A woman who was like my second mom in high school found out we were here and she offered us her place! It's a 120 yr old victorian on 6 acres IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE! We went there yesterday to look around and it is just amazing. There's woods and a few fields cleared. There is a big old barn and LOTS of barn cats :LOL There are a few raised beds already in right behind the house that will make a perfect kitchen garden. I *think* I saw a compost bin, but it was dark out, so I'm not sure. She is giving us waaaay reduced rent in exchange for doing work around the place (and teaching her to knit-speaking of which, there's a farm w/ a good sized flock of sheep nearby). Anyway, we move in a month!

I'm already researching keeping chickens and rabbits......possibly a goat :

Any advice to share? This should be a good primer for DH (who wants to live in the wilderness in AK........but has never lived more than 10 mins from a Wal-mart :LOL)....me too, actually. I've lived in the country, but not this far out. What am I in for?

[Itlbokay]

No advice, but I'm happy for you as that sounds great

[quest4quiet]

Thanks I hear the bugs and frogs in my sleep....

[momto l&a]

The only thing good about goats is they are cheep to buy and feed and when they step on your foot it doesnt hurt like a cow would. As to the fences to contain them well, if it holds water it might hold a goat.

Sounds wonderful Enjoy country life

Lots of hard work but ohh so worth it!

[rockinmama]

Yea for you and your family!!!
I'm jealous
I was raised in the middle of nowhere till i was 8 and loved it.
The only bit of advice i have for you is that if you are used to any sort of a "cushy" lifestyle ie. predictable heat, water, etc. you may want to remind yourself that you are on a GREAT ADVENTURE and buy some how-to fix-it books.
have fun
isis

[stretchmark]

Sounds great and relieving for you all. I wish you all the happiness there. I'd love that opportunity.

[gilnikche]

I am jealous! This is the kind of place I want to live in (sigh). I subscribe to a great magazine that gets into all this stuff in detail. Here is the site:

http://www.backwoodshome.com/index.html

[Hibou]

Yay for you!
I think my best advice would be that there are simple ways of doing almost anything. Don't let anyone tell you that you need a lot of money and all kinds of fancy equiptment to grow some veggies and raise a few chickens and rabbits. You might want to check out the mother earth news website. Lots of good stuff there.

[nym]

www.homesteadingtoday.com is a forum that has a ton of info on raising chickesna dn goats and etc...

[liawbh]

Beware of goats! !
Just kidding (well sort of). But they are very very good at escaping (as the PP mentioned, fencing is tricky).

We had one, and he was kept on a lead, not in a fenced area. The BEST blackberry/brush clearing mechanism available but - a few times a year, he would break or unhook some part of his collar, rope or even the log he was tied to, and go straight for the flower bed, herb garden or fruit trees.

[Bluegrass]

Check out Countryside Magazine www.countrysidemag.com
I love it. It's my favorite out of all the homesteading mags I've seen.
I like the Homesteading Today forum as well, the info is great. Please be aware that mopst people on there are very conservative. I stay out of the General Chat forum, cause I can't take the heat!
Congrats, and good luck!

[HokieMum]

My advice to you is to be organized. Our farm in SW Virginia is 20 minutes from town, so it can be a major task to run after misc. items. You need to be prepared for the unexpected-you lose power first and get it back last during bad weather. That kind of stuff.

As far as rasing chickens goes, it is fairly easy, but be sure to keep them comfortably confined (enough space to wander, but a good fence to keep out preditors) We lost all of our chickens last autumn to 2 nasty weasels (sorry scum!)


We love it "back in the hills!" :LOL

[bubbles]

That sounds awesome! Is dh not going to be in the military now? Glad to hear you found something so cool.

[quest4quiet]

Thanks for all the advice. I checked out the links and got a lot of good info (more than I ever wanted, actally, irt to survivalists, lol) We've gone out a few times to start cleaning up before we move in. The house is in considerable disarray b/c the people there before trashed it. LOTS of brush to clear and fallen tree limbs from the last round of storms. Giant fire ant colonies. Fun stuff.

I don't think the property's fenceline would contain goats, although I agree they would certainly make brush clearing easier. Somebody mentioned tethering....maybe we'll try that. We'll wait until we get settled a bit and see. The chicken coop is in good shape, just needs to be thoroughly cleaned out....and it appears to be occasionally occupied by a boar : And as an added bonus, today we noticed one of the kitty's is pregnant. They are mostly half wild cats that only come up to be fed (all but this one). Now I know why she's so lovey.

After exploring a bit, we have found that we are only about 30 min away form the nearest town, although it is a tiny one (No Wal-Mart ). It just feels very far removed, which I adore.

bubbles- Congrats on the new babe! I saw your pics, and he's gorgeous. Miles looks absolutely enamoured of him. Yeah, no military for him. (Oh, darn, they disqualified him from service for an "undisclosed medical reason")....odd that they won't give a reason, but I'm glad he can't go in. This gives him the opportunity to broaden his horizons. Now if he'd just stop being such a right-winger......

[reeseccup]

I'm a big fan of CountrySide and Homesteading.com. They're great people over there chock fulll of information, ask they are happy to help. I don't advise teethering, since imo it's like a tempting treat to preditors. Some goats are easier ot manage than others, some are hardier as well. Chickens are a big addiction all in themselvs. Know you'll be in for a lot of work, but it's rewarding work.

ITA about getting some self help books and don't be shy about "visitin'" at the local corner cafe' (aka. small town dinner). Congratulations and enjoy the experience!!

[.:Becca:.]

All the links already posted are the ones I was going to post Backwoods Home mag. is more of a survivalist mag, but has great articles and advice.

We also live way far removed from the city, like you. My piece of advice is... learn how to do monthly shopping. I've done it all my life, but it seems like that is an issue for new "country" folk, lol.

A few book recomendations: Carla Emery's Encyclopedia of Country Living, Home Food Systems by Rodale Press, and Grow It! by Richard W. Langer.

Good luck and keep us posted!!

[Bethla]

Your kids are going to love it!

[caitlinsmom]

Oh how I wish I were you!!! I have been dreaming of an old farmhouse on acres in the middle of no where for years now.....sigh.

Congratulations!! I hope things will work out much better for you.