# Stuck in FL and dreaming of MO



## bushhawg73

Hello to all. In 2007 I bought a 40 acre piece of land in the Ozark Foothills. The land is completely wooded. I just fell in love with the area and the way that time seemed to move at a slower pace there. I wanted to move in 07 but the housing market crashed and I could not sell the home I had in Florida. I just decided to keep the land and one day I would get to move there. Since then I have gone through a divorce and my kids are almost grown. I am getting so close to getting to start on my adventure and figured that it was a good time to study up on some things I have no experience in such as canning. I will be reading a lot and asking the occasional question. Feel free to offer any advice as I am a Florida native and have never lived anywhere else. So far I have picked up on some good ideas and I look forward to learning a lot more. Thanks to all that contribute.


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## Delrio

Welcome to the forum. See ya soon in MO!


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## thestartupman

Welcome, what part of MO are you looking to move to?


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## bushhawg73

My property is located in Shannon County outside of a very small town called Summersville.


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## hickerbillywife

Welcome ,that's very close to us. We've been here almost 18 months and love it.


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## bushhawg73

hickerbillywife said:


> Welcome ,that's very close to us. We've been here almost 18 months and love it.


I hope to move there around June of this year. I have an uphill battle no doubt. My property is completely wooded, there is no well and no electrical on the property. I am trying to find a local supplier of some steel shipping containers to store all my stuff in and an RV to bring up and live in. We will see how it goes.


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## JohnnyRebel

I love Florida, wouldn't want to live anywhere else. Nice fertile soil.


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## Delrio

bushhawg73 said:


> I hope to move there around June of this year. I have an uphill battle no doubt. My property is completely wooded, there is no well and no electrical on the property. I am trying to find a local supplier of some steel shipping containers to store all my stuff in and an RV to bring up and live in. We will see how it goes.


Just in time for chiggers and ticks!


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## bushhawg73

Florida is ok but I want 4 true seasons. Florida also has its fair share of ticks and mosquitos are a huge pain in Florida. 

I must say I have never encountered anything quite like chiggers. I am gonna have to find a repellant of some sort to combat those nasty boogers.


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## obleo+6

Delrio said:


> Just in time for chiggers and ticks!


Nah, ticks are already out...been picking them off my dog for two weeks now...lol. We're in Ozark Co, close to AR and the lakes...love it here and wouldn't want to live anywhere else.

Best of luck getting back here...this is HOME!


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## mnn2501

Funny, I'm stuck in Texas and dreaming of Florida


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## Delrio

bushhawg73 said:


> Florida is ok but I want 4 true seasons. Florida also has its fair share of ticks and mosquitos are a huge pain in Florida.
> 
> I must say I have never encountered anything quite like chiggers. I am gonna have to find a repellant of some sort to combat those nasty boogers.


Been in this state almost 20 yrs. and the chiggers don't like me! Maybe the same will work for you!


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## MoTightwad

We have lived in Mo all of our 81 years and couldn;t think of living any where else. We drove in Fla when doing our job with 18 wheeler and it was pretty but cannot think of us living there. Too crowded. Good luck in moving and finding your nitch in the area. Some wonderful people here.


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## bushhawg73

Ticks I can deal with, I am in a rural area and play in the woods all the time and ticks are all over the place here. Chiggers are a different story. Maybe I will become immune to them also but I have also been researching ways to keep them away. I have read that spreading sublime sulfur pellets is a good way to keep them at bay along with keeping the brush mowed down. I will have to figure them out, maybe garlic since it works for vampires LOL. 

Florida is getting to crowded and fast paced. That is one of the biggest reasons I fell in love with the area I bought land in. The pace seems slower, seems like everyone waves as the pass in a vehicle and the scenery is just amazing. Love the hills, the overcast look and smells of wood burning fire places in the winter and the beautiful rivers. I love to kayak and fish so I plan on getting to know the Jacks Forks River real well. I am just a country guy who always wanted a little place to live and be surrounded by trees. I enjoy the quietness and darkness at night. I bet I can see twice as many stars from my land in MO than I can see from my place in FL. I know I will enjoy living there, just gotta finish up this school year with my kids and se what they plan on doing. Either way I am planning for me and what I need. Getting my saws tuned up and sharpened, buying some extra chains to pull trees I cut down and working on my truck to make sure its ready for the trip and work. I will get there one way or the other.


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## Delrio

You're making me miss the country!


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## ClubMike

You will like it here, I moved here years ago and I really like it. It does seem like things move slower here. When I go back and visit family in the city it all seems so hectic. It is always nice to get back home where things are nice and slow.


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## MattG

Bushhog73 my wife and I are trying to find some land to start homesteading on. When will your Florida land be up for sale?


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## ceresone

you wont be far from me either. good Luck, you can do it!Motightwad, if you drove a big rig, you've probably already met some of my family


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## toni48

Welcome we live in Shannon Co. MO. Hope you get moved in June and love it. Live on the Jack's Fork River so we'll probably see ya floating by. LOL..


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## Cyngbaeld

I moved to bare land last july. Looked at shipping containers, but ended up with cabin/sheds. Started with two 10x16 and then had a 12x36 delivered and have been turnig it into a home. Hard work, but doable.


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## Pony

Didn't know there were so many folks over in Shannon County. I drove to visit a lot of patients over that way (and in Summersville) when I worked for hospice.

It's a pretty area, Bushawg, and I wish you all the best on you new 'stead.

If you can make it here the end of May, we'll be having our annual Spring Fling, and you are most welcome to join us - as are all of our HT family!


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## sunny126

I used to spend summers on my grandparent farm in rolls mo.
Great hunting fishing,might find some wild ginseng, morels.
Watch out for the copperheads!
We used to watch a stand of 20_30 deer come out of the woods every evening around twilight! Great memories!
My only friend was the widow across the street Lula, I was 9 and Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, I was so excited, when I went over for our daily round of dominos I said Lula what do you think of the first man to walk on the moon,she took a minute to think about that, spat out her tobacco & said if god wanted us there he would of put us up there! Lol she was 82 with an outhouse and inside water pump in her 100 year old farmhouse,took the wind right out ta my sails,she had a point!


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## bushhawg73

Thanks for all the advice and well wishes. Not sure my move so soon plans are going to work out. Being a single dad I have to consider my boys and their wishes. We will see how it goes. Either way one day soon I shall set foot on my 40 acres and get to start building my homestead. Until then I will continue to learn, plan and prepare. Currently working on my rainy day survival supplies such as long term storage food and so on.


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## Laura Zone 5

I am Florida Bound!!
Leaving Indiana in late July and heading for the Gulf Coast (Fort Meyers to Naples).
There are 4 seasons in Indiana.
Pre-Winter, Winter, Post-Winter, and Construction. lol

I am heading down at the end of May to hopefully buy a condo / home. It's cheaper to own than rent!!

What part of Florida are you in??


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## bushhawg73

I am in north Florida. About 30 minutes from Jacksonville. 

I agree that it is cheaper to own than rent but not much is cheep here. So many taxes, fees, memberships and so on. They want written plans here just to build a small shed to park and lawnmower in. Then there is the hustle and bustle and of everyday life. On top of that it's plain out hot LOL. HOT and humid so much somethimes that it feels like it will take your breath away. To each their own though. I will miss the beaches, salt water and the fishing. Love to salt water fish, you always catch something even if it's a string ray.


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## CountryMom22

Sorry you might need to hold up on moving but it is important to consider the family. Sometimes kids talk about leaving right up until they realize it means that parents get their lives back. Maybe they throw that monkey wrench in on purpose, maybe not. Either way, keep the dream alive and keep working on those homesteading skills. Its best to learn before they are necessary for survival. Best of luck.


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## bushhawg73

Thanks country mom 22. I shall do just that. I will make it there soon enough. I just need to be patient and keep preparing.


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## MattG

Hey everybody my family is moving to a 7 acre homestead after the summer to start building our home. We are moving close by to Chipley FL. Anybody out there that homesteads in this area??


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## Vahomesteaders

Be careful. FL is sinkhole capital of USA. Massive ones here lately.


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## MattG

What part of Florida are you in?


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## nttd457134

Pick'n the ticks from our beloved dogs & cats was a chore we all wished would go away. The chiggers are harder to contend with but one solution we found for both has served us well for some 10 + years now.

AVON SKIN-SO-SOFT......works wonders on the animals and us humans too.

You can pretty much use the oily based liquid liberally on yourself and the dogs. Rub it in well and deep down to the skin of your dogs and then towel them a little dry. It works, depending on the severity of the infestation, for about a month on the dogs. You'll just have to test the the water so to speak.
The cats are a different story. Because they lick themselves you have to go very, very, very lightly with the oil and maybe not even use it and rely on just the tick collars out there. Again, test the waters.

For yourself, just read the instructions.

I don't have any big secret for the chiggers but have found that once bitten a good dab of clear nail polish on the little buggers keeps the itch away and kills the little critters. Just cover up and close off the entry points as best as possible. Remove clothes and wash them asap after truck'n out side in the brush & tall grasses. Yourself too.

Good luck to you all ont the tick & chigger quest.


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## JudyM

Hello Stuck! Just wanted to add my 2 cents: We visit Florida about every other year for a week's vacation at the beach. I love VISITING Florida! But I am soooo happy to see plain old dirt and real grass and big trees and rolling hills!!! Chiggers apparently don't like me, maybe they won't like you!

I'm also stuck. I want to homestead so bad I can hardly stand it. I have to wait until I retire. Just a couple more years. Also reading and learning as much as I can about food preservation, soaping, gardening. I tell people it's like being 7 months pregnant: so close and yet so far!!


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