# READ HERE FIRST~ RULES and INTRODUCTIONS



## Melissa

Welcome to the Countryside Families forum.

_-Please note that the moderators for this particular forum are Melissa and Wendy. There is a direct link at the bottom of the forum where you can find our profiles and contact us by pm._

On this forum we try to maintain a spirit of friendliness, kindness and caring for one another. Of course we disagree, but we try to do it in respectful way taking into consideration the thoughts and feelings of others. *The main word is RESPECT.*

On this site, I allow NO PROFANITY, no sarcasm, no off-color jokes or quotes, no use of excessive "negative" language, no making fun of anyone or ganging up on a poster. Also no direct links to offensive photos or videos. After several incidences that did not go well, we allow no direct solicitation of monetary funds. If you feel moved to help another poster, you are free to do so, but all contact must be made privately, and remember you give at your own risk. 

Posts that violate the rules will be deleted or threads may be locked permanently or temporarily. We will not edit your post. The entire post will be deleted, you may receive infraction points. If you see a questionable thread send me or one of the other board moderators, a PM with a link or report the post, and we will look into it as soon as possible. Do not post topics simply to start a fight!!!!! Reposting a previously deleted thread is grounds for immediate banning or infraction points may be given.


If you ever have any questions or concerns, please send me a PM. I will get back to you asap.

What is allowed on this site?? Any posts about family life or issues, posts about living in the country, animals, sewing, gardening, prayer requests, religious postings *(many will be Christian in nature so do not be offended,* but we are open to informational posts about other religions as well.) Post your homesteading questions, pet stories or questions, weight loss topics, healthier eating and living, current news topics, money saving hints, tightwad tips, book reviews, recipes, cooking questions, G rated jokes, and uplifting stories or quotes. 


Our purpose is to help one another in a kind and compassionate manner. We are here to give advice, share our triumphs and our troubles, and to give needed support in an understanding way. Thank you everyone for your continued support of this site. It is only because of people like you who take the time to post about your lives, that we are the close family we have become. I am always awed by your kindness, helpful attitudes and the reaching out that you all do with each other.




I am going to try to clarify some thoughts on the word hell which causes a lot of problems.

If you are talking about heaven and hell, hell is acceptable.Any other use is NOT ACCEPTABLE!


W*e do not allow the substition of*** or %&[email protected] in offensive words.*

PLEASE REVIEW YOUR POSTS before you submit them. Save us time and trouble by going over your posts and removing any questionable language. I know some of you do not think this is a big deal, but the overall atmosphere of the board disinegrates if this type of language is used on a regular basis.

If you feel your post was deleted unfairly, send a pm and we will check into it.

As always, any member can report a post by clicking on the yellow triangle in the right-hand corner of the post.


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Feel free to use this thread to tell us all about you. We really want to know!!! Some things you may want to mention include: location, familly, hobbies, homesteading interests, info about your home, job, favorite books, magazines, really just about anything that lets us know you better. Tell us how you found this site also. I will keep this a sticky.


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## Carol O

Well, I'm a 30 year old wife and mother to 5 blessings, Catlyn 10, Harmoni 8, Gabrielle 5, Michael 3 and Elisabeth 19mos. I have been a stay at home mother since we married 10 1/2 yrs ago. Untill last Oct. we homeschooled our children, but due to health reasons we decided that public school is best for now. We moved to our acreage in 2001. We have 10 acres, and a fixer upper house. I garden and can. We have had chickens, and a cow. I am interested in all aspects of homesteading...guess you could say it's my hobby too  I enjoy reading,and scrapboooking, and writing. I found this site after contacting Carla Emery. I look forward to getting to know you all.
Blessings,
Carol


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## Marsha

Hi,

I'm Marsha, age 43. I have been married for 24 1/2 years to my Bible College
sweetie. We have 12 precious blessings, and, 2 son-in-laws. We have also
been blessed with 2 precious grandchildren, and, a new one due any day now.

I was saved at age 12 in 1973 at church camp. I have been saved now for over 30 years, but, many times still feel much like a babe in Christ. 

I enjoy homesteading here on our 2 3/4 acres. We have a big old farmhouse,
a goat, two pigs, 8 chickens, 1 dog & 1 cat. 

We homeschooled for 11 years, but, when we moved here to this house
in Aug. of 2002, we enrolled our children in our rural public school. The children
have adjusted well, and, are doing very good in school.

Our two oldest daughters are married, and, our oldest son is a nuclear tech in the Navy. Our oldest daughter living at home attends a local college studying nursing, and, then the next 7 are in school, and, the baby
Moriah Grace(2) stays at home with Mama.

My husband works a full-time job for a steel company & also pastors a small
country Baptist Church.

I get to stay at home during the day with our only one not in school. It is
really a change from having everyone at home for 11 years. 

I like to read, bake, garden, help others, keep a peaceful home, learn
new things, collect recipe books, sew, take walks, and spend time with my family.

I have actually been on the Countryside forum since the first old forum . . .for those who remember it. Sometimes I get busy, and, can't come here like I'd like to, or, as has happened our computer has crashed many times, and, I wasn't able to be on for a while, but, I just keep coming back. There are lots of good
folks here on the forum that make it a special place to fellowship.

Looking forward to reading everyones intro's.

~~Marsha~~
I Samuel 12:24


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## okgoatgal2

i'm 33, divorced, mother of 4, in my last yr of elem ed major, graduating in May 2004. used to have goats, rabbits, chickens, cows, hogs, until the divorce this summer. now live in town until i finish my degree. i'm a christian and try to live my life to please God, failing daily, but pressing on. i sing, i love music and reading, cross stitch, crochet, and other crafts. want to teach 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade, rural school, or private school. prayer got me through this year happier than i have been in years, and i look forward to the rest of my life, God gave me life, and i plan to give as much back to Him as i possibly can


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## Guest

Well I'm a big rock singer, I got golden fingers and I'm loved everywhere I go. I sing about beauty and I sing about truth, at 10,000 dollars a show. Well it's all decide to.......................



Seriously! I'm a half-breed *****, in my 40's, and I live in N.E. Oklahoma in Cherokee Nation. My interest are my family, gardening, hunting, fishing, and camping activities. Type of work I do: Have done electrical work for over 20 years, was a environmental services director at a local hospital for 7 years, responsible for housekeeping, laundry, and maintanance department. Processed deer and made various deer sausage for people for 2 years, and am currently trying to become a Professional Product Designer (inventor). Highlights of my life: Getting saved, married a beautiful woman, haveing 3 beautiful daughters. Lowpoints of my life: parents divorced when I was young, no parental supervision in my teenage years, became an alcoholic and drugatic for the next 12 years after high school. How did I find this site: I've been here longer then the majority of the people who log on. I joined about 2 months after Countryside started the original site. Have seen many people come and go and sometimes wonder if I should go. Probably more people here wonder if I should go also.


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## charlieS

Hello from the Oklahoma Panhandle;

I have lived with the wonder woman for over forty years. I like gardening and critters. She don't care for either so I let her cook and keep house and I get to do the fun stuff. Didn't get to do a garden this year because of moving. I've been pastor of the local Baptist Church since May. I've been a lurker and infrequent poster on this site since the old Countryside days. For most of my life I was a homesteader and didn't know it. I have raised everything from cattle, goats, sheep, and hogs to all kinds of poultry and pets. My folks were diversified farmers by necessity and we did it all. After a tour with Uncle Sam and seminary I returned to that life for many years and served small churches as bi-vocational pastor also. Five years ago I became a full time pastor. I still like to garden and raise chickens for show. Reading the posts on this forum is sure illuminating. A lot of you seem like family anymore.


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## j.r. guerra in s. tx.

I'm a 40 year old architectural draftsman married to a 7th - 8th grade English / Reading school teacher. We have two children, one a five year old boy who is diagnosed as PDD (slightly autistic), and a 20 month old girl. Our religious faith is Catholic.

We live in deep south Texas, hard up against the Mexican border. About 60 miles upriver of the mouth of the Rio Grande River. We live in a small city, on a small city lot where we try to practice frugal living habits. We have one dog, and just added several chickens, who we hope, will supply us with eggs sometime in late spring.

My hobbies pretty much follow my profile - a person who really enjoys spending time with his family, I enjoy hunting, fishing, camping, and hiking. Our idea of a vacation is spending time outside large cities and driving 'two lane' roads to get there.


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## MOJILL

Hello,

I am an almost 45 (this month) year old married mom who grew to adulthood in in the Washington DC area (VA) but moved to rural MO 4 years ago to raise my now 8 year old son and live the dream my husband and I had for small piece of land, chickens, gardens. I left a good paying management position to become a stay-at-home mom, gardener, cook, baker, chicken plucker. No real regrets. AN unexpected development was my becoming a Christian (at age 43) and developing strong roots here in my new home town. I hope to start homeschooling my son soon.

I like to run and read and am a closet "game boy" player. 

I"m addicted to coffee (black/no sugar) and enjoy a Michelob Ultra Light beer now and then (more 'now' than 'then'). LOL

I love a good debate (which is one reason I'm hooked on HT).

Jill
Forty-five and still alive (my son made that up last night)


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## nostalgia

Melissa
I believe you forgot to tell us about yourself.  

Inquiring minds want to know.


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## catcrazy

Hi --

I like this forum because of the niceness and lack of sarcasm, etc. Thank you, Melissa! I've learned a lot here too. 

I'm 44, married 9 years. We live in northern MN. We have cats, dogs, chickens, and a duck. DH would like to get geese. I would like having more critters (possibly a cow and goats), but I also like to be able to get away for an overnight or travel occasionally, and that seems to get harder when you add more animals. 

We have 10 acres, I love it in the country and the woods. We have a great, productive square foot garden which did very well this year, due to weather and lots of chicken manure. We canned and froze our most ever -- DH keeps track of the produce yields. I canned salsa for the first time -- it's delicious. I did NOT grow up canning (DH did), and it took me awhile to get the hang of it. 

I love to dance, do yoga, garden, do lots of things outside (ski, hike, canoe, just be). I write fiction novels and short stories. I also freelance as a writer and editor. Another hobby is following frugal living/simple living writings and websites, etc. I try  to put it into practice...

that's it, I think!


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## MelissaW

Hi all! Well, I'm a 32 year old married mother of one 6 year old boy. Before I decided to become a stay at home mom, I was a reference and youth services librarian. I tought school for a short time before that. Now I am knee deep in domestic bliss! I raise chickens and grow a large vegitable garden, and an herb garden for medicine and cooking on our five acre lot. I also volunteer at the school one day a week, and I am working on a novel that I would love to sell! I also was led to the forum by Carla Emery. She is a hero of mine, and just knowing that she spends time here too makes me happy! My hobbies are reading, writing, gardening, cooking, animals, and making botanical beauty products which I sell at craft fairs. Connecting with people here has been a wonderful experience!


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## KateC

I'm a mostly lurker/sometimes poster who had been lurking for quite a while before I finally introduced myself. There is something about this forum that keeps me coming back day after day, even if just to read...it's like a good book that I don't want to put down...

I am 29 and I live in central Mass w/my dh of 5 years, our 9 yo dd (do the math, lol) and our 2 yo ds. We have 2 cats, 1 of whom thinks he is human and can't be convinced otherwise. We also adopted a 3 yr old black lab/dalmation mix about a year ago. She is a sweet dog, although terribly skittish and timid, we think she was treated very poorly early in life. She is completely attached to me and follows me wherever I go.  My dh adopted my dd when she was 4 yo and has been the only Dad she has ever known since she was 2. I thank God every day for him. My chidren were born on the same day, 7 years apart. I would love to know what the odds are of that! We are currently TTC #3 and if we were to conceive next month, there would be the possibility of a 3rd 10/23 baby! (I had a m/c in July and we have been trying ever since, so I should be so blessed...)

We live on 2 acres in a rural setting and although we are not "homesteaders" we do love our little piece of land away from the hustle and bustle of city life. I have yet to venture into the world of gardening, mostly due to money and time, but my Mom has the greenest of thumbs and I am hoping I inherited some of her charm with plants. 

Anyway, I currently WOH f/t for a speaker manufacturer, maintaining the website end of things mostly. I have been here for 8 years and I like my job fine but my heart is at home with my kids, and that's what I am working towards. I recently became licensed to do in-home daycare and when the time (and finances) is right, I will make a career change. My dh works for a competing electronics retailer, in sales, after being laid off in 2000 and trying to find a new career path ever since...we are hoping he is now on the right one.

I am frugal by nature and love to find new ways to save money, make it myself, etc...I love the mantra "Use it up, wear it out, make it do or go without" although I sometimes fall off the frugal wagon and have to throw myself back on before I do too much damage.  I love to cook and bake and think I am getting better at both all the time. I am proud of my skills in the kitchen because they are mostly self-taught.

As far as my faith goes, since it's a popular topic around here, I am a Christian who is still in search of the right Church home...I was baptised Catholic but raised without religion and am still learning/finding my way. I have always had a relationship with God but it took the birth of my beautiful babies to make me want to have a better one. 

Glad to get to know you all better.

Kate


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## NativeRose

Hello. I am a young 51 year old Native Texan. I have been married 27 years to the man God chose for me. I have 2 sons both married. I have 2 grandbaby boys. Our first granddaughter is due in April. She will be the first girl on my side of the family in 42 years. My youngest sister was the last girl. 
I live in the country in East Texas on a small ranch. I am an all round country woman. I tend cows, fix fence and other chores around the place. I love to garden, cook and read. I also am doing family reasearch. I am very interested in my heritage. I am of Scottish, Choctaw and Delaware origin. I am a pale face in looks but not at heart. My daughter (in-law) is Cheyenne-Arapaho. We are learning culture together. We want to teach our new baby girl her heritage.
I have type II diabetes and do battle with it daily. The Lord is my Savior and He is the reason I am still here with my family. 
I have already gleaned a lot of information from this site that has been useful and interesting. I love learning from others. 

Looking forward to learning and sharing, Rosemary


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## simpleman

My name is Ernest. I am forty-seven years old and live in Orlando Florida. My wife and I found thiis forum several years ago, when they were over on the CountrySide Magazine forum. Then we were planning to homestead and got lots of info from these fine folks about it. We chose the Missouri Ozarks and moved there. We cleared land, built an A-frame, raised our own gardens, livestock, cut our own firewood and stuff like that. We lived without indoor plumbing, television, and grew, forage, and made almost everything that we could so we could live the simpliest life we ever did. Hardship brought us back to the city of Orlando but, the values of simple living are still alive and well with us here, even in the city.

I work as a maintenance man for the apartment complex that we reside at. My commute is approximately a three minute walk from my apartment to my job. Melitza is a stay at home mom of two children of which one is being homeschooled now. She still makes quilts, does canning, makes wine, her own breads, cooks from scratch everything and occasionally will make lye soap. 

Melitza made all of her Christmas ornaments this year using cut out paper santas we found on www.papertoys.com. They are cone shaped and have to be assembled by cutting out the pieces, shaping them and gluing them together. After assembly, she glued sprinkles on them and now we have over 50 beuatiful little santas decorating our tree.

I woodwork. Last year I built a doll house, doll house furniture, a cradle and a table and chair set for my two youngest daughters for their Christmas gifts. My most recent project has been a full size futon bedframe with head board. Melitza wrapped batting around the headboard and decorated it with leapord skin fabric. Then she added a leapord skin seat to an old tool chest that she restored several years ago and put it at the foot of the bed. After that she bought a matching comforter and shams to finish off the project.

She sews everything either by hand or with her treadle sewing machine. In the last three years she has made five quilts and a modest array of children clothes.

We are bikers and I own a 1995 Harley Davidson of which Melitza and I have traveled much on. We rode up the Orange Blossom Trail from Kissimmee Florida to Maggie Valley North Carolina several years ago (before children). That was our longest ride. We attend many of the local bike rallies in Daytona and other places in Florida, when we can.

We were avid sportmen and have mountain climbed, back packed, camped, hunted, fished and bicycled through most of our vacations. We are also card carrying nudists (we carry the card in a fanny pack), whom when the weather is right spend our weekends at www.cypresscoveresort.com. over in Kissimmee.

We have a three year old named Caroline Diyonisis and a year and a half old named Anika Rose. We have been married for over six years with a perfect track record of never once having an argument or fight.

Our plans are to stay in Orlando for several years and then relocate to Puerto Rico (my wife's country) and build another homestead there, in the mountains of course.

As I said before, we prefer simple living and have carried this "tradition" with us from our experiences in the Ozarks. We do not have cable tv, cell phones, video games, debt, or any of the usual trappings of modern life. 

For entertainment we play backgammon, chess, pass the pigs, and card games. We read and have a modest size library in our home. I spend too much time on the internet but, do enjoy participating in heated debates especially over on General Chat. Melitza goes online when the kids will leave her alone and when I am not here "hogging" the computer. My favorite forums are here on www.homesteadingtoday.com and www.backwoodshome.com. I have been trying to write a book about our experiences in the Ozarks and eventually I will get it all together and publish it. I do a lot of writing besides that and hope someday that I will have enough talent to make all the effort pay off.

Ernest


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## hanlonfive

Hi! My name is Kelli, I'm a stay-at-home mom and have lived my whole life in Ohio. I've been married to a wonderful man for the past 15 years and he is truly my best friend. We have three wonderful boys that I homeschool. I've been Pagan for about 2 years now and I'm at peace for the first time in my life. We also have two cats, a ferret and a hamster. 

Currently, I'm trying to learn everything that I can about homesteading and I'm a bit overwhelmed. I learned how to crochet last winter and hopefully I can learn to quilt this winter. Hubby and I are working on getting out of debt so that in about 1 1/2 years my family can follow my Mom and make the move out to Montana. Right now we live in town, so it's hard to do alot of homesteading but we try. 

Nine blessings,

Kelli


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## Sharon in NY

I'm Sharon, 31, mother of two (will be 3 any minute now, I hope!) - Eli, 3 1/2, and Simon, 2. Another little boy is due in a couple of weeks. I've been married to Eric for almost 8 years now. We're trying to combine our Jewish and homesteading impulses and farm according to Biblical principle and Jewish law. 

Eric is a Professor of Astronomy, I have been a Professor of English, but right now am teaching only part time, and concentrating on expanding our CSA and other farm activities. We split the parenting, the housekeeping and the work about evenly. We hope to homeschool our children, although for now Eli attends a preschool for children with developmental delays and is thriving there. 

I'm jack of a lot of trades, master of none. Besides market gardening we raise pastured poultry. I knit, crochet and sew a bit, am learning to spin. We raise probably 50% + of our own food and are trying to expand it. In other lives I've been an AIDS educator, a relief worker in the Bosnian war, a paramedic, a writer and a SAHM. I'm always looking for a new skill or something exciting to try - my next projects are beekeeping and sheep!

Cheers,

Sharon


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## DeAnn

I'm DeAnn and this is my first post. I have been lurking here for some time. I don't even remember how I found it, but I love it here. Great info to be found.

I am 36 and live on 5 acres in central Fla with my soulmate. Have been together for 5 years. We live in a double wide and have a 1400 sq ft garage that I want to convert to a barn (concrete floor ?)We have 6 chickens (4 are Americauna), 1 dog (German Shepard mix), a handful of cats and a rogue GATOR in the pond. We have lived here for about 3 years and still don't know what we want to do with the place. Would like to start with goats but when I mention it I get the eye roll  

I used to work as a paramedic (10 years) but am looking for something else to do. Would like to work from home. Haven't figured out how yet. My SO works with fiberglass and moldmaking. He can really make a mess.

I love to read, garden and cook. Want to learn to can veggies, quilt, and sew. Am I in the right place? :haha: 

Well that sums it up for now. Have a great day.
DeAnn


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## Mullers Lane Farm

Iâm Cyndi, in my mid 40âs (where has the time gone?). Iâm married to my best friend, Paul. We have 4 children. Weâve been homesteading in cities and towns for longer than we care to remember, boarding the draft team and raising rabbits, chickens & gardens in the back yard. 

We have had our 11 acre homestead for almost 2 years now and each day just keeps getting better and better! We have half our land in hay which we farm using the team of Belgians. Next year we will be renting it out to a neighbor farmer who will rotate it with seed corn (Itâs been in alfalfa for over 10 years and is played out.) We raise our own meat â pork, beef, rabbit, chicken, geese, guinea and heritage turkeys, there is also eggs from the birds and honey from the bees. Dolly is our Jersey milk cow. She is currently bred to a dun short-legged Dexter. We make our own butter and cheeses courtesy of Dolly. We give farm tours to local schools and organizations â showing folks how people use to live.

The kids are involved in bible quizzing, 4-H, Scouts, Civil Air Patrol and various school activities. My husband is a jack-of-all-trades â a professional handyman for the past 17 years, a skilled carpenter, plumber & farrier. He is also a marvelous artist, writer & musician. He gives history programs (Rev War, Civil War and Westward Expansion) to local schools. Weâre involved in 4-H. I work full time off the farm in information services for a local hardware manufacturer. Letâs see â I make soaps, salves, lotions and other bath sundries, garden (veggies, flowers, herbs), I can the produce, bake bread and run a market stand with all these items available on Saturday mornings in spring, summer & fall. I make beeswax candles, spin and crochet. I also braintan animal hides and do Native American beadwork. This winter I want to learn how to tat and make baskets â especially basket making so I have a place to put all the other stuff!!!

Our family is truly blessed to be able to live and raise children in this manner. We thank our Lord every day for his abundant blessings.


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## Kelle in MT

I'm Kelle and I'm 38 yrs old. I've been married to my soulmate, Mike now for 19yrs( will be 20 next March) We have two blessed children, ds, Jon 15yrs and dd, Cortney 12 yrs. old. We are born again Christians and God is #1 in all aspect of our lives. We homeschool, this is now our 7th year. We have our ups and downs but PTL there have been more ups than downs. 

I have been on this forum, since it was the Countryside forum, although I don't always get on here everyday. I lurk more than anything, but I am working with Carla Emery on editing her book for a 10th edition. Many people on here were and are still involved in testing recipes and procedures in the 9th ed. Encyclopedia of Country Living. I've learned far more than I've shared and feel as if I've made some lifelong friends too  

Both Mike and I are from ranching/ farming backgrounds and have yearned for years to return to the country. We purchased our place, and moved in, in December 2002. It's hard to believe it's been a year. We have 6 acres, all river frontage. A 1910 farmhouse, double garage, shop(small), silo, barn and two chicken coops. We've accomplished much in a years time; remodeled the entire kitchen, adding my wood cookstove( our main heat source), added a central heat system( for backup heat only) reroofed our house, added 18" of insulation in our attics( there was 0 insulation) reseeded the whole yard and put in some flowerbeds. planted 1/4 acre garden. Pruned all our apple and plum trees, thinned sapling cottonwoods out of the bottom of our pastures, torn down all the fencing in preparation of refencing this coming Spring. This Fall we bought a tractor( Farmall M), so we were able to get our pastures plowed and disced, so we can reseed them this Spring( they were all weeds from lack of irrigation and overgrazing) 

We have chickens( which moved with us) and turkeys. Next year, if it's the Lord's will we'll get our fencing done and pastures reseeded and established. Then we'd like to add a dairy cow and a calf for beef. At some point down the road our kids would like to have a horse.

I love to garden and to just be outside in the fresh air. I can all the produce we don't eat fresh, my dh and ds are hunters and keep our freezers full. We raised broilers for the first time this year and will continue to do so in the future. Once you've had homegrown, organic chicken you can't go back to store bought.  I also like to read, quilt and do most any craft I set my mind to. The next thing I'd like to try my hand at is making soap. We try to be frugal in all aspects of our lives and recycle everything until it's simply worn out. I look forward to coming here every chance I get, it feels like HOME


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## june02bug

Well I am also in central Florida. I am a native Floridian back at least 4 or 5 generations.  Rare, I know. We met online in 2000 and have been best friends ever since. We were married at Medieval Times, Kissimmee, Florida in 2001. I/We have a DD (8), 1 (so far) dog, 3 cats,1 pet rabbit, fish, 4 ducks, and a growing collection of chickens. After we were married we lived in Orlando for 2 years and hated it... so we moved back to Polk Co. Just closed on our 5 acres on the ridge in Lake Wales on the 4th. I can see Bok Tower from the front porch and Lake Pierce from the back porch. I can't wait to get everything going. We are obviously pagan. We both love to cook. Can't wait to get the garden going again, get bees, probably rabbits, maybe geese and a steer for the freezer later. We also want to further expand our already kinda large home library. I sew a little... want to do much more but have to buy a sewing machine still. I want to learn to can, make soap & candles and quilt. I grew up "country" but DH is a city boy mostly but is adjusting well.... just still a little squimish about butchering but over all he is very excited also. 

He works for a large company for the benefits. I work in the insurance industry for an agent of one of the major companies. Plan to work less and less at a city type job as things go along. 

We stumbled onto Countryside magazine by chance... recieved one of those advertisment pkgs in the mail and opened it to look through it, out of curiousity. Sent in the card for a free issue to try and have been hooked for the last year and a half. From there we fould this site and love it. You just can't beat homesteading today.


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## Sherri C

I'm Sherri, another one of the token Pagans on the board. :haha: I just turned 40 in November  and I live with my beloved Keith, who is 39. We met over the internet back in 1996 and have been together pretty much ever since. We may even get married someday but we're in no rush. I was married once before for 12 years so I'm in no hurry to do it again.  We have 2 cats, no children.

I work during the day as a regulatory affairs consultant for a medical device manufacturer, and evenings and weekends as a massage therapist and flower essence consultant. Keith works in customer service for a company that processes Medicare/Medicaid claims. Prior to that he was in the Army for almost 10 years, stationed mostly in Germany.

We purchased a house on 14 acres in July of this year. So far we've been focused on finishing off the basement into a library/gaming room/pub. I told Keith that if he'd let me move to the country I'd let him have his own special place to hide from me. :haha: Our plans for the coming year include putting in a large garden and building a chicken coop. I eventually would like to have goats, ducks and possibly some angora rabbits. Our property is mostly wooded and has 3 small ponds. 

I like to read (sci-fi and fantasy), play role-playing games (Dungeons & Dragons and Marvel Superheros), bake, cross-stitch, quilt, and make soap. I just re-taught myself how to knit and my next goal is to learn to spin. I also sew Ren Faire/ Pagan garb and may start a small side-business doing that with a couple of friends. I help run a Pagan needlework charity group that donates preemie clothes to the local children's hospital. I'm also the co-leader of a Celtic Reconstructionist Pagan group called Tribe of the Sacred Oak.

I found this forum back in the old Countryside days and have been here ever since.


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## Kris in MI

I'm Kris, 32, married 10 years to Norm (but together longer than that  ), who will be 34 later this month. We have two sons, 14 and 10.5; and two daughters, 9 and 6. In Sept we moved to our 40 acres and the new home that we built ourselves (well, with a little help from friends and family and a few 'professionals'; but we did do about 75% of it ourselves). We live in mid-Michigan. Most of our land is field and rented to a local farmer who grows soybeans or wheat on it. 10 acres is wooded, and this year dh and 14yo ds each took a deer from our woods during firearm season.

In addition to the deer, turkeys, rabbits, pheasants, woodchucks, raccoons and coyotes that came with the property  we have a horse, a pony, a dog, a cat, a 'visiting' kitten (belongs to a friend and it got injured, I've been nursing it and if dh agrees, we'll keep it), and 22 chickens. I'm hoping to add a couple of feeder pigs in the spring.

I'm a stay at home mom, mostly. I like to garden, can, bake, sew, cross stitch, read (mostly nonfiction, but occassionally christian fiction), deer hunt, take care of the critters, ride dressage. I've owned/worked with horses for 19 years now and until I had kids I used to show quite a bit (western, gymkhana, hunt seat, Arab halter). Dh is an engineer, likes all manner of things mechanical, also hunting, fishing, camping. We also homebrew and would like to try winemaking too. 

The kids except for the oldest one attend a K-8th Lutheran school operated by our church. The oldest 'graduated' from there in May and now attends the local (small) public high school.


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## kidsnchix

Hi, my name is Rosemary and I'm 52yrs old. I have 6 daughters and 1 son, in that order. I have 9 grandchildren. I'm living in Arkansas at the time, but after my daughter graduates from high school in June, I'm headed back to either East Tn. or South-Central, Ky. Most of my family is in Ky , Tn. or Oh. and I miss them a lot. I love gardening and canning everything, raising goats, making cheese, and I learned to make soap. I like chickens also and want to get Muscovy ducks. I'm living in town right now so I can't wait to get back into the country. 

I've had Countryside magazine for years, and when I got a computer I came here. I love reading all about everyones homesteads and adventures. Can't wait to get back to that type of lifestyle again. 

RoseKYTN


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## Wendy

Hi! I am Wendy. I am 33 years old. I have been married to Jim for 13 years. We have been together 18. We have 6 kids. 12 year old twins- Samantha & Tommy, Luke-8, Katie-5, Philip- will be 3 on the 29th, & Rebekah- 18 months. I am a stay at home mom.
We purchased our house & 3 1/2 acres in April after renting here for 13 years. I have been here 14 years because I lived here a year alone before we got married. I fell in love with this place the minute I saw it & for $50 a month rent, just couldn't pass it up.  Along with the house came a big barn & a few other buildings. We hope to buy more acreage in a few years. My husband works in a factory to support my animal addiction.  I raise Nubian & Pygmy goats, Jacob sheep, English Spot rabbits, turkeys, ducks, geese, chickens, & guineas. I also have 3 llamas, 2 miniature donkeys, 3 dogs, & about 12 barn cats. 
I raise a big garden & also grapes, blackberries, raspberries, & strawberries. I can & freeze most of what we eat. I butcher the rabbits, ducks, & geese also. I also raise an occasional bottle calf or 2 & a few pigs once in awhile. 
I make homemade goat milk soap & lotion. I love to do counted cross stitch. I am currently working on The Last Supper. It's a Christmas present for my mom. I love to work outdoors doing pretty much anything. My most recent project has been putting up new fence. 
I have been on this forum since the old Countryside one. I love all the info & most everyone is very friendly & the type I'd love to have as a neighbor!


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## Mrs. Homesteader

Hello!! We have been married almost 25 years (April). We have one son who is 19. We live on a small farm in Ohio. We try to raise and grow as much of our own food as we can. We have a milk cow, milk goats, sheep, beef cows, bees, layers and we raise broilers all summer as well as turkeys for Thanksgiving. We also have a bulk natural food store on our farm. We homeschooled and used to homechurch, but have found a fellowship that we are so blessed to be part of. God is the center and most important part of our life. Without Him, there is no life.


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## Micheale-SEKans

I am a 29(just this last month!) single mother of one son, John Michael who will be 8 the end of December! I owned and ran a beauty shop for almost 5 years before I sold everything and moved to the country with my parents. We have 30+ acres, cattle, rabbits, chickens and goats. Not to mention a few cats. I am a tech at a local Drug store. I love to garden and try to live as frugally as possible. I make everything we eat that I can. I also love to sew and quilt and have been busy this year making everyone Christmas presents. I also love to go on nature walks and scrapbook. I have just been able to buy my son a horse(he has no idea. It is for Christmas and he has been saving since he was 4 years old.  ). I have been here for several years. Melissa invited me over shortly afterCSFamilies came to be. Lately I haven't been posting much,do to being so busy, but hope to be back in the swing of things after Christmas. I just love it here and alot of you I concider my friends!!!!~Micheale


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## jdskidder

Hello all....My name is Dorian, my dh is Doug. He is the one who started reading here, then told me I HAD to come and read some. So I started under his "name" and just have never changed it. Hence, the jdskidder. Doug doensn't read/post very much anymore, but I love this forum!

I'm 33, been married 10.5 yrs now. We have a 16yo (my stepson) who lives with his Mom, a 9yo boy, a 5yo girl and another blessing on the way, due sometime next Aug.

We now live on 3.5 acres, have dogs, cats and chickens. We are looking for more acerage so we can build a house and aquire some goats, and more chickens. We raised some meat chickens this year, and are looking forward to doing more this coming year. We want to have our own milk, and make all the yummy things we can with it, hence the goats.

I quilt and do a little bit of clothing making, on my treadle sewing machine. We love to read, garden, hike, build things and make things from scratch. I love to bake and cook and am homeschooling the two younger kids. My dh is a logger, and is very versitle in many other things.

Dorian


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## blhmabbott

Hi. I'm Heather, will be 33 this month, and have been married to my DH for 14 years. We have 3 children: Autumn-13, Tessa-11, and Hunter-7. DH was raised in the Cascade Mountains in WA state while I was raised on a homestead here in NW TN. We moved to WA state for a couple years, among other places, but have come back here to make it home. I do miss the mountains tho!

We currectly rent our home with 120 +- acres and are looking forward to buying property in the spring and building our underground/cordwood home. We probably raise/produce close to 75% of our own food and hope to get closer to 100% by growing our own grain for our animals and adding fruit trees eventually. We currently have chickens (for both eggs and meat), 4 dogs, 1 cat (had 9 but DH went on a cat killing spree last week when they started killing my chickens) and cattle. We butchered 4 pigs over Thanksgiving break for the freezer as well as 4 or 5 deer (we've put 8 in the freezer so far). We will butcher our steer in Feb. We also have other cattle and take care of our landlord's horses on the property because of his health. We also raise a 3/4 acre garden every year and I can, freeze, and dry everything I can. DH got involved in the canning process this year and now has a new appreciation for the hard work.  


DH works a full time job, and I guess I still qualify as a SAHM (though I'm not home very often lol). I've started a part time job within the last few weeks at a friend's daycare and can take the kids with me. I also just finished another semester of college where I'm studying Geoarcheology, and will be going back in Jan. Now that I've started working again, I'm going to have to go to school part time instead of full time, but that's ok. This is our first year homeschooling our children, and since I started working 2-3 days a week, they take their lessons with them to the daycare which means I have my hands full taking care of the babies and my own kids too. 

We also have a tree service and deer processing business on the side so we are constantly busy. We are very active in our church. I work with one of the youth groups and DH and I also lead a Bible study every Wed. night (we call them Small Groups) while following The 40 Days of Purpose book. This is a great book and DH and I highly recommend it to everyone! Our entire church just got done with it for the second time and have been hearing testimonies of how God has been working in everyone's life for the last several weeks since starting this series again. If anyone has any questions about this, please feel free to contact me.

I love to cook, cross stitch, crotchet, garden, and spoil my animals. DH and I share our other interests such as hunting, fishing, camping, canoeing, hiking, and any kind of work that can get us outside. We are currently remodeling our bathroom, which hopefully, will be done in the next few weeks. I am also working with Carla Emery on her 10th edition of the book and have set up a couple things for her when she is here next April (anyone who is interested please PM me). 

I guess that's all I can think of at the moment. Have a great holiday everyone and God Bless you all!
Heather


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## Alice In TX/MO

I'm from Austin, Texas, originally, but now live nearer the coast on 111 acres that we purchased from my Designated Other's family. He and I have been married almost 30 years. Two sons, one is a software engineer, the other a helicopter pilot in training with the Navy. Both married, one baby on the way next spring.

I am in my last year of teaching in the public schools. I have built a second career for myself by buying older homes and remodeling them for rental property.

I am a watercolor artist and a writer of short stories and poems. I do yoga, ride my bike, look after my horses, have a few cattle, and have more to do than I have time to accomplish.

Native landscaping is a hobby for me. The "lawn" is becoming a NO-MOW zone. Ground cover where ever possible. Lots of natives in banks. 

Reading is probably my major hobby, but I like to sew, weave, and build things.
I'm in the process of turning an old beer joint into my woodworking shop.

Never bored, often tired.


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## Christine in OK

Time is especially short, so I'll make this fast (hopefully).

I have lived in Oklahoma all my life, raised on a farm about 60 miles southest of where I now live, which is just north of Oklahoma City. We have 2 1/2 acres here with one dog, two rabbits, about 20 chickens and 3 sons, ages 7 1/2, 5 (well, 5 next week), and 8 months. Husband Lance and I have been married 11 years now, he has been a firefighter for close to 10 of them. I have a bachelor's degree, never used, but dang it, I earned it! I stay home with the boys, for at least two more years, probably more, when I may decide to return to work, at least part-time.

We enjoy camping, and just spending time together. We also garden, and I can or freeze all our extras from the garden. We butcher our own beef (usually get from my brother, who lives on the land where I was born). We also own 80 acres where my father was born, just about 1 1/2 miles from my brother, who runs cattle on it most of the year. We enjoy visiting and picking blackberries in the summer, pecans in the winter (we have about 110 trees on our land), and fishing in our pond whenever we can get them to bite. 

Lance has a lot of family from Northwest Arkansas, around Rogers and Springdale, and also spent a lot of time where his grandparents used to live on the White River near Cotter and Flippin. If we ever move, it will be back in that direction. He actually stopped in the last time we were in Rogers and asked about the pay scale at the fire department, but it doesn't compare to what we have where we are, so we won't be heading that way at least until he's ready to retire!


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## Nature Girl

Hello from Alberta Canada. Me and my fiancee Keith have lived most of our lives in Cold Lake and Edmonton. Right now we are living about an hour southeast of Edmonton. Me and Keith have been togeather over 4 years now. We have two sons, Noah who will be 5 in January and Tobias who is 2. I'm pushing for a girl, but Keith remains unconvinced. I'm 25 and Keith will be turning 25 in January(yes I snagged meself a younger man :haha: ). We have put off getting married because we wanted to wait untill we are debtfree. But as of now we are thinking of having a small prairie wedding in the summer/fall of 2005, debts paid off or not.

I am a stay at home mom and Keith is a boilermaker, going to school this January for his second year. We moved out to the country about a month ago now. We are living for free on 320 acres of land, in exchange for doing some caretaking. We live in an a schoolhouse that was built in 1909. It has no indoor plumbing, but a cute little privey and a good well that goes down 200+ feet. 

I'm generally interested in all aspects of homesteading. I want to learn all that I can. So far I have learned to can, I have had one garden(but moved way before it was time to harvest anything), bake bread, cook from scratch, knit, make candles, etc.

This spring I plan on getting about 30 chickens and a turkey or two. I would also like to get some bee's and Robert (the landowner)has some of the supplies and the knowledge, and has agreed to help me with that, as he is interested in keeping bee's again. I would also like to raise rabbits, and a pig or two, but I only want to take on a little at a time.We have a border collie cross named Lucy and a manx cat (who we just call manx) and another cat we call beans, I also have yet another cat I will be picking up from Cold Lake this Chrismas and her name is Pork Chop.

I'm not sure how i found this site. It might have been from a book a got a year or so ago called "When technology fails" thats how I learned of Carla Emery anyway.


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## Ruby

I guess it is probably time I introduced myself. I found the old Countryside forum back in the middle of 2001 and was hooked.

My name is Ruby. I live in northeast Texas. In the Ceder Creak area. I'm 58, and have been married to the same man for almost 33 years. I was married once before and have two children with my first husband. Also my current husband and I have 1 child.

I am going to college for a certificate for Medical Office Management. I will try doing Medical Transcription at home.

We have a little over 2 acres of land which will be paid off in 4 years. (Yea) We have 3 dogs and 3 cats. Plan on getting chickens this spring. Haven't had much time this past year and half to do much gardening, dh is disabled, so am I but we try as best we can.


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## sidepasser

Hi,

I live in the deep south in GA and have a small farm, just 32 acres, mostly wooded. I have a son who is 13 and twin daughters who are grown. I keep a belgian draft mare, a mule and a donk on the place as well as a Pyr and a rat terror. Mr. Biggs is the resident mouser and is generally "in charge" around here. I also have 16 chickens and four turkeys and two geese. 

Let's see, I have a big garden every year (except this last year - it kept getting rained out!) and I can and freeze alot of our food. We don't have to have alot, since it is just the two of us, so I give my mom stuff like fresh veggies and eggs.

I work off the farm as well as on the farm - I'm turning my barn into a house or is it my house into a barn  !

I love to ride horses, and make things like wreaths, can crochet and I absolutely love to bake. Wish I had more time to do that! I hate sewing, had a horrible woman for a home ec. teacher and she put me off sewing forever. I'll pay someone to do that for me! But then, I'll clean a stall in no time, so go figure...

I'd rather be outside than inside and would rather work in the garden than clean house. Heck, there aint' much I wouldn't rather do than clean house -but I have a huge naggy voice (my conscience) that makes me do it.

I like to read and do so whenever possible which is usually late at night after the child is in bed and the chores are done. I read all types of books, but am partial to books about the early American West, and was a fan of Tolkien long before he became so popular. Books are like doors for me and I go through one and sort of "get lost" reading...

Best always 
Sidepasser


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## marytx

Hello from Central Texas. I'm a 5th generation Texan, a long-time convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints(aka Mormons).
Married to Dale, we have six children: five sons and one daughter.
Eldest is serving a full-time mission for our church, and is currently in Oregon.
The others are at home. We homeschool.

About this time last year, we bought an old stone farm house on 91 acres.
The property is bordered on one side by a live creek, and we have three stock ponds, which the children have enjoyed learning to fish in.

We, for about 5 years now, have been keeping a few Nubian dairy goats.
We also enjoy keeping chickens and a few guineas. We're trying our hand at raising a couple of dairy calves for meat.

I also enjoy gardening and fruit trees, and putting up the harvest.

I stay at home with the children. Dale was laid off from his job about a year and a half ago, and has been working with a friend on building a company of their own.


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## Yvonne

I've always been interested in a "simple" lifestyle.
Hasn't always been attainable. Richard and I have been married for 39 years, have 4 happy independent children and 4 grandchildren. 
We have lived in California, Alablama, Washington and Texas.
My family has been of utmost importance through out the years. 
We live on a 205 acre farm. 50 acres for the horses and the rest is in hay. We will be selling this year and moving to smaller acreage. Hopefully in E. texas. I want more trees.
For the past 20 years we have raised Morgan horses. The farm kept me jumping and still does, not as much at 60. We bred, trained, showed, gave lessons and boarded. Things are slowing down and we're just trying to care for our old show horses and brood mares.
I have a flock of about 20 assorted chickens for eggs. The Silkies are my favorites and would like to get a better quality of them. 
I love this site! Everyone is so generous in sharing information on every subject imaginable.

Yvonne
My favorite thing is learning.


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## AngieM2

Doing my forum homework....

I'm Angie. single mom to two grown young ladies. One 24 and other 22, married and mom to my grandson Joseph - 6 months old.

I live alone but with a large cat, people tell me she's most or all Main **** Cat. She is big and could sit on some small dogs.

I've been divorced since 1984 and no male attachements since then. Been too busy being a mom and taking care of business. also, I like being in charge of myself and it would take some special person to get my walls down. But I like people, just not ones that try to control me, my space or my children.

I live out in the rural section of town, but town keeps coming out this way and running up the prices of land. 

Been working for the same company since March 1986. But, I'm on my 4th major job description.

I do lots of sewing, and am working on ice show skating outfits (have to be worn in the show Saturday night). and I play at a flute again, have worked on my pilot's license many years ago, but have solo'd in colorado. I sew, crochet and knit a little bit. Also love reading -

Love the looks of the Arkansas and Missouri Ozarks - 
And I want a piece of land of my own, (probably in ALa or Tn, near family) with at least a few large trees.

Live in a mobile home in a small lot under trees, but it's not my own land.

All about me - oh yeah- I'm 51. I know there's more, but will remember it later....

AngieM2


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## GrannysRoost

Hi all! I am Debbie and 47 - soon to be 48 residing the past 2 1/2 years in Eastern Wyoming with my hubby Jim and granddaughter Lizzy, after just about a lifetime in MN. I have 5 kids - 3 girls, 2 boys and Jim has 2 girls and one boy and we have 6 grandkids with 2 on the way in the spring. We started out here in a renovated school bus while working on our 1 big room and 1 bedroom cabin. Seemed like took forever! Spent two winters in that while working on the two new rooms, so we have grown to 2 BRs, bathroom, utility room and living room, all small but serve their purpose. I now have real running water after having to haul from town in 5 gallon jugs - luxury in my book! 

Jim works outside and I took a medical transcription course via the internet so I am now able to work at home and homeschool Lizzy. 

We cut ourselves down to 1 dog and 1 cat as the rest were too much work when I was schooling and trying to adapt to a totally new career field. I love to garden but not so much luck here yet as have pine trees and many years of rotting pine needles in this duck dirt (sheds water). I actually got a pot of morning glorys to bloom this year and was tickled pink, as most of the summer was shot with Liz and I running to Texas for birth of son's first baby and him returning from Saudi (Army, Fort Bliss). I crosstitch like a maniac amongst crocheting, knitting, learning to quilt and whatever else strikes my fancy at the moment. 

I have gotten frustrated with all the work many times but would not give up the fortunate freedom I have with the job at home and still being able to do as I want or take my work with me and am always so grateful to come back home. I could never go back to urban life. 

I don't remember what brought me to this sight, but I love it - so many interesting people and so much information. This lifestyle is a constant learning adventure and this is the best reading I can squeeze in lately aside from the medical searching I have to do daily.


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## Tanya in MI

Hi All, My name is Tanya and I am 30 years old. My Dh and I have been married for 12 years. We are highschool sweethearts  Randy is a State Police Officer here in Mi but is currently activated with his National Guard Unit. We are blessed because he is only about an hour away from us for Homeland Security.We have 4 children. Randi Lynn 10, Brandon 8 next month, Hannah 4 next month, and Olivia 2 months( time flies). As of right now we live in the city but eventually we'll be back home and can live in the country. We have a white German Shepherd and a cat. I am a sahm who homeschools. I like to sew and read. I love being outside when it isn't cold out. I really like this forum and try to put into practice many things I learn from here. We canned this summer for the first time ever. My mom thinks I am crazy and that I was born in the wrong era :haha: I love reading about everyones lives. Keep all the good stuff comin'!


Tanya in MI


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## shellycoley

I am a 26 year old ******* hippie. I've been married to 
my side kick Marc for 6 and a half years. I have one 
daughter, Julie who is 4 and 1/2. We'd love to have more
children, but that might not be God's plan.
We live on 4 acres in central North Carolina. When I was a 
child this was an 180 acre farm. We hope to one day move
to a place about 25 acres or so.
We have animals, enough to make you crazy. Four goats,
two rabbits, one little fat pig, three dogs a cat and all together
53 birds, chickens ducks and turkeys.
I love trying to be frugal and self sufficient. This year I am 
going to break down and bring in a few tons of topsoil for 
our garden. No more tillling red dirt! I also hope to get a milk
cow, and a few fruit trees.
I'll post more later, I have to go make breakfast.. lol
Nichol


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## stumpyacres

Julie - central va - married 20 years, three teenagers. Pigs, ducks, chickens, goats, cattle - sometimes, dogs, cats, guinneas(but the bobcat ate them), etc. I lived a country life all my life. My dh was more suburbs. He can hang though! Massey Fer. tractor, 4 wheller and a good ole dogre ram. I can, slaughter, and garden. I also teach 6th grade sceince. Hi!


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## Irene texas

I live in South East Texas, Piney woods area. I am going on 74 in Feb. I have traveled all over the USA, Tom my husband was a Engineer and the company he worked for kept us moving. I worked my whole married life as a bookeeper, For AT&T I could move around that way and keep my job. We finially settled here in Texas on 10 acres, our children married cajon's and were here. I have one daughter who is 55, and another daughter who is 50, And three grandchildren, and Six great grand children. We live in a old farm house that we have remolded from one end to the other. We have a huge bin garden, a hot house, a large storage shed in garden, A big barn, and now a chicken coop in the making. Also a root cellar. I try to keep Tom busy in the garden, and building things. I oil paint and spend a great deal of time doing that. Also love to listen to short wave radio, where I get lots of news you all never hear. I also knit, Love cooking in spurts. Gardening when its cool. We put together jig saw puzzles, usually one a week. I am a health food nut, and take lots of vitamins. Tom and I are both real healthy for out age, he only takes one pill, for allergy's, I take two, one for thyroid, and one for allergy's. Oh yes tom and I have been married 56 years.


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## Tammy L

Howdy all...I'm Tammy . I'm 41.Married to DH, Brad for 13 yrs. He works in radio and I work for a company that serves folks with developmental disabilities. Brad grew up on a harvest crew and I grew up on a small farm. We are saving to buy our own piece of land... For now, we are urban homesteading our 2 lots in town. I am a novice gardener, I love to cook. And I am fighting city hall so I can have chickens in town...so far a losing fight. We have no children...but we claim all the neighborhood kids. I've met a lot of great folks on this forum...there's many more I'd like to get to know.


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## Burbsteader

My turn, my turn!  

I'm 33, married for over 10 years now, with 2 wonderful boys, ages 6 and 8. We live in a fast growing city, and try not to live like it. We have our garden, laying hens-but no rooster due to noise ordinances, used to raise rabbits (too many nosey neighbors now), and DH has his woodwork/stained glass workshop. It was a challenge to make it all fit into a backyard. Around here though, we are lucky indeed to have a backyard at all! 

I am a SAHM and I like to quilt, am relearning how to crochet and will relearn how to knit, embroider and macrame eventually. Our house is often the spot where you can find the neighbor kids too! Our house is full of unorthodox pets, with guinea pigs, lizards, and Australian walking sticks and one big Madagascar hissing cockroach. We released the millipedes and spiders back into the wild after our summer studies on invertebrates. I'm the "chicken lady" to the neighbors.

We have health issues, mainly with arthritis and allergies for right now, and so I am constantly on the lookout for better ways to take care of my family and to do it on a limited budget. 

We like to home can quite a bit, and use our dehydrator and our smoker alot. 
We love living in this area because of the natural beauty and local resources that surrounds us and the variety of things we can do here, like ski, hike, bike, fish, snowshoe, camping, beachcombing,etc. 
Helps us to put up with the people that surround us. LOL


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## leighli

Hey everyone! We live in Yellow Springs Ohio. I am 41 married almost 16 years old with two sons ages 15 and 12. My husband teaches emotionally disturbed teenagers at a learning center that services all of the school districts in our county. I work as a paralegal 20 hours per week at a local state university. My main responsibility at work is to prepare nonimmigrant work visas for foreign faculty and staff. We spend a lot of time doing for our kids and following their activities. Currently we are in the beginning of basketball season so we'll be watching them play and helping out with tickets and concessions.

We have 10 acres near Athens Ohio (about 2 1/2 hour drive) in the country where we are in the process of having a small cabin built. The cabin will be 12 x 18 feet with a sleeping loft and a covered front porch. It sits beside a small pond that we love to swim in when we visit. The cabin will have no electricity, but the builder is fixing a rain barrel for water and eventually a composting outhouse will be built. We will have a woodstove for heat and candles or lanterns for light once it gets dark out. My husband and I hope to spend more time there once the kids are older and on their on and for now use it as mainly a weekend and summer retreat. I hope to plant some fruit trees and some native plants and flowers this spring.

I have been visiting this site for quite some time, but don't post much. We are also long time subscribers to Countryside. 

Happy Holidays everyone!!!


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## beaglady

I'm Diane W, mid-40's, from central PA. My DH and I have 25 acres, with an old farmhouse, part fields, part woods. We have 2 grown sons (we're a blended family) and a baby grandaughter. 

DH has a construction business, installing finish carpentry, doors and misc. accessories in commercial buildings. I design building electrical systems for a local consulting engineering firm. 

I have 6 beagles, 1 farmcollie and lots of poultry. We raised broiler chickens & turkeys on pasture this year, and I have an egglaying flock of fancy breeds. I've also got some heritage turkeys and hope to breed my own meat turkeys for next year. My goal is to grow as much of our food as possible, tho I didn't have a lot of luck, with all the rain this year. I can and freeze as much produce as possible, buying at a local farmers market when my own garden comes up short. We buy beef from a friend of DH's who raises them on pasture. Someday, I'd like dairy goats, but don't have time right now. Almost forgot, I have bees, too.

I love to cook, and used to sew a lot. I'm starting to get back into sewing and quilting. I like making quick craft projects that I can glue together, such as holiday floral wreaths.

As you can see, I've got a lot to keep me busy, so I drop in and out of the forum as time allows. I do love this group.


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## unregistered6474

Hi! I am 29 and I live in St. Louis, Missouri with my husband of five years, our dog and two cats.

We live in a 1950s ranch home on a lot that is maybe 1/8th acre. Itâs not ideal, but itâs cheap, and with all of the money that we are saving we should be able to buy a nice piece of land some day. Eventually we would like to have a bigger house with a fireplace or woodstove, a small orchard, a big garden, chickens and maybe even dairy goats.

I enjoy reading, hiking, gardening, cooking, traveling and playing with my animals. My favorite authors are Kurt Vonnegut, Ian Frazier, Jon Krakauer and Bill Bryson. I also paint in oils and acrylics and I like to draw as well. I am just learning how to sew and crochet -- I am not very good at either of those things yet. I would like to learn how to can, too.

My husband is an investing wiz, so we play the stock market and have a 2nd house that we rent out for a little bit of additional income.

Here's what I look like. The cute one is my dog.


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## healing herbals

Hi, my name is Pam and we live in town, in Tulsa, OK. But our hope is to move to a smaller town and have some land in about 3 years or so (hopefully sooner).
I am 46, my hubby Don is 47 and we have 1 daughter at home, Brittany, who is 10. We are in our first year of homeschooling, and it is not easy, cause Britt likes the socialization and the attention she got from someone besides mom, that she had at her private school. But private school was no longer an option and public school was out of the question.  
Don is a foreman at an American Airlines wheel shop. In his off time (every other weekend) he volunteers as a reserve sheriff in one of the neighboring counties. By training, he is a full fledged officer, but volunteers at this point because of his full time job, but law enforcement is what he will do when he retires from American in 4 years.
I am a RN, and herbalist and medicine maker who works out of my home, as my energy allows. I have early rheumotoid arthritis and fibromyalgia, that I treat as naturally as possible, but standard meds are a help also. I love to talk of herbs and natural medicine and anyone can email at any time about anything.
Brittany likes being with other people to play, but also loves animals, when we move, the goal is to be close to our local wildlife rehabber, so we can help her.
She also loves to be on computer and likes cyber pals.
We have 2 grown children, a 21 year old girl and a 20 year old boy.
I am wanting to plant some real herb gardens this year. I have been doing only container planting on a small scale. I have found other homeschoolers and okie pioneers that I love talking to and learning from.
I missed the first group wild foraging this fall, but will make the spring outing. This is something else I am learning.
I have always been interested in the homesteading ideals, but it never seemed to work out for me. So now, I looking to do it on a small scale, especially with my herbs and a few animals, and hopefully belong to a "community" that will share their ideas and products and way of life.
Don belongs to the Wyandotte tribe of OK, I am of Cherokee ancestry. We have a mixed set of beliefs, that combine his very Baptist way of christianity and my more liberal, NA and earth based beliefs. My biggest thing is that I believe in tolerance for all people and all beliefs. 
Thanks for the forum, I love it and learn a lot from others here and love sharing.

Peace
Pam


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## Barb in Ky.

Hi, I'm Barb. I've given my info before on other threads of this sort but will do it again. I've been around these forums since the old CS forum in 1999. I love them but I must admit I don't get on here as often as I'd like because of time constraints and also I sometimes feel out of place among all you youngsters!! I am 61. Retired/disabled LPN. Worked in a big hospital for 25 years. My doctor made me quit when I had major spine surgery 5 years ago. I am first of all a christian, wife of a wonderful man 5 years my junior, grandmother to 6. My husband and I live alone on our 90 acre farm. We have cattle, chickens and one German Shepherd who is spoiled. We garden and have a nice orchard started. I love to can, sew, quilt, read and surf the internet. We live a simple life and I love it!


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## Nancy

My name is Nancy. Wife to DH for 30 years. Have one daughter, she is married and lives in CA and one son, he is also married and they have a beautiful, wonderful, little miracle for all of us, and he is 2 years old. Lucky for us they only live 10 miles from us. We homeschooled our kids throughout and even did high school. That was a high light for all of us. I have been a SAHM since our daughter was born. Now I am a SAHW&G. We live in an old farm house which was built in 1883. We've remodeled a little on in each year over the 16 years that we've been here. DH is a carpenter by trade so that helps. We have 5 beautiful acres in Nebraska near Omaha. I raise a big garden and can as much as possible. Also raise hens and sell eggs and raise broilers in the spring for our own consumption. Involved in a little community church close to us. Love country life and what I do. Fun to read all your introductions. I should print is out because I don't like to tie up our phone line to long. Merry Christmas everyone.


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## vicki in NW OH

I am 46, been married 20 years, and my son just turned 18. I love to garden; it is one of the things that I do well. I also have fruit trees and berries. I like to sew and knit, but do not like to cook or can, so like to keep things simple in the kitchen. I have chickens and rabbits and I am getting some beautiful ducks this spring. I also want dairy goats and sheep, but have to spring my ideas on hubs slowly because he thinks I'm a bit goofy at times. He is probably right. My faith is traditional Catholicism.


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## Mark in N.C. Florida

I am 41 years old, never married. I have a grown "Foster Son" who is married to a nice girl and together they have the very most handsome and smart 2yr 3mo old boy who calls me MyMark (one word). I am an Uncle to many Nieces and Nephews.

I was born and raised in a small town in Massachusetts and have lived in North Central Florida for nearly 20 years.

I work for a Used Car Wholesaler and I Buy & Sell many things including some livestock.

I have a small house (600 sq feet) on 2 acres. Currently I have no animals here but have had nearly every type of farm animal and a few exotics in the past. I occasionly raise a few hogs for myself and a few friends. I enjoy chickens and hope to refill the chicken coop soon. I share in the harvest of a friends garden and do some freezeing and drying.

I love Auctions, Yard Sales, Thrift Shops and Flea Markets. I try to live a frugal lifestyle and am occasionly succsesful at it.

I am an avid reader. I spend way to much time explorering on the internet. I love cooking but don't do much as it is hard cooking for just one.

I also came here from the old Countryside fourm. I have been a reader of Countryside Magazine for about 10 years.

I enjoy visiting here and do post once and a while.

Good Luck!!!
Mark in N.C. Florida


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## TimandPatti

Hi, My name is Patti. I am 47 years old married to my bestfriend who is 53 years old. I have 2 grown children and 3 grandkids. I am from N.C. but left the South is 96 and moved to Colorado. A year ago we bought a place in the Nebraska Panhandle. Yes, I still miss many things about the South.
We have a Cocker Spaniel named Opie Taylor, a chow mix named Max, 2 maine **** cats, Sidney and Sweetie, 2 donkeys, Maggie and Emma and lots of chickens. We plan to get a Nubian goat in the spring.
Since we moved out here to the country I no longer work outside the home, this place is a fulltime job. My husband drives a truck and plans to take early retirement in Sept. 2005.
I had a huge garden this past summer and canned and froze enough to fill the freezer and pantry. I like crafts, sewing, reading, gardening, cooking, photography and oil painting of landscapes.


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## dot

I live about 50 miles from Atlanta with my retired teacher husband of 3 1/2 years. We live on property that has been in his family since the 1800's. I'm a nurse but normally only work 7p to 7a every weekend. I'm looking forward to retirement in about 3 years. We like to garden but are not always successful. Just keep trying. I started canning this year and really enjoy it. I also enjoy cooking and bread making. We both have children and grandchildren. We enjoy our life together. Mostly we stay close to home but occasionally take day trips or visit overnite with my family. I'm originally from south Alabama. This is my favorite forum and I love doing the stumpers.


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## ~harvestfamily~

my name is nicole , i am a 35 yr old breastfeeding, cloth diapering, natural living mama of 2 (ages 5 & 2) son to be 3 in june! my dh is brody, we have been married for 5 years this june 
we live in western pa.
we own our home & hope to sell in the next year or so & move to some land. dh would like to build a log home, but i am up for a fixer upper of an older farmhouse!
our furry family includes 3 dogs & 4 cats and an aquarium full of fish ~ i love animals and hope to have many one day.
until then, our town is fairly small & our neighborhood is quiet & hilly, so it is nice.
brody works as the caretake of a private 120ac farm, so we spend a lot of our time there in the spring/summer & that is where we plant & grow our organic garden each summer!
i'd love to open a no kill shelter/ animal sanctuary on our land & have tossed around the idea of a CSA as well.
brody is also an artist, a glassblower & he'd love to have his shop at home, so when we do look for land, it may be some that has free gas on it.
we plan to homeschool & will start soon w/ our 5yo , but are taking an UNschooling approach as well - so we take it day by day.
i have been a vegetarian & hope to go back..but w/ being preggo.. i am craving some types of meat, not often..but i am.
i have already told dh that any animals we have on our land, we will not eat ~ lol. - he isn't to keen on that idea, but i feel strongly about that.
this community seems great & i hope to become more involved as time allows.

nice to meet you all!!~


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## KrisW

I&#8217;m 41, married to the best man on earth for 9 years. We have no kids. 
2 Golden Retrievers, 2 cats and 8 chickens make up our family. 

We live on an acre of land in a small unincorporated area in central California, population 2000.
Garden is very large, we try to grow all we eat, plus extra for the chicken and friends. 
A bunch of fruit trees, berries, grapes, herbs and the like. Of course a flower bed, why not?
My weakness is David Austin rose bushes, 35 of them. They add such a nice aroma to the air outside, needless to say the house when I bring them in.

I have been unemployed for almost 2 years now, truth be told I love it.
Use to work in the high tech sector, where the husband is still , he still enjoys it.
Trying to move to Montana (big change for us) so we can retire now instead of in 20 years.

We have a small house that sits smack in the middle of our property. Heated with wood.
I cook everything from scratch, sew, knit (socks are easy!), crochet, can or freeze our food.
Am looking forward to getting a few goats, milk, cheese, flour are the main grocery store purchases. Haven&#8217;t bought a roll of paper towel in ages. Pinching pennies is a hobby for us. 

Have gathered most of the homesteading tools over the years, but the learning process goes on forever. 
This website is a source of knowledge and humor for us and we love it!

Kris


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## tobo6

Hi,

I'm mljjranch, I'm 35 married almost 15 years to my dh who is almost 46 years old. The mljj in my name are the initials of my kids who are dd 13, ds 10, ds's 7. The last two are twins and our farm name is called "ML double J Ranch". Really we are a farm but the kids are stuck on calling this place a ranch so we indulge them. :haha: 

We live in NW Oregon about 6 miles from the Washington border smack dab in the middle of old growth forest area. Our property that we bought last year has never been lived on before and it's been pretty fun clearing a spot for the house and building barns ect. It's actually starting to look like someone lives here. We live way back off the road with towering fir, cedar, alder, trees everywhere. We have a good size creek that runs all year that we have a bridge across so that we can get home. Lots of wildlife and so far so good on the wildlife leaving our animals alone.

We have around 60 chickens (I think,lol) 2 turkeys left that will be going in the freezer soon, 2 goats, around 150 rabbits at this point, and a little pig we just got this weekend. Oops also a dog and a cat.

We love outdoor activities, sports, gardening, building things. 2 kids are in 4H. All the kids are homeschooled. Hmmm, what else? I stay at home, dh is a diesel mechanic and has to commute 3 hrs everyday to work. He says its worth it because he comes home and has the ranch to relax and enjoy.

Thats all I can think of. Happy Holidays everyone.
mljjranch


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## Quiver0f10

Hi! I am Jean (35) married to my highschool sweetie Rick (39) for 16 years. We have 9 children ages:15,13,12,11,9,7,5,4 and 8.5 months. We just relocated from southern NH to Northern Maine and live on 14 acres. We plan to plant a big garden come spring and have chickens, pigs, cows, ducks, rabbits and hopefully a horse for the girls. Rick is a computer programmer and I am a stay at home/homeschooling mom. I enjoy ebay and yard sales, reading my message boards  and spending time with my kids.


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## acabin42

Well, I guess it's my turn........ :haha: I post once in awhile, but am here almost every day to read what's happening. Been around for a couple or three years now.
I'm 53, married to DH for 35 years. We have 4 grown children, and 5 grandchildren. All of our kids and grandkids live out of state. (KS and MO). Was born & raised in KS and raised the kids there. When last child was out of school, DH and I moved to AR. Have been down here for 4 years (almost). We live on 9 acres (mostly woods). Have 2 dogs and 1 cat. Thinking about getting chickens someday, but need to do alot of work around here first. DH does the gardening. Last year was the first year I canned anything. (apples). The garden this year was small, so we didn't can anything. Maybe this year we will. 

I love reading about and trying the old ways of life. In the summer, I wash my clothes on the scrub board in the wash tubs. Have a hand wringer that my MIL bought for me and I hang the clothes on the line. Many people think I'm not all here when I tell them about this, but that's okay. I enjoy it.  

I work for Wal-Mart in the next town. I work in the Infant Dept. and really enjoy the work (most of the time). Well, I guess that's about all. ??


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## sugarspinner

Hi Y'all, I'm Sugarspinner now but another name on the old forum. I've been around for years now but post rarely anymore; it's just fun to read other's comments. I'm one of the older people here, I suspect--62--with three children; two married and one still home. We farm full time tho I did work full time until a couple of years ago. We have beef cattle, corn, soybeans, hay, honey bees, make maple syrup and have a BIG garden and orchard. Oh, chickens too, tho they're mostly my project. I do some free-lance writing and also take honey, maple syrup, herbs and vegetables to farmer's markets. I enjoy needlework, spinning and weaving.

It's good to see all of you checking in; a lot of familiar names.


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## randal

Born and raised on Crowley's Ridge and on the Cache River in N.E. Arkansas. I chopped cotton with a hoe and picked it dragging the sack behind me. Chopped a few soybeans as well. Today, I whack extraneous words out of sentences.

I write, edit, and publish in Portuguese, and dabble in English as well, especially in poetry, having published a number of works in mags the last couple of years. I publish a weekly poem on my Cloudburst Poetry list.

Vicki and I moved to Brazil (that big country in South America) in November, 1984, when Micah was 1 1/2. Then came Joel and Leila to liven things up even more. Micah started college August, 2003, and Joel starts 2005.

We live on a shoestring, chop out all the extras we can, and I eat a somewhat vegetarian diet, usually have a papaya almondshake in the morning for breakfast, or sometimes strawberry. Much of our food is made from scratch. I shut down the TV years ago and would rather pick up a good book any time.

Right now, we live in a city of half a million, but on the edge with some greenery to remind us of our origins. Homesteading, only in my dreams.

JasRandal


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## Kitty Kaley

Okay, where do I start? My name is Kaley and I'm
9 (I turn 10 this coming Feb.). I am in 4th grade 
and I go to Faith Elementary School in North Carolina. 
NCToni is my mom. My friends are Briana (pronounced Bri-o-nu), 
Courtney, Sarrah, Amber, and Heather. I like Star Wars, 
Harry Potter, and The Lord of the Rings, to name a 
few movies. I like to swim, draw, color, sing, dance, 
play on my Gameboy, and also play on the computer. 
Is that enough? Mom says not to put a whole lot.


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## Denise K.

Well I guess its time to say something! I have been viewing here for a long time. I don't often post, but I do visit daily! I have been married 25 years with 4 children the children are now 24, 22, 18, and 14. They are busy with college and school. We have been active over the years in 4-H with horses and rabbits. I have recently retired as the local fairs rabbit superintendent....time to let someone else bring in new ideas  I work as a RN in a local Emergency Room for the past 17 years. I also volunteer at our churches youth camp in the summer as the "nurse". 
My major hobby (now that the kids are growing up) at this time is raising and showing rabbits. Even though I show these rabbits my goal is to have marketable rabbits for the rabbit meat industry. Along with many rabbits we have, a garden, a few chickens, ducks, 2 geese, some resident cats, Bandit the Border Collie, Coco the goat and a horse named Bud.
Denise


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## janandkenny

Hi I am Jan,36, married to Ken, also 36, for sixteen years. We have been blessed with five children, almost 15, 13, 10, 3, and almost 9 months. We live in the Northeast part of upstate ny and have a small (1.35 acres) farmish type place that we are trying out all kinds of things on. Currently we are growing snow, and that seems to be going well, although we haven't figured out how to ship it to warmer climates.


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## Chris in MO

I'm 41 and a SAHM for the past ten years. We have five children, the youngest is almost two. Dh is a 42 y/o software engineer. 

We moved back to our hometown from the 'burbs of St. Louis four years ago....we are about an hour out from where we used to live. We have four acres just outside town, it is not very good soil here at all, very rocky, so I am struggling with the gardening aspect of homesteading....I wasn't exactly a green thumb to begin with! LOL. We have a flock of about 18 guineas for bug control, and a couple dozen assorted breed laying hens and two roos.....one silkie and one black cochin. We also have a Sheltie, a Dobe, and a Maine **** cat. We had a big Gambrel roof barn built when we moved here, and haven't yet put any critters in it.....a few feral cats have made it their home though.  

I spent a lot of time, energy and money in my younger years going to school-- not really using it now! I have a degree in pre-med biology, an RN, and went to law school for a semester and a half before I realized my calling was motherhood!  well, better late than never! 

We have homeschooled our oldest for several years of her life, mainly due to ADHD and LD issues, but she finished up at our parish school (we are Catholic) and that's where our middle two children go now. I have two at home. 

I would like to grow more of our food, and learn how to can--I watched my mother and grandmother as a child but haven't done it myself--yet! Hobbies: I like to sew when I have time, love to read, and love to cook. I can't really remember how I found this forum! Was getting Countryside magazine for a couple years, maybe that's how it happened. I learn a lot here, it's always interesting!!


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## special-k

Hi All

This is my first post, but I have been reading HT for about 6 months. I thought I'd start the new year off by joining in instead of always just reading. I did a search on frugal living and it brought me here and I have really enjoyed reading about everyone and how they make a living. 

I'm 41, married 15 yrs, no children (unable to) so we have 2 cats and a 8 month old puppy. We live on an acre of land and grow our own veggies for canning and the past two years have grown garlic with surprisingly good luck. 

I enjoy sewing, gardening, cooking & fishing. My dh & myself are active in the Coast Guard Auxiliary. 

Hope to talk to you all soon. I seem to learn something new every time I come here.

special-k


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## Hummingbird

Hi all! I'm Nance, aka Hummingbird. The name is due to my soapmaking business www.hummingbirdhandicrafts.com and also because I am fascinated by the little critters!

I'm 45, have a DH of almost 25 years, 46, who is a lineman. I work as a church secretary and have done so for over 15 years at assorted churches. We've moved several times and it's a somewhat portable job! We have a DD who is 22 and just got engaged right before Christmas. No wedding til 2005. We also have a DS who is 20. Both are great kids, still living at home while finishing up their educations.

We live on 5 acres, garden, can, grow herbs (there are a few pictures on the above website), make some wine (moderation!) and love to boat, camp, hike, etc. We also teach Sunday School at the Jr. High level and love it. We're grateful and excited Christians. Between the two of us we also woodwork, sew, hunt and assorted other interests. 

I need to update my webpage but since I'm severly webpage challenged (somebody did the page for me!) it may be awhile. I do have many other items besides what you see on the page.  I'll get there someday. One of the goals for this year.

I found this forum also when it was still countryside and love it. I was gone for a few months but am back and glad to be here. Had an attitude adjustment with myself and got back in the "I wanna be home" frame of mind. Like to leave for short mission trips or vacations but the heart is home. YEA!!

Thank you all for your wonderful input, ideas, advice, love and concern. You are great!

Nance


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## Christine in NY

Hi, I'm Christine. I am 29, married to Raymond for 7 years and have 2 children, Emma, almost 3 yrs and Matthew, 15 mos. We live in NY state, about 90 miles north of NYC in the Hudson River Valley. We have a happy home on 1 acre in a rural setting. There were 6 children in my family so I learned about frugal living while growing up but I have only recently developed an interest in the homesteading lifestyle. My husband wonders what took me so long! Raymond works full time and I work 2 days a week at my family's logging and lumber business. I'd love to stay home full time but, oh, those family obligations! I would like to become as self sufficient as possible on our 1 acre. We garden and will restart the chicken flock this spring. I cook and bake from scratch. My current goals are to learn how to sew and knit, learn more about herbs and successfully bake bread (on a regular basis!). I canned for the first time this past summer and have so enjoyed giving out homemade Christmas gifts. My family thinks I have lost my mind and refer to me as "crunchy, granola earth mother"! I think it has a nice riing to it! I am very grateful for the knowledge that I have gained from this forum and look forward to more frugal living tips, recipes and natural remedies, as well as everything else, in the future.

Christine


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## Mike in Ohio

I guess I've procrastinated long enough. As the name says, I'm Mike and I live with my DW in the Cleveland area. I work in the IT industry. Here's a picture of me selling our honey... 










I'm not much for posting personal details about myself so I'll write a little about the things we are doing.

We keep bees and have a small farm which we are slowly building up. The main crops we are focusing on (in addition to honey) are black walnuts, hickory nuts (We already produce commercial quantities but we are learning how to process and market them), hazelnuts,fruit (we only have 40 trees now but will expand to 500+ trees, possibly more), berries (we had 1/4 acre blackberry patch that got cut down this year because of the gas company right of way...blech! I've got about 3 acres set aside to start a new patch). After doing a test batch of garlic this past year I am increasing our plantings to do some initial test marketing. 
We have a small spring-fed lake and at some point we will look at fish-farming. For now the pond is stocked and DW enjoys being able to fish in her own lake.
Last but not least we have about 20 acres in hay. 

I think this covers enough ground as an introduction.

Mike


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## CountryFried

Hi- I'm Sherry From Tennessee. I've Lived Here All My Life, And Am Close To The Smokey Mountains, Which I Love ! I Am Happily Married, Going On 22 Years. I Have Been Blessed With 4 Children , Who've Changed My Life ,all For The Better. Ages 19,16,14,10. Boy,girl,boy,girl. 
Things Are Better In My Life Now That I'm Back In The Country. I Lived In The City(Knoxville) For 15 Years As My Husband Got His Business Started(Lawn & Landscaping, Plus Building On The Side). We Were Active In Our Church During Those Years Until It Fell Apart 7 Years Ago.  
Being A Part Of This Forum Has Made Me Feel Connected To Others, Which I Have Been Missing. And It Feels Like I' M Surrounded By Friends (Even Tho' I Don't Know You Personally). There Is Such A Camaraderie Between Everyone It Is Very Refreshing. So Thanks For Letting Me Be A Part !!  
My Interests Are Cooking, Landscaping(my job) and Hobby Farming , Which I've Been At 4 (long) Years .
I've Probably Made All The Mistakes You Can Make. Tried To Get A Garden Growing (flop). Tried Beekeeping (down To 1 Hive). Chickens (not Good Eating). Sheep, (after Shearing Threw The Fleece Away So Messed Up). Goats (ate My Prized Apple Trees Down). Peacock( Can't Find A Mate For). Dog(refuses To Be Bred). Cat( Refuses To Stop Being Bred) ! 
The Good Side Of All This ? I've Found Mecca Here; In Your Answers To My Silly Questions And The Wealth Of Information That Abounds. It's Like Hitting Pay Dirt ! 
So I Appreciate Being Allowed To Be A Part, And Hope I Can Pass Some Useful Information Or A Word Of Kindness Back To You All As You Have Done For Me Already.
Sherry Nichols


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## texastami

Procrastination....... yea.... I guess thats what I have.......

Lets see..... My name is Tami and I am a 35 yo SAHM to 4 (16DS,13DS,6DD and 8mo old DD), married 3 years to Bob (48) who is my best friend and soul mate! We are originally from OR but moved to TX 2 years ago when DH took this job. I homeschool 16DS, and am making plans to move the other two from PS to HS...  (and am alittle nervous!!)

I am anxious to get moved out to the farm again and live my dream! We live in town right now, so I practice my skills in frugality and tightwaddedness....  I have learned so much from everyone here.... this certainly does feel like "family"... and I am so thankful the Lord lead me here!! Can't think of a better place to be!!!


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## southernbelle32

Hi I'm Sandy coming from the old countryside forum as Sandy (N.E.Florida) I live in Jax in the "burbs on 4 acres which has 3 homes 1 for my parents 1 us and 1 for my baby sister. My father always wanted us together and thankfully God put me with my soul-mate Mike so I could stay here !! We married 2 1/2 years ago and have 3 children16,14,6 the 14 lives with us the other 2 with there mothers. 


Our 16 yo is in high school but goes to the local college to take computer classes . When he grad. next year he'll have 2 years worth of college credits. He is so smart!14 yo is doing so much better since moving in with us,she now made the a-b honor roll before she was barely making it!! The 6 yo we rarely see since hubby and he's ex gf don't speak!! So glad we get along with the 16&14"s mom,she is very nice and we all get along she seen dd was not doing good with her and wanted to see if we could help her. That's one mom that puts her kids first!!! 

We have 20 chickens,1 rabbit and 2 pigs geting ready to butcher! I'm a school bus driver and Mike is a mechinist. We love living the country life but we deciede to stay here so that will be put on hold. In a way we have the best of both worlds because we have enough acreage to be able to have aninamals and garden and still live near enough to conviences. :haha: 

I'll be putting in our first garden since we married since the other years we aere cleaning trees to move on our new d wide and last year I had a miscarriage. I can't wait we have tilled up the perfect spot and will be putting in taters in Feb.

Blessings
Sandy


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## Qvrfullmidwife

I am LeeAnne, in Houston, TX. Married for 18 years to Tim, we have eight children who we have homeschooled from the beginning.

We are currently in the prototypical suburbs but ate looking for property south of us...hopefully at least 10 acres. We are greatly looking forward to dairy goats and chickens and space to let the children run...and our oldest is wanting to start beekeeping.

I have recently jumped through all of the hoops to begin practicing midwifery again, now that my oldest children are capable of running the house if I am called away for hours (days) on end.

I have enjoyed lurking and look forward to gleaning much wisdom here.


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## Jolly

I was born country, and stayed that way.

45, married to my wife for 23 years, with two children - one in college, one graduating high school this year. Been working with the same folks the last 22 years, and will retire (please, God!) in another 8.

As with most folks down here in the Bayou State, if it walks, crawls or flies, we hunt it. If it swims, we fish, gig, or net it. I raise a couple of gardens every year, but haven't had any livestock for the last several, a problem I'm goin' to rectify.

Y'all have a good day now, y'hear?.


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## Peg

I'm sure enjoying getting to know all of you. It's nice to have like-minded folk and to know I'm not so weird afterall! I, too, came from the old forum.

I'm Peg and I'm 43, married for 13 years to a wonderful man. I'm blessed with 2 kids; DD almost 12, and DS 9. We've also got a yellow lab, Sophie, and assorted fish. We're still in the burbs in Denver, but we're trying to get back to the Pacific Northwest where my family is, and we hope to get some acreage.

I've learned so much here, and I'm itching to get started with gardening on a much larger scale. I don't have much room here on my lot. I consider this my "learning phase". I like to sew, quilt, crochet, knit, and garden. I've done a little canning and hope to do more once I have more to can! My dream is to be fairly self-sufficient growing our own food and maybe try marketing the excess. I love to cook, and I write a children's cooking newsletter called Cookin' Kids. www.cookinkids.com One of the reasons I started the newsletter (besides the fact that I like kids and cooking) is that it is something I can continue to do from home from our future homestead and will help support us.

Thanks friends!
Peg


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## lynpea

Hi all, I have been reading/lurking for a couple of years now. I finally got around to getting Chuck to fix whatever was broken, that didn't let me post. I guess I was an unintentional casuelty of the last web move!

I'm a SAHM of three. One married (DD 25) out of the house and another DD (22) and a 14 year old son. He just started school (out of the house) for the first time in his life and I'm the one who is having an adjustment! I have been married for 26 years to someone I in no way deserve! He is a wonderful husband and father.

We live in a 130 year old house south east of Roanoke on 11 acres. We have a large garden and I can, run a co-op for our church and try not to spend too much $. I really love all the frugal tips here, they are inspiring! I sew, quilt and spin.

We have about 30 chickens ( too many roos), 4 cats, and 4 dogs. Three of the dogs are Bassets, we sure do love them! Have bred and raised a few ourselves. We have had over the years, horses, goats (milk and fibar), sheep, angora rabbits and my sisters visiting potbelly pig AND her cow! 

I love this forum!........Lynpea


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## Kung

Ok....I just joined here, so I'll post about me; not sure if anyone reads these. 

I'm 27, and I just moved to Arkansas (Mountain Home area) with my wife in July of 2003. I just got out of the active duty Navy in September of 2003. I spent 9 years in the Navy - 2 of them as a nuclear reactor operator in training, and then the next 7 running classified and unclassified computer networks either on the USS Enterprise or on ground installations in Norfolk, VA. I just joined the Army Reserves, and am currently a Sergeant serving as a combat engineer instructor with the 95th Engineering Battalion out of Fort Leonard Wood, MO.

For those who don't know, combat engineering, as one of my buddies says, is the fine art of blowing @!#$ up. 

I'll be putting in an officer package anywhere from 6 months to a year from now, so hopefully I'll make it. My civilian job is tech support for a company that produces software for special education programs in public schools.

I'm also pursuing a bachelor's degree in nuclear engineering, which I will most probably turn into a master's degree in some sort of engineering. I'll have my bachelor's in about a year or so.

Current pastimes are weightlifting, running, driving my truck, shooting some of my guns (not for sport...just for kicks, and personal protection), playing on the computers, etc. 

Edited to add: DUH! I forgot to post about my property. We purchased 4.5 acres of lakefront property from my uncle last year and got the deal of the CENTURY. Our house (an 1800 sq ft ranch style with a few outbuildings, chicken coops, and a carport) sits 500 feet from Lake Norfork - www.norfork.com - and we absolutely LOVE it here. We've currently got some chickens, and I am in the process of reinforcing and building bigger coops for more chickens. I'm also about to purchase a cow and a pig just for eatin'.


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## Teresa

I'm Teresa, we have 7 1/2 acres about 20 miles north of Madison, Wi. We have chickens, beef and an emu, Ed. I've been on my homestead for 10 years now, the past 8 with my wonderful husband (3 certainly is a charm) Danny. I have 6 kids, DS #1 is Nick, he's 24 and expecting my first grandbaby, a girl in May. DD's Jessica and Holly are 16 and 14. They live with their dad in town. None of them understand or appreciate our homesteading lifestyle, that's how I ended up with the place. He wanted to sell and I refused so after several months of living separately in the same house he finally realized I was serious and let me buy him out in the divorce. 

Danny and I had been highschool sweathearts in Arkansas and somehow we re-connected and he ended up moving up here and we've been living our happily ever after ever since. I'd worked for the same company for 17 years and we decided I could be a SAHM (the girls were still with us and quite young at the time). Well, a year after I quit my job we had triplets!! Two girls, Samantha and Shannon and a boy, Darien. They are 6 now. 

I did go back to the job after 5 years, Danny started a business with a 'good' buddy but that went very bad. He ended up getting taken very badly by his partner just this past summer. He spent the summer being Mr. Mom and did all the gardening and canning and I must say did a superb job. He now is working for my dad and has the flexibility to continue responsibility for getting the kids off to school and maintaining the place. He's working on the house in his spare time. He can fix anything. I feel so spoiled. Life is good. I don't post often, but read most every day. Don't have a computer at home, only at work. I guess that's all.


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## angelak

Hi all, 
I've been lurking here for about six months and decided it was time to post something, so I'll start here. I'm a 33 year old SAHM of 6. DD 10yrs, DD 9yrs, DS 8yrs, DS 6yrs, DS 3yrs, and DD 22mo. Been married to my best friend for 11 yrs. now. Devoted members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (aka the Mormons). We currently live in the suburbs of S.E. MI, but are planning a move to the country in about 2 yrs. DH is finishing up his MBA while working full. City ordinances don't allow us to have animals, so we're concentrating on a huge garden this summer. All the kids are anxious for the move, they want the woods, animals, and room to run. :dance: 

Angela


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## LindaT_AK

Hi. I just joined, but after reading loads of posts I've discovered that this used to be from Countryside. Now I've been getting that magazine for years and love it. If I had known about this I would have joined lots sooner. Anyways a Quick intro.
I am Linda and right now I'm living in alaska. A year and a half ago my DH and I and my son went to Maine to visit his family and ended up buying a farm in Northern Maine. Hope to move this summer. I can't wait. Anyways, Now I live on the family homestead, have been here all my life except for a couple years. I'm in my late 40's. I hate seeing what is going on around me. I garden extensively in the summer, keep many varieties of waterfowl, and chickens, turkeys, guineas and one peahen left. I've got two big dogs, three cats and a cockatoo. I homeschool my 14 YO son and have for years. I love to read, cook, bake, crochet, and play on computer.
I am interested in hearing from anyone who is from Northern Maine. 

I'm sure there is lots more I could say, but I'll leave it for now and browse around a bit more.
Linda T.


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## Guest

I'm happy that I found this board, I've been subscribing to Countryside magazine for a while now and nice to see other people that do also.

I'm a SAHM, with a 2 year old, trying to learn all I can about homesteading.
I try to do things all natural, herbal, organic food, etc. I'm in the process of helping set up a website (www.atomichawk.com) to share information that's not easily accessable, including why people really should look into the natural ways of living.

My husband and I have considered homesteading and are in the process of trying to be self-sufficient. This board seems very helpful in giving that information.


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## jehoshaphat

Hi, everyone! I am new to this forum but not to Countryside Magazine. I was a subscriber back in the late 70's & into the 80's. I then only bought it once in awhile. I got very busy with life! I am 44 yrs. old, married almost 26 yrs to my best friend, Rick. We are Christians who are & have been very involved with our home church. I have been employed by our church in the janitorial dept & child daycare. We work with our youth dept in many capacities such as workers in classrooms, chaperones for older kids & just plain dirty work! We have 2 married dd's. Their dh's are wonderful. Each dd has one child & each is expecting child #2 soon. Ist grandchild is a boy age 2 1/2 and 2nd gchild is a girl age 16 mon. We adore both of them! Of course with parents as awesome as they have, how could we not adore them? We adore our dd's! We have been waiting for most of our married life to be able to live on a small acreage but only recently have we even been able to get close to doing it. We had our current home up for sale last yr but economy wasn't good for sales in our area(other places ,too) We are looking to put it on market again, soon. We have our eye on a cute place with 5 acres, a huge barn, & couple small outbuildings. We are both very frugal. I have gained a reputation for being able to get most things free or cheap as dirt! I am the Mother Earth of my family. For years I was the joke of the family & now they come to me for advice of which I'm most generous with! I love the challenge of taking nothing or something small & turning it into something of value. Or just revealing the value it had in it all along. I gave copies of TWG as gifts & most would laugh & think it was a joke but after abit I would hear how they began to gain insight from what had once made them laugh. I have spent the past month reading all the back threads of Countryside families & Homesteaders. It was so hard to quit reading each day. I would say, just one more thread, one more post. Oh, just want to see what this one says or that one. LOL! Now, I am caught up but still can't stop after just one! Kinda like potato chips! Hope to one day share what my life is like from my little acreage! Until then I will share what I've learned urban homesteading & just being frugal. I know I am learning alot from each of your posts. Thanks for reading my bio. Hope ya'll have a great life! Patti


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## stickinthemud

Hi! Finally getting around to posting,but I've lurked since the old Countryside forum & subscribed to the magazine since about 1976. Still not in the country but have 2 acres waiting. Married my DH almost 25 years ago: DD 20, DS 18, DD will be 15 this month. Don't post much because I don't have much experience-- maybe I will actually get something done, now that I've done this!
Cindy in W PA


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## Melissa

I love reading all of your stories, please post any questions or ideas you have on the forum. It only gets better the more people post!


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## Guest

Howdy folks,

I suspect most of you know who I am already, but I can't recall whether or not I've posted in Countryside Families before or not so I thought I'd be polite and give an intro.

I'm Alan Hagan and I live in North/Central Florida. The wife and I finally bought our own place several years ago which we call DunHagan, which is more or less Gaelic for "Hagan's Hill." Nine acres of what can be charitably described as sandy loam, but it's ours. Got more projects than I have time for, but it keeps me happy - unless I'm cussing in frustration or something.  

No livestock at the moment, but I've had poultry in the past and will have more in the future. One child - my four year old daughter - and more to come in the future - someday.

Looks like it's going to be a good weather weekend so I'll spend it outside planting and mulching. Hope everyone has a good weekend as well.

.....Alan.


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## anOldTroll

sorry I am late about posting a bit about myself... I wanted to test the waters and get to know people before telling more about myself. As you probably read from some of my posts, I live in North Central Iowa, I am married with 2 kids... a son who is 12 and in the 6th grade, and a daughter who is 9 and is a 4th grader. I raise chickens, rabbits and the nicest patch of foxtails you'd ever fence in ...j/k.... its my garden and every year without fail when it gets hot, it turns to a patch of foxtails.The kids are first year 4H members so alot of what we do is centered on their projects.
thanks for letting me be a part of this board


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## mightybooboo

Hi! Wife and I late 40's,RNs who work weekends only.Live in a small cabin in Socal [email protected] dogs and a cat,kids raised and gone.Moving soon to Idaho and buying some property to build earthship on and become self sufficient for our retirement years.Also have 2 solar panels towards my homegrown electricity  !Look forward to going offgrid real soon and living in our old motorhme while we search out our new lives.
BooBoo


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## Guest

Greetings to all new friends on the forum! I am so excited to have the opportunity to chat with like minded people about dreams and the country way of life. I am a city woman (not by choice) with a country heart. Finances leaves me here, so I make the best of it right now. I have five wonderful children, two grown and on their own and two grandchildren. I garden, tend our chickens, rabbits, dogs, cats, birds and keep up with my three boys. I have been homeschooling my one middle son due to a learning disability. I am a believer in homeschooling, because of opposing views with the children's father, I am unable to homeschool the other two right now, they go to a private Christian School. I have many questions on all aspects of country life, especially about gardening, home canning and what makes things work in your world. Sincerely, Lorikay


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## Bret F

Hi. I'm Bret F. I've been lurking (too long) and really enjoying the subjects in these forums, and feel great respect for the members.

I am 44 starting my family kind of late. My daughter Grace will be 3 in June, and my son Brandon will be 1 this month. My wife is a stay at home mother with the harder job of the two of us.

I look forward to being a part of the forum.


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## Melissa

Welcome to all the new members. Please feel free to join in and ask questions. We all learn so much when new people join. I think it is invigorating to the entire forum.


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## MoCrafter

Hi everyone. I have been a lurker for a long time. I finally decided to join the crowd. I love this forum. I have been married for almost 27 years and have 5 children and 1 grandson. We live in Missouri on 5 acres. We raise a large garden. I can, freeze, and dehydrate everything I can get my hands on. I love to quilt, crochet, sew, read, garden, can, and do counted cross-stitch. I guess you could say I am a babe in Christ, but I'm growing more each day. I could use all the encouragement anyone has available.


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## Meg Z

Hi,

I only lurker for about a week before I jumped in here. I love this place!

I'm 45, married 23 years (to the same guy). My daughter is 21, with an Anthropology degree from UGA, and heading off to the Peace Corps. My son is 18, in college, studying auto mechanics and Herpetology (indecisive, isn't he?) I'm back in school, working on Environmental Biology and Botany degrees. Hubby is military, 26 years in, and waiting for me to finish my Masters before he gets out.

We bought our 5.5 acres last August, and have been trying to get it up and running. First goal is to raise as much of our own food as possible. Second goal is to have surplus to sell. We've already met the first goal on the chickens, and we've got a waiting list for people who want free-range eggs as soon as the main flock is laying. Woo-hoo! Rabbits (angora) are next in line, then goats and baby beef, pigeons and turkeys. The garden is being set up, too, and fruits are going in. The place had plum, apple, pear and pecan on it. We're adding every edible thing we can find that will grow here.

I was raised in the country, but hubby is a city boy. We've been planning this for 23 years, though, so he's ready to go, and scarily enough...does what I tell him. I need to be right!

Nice to meet you all,
Meg


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## havenberryfarm

Meg Z,
Nice to meet you! As you mentioned earlier today on a different post, we sound a lot alike. My husband is not in the military, tho. Thank yours for me and mine. Sacrifices like yours keep us all safe and well! 
I am 33, married 13 years in August. We have 5 kids, 8, 7, 6, 6, and 5. They keep me pretty busy, but I am taking some time off this year and sending them off to school instead of homeschooling. I will still supplement my daughter on her off-days from Kindergarten, but that will be a breeze compared to schooling 5. 
We just moved to our homestead this spring, but have owned the 14 acres since May of 2002. We planted a small orchard of a variety of fruit trees and about 400 bush cherries. We also planted some blueberries, but I think I accidently mowed them down with the weeds this spring.  We bought our first 5 chickens and are due for 26 more in a week and a half. Next year I want to go for either goats or sheep. Both would be nice, but we don't want to stretch the budget too much. I like to garden, both vegies and easy-care flowers. I can pickles, salsa, tomato sauce, and apple sauce in the fall. This year I hope to freeze sweet corn and beans too. Zucchini make excellent pickles, BTW. As soon as we have enough fruit I will be making jam, jelly, fruit juice and pies. 

It sounds like you are like me in another way too. You sound very busy. If you are like me you will work yourself silly and then burnout, but keep on going anyway until you drop or lose your mind.  Oh well. Keep that sense of humor and you will get through it OK. 
It was really good to meet you. With so much in common on our little homesteads, we are sure to chat in the future.


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## mtmama

Hello!
I have also been lurking for quite awhile. I am a 38 year old stay at home mom of 2. dd Kelly is 11 and ds is 15. I have been married to the love of my life for almost 19 years. I keep busy taking care of our home, kids, husband, and acre of ground. We live just outside of a small town in NW Montana. We walk and bike all over town, and its a wonderful place to raise kids (I was raised here), but its hard to shop smart when we only have one grocery store! next town has 3 but have to make sure its worth the trip. price of gas is $1.99 per gallon here. I grow a large garden every year and can all I can from it and the surrounding forest and lakes. 
I am sure looking forward to getting to know you all!


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## primal1

Hello fello homesteader's

In my blood or new at this? I saw this question posted somewhere in these forums so i'll just answer here....
Well I think both are true, it's what i've always wanted and for the second time I now have it... and it feels so right!
First time was under rather difficult circumstances, so here are the good parts 10 acres, 25 sheep, 4 Arabians, 20 ducks, 15 chickens, 2 Guinea fowl(highly recommended as alarm systems), 2 Vietnamese pot bellies and 3 dogs.

I now have three acres with a small river that runs across the north/west side of my triangular prorerty. Any suggestions on river bank preservation are most welcome!! In the spring this little river turns into a raging force with tons and tones of run off from the Adirondack's, taking with it small portions of my land. So far I've planted some willows and am working on cultivating some of the better plants to strenthen their hold on the banks. Most damage occures at the most western point where the land meets the southern edge(which is roadside). The east side of my land borders 10 acres that is part of 100 acre farm, the other 90 acres is on the north side of the river, i've tried to buy the 10 acres but the owner doesn't want to sell or even rent.

I'm in zone 5b right on the edge of a flood zone, infact about 1 acre of my land is submerged by the river for a few days every spring. Slowly I'm starting to build that acre up, i am going slowly because of the amount of wild vegitation that I don't want to lose, like wild roses, fiddle head patch, stinging nettle patch, wild grape vines, hawthorns, birch trees(for sap) and a bunch of maple trees also for sap. Most of these I am now cultivating as organic medicinal and edible plants(I am not certified organic yet but it is in the plan). I am also actively pursuing lisencing to cultivate medicinal marijuana which I hope to grow on this portion of land.... GO CANADA!! lol

The downside of all this is that the land is not mine perse, I hold a ten year lease and a verbal agreement of the option to buy when the lease expires, however the landlord has since changed their mind about that due to her ignorance of marijuana as a valid natural medicine... I guess i'll be fighting this when the time comes LOL.

I'm about to build a shed... some of you may like to check into this method of construction, it's cheap! straw bales.. here's a link that shows the shed i'm building http://www.imagegypsy.com/sbvaultw.htm
and also a link to another straw bale site that has plans available http://www.balewatch.com/
If the shed goes well, next will be a garage for the car and if that goes well a second house will follow... I love my brother dearly but.... lol. We have been working together for a number of years now and things are just starting to look up YAY!!!!!

I have 4 very healthy dogs, they have about an acre fenced. I'm thinking of getting a few sheep(which may help preserve the river bank) and provide me with excellent fertilizer, maybe some ducks(but the river is full of snaping turtles so not sure if the ducks would be into that lol.

Hmmm, well there ya have it aside from a few hobbies like weaving(on my 1840 original loom that was brought over by a french nun in the day) which I am setting up for making 100% hemp rugs and thick blankets, my computers, cooking/baking and jaring/canning all the goods i'm growing of which my favorites are rose petal jelly, the hottest horseradish ever and lots of cabbages to make some fine saurecroute that even ma and grandma both from Germany liked... but this year grandma will show me the traditional german way that she learned when she was a little girl some 80 years ago! 
I have no kids yet, though I have talked about it with some female friends but I won't make plans until I have a good stable lover/bf or maybe even husband..... oh my mom would just love that LOLOLOL.

Looking forward to helping/learning with you all
Primal
AKA Ken
Quebec/Malone NY border area


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## danemom

Hello! I hope I am posting this in the right spot. I am Susie, and I live in Polk County Florida. I am happily married for almost 15 years, with 2 wonderful children, a girl 14 and a boy 10. I have spent weeks lurking on this site and have found that I love it here. I have learned so much already. I was raised in Polk County and moved away to southwest Virginia for about 6 years. We rented an old farm house with approx 250 acres. I loved it there. Circumstances brought us back to Florida, and I have been dreaming of going back. As I type my husband and kids are in Virginia visiting. We found a small 3 bedroom house with 9 acres for almost nothing. It has a spring on the property, a spring house, another building that I guess they used to cook in,it has a screened porch built on it with a beautiful old wood cookstove in it. The room of the house are not finished, it looks like they started each room with drywall, and then never completed it. It won't take much to fix it we can do it a little at a time. My husband will be meeting with the realtor to make an offer. Keep your fingers crossed!  
I work as an Animal Control Officer here in the county, we just found out that the sherriffs dept will be taking us over, and we will be dealing with large animals as well. 
I have 3 dogs (Great Dane, Coonhound, and a deaf Australian Shepherd), 3 cats,2 ducks and 7 chickens. I constantly have a least one foster dog here too, usually they are too young to be adopted and are in need of bottle feeding.
I enjoy gardening, and general puttering aroung the yard. Anything to get me outside. I make my own laundry soap, and will soon be attempting bar soap (just haven't got my nerve up yet) I love to cook, read, and sew when I can find the time. 
I enjoy doing things that seem out of the ordinary for most people today, my friends at work are astounded that I make laundry soap. Why not just buy it? It is hard for me to explain to them why I won't buy it. I think I was born a century too late. It just seems silly to me, everyone running around trying their best to always "have more" or have something because so an so has it. 
Anyway.... looks like I am rambling so I'll just say. Its great to be here! Looking forward to talking with everyone!
Susie


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## Melissa

Welcome to all the new posters! We look forward to hearing more from all of you.


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## Guest

Hi there! I'm here typing with my sleeping baby in my lap, so my thoughts and fingers might not cooperate too well here...  My name is Renee Houston; I found this message board just a few days ago and I've been loving reading around here. there's LOTS to read! LOL! Here's a little about us...

I've been married to my dh, Tony, for almost 15 years (anniv. is next month). We have 8 wonderful children; 4 boys and 4 girls. Our oldest will be 14 next month and the baby will be 1 in September. We currently live in the city but are dreaming of moving to the country- perhaps soon! We live in the gorgeous Ozark mountains of Northwest Arkansas. We love this area (dh grew up here; I'm a transplant who grew up in the swamplands of southern Louisiana- talk about *big mosquitoes!). :yeeha: yee-haa!  

We homeschool and home church. My dh is kinda-sorta self employed (when they're work to be done), but mostly he is a minister with no church. It's been a wild ride over the years, but we've gotten to see the Lord provide in soooooooooo many ways I lost count! 

I'd love to write more, but the baby woke up so I need to go now. Note though- if I ever post without using capitals (I call it my "shift-less typing"), it's because I'm holding her.... she also often tries to "help" me type, hee hee hee! :haha: 

I'm so glad to "meet" y'all and hope I can become a profitable member here on this board! Looks like y'all are doing a wonderful job here! 

in Him,
Renee Houston
aka Timedess
www.homeschoolinkwell.com


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## Melissa

Welcome to the forum Renee. Sounds like you have your hands full (LOL) but I hope we get the chance to know you better soon. You will fit right in here and I am sure you have a lot of great ideas to share.


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## Guest

Melissa said:


> Welcome to the forum Renee. Sounds like you have your hands full (LOL) but I hope we get the chance to know you better soon. You will fit right in here and I am sure you have a lot of great ideas to share.


 Thank you, Melissa. Right now, we're still trying to decide when we're going to butcher two of the four cockerels that were supposed to be pullets (among the 16 chickens in our backyard... ssshhhh! :haha: ) We want to keep the Rhode Island Red and Black Austrolorp cockerels- the White Leghorns will go into the stewpot sometime soon. I'm amazed at just how much personality chickens can show... "chicken-ality"? "Poultr-ality"? ROFL! :haha: 

I may not post much but I'm here reading!  

in Him,
Renee Houston
aka Timedess
www.homeschoolinkwell.com


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## Melissa

I call it "chick TV" and it sure beats regular TV by a mile or two!


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## Cathy N.

I just today realized that this thread was not just about rules!!! I consider myself to be one of the charter members on this forum, and had just skipped past this thread to the "good" stuff. I had no idea there were so many different people on here. 

I am 38 years old, married for almost 18 years to Tom, who is 48. We have 8 children: Nathanael, 16; Josiah, 14; Sarah, 12; Elijah, 10; Benjamin, 8; Abigail, 5; Elizabeth, 22 months; John, 5 days. We live in a rented farmhouse on an acre of land in eastern Ontario, about an hour southeast of Ottawa, near the St. Lawrence River. Tom is the pastor of a small Baptist church in Cornwall. I am a stay-at-home mom with plenty to do. We homeschool, and always have, though we have twice considered private school.

We are currently homestead hunting. We would like at least 10 acres of land and would like to eventually have at least chickens, rabbits and 2-3 cows. Horses, pigs, ducks, and sheep have also been mentioned, but that will take a while. Currently chickens and rabbits are all the landlord will tolerate. We have 30 hens, 1 rooster, 3 rabbits, 3 cats, and 11 kittens. The kittens and one cat are leaving us soon, and the other two cats are taking turns getting shots and getting fixed.

I am not sure what else to put here except that we hope to find our homestead soon, so that we can stay put for a while. We have moved so much since our wedding that I'm ready to stop. We went from the Atlanta, GA, area, to northeast Ohio, to South Texas (south of San Antonio), to northern New York state, to Ontario, having had a total of 10 "permanent" addresses. From birth to marriage, I had lived in Pennsylvania, New York, Maine, Tennessee, and Indiana, with a total of 8 "permanent" addresses. The next time we move I hope it's for good, but I have learned not to plan on that! (New York state was supposed to be "for good".)

One other thing: I have just this summer added a writing children's literature course to my list of things to do. I enrolled in May, hoping to brush up on my writing skills in order to add a little to the family income.

Likes: any handcraft--knitting, quilting, crocheting, x-stitch, etc., but haven't learned to tat or make lace. (Lace is not a needed commodity here.) Also reading, writing, hiking, camping. Would like to learn to canoe and get better at fishing. Would like to learn how to raise, care for, and drive a team of oxen (technologically minded son thinks I'm nuts on that one). Would like to learn to grow, harvest, and use medicinal herbs, and would like to someday be a midwife.

Dislikes: mosquitoes

Claim to fame: have met Melissa in the flesh :haha:


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## Melissa

OH gosh.... I think your claim to fame is being such a great Mom, wife and all around wonderful person!!! Truly I have never known someone that I think so much alike. It is like the other half of my brain is out there walking around somewhere!


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## ASM

I'm sooo glad to be here. I just want to first say thank you to Chuck for taking the time to fix problems I was having getting here. 
Dh and I have been married for 14 years next month. I'll be 42 in September and are expecting our eighth child in October. We have always homeschooled our children and consider that an incredible blessing.
We moved from Massachusetts to Northern Maine just this past November. The Lord worked it out for us to sell our home and buy this small 17 acre farm in a town of about 1,200. We have a stream, pond, fields and some woods on the property. We have enjoyed seeing moose, deer, rabbits, a bear, lots of birds, snakes, woodchucks, and beavers. Oh we are soooooo loving it here. 
Our goal is to work on at least one thing every year. We've got lots to do in and around the house but we are looking to become more independent every year. This year we have a garden that the Lord has been making fruitful. I'm wanting very much to learn about using herbs for medicinal purposes and we put in a small herb garden which is doing well as well. We have raspberries, choke cherries, four apple trees, wild strawberries. Next year we hope to add chickens.
As a family we enjoy history and going to museums, taking walks, being involved in ministry. 
I look forward to getting to know you folks,
Annette


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## CarlaWVgal

I guess I should intro myself since I've already started posting on a couple of the boards here. My name is Carla, I have been married to Jim for 8 years, we have 4 children, 7yo Primo, 6yo Giovanna, 4yo Angelo and 2yo Carmen. We are expecting a new baby boy in Nov, but he will probably be born in Oct, as all of my children have been premature. We live in Morgan Co WV, in the eastern panhandle and own about 9.5 acres. My parents live with us as my mother has MS and my father has advanced heart disease, his health has been declining quickly over the last year, but I think he has more lives than a cat 

We have only lived here for 2 years, the first was spent remodeling and repairing the house, not that we are done....but will probably never be anyway. Last year our garden flooded and went to waste, but this year has been much better. We have 17 chickens, all hens now since our roosters were attacking my children when we went to feed them. A pet rabbit, guinea pig, 3 cats and one dog finish up the family. We hope to get our pasture fenced in this fall so we can get livestock for next year. As soon as the fence is up we will plant some fruit trees along the edge. I am going to try canning this year, and I actually successfully made jelly for the first time this summer, a big accomplishment for me, who can burn water 

I don't have too many hobbies, the kids keep me busy and Jim drives a truck, so all the daily household stuff falls on me. I do love to read when I get a minute to sit down. And anything that has to do with gardening, I don't care if it's digging, weeding or cutting up trees, as long as i get dirty! I don't think of myself as a "homesteader" I just want to live simply, find cheaper ways of feeding my family, and hopefully teach them about my love of nature. DH's goal is to "one day...." own a farm and not have to work for someone else. I think he just wants a reason to buy farm equipment  But so far this is making both of us happy.


Carla


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## Lancelotacres

Hello! What a wonderful board, I am so happy to have found it! I've been lurking around a bit, and posting here and there...I've only just found this intro area! Here is a little about me...

My name is Lisa, I'm 30, married to Lance for nearly 5 years, mommy to Lilli (3 years). We live on 9+ acres in Southwest Michigan. We've lived here since we married, and have always had a few pet chickens, but recently started to move toward raising most, if not all, of our own food. I am hoping to homeschool, and have almost convinced my husband that it's a good idea. He's worried about her getting into a good college when that time comes.

We've been going gradual as far as 'homesteading' and 'self-reliance' goes. We do have 4 pigs that we are raising (3 are for family members, one is for us), and I am raising 48 fryer chickens (most are sold to family already). We have several 'pet' chickens....2 roosters, 11 pullets (due to start laying in October), 5 laying hens, and 11 guineas (only 2 months old). We also have two Nubian doe kids coming our way in another week (woohoo!).

We are hoping to raise a few cows starting later this year, or early next. The in-laws have mentioned that they would help us pay for our fencing (what a blessing!!!) if we raise one for them and just split feed costs. (WOOHOO!)

I currently stay home with our daughter, but I may take a part-time job soon to help with paying off debt. We aren't in dire straights, but we owe more than we'd like. I'd like to get down to just our mortgage (paying off our home equity loan and other small bills) in the next year or two. At that time I hope to be homeschooling regularly. (Right now we just work on our numbers /letters/ colors).

I have always canned tomatoes, last year I did over 100 quarts and we still ran out! This year I plan to can tomatoes, and spaghetti sauce, maybe chili and salsa. We eat a lot of chili and ghoulash in the winter months.

I also just made jam for the first time ever! It turned out really good (I was so impressed)...I plan to give homemade gift baskets this year for Christmas..with a jar of jam, a jar of premade cookie mix (only dry ingredients), a jar of premade soup mix (again, only dry ingredients), and some homemade soap.

My hobbies include spending time with family, caring for critters (it's a good thing I enjoy that...LOL), gardening, cooking/canning, kayaking, reading, camping, fishing and just relaxing on the porch swing watching the chickens. Oh, and reading this board! I love to read about others with similar interests!

I can't wait to get to know everybody!

Hugs,
Lisa


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## Sandhills

Hi, 
I didn't realize I needed to introduce myself. I guess that will teach me to look at the top of the boards a little closer.
I'm soon to turn 40. I have a wonderful DH and 5 children ages almost 7 to 16.
Our children are homeschooled and always have been. 
We have a few holstein heifers, an angus cross heifer, 3 alpine dairy goat does, a whole mess of chickens, a couple dogs and several farm cats, a spoiled indoor cat that my dd raised from a day old and the sweetest little holland lop rabbit who also is kept indoors. Oh yeah! A half dozen guinnea keets that are half grown. 
I recently found the Countryside magazine on the magazine rack at the store and had to promtly order it. Wow! talk about a magazine that fits our lifestyle. I found this board through the magazine and was so thrilled to find so many other folks like me. I also see a few other familiar names from other boards I've visited in the past. 
I look forward to visiting with you.

Sandhills


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## Melissa

Welcome to all the new posters! We look forward to getting to know you better. Feel free to jump right in with your questions, comments and suggestions.


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## Inkwell82

Hello! I was just invited to this community this afternoon by Barb and from all I have read it is quite a friendly place to join... so I didn't hesitate!... and here I am. 

I am a happy, enthusiastic and optimistic young man (30) who is full of hope and expectation of LIFE. 

Everyday is a joy, every day is an opportunity to see the impossible accomplished and every day is a blessing that is greatly treasured. There is so much that I have to be thankful for.

I was fortunate to have a childhood that I look back on with great fondness. It was always filled with meaning and a sense of purpose and thus I was never plagued by a feeling of boredom. 

Additionally, I was privileged to be raised in an environment that stressed high moral standards.

I have lived pretty much all my life in the "country" and have really loved it. My family was apt to move around a lot before we settled here in Texas so I was treated to a variety of climates and topographies. Planting, landscaping, and gardening were very often an big part of our lives. We lived from the hot dry climates of the Nevada desert, to the oppressive humidity of the Houston area, to the arid and temperate lower mountains of California.

Presently I am very happy in the job profession I have entered into full time. While I have quite a number of interests and projects going, right now one of my primary job professions is as Construction Task Coordinator. 

Construction work of the "Fine Home Building" quality has fortunately been a very big part of my family's life. As such, I have learned and continue to be trained in a great number of job professions. I love my work - the variety can be endless! When the occasion demands it, I have been an electrician, a plumber, sanitation engineer, cabinet builder, painter, welder, framer, roofer, foundation engineer/layer, landscaper and host of other such construction-oriented tasks. I have had (and continue to have) a great deal of fun in each of these tasks, so much so that it's hard for me to pull myself away from any one of them.

Well, I could go on for a while but I think this covers many of the high spots of "my life". If I get too detailed I will end up having a biography posted here! I had better stop while this page is still short enough to keep the reader's interest. 

Oh yes, one more thing, I am a very strong supporter of a firm and unyielding stand against evil. 

It's a real pleasure to meet all of you in this topic area!


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## bornanew

Hello from east central Minnesota. I'm Renee, married to my beloved for 15 years this September. Homeschooling mom to Shayne 10.5 and Gunnar 8.
Both DH and I grew up on farms and met each other in High school. We married 
several years later after he attended college and discovered not all women enjoyed hunting and fishing . 
Our first home was in a small town near where we grew up. It was a 1920's VA reposessed house that was in desperate need of updating and remodeling, which took ten years, since we paid as we went and our 2 ds arrived in the 
middle of the project. While there we gardened and learned the basics of canning and carpentry. 
Three years ago we bought property 45 miles north of that home. It's 10 acres
1/2 wooded and 1/2 field. It sits just west of the Minnesota/ Wisconsin border there are 2 rivers and a state forest in close proximity of our home. We built the house ourselves with the help of family and friends and a few subcontractors for the things we couldn't do ourselves,and a 30' by 40' pole barn. We moved in that Christmas.
We have 2 dogs (golden retreivers), 3 cats (2 barn), one fish. I'm looking forward to adding chickens soon, but that may have to wait until spring. We have a large garden though this year we didn't do to some changing circumstances. I have a flourishing strawberry patch, I will never buy store bought again. I would also like to put in fruit trees and bushes, although a zone 3 climate makes it difficult with some varieties.
As a family we hunt fish and trap. Also being Scout leaders we spend plenty of time outdoors camping and canoeing. For myself, I enjoy reading, sewing, gardening, and earning my 4 year degree through distance learning , and teaching a women's bible study. My dh works doing shipping and receiving for a skin care company in the twin cities.
I'm so happy to find a forum of like minded people, I've often thought that I never quite fit in with regular people I so look forward to getting to know you all.
By the way Born Anew is the meaning of Renee and also reflects my faith in Christ.


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## tknoppe

Hello!
I visited the forum a few weeks ago and am just now getting around to posting. I'm married to my wonderful hubby Mark and mom to 6 blessings. (only 4 still home and one of those is getting married in November) We are a Christian homeschooling family and have our house on the market and are in the process of moving to our farm! It will be called Green Gables Farm, as the house looks very much like the house in Anne of Green Gables. It was built in 1907 and completely rehabbed in 1999-2000. New everything!! It sits on 6.7 acres and Gerald, Missouri. We're chomping at the bit to get this house sold so we can move.  

My hubby is the knowledgable one regarding farm animals, but I do make cold-process soaps and various toiletries, sew and am generally crafty in those type areas. We plan to have chickens, guineas and most likely goats for milk. We're also considering worm farming for the compost. Not sure what else we'll have. There are no barns on the farm, so we'll have to build all that first. I love dogs and we have four currently: 3 Golden Retrievers and a Shih Tzu. I volunteer for a Golden Retriever rescue, so will have foster dogs as well. 

I look forward to getting to know everyone. I'm sure I'll have more questions after we get moved.  

Traci in MO


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## Leah IL

Hi! I am Leah, married to Ken for 10 years and mom to 4 beautiful children. My husband and I got saved almost 3 years ago and since then have been simplifying our lives and getting back to the basics. I quit my job and had another baby and we started homeschooling. We have been buying most of our food from a farmers co-op, and I make our baked goods from scratch and have a nice garden in our small suburban backyard. But now we are about to embark on our greatest adventure yet- we are closing on our 5 acre farm in one week! We are sooooo excited to get there and start discovering new things! The bad part has been all the red tape and aggravations associated with listing and selling our house- what a pain! Our deal almost fell through about a hundred times...but God is good, and it looks as though His plan is for us to live in the country after all  It should be pretty interesting for us as my husband is a city boy and I have always lived in the suburbs. We are truly starting from scratch here, so I really look forward to being able to ask a lot of dumb questions and to use the archives on this board as a resource. I look forward to getting to know everyone 

In Jesus,
Leah


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## happycat

I just realized that this thread was here! Earlier this year when I registered I posted a little about myself in a seperate thread. I haven't posted anything in a few months, but I have been reading as much as I can. 

I'm 38 years old, married for 14 years and we have an 11 year old son. Last year we moved to this small town in Central Washington (used to live in Redmond, east of Seattle) and hope to buy a few acres within a couple years. I was working at home until March, but now I work a few days a week for a small company, as their bookeeper. My dh works a lot of hours and has a very, very long daily commute. I try to manage everything else around the house. 

We have 4 dogs, 1 cat (our other cat just died this morning :waa: ) and 2 horses that we board. Ds is in 4-H with his horse, and I just started taking riding lessons myself. 

We all desire the simple life, away from the city and crowds. I'm looking forward to participating more on this board.


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## michelleIL

My name is of course, Michelle. I have been reading the "old" archives for about a week or two and have been absolutely fascinated about the aspects of homesteading. I am excited to be able to try making soap for the first time real soon. I stumbled across the site looking for ways of living cheaply, since I am in college and on an extremely tight budget. I am single, so I don't even have the luxury of a breadwinner. That stinks, but I'm still fat, so I guess I'm not doing too shabby.
I have so enjoyed reading the old posts from a couple years back, so I know I've got some reading to do now!
I hope to get to know you all much better in the coming weeks!
Happy Homesteading!
Michelle


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## Ravenlost

Having just found this thread I guess it's my turn to share my story. Please overlook typos, etc. as I had Carpal Tunnel Surgery last Thursday and am typing one-handed (and it's not my dominant hand!).

Hmmm...turned 45 this summer. Have a 22-year-old son who is staying with us temporarily and a 21-year-old daughter who just got married this May. I grew up on a 56 acre farm in north Alabama, married at 17, divorced at 24 with a one-year-old and a two-year-old. Put myself through college and then worked hard to provide for the kids. 

Met my current hubby six years ago in an online chatroom. We've been together ever since. I moved to TX to live with him. He's an Air Traffic Controller and I'm RULER OF THE HOUSE. LOL...don't tell my cat Grendel as she thinks that's her job! Hubby had never been married and has no kids. 

Hubby had horses that he boarded in LA near his sister and he had a desire to find property so we could have the horses with us. Unfortunately, it's hard to find farms in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area that is affordable. When my Dad was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer two years ago we decided to look in the Memphis area. It would put us closer to my parents and was a place hubby could transfer to with little problem and minimal pay cuts.

We got lucky! We were looking for about 30-40 acres, but found 96 PERFECT acres and bought it two years ago this May. It was blank...no fences, no barn, no house, no power, no water lines, zilch. We just moved into the new house March 1, 2004 and had to prepare for daughter's wedding on May 1, 2004. Then on May 4 hubby had back surgery for a ruptured disk. 

Anyway, we're finally where we'll be until our last day on this earth. It's going to be a fun experience. Hubby is no farm boy...he's an Air Force brat. But I am determined that, despite his lack of knowledge and my physical limitations (I have Fibromyalgia, arthritis, Rosacea and am awaiting tests for Lupus) we'll make this place a beautiful farm with organic gardens, chickens (I have one), geese, ducks, horses (we have five now), cattle, dogs (we have three), cats (we have four) and hopefully grandkids!!

To learn more about me and see the farm just go to www.funtigo.com/ravenlost as I have typed all I can!


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## CindyOR

Hi all - 
I have been lurking at this site also, trying to catch up on the posts. There are so many I think I will be reading forever! I completely missed this area until today. I feel I am getting to know the type of people who hang out here, and seem to have things in common with many who have posted.

I am 48 yrs old, have been married to the same man for 29 yrs. We have two kids, one daughter 24 yrs, one son 22 yrs. Both are out on their own, one finishing his engineering degree and one finished with university and working on the east coast as a wildlife educator. She had all her belongings disappear in Hurricane Gaston as 10' of water came through her new apartment. So she is rebuilding her life. It's tough when your kids move far away and then have something bad happen to them. That is when we miss each other the most. We stay in pretty close touch no matter where they are, but we raised them to be independant and we did a good job obviously.

We own almost 20 acres in Oregon, up on a mountain, with a view that just doesn't end. We both love it here. We moved from town 8 years ago, starting from scratch with the 20 acres owned free & clear and put a triple wide on it. We've built a shop, a barn, a chicken house, garden area and landscaping. There is always some project to work on. 

Ours is a working farm. We own reindeer, which we use for display and educational purposes, and also guinea fowl. We sell the guinea feathers and keets. We have chickens for our own use, and three cats and a dog.

I also own a business I run each day in town, and my husband is a mechanic on 18 wheelers. So we keep pretty busy. Vacations are few and far between, mostly sandwiched in between speaking engagements or work related conventions. Honesty, we like it here up in the mountains so much we don't mind not going too far.

I also volunteer for an organization (am a Board member and chairperson of the parent committee) called Ribbon of Promise whose national office is in my town. This is an organization that started after the school shooting here at Thurston High School. Both my kids attended THS, so it had and has personal meaning to me to get school violence under control. This covers bullying and everything else to do with school violence from attitude to weapons. Our group consolidates information from the government and private agencies and makes it understandable and accessible to parents and students. I moderate a couple of sites also for bullying - one for people working as counselors and teachers, the other for parents.

I moved to the states from Canada years ago. I became a US citizen just a few years ago. My husband is a homebody from this area, but I've move around quite a bit in my younger years. I love the area I am in now - excellent weather patterns and not too much traffic or many people.

We're getting into gardening more. Our garden was pretty pathetic this year - everything kept dying from some kind of fungus. So far I've only managed to get enough beets to pickle about 10 quarts, and now we have tomatoes, raspberries, beans and pumpkins. If it doesn't die from some disease, it seems the deer eat it. Every area for growing is surrounded by lavender - the deer seem to avoid those areas. But every once in a while they will break through and clean everything out. They got one of my pumpkin plants, the green peppers, the watermelon and one tomato plant last week and I am just going to dig it over and let that area go for this year.

Overall, we try to eat healthy - organic and simply and live a simple and healthy lifestyle. We only have one TV channel to keep up on the news (only works if we have pretty clear weather) and are not into high tech stuff too much at home. Our farm is our mental health retreat. We can't even imagine living in town ever again.

We are the last state to get West Nile Virus, and it has finally arrived in Oregon. That worries me, as reindeer will die most of the time if bitten and affected. There seem to be after effects from the innoculation, so I was hoping that we would not have to go there, but we're playing russian roulette now. We'll have to keep our fingers crossed and hope for an early freeze before it crosses the mountain this year. We encourage our guineas to eat more bugs - especially the mesquitos

So that is it about us. We're really pretty simple people with our fingers in many pies as most people here seem to be.

Cindy from Oregon


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## onyxblue

Oops, I still need to do this! "onyxblue" is an old nickname that I've used for years on the internet because I'm paranoid about using my real name.  Happily married for seven years come December to "Ned Ludd" (he's more of a lurker), with two little monkeys, she's 6, he's 4. My sister recently promised me a copy of _The Seven Year Itch_ for our anniversary, but my husband says I don't need to worry about it. 

We are currently living in (a very small) town, but we hope to be able to sell this house someday soon and move out into the country, so we can really homestead. Either that or start a bookstore. It's a hard choice.

I almost forgot the cat. Wolfgang, named after Mozart, which was a really bad idea. Have you seen _Amadeus_? That's the way he acts, even now that he's an old man of almost 12. Maybe I should have named him Johann, after Bach. He's fixed, so I wouldn't have to worry about the 21 children.


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## romancemelisa

i also, must apologise for not introducing myself. my name is lisa s. i am married, after being a single parent for 18 years, i was made a single parent by being made widow. it took 18 yrs. for someone to find me, i stopped looking after about 16 years, they say that is when it happens, i'm a slow learner, i guess. jerry, my husband and i have been married for 6 years and we have a 5 year old, and i have a 11yr. old and a 23 yr. old all boys, jerry has two children grown and i still have not met them, one in wa. and the other in n. carolina. 

Jerry is a piping designer, he designs off-shore oil rigs. the job market is slow for him now, so we sre down-sizing and starting our homestead a little late in life. we are both very excited about it. i have been wanting chickens for years now, but, we can't have them in town, we plan on also having a couple of goats, and a milking cow, jerry wants to raise rabbits, and i would like to have a pig also.

i have a degree in hotel and restuarant management, though i have not worked in the hospitality industry since we met, i 'am a life guard got that at 39, (told you i was slow) started my red cross training at age 6 as a polly wog, had my jr. lifeguard cert. at age 15,and finally finished years later. I worked for home depot for a year and i have certified nursery consultant through them. i love gardening.

our homestead will be in s.e. texas on family land, most of the work i will do myself with help from my 23 year old, and g-kids. jerry will be staying in m.s. to work and commute home on the weekends. he is a very hard worker and does what ever he can for us, they broke the mold after him, you will see me bragging alot about him, i just feel so lucky he found me, so just bare with me.

i really love this site and already spend way to much time on it, well i have to go pick everyone up from school and work. (only one car now) told you we were down-sizing, and the kids go to a private christain school, so no bus, i will not skrimp on there education. it is the most important thing in life.


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## kevieb

hi all, i have been lurking around for awhile. i am a mom to 9, and a stepmom to 2. our kids are 30, 27, 21, 19, 15, 13, 13, 9, 6, 5, 1. we have a 4 month old grandson also. i have been fascinated with homesteading-type things. i gave a speech on it once in high school--i wonder if anyone thought it was a weird topic for a teenager?! i have been so busy with my kids and some health problems the last few years i have kind of forgotten the things i used to want to do. i love that so many of the people on this forum are in similar stages of their lives. i am 41 and my dh is 48. i am also happy to see that there are other people out there with alot of kids and that other people had children when they were "older". i like to consider my last little girl my "bonus" baby. over the years i have had chickens, turkeys,goats, dogs, and cats. curently we only have cats and a parakeet. my dh is not really "in" to gardening and animals, so if i get back into this---it's me and the kids. 

over the years my interests have been gardening, canning, sewing, crocheting. i would like to learn to make cheese and soap. buried out in my garage is a cream separater i bought years ago for the day when i get a milking goat again.
maybe being on here will help me to remember all those old dreams i used to have.
christine


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## jst_country

Hello I registered a couple weeks ago. So I thought I would finally get around to telling a little about me. Divorced 36 yrs. old Male. Living in Lexington Ky.
Looking forward to buying some land in the country and setting up a little 
homestead for myself. Love this site alot of good reading and friendly people 
here. Talk to you all later.

jst_country


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## paulat333

Hi, I found this board a few weeks ago and have been avidly lurking, so I figured I should introduce myself. I'm Paula, 35 yo this month, married 10 years to Al. We have two kids, an 8yo boy and an 8 month old girl. It's been tough adjusting to having a baby again after so much time. I think it's even tougher than the first time when I didn't know anything at all. This time I keep feeling like I'm forgetting something.

Anyway, we live in a small city in northeast Massachusetts, right near the New Hampshire border. We live on a fairly main road, but there are not houses behind us, since there's a large park there and woods beyond that. So, with our garage on one side and the trees and shrubs on the other, if we're in our back yard, it's almost like we're all by ourselves. We'd love to move into New Hampshire, far enough north to find a good rural area (plus dh and ds would like to be close to some ski areas). Our dream is to build our own log home. We're researching towns and log home costs, etc. We also want to have a decent amount of land and raise chickens for eggs and meat, possibly some sheep, too. DH would like to look into leasing fields to others to farm as well.

While we're still in the city, I'm trying to start living a more "homestead" type of life as much as I can. Living frugally is also kind of a necessity for us right now since we're trying to pay down a small debt and save up for moving north. Right now I work FT (the baby stays with my parents during the day and ds is in school), but we'll need to live on one income when we move so we need to be prepared for that. I have canned items from our garden, freeze stuff, cook mostly from scratch and I do want to start making my own bread. I'd like to learn to make soap also. Do those of you who make your own do it mostly out of a desire to do it yourself or more naturally, or do you find it to be more frugal than buying soap, detergent, etc. We usually have a fairly good size garden for our lot, but didn't get much out of it this year. Lost most of our plants to woodchucks and rabbits.

My hobbies are reading (homestead/frugal living, biographies, romances), crochet, knitting and I'd like to learn to sew, too. I do some writing, too, and would really love to get published and try to add to our income with freelance writing. I have had a bunch of letters to the editor published in our local paper and I just found out today that I was chosen as part of their first Community Editorial Page Advisory Board. Had to write a 500 word essay (which I did the afternoon it was due, just like school all over again) and we will meet a couple of times a month to give our opinions on topics that the editorial page should cover and everyone on the board gets to write a couple of columns for the paper. I'm hoping this could be a real break for me.

DH got into making jerky in his smoker last fall and winter. He brought some to work with him and shared some and ended up selling some to his co-workers. They bought as much as he could make. He just started up again last weekend and is already sold out and will have to make more this weekend. He also likes to fish (saltwater) but didn't get to do much this year. He'd like to start hunting and wants me to do it, too. He has some shotguns that were his grandfathers, but their in Pennsylvania at his parents' house. he's planning on signing us up for the state's Hunting Safety Course, which would qualify us for whatever certification it is we'd need to own guns and to get hunting licenses, so hopefully we'll be all set for hunting season next year.

Well, I've gone on long enough. Looking forward to getting to know everyone better.

Paula


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## KendraB225

Hi,

I haven't been to this site in years. I was very into homesteading although we live in town. Dh was not interested in it so I let it go. Now he has decided that it will be the best way for us to live. We have 4 children- Brianna almost 7, Josiah 5, Gabriel 3, and Katelyn 9 months. We homeschool our children. DH is a truck driver. We are trying to save money to buy a truck for him. Our goal is for him to work only half of the year. Dh, John & I have been married 9 years in February.
Kendra


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## Melissa

Welcome to the forum everyone!


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## babetteq

Hi everyone,
I joined HT this summer after my move. I'm Canadian, Buddhist raised, but a lazy practitioner, engaged to the woman of my dreams, living on a small island on the northwest coast of british columbia. I have homesteaded before both citified and in the country. I can't ever live in a city again as I find the noise, the pollution, the busy-ness, the movement, the traffic etc.... drives me bonkers! We are on a small (5 acre) piece of temperate rainforest in what I consider the most beautiful, magical place on earth. We hope to buy the place within the next year. I left 10 years of doing HIV/AIDS work to move here and be a stay-at-home and I love it. I have always wanted to do it but times havne't been right until now. I love to can food, dry food, grow food, sew (although I'm lousy at following patterns) I crochet and am teaching myself to knit (really knit, not just squares or scarves) I try to make everything i use to the best of my abilities and have a very firm belief that most of us fritter money away on stuff we don't need so that we don't have any for the stuff we want. In the city my partner was spending (I added it up) almost 300$ a month on coffee at Starbucks. Now, ethically, that's dicey, but financially, it's moronic because she never had any money for anything else!!! So I bought ehr a really good coffee maker and made her promise never to spend 4$ on a coffee again!!

Anyway, I'm pretty easy going, in another life I'd like to be a sociologist and I lean left politically, although I don't know if that is the same kind of left as in the states. I believe that everyone is entitled to their opinion and we can all do what we will - harming none.

I love this site, and have leanred a great many things from all of you.

babs


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## Job's3dAnswer

I'm dh to Fiddlekat, and figured I'd put my two cents in. We have a gorgeous 6 year old DD who is handicapped with a genetic disorder called "Chromosome 22q13 Deletion". It has also just been named 'Phelan - McDermid Syndrome" after the two Geneticists that discovered it. Without getting deep into Genetics, part of her 22d Chromosome was deleted somehow. She also has an extra copy on part of Chromosome 8. This syndrome manifests itself in Global Developmental Delay, Low muscle tone, GERD (Reflux), Asthma, Kidney reflux, and now, Gallstones. There are about 180 Families Worldwide with this Syndrome. Most children do not walk until they are between 8 & 10. About 99% never learn to speak. 
While we are trying to escape from Massachusetts to the Eastern TN area, we also have to be fairly close to some type of Medical Center. We were hoping to relocate this coming summer, but it all depends on property, mortgages, and of course, DD. DW's parents will probably come with us, but have their own property. Although we are still "window shopping", I have to put in a plug for www.unitedcountry.com; they have been a great help.

Sorry to babble on like a brook, but I have to fight DW for computer time. Well, it's time to give DD her meds and put her to bed.

Steve


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## Job's3dAnswer

Sorry! I forgot to add in that Seizures are also part of the Syndrome. DD had one in August that put her in the Hospital for 8 days.

For more info on this syndrome you can go to
www.22q13.com

We're open for all questions, so don't be afraid to ask!

Steve


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## Rosarybeads

I really love this board, it is wonderful to see so many christian homesteaders out there. It is so rare to find like-minded families these days.

So anyway, we love our ranch. All our free time is spent with our little family and our ranch. Since we have moved, we have been VERY busy, planting an orchard, garden, and getting all types of animals. I sometimes feel like Noah's wife.  We seem to have 2 of everything, male and female. Now we just need a large boat!  So anyway, we have two beautiful (and cheap, he he) horses that we haven't even halter trained, two calves, 3 polypay sheep, 5 milking goats (saving on milk for the kids, can't believe how much they were drinking!), 3 pigs (2 are now pregnant, the other isn't because it's the boar.  ), Geese, ducks, quail, lots of chickens, etc... Of course, we are always behind on things, but I am just glad we were able to get all our base stock and now we can build off of that. 

We also want to start getting back to more traditional homesteading, like butchering our own animals, making cheese, etc... 

We are very conservative Catholics who try to live our lives the way the Church & bible teaches us, and wish our children will also grow up to be wonderful, mature christians. 

As far as I go, I love to spend time with my family, crochet, cook from scratch, can, garden, and work with all the animals. I absolutely love it out here, God has been so good to us this past year, I never expected to have all I have so quickly or so easily. He has blessed us tremendously and sometimes I feel a bit overwhelmed by His sweetness.

I can't wait to get to know you all a bit better, and I look forward to it. Right now, the kiddies are calling.


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## Melissa

Well babs, I just have to hear more about what it is like to live on an island! You really MUST start a thread about that!!!


Steve, your daughter sounds very fortunate to have you. I hope you find a great place close to the medical care she needs. 

Hi Natalie, sounds like you have a lot of great plans for the future. We will look forward to hearing all about your adventures with your animals and your family.

Welcome everyone!


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## OdieWon

Hi,
I'm Otis Bogue and I started out in Oklahoma, moved to Alaska when I was about 12. At about 15 I moved back to Oklahoma, and as an adult we're living in South Dakota now. 

I'm truly surprised to see as many folks from Oklahoma on here. LOL. I suppose I shouldn't be. 

I'm not really educated in the issues of Homesteading, but I'd like to educate myself about the subject.

I've been a member of the Homesteading website for a while, but haven't been really active.


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## bethlaf

hiya, 
i am a mother of 2, working on another, and step mom of 3 , married to the Darling Neal , and no , hes not for sale, although cloning might be an option  just kidding!

we have a construction business in Branson missouri that we run , and have just bought 80 beautifull acres in green forest arkansas theres a couple of outbuildings and a small cabin on the land sooooo we are planning to move there in december, right now things are spread out everywhere, and its a big hassle ! so i cant wait to consoldate everything down on the farm!


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## Pony

Well, I've been posting here for a bit, I suppose it's about time I went ahead and did the personal introduction thing!

My given name is Ivy, but folks started calling me Pony because I love old Mustangs (the original Pony Car!), and my first car restoration was a 65 Mustang. Yes, I am female, but I do love to wrench on things! I've given up on speed, though, and now I'm all about low-end torque -- my current 4 wheeled baby is a 1982 Jeep CJ7 named Bonnie.  I'm also Pony to my family because they say I am a lot like a four-legged pony: tough, determined, built low to the ground and strong! 

I have two children, a 21 year old son and an 18 year old daughter. They give me joy as well as make me absolutely nutsoid at times. Their dad died 14 years ago, and life has been interesting ever since. Wouldn't change it, though, because it's made me who I am.  

My husband Nick and I have been together for 8 years: we were friends for 2 years, sweeties for the past 6 years, made it "legal" in 2000. We're both Christians, gearheads, "pluggers", homesteaders at heart: right now on 1/2 an acre in a Chicago suburb; Lord willing, in 5 years we'll make the transition to our 40 acres in SW WI. 

Right now, I'm employed as a school social worker, with the Kindergarten through 5th grade crowd. I thought I was going to work with adolescents when I earned my MSW, but I am absolutely in love with my little folks! They teach me so much every day! Eventually, though, I'd love to run a retreat house on our homestead. Time will tell.

Life's an adventure, and I'm so delighted to have found this site and especially this forum! Look forward to sharing with everyone here!

Peace!

Ivy


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## Boxermom

Hi! I'm a new face around here. My name is Susan and I live on a wheat farm in NW Oklahoma. We don't do the actual farming, but love living the simple life in the country. I'm a stay-at-home mom to a busy 2 year old and my hubby is a firefighter. I love to garden, can, bake, make soap and try just about anything "old fashioned." I'm also mom to a German Shepherd, my baby girl Boxer, 3 barn cats. Had chickens last summer but they met their demise (long story). 

Hope to make some new friends and learn alot from you folks!


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## Q_Links

Hi there, I'm an old poster with a new name. Do to a touchy situation here I changed my user name. Now I just have to train myself not to sign my name on my posts. :no: If any one is curious as to who I am, you can feel free to PM me.


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## mommymushbrain

Hello everyone! I am mommymushbrain, living in Arkansas with my husband and three girls, ages 8, 5, and 3... plus numerous cats and dogs. We finally got our own land about 3 years ago (2 acres on a dead end road in the middle of the country!).

We are wanting to become as self-sufficient as possible out here. Every year our garden expands, as do the naturally growing blackberry bushes! This spring we are getting chickens, and hopefully by next year we will be getting some pigs (to be stragetically placed on the northeast corner of my lot, closest to my irritating neighbors... LOL!). I'd love to have a milking cow, but hubby is a bit leery about it so far. 

When we bought this land, it came with a mobile home and all the utilities, but someday we plan to build out here - as soon as hubby and I can agree on a floor plan!  After living here for three years, our main assets are the sun and the wind, so we are going to use those as our main power supply.

We are still relatively new to homesteading and natural living, but the more we take on, the nicer life seems to be. I've become pretty efficient in our vegetable garden, but indoor plants do not fare well with me. I love to can and freeze... plus bake huge meals to keep my freezer full! My favorite cooking activity is making "new" foods. We have had some pretty tight times before and I have learned to get very creative in the kitchen!

Our hobbies, other than our gardens and such, also include music. Hubby has picked up enough used equipment along the way to basically have a mini-recording studio. We both play and write songs for the fun of it, and our girls are really starting to get into it as well. 

So hello out there to everyone!


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## Countrymama

Hello from a chilly Midwest! My name is Barb and I am from Illinois, I am married and have two grown sons, one granddaughter and a farm full of animals. I love to garden, preserve, quilt, sew and do all kinds of crafts. We live on 30 acres that is about 2/3 timber and the rest in pasture. We raise most of our own food, including meat. We have lived rural for about ten years, we did move to town for about a year, but I hated it as did my husband, the country is the place for us to be. My husband enjoys wood working and tinkering with just about anything he can get his hands on. I found your site doing a Google search on homesteading. I have been lurking and reading for a while and I thought I would introduce my self. You have a great site here!


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## Shepherd

Hi from the midwest here too - Iowa. We bought a small farm (40 acres) a few years ago and have since bought an adjoining 80 acres. We just have alfalfa fields for now. I got chickens the following spring after moving here and have loved having them ever since. (Don't ask me that on a bitter cold winter day tho.) We plan to start raising our own beef and getting some dairy goats. Married, no children... not by choice, just very unlucky.

I've worked my whole life until the last 2 years when the company I worked for shut down... and now I'm "retired" very early... we'll see if we can afford it. (Got my fingers crossed cause I'm sure enjoying this rest.) We've cinched the belt buckle quite a bit... and I'm really proud of how much I've learned to cut down on waste, plus spend much less on our groceries. We're also eating MUCH healthier now.

We've been planting at least 2 fruit trees per year and also things like raspberry bushes, grape vines, etc. There are wild black raspberry vines, blackberry vines, wild grapes, and wild gooseberry bushes on our property. We dug a 2 acre pond and have stocked it with fish. Our home is a berm home with skylights which provide a lot of passive solar heat, plus we have a fireplace which is ducted through the house with a blower system and thermostat so we can heat the house (and often do) rather than using the furnace exclusively. The house is built into a hill in the woods - a good share of our property is heavy timber. We have a lot of deer and wild turkey out here.

Our desire is to incorporate either windpower or solar power (or a combination of both) to generate electricity. Meanwhile, we do have a diesel generator in case of emergency. We have our own well.

I love reading, altho haven't found much time for that recently. Actually I can't believe how much I used to get done while working full time, plus handling everything else. I can a lot of our food, love to cook & bake, garden, do crafting, and just recently started learning to quilt (machine). The last two years, I've made most of our Christmas gifts for family and friends. 

I've been trying to collect old time manual tools... somewhat of a desire I have which started with getting a few of my grandpa's tools, and then my father's. 

Mommymushbrains, you sound a lot like me, including - preparing large meals and shoving some into the freezer! Makes life much easier having things around that's easy and fast to prepare, if you run out of time and get caught off guard, or just don't feel too well. I'm anxious to hear about your "new" foods.

We're very fortunate to have some wonderful Christian neighbors (all homeschoolers) around us who feel the same as we do about wanting to be self-sufficient, and we even started a weekly Bible Study, which has managed to bring us closer. In hard times, it's imperative to know your neighbors well, just to survive - particularly as far out in the boonies as we are. We love it and wouldn't go back to the city, no matter what. 

All glory, honor and thanks to the Lord for His blessings upon us! Sure am thankful for this forum, and am anxious to get to know you all.


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## Melissa

Welcome to all the new posters! We look forward to getting to know you better in the future. We really are like a family around here. 

** Just don't let Hoot talk you into sending him any chocolate chip cookies!!! He spends enough time in the corner already for telling that tale.


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## allen8106

Well My name is Darrell, I am 46 years old, from south central Kansas, I hate to disappoint all of you who have come before me but I have the two most beautiful daughters, ages 18 and 13, in the world. I know this must come as a shock to you but it is true  

I was born here and moved several states to the east in the third grade when my mother re-married to a man I have always considered my father. He was in commercial construction so we moved EVERY summer from third grade until I was a senior in high school. Needless to say I became very adept at meeting people. As a result I consider myself a people person and can make friends with anyone.

My wonderful wife of 21 years is my high school sweetheart. We we met at a local McDonalds where we worked together, started dating when we were 16 and have been together every since. Including our courtship we have been together for 28 solid years. She was born and raised in the same city and had only been out of state once in her life when I met her.

I always dreamed of a home of my own in the country but never thought I would get my wife out of the big city. In 1997 she mentioned getting my oldest out of the big city schools before she entered middle school. Getting my kids into a small town school has been the best thing we could have done for them. My wifes desire to move out of town kind of surprised me but I didn't have to be told twice. We got lucky a few months later and found a small, old two bedroom farmhouse, on 13 acres, 30 miles outside of the big city. I knew when I drove up the drive I wanted it regardless of what the house looked like. I put a down payment on the place before I left. We remodeled the first six years and put on a master bedroom, new bath room, a large master closet, and made the girls rooms a bit larger in 2001. We love the way it has turned out. We have two neighbors both 1/2 mile away.

We have had all the animals at one time or another, we have raised our own pork, beef, chickens, horses, dogs, cats, snakes and mice. We don't care much for the snakes and mice but they seem to come with the territory and I manage to keep the mice out of the house and to a minimum. As long as the snakes keep to themsleves we can live along side each other, so far they have. I grow my own alfalfa hay to feed my butcher calves. We are currently down to the chickens and a dog and a cat. I am in the market for a few calves that is how I found this web site.

I work in middle management in a manufacturing facility and my wife works full time for the Post Office. My quiet time is my mowing time, I can be off by myself on my rider and think about things that need done and get my thoughts in order. It takes 8 hours to mow on my 50 inch rider but it's worth it, I get a lot off of my mind during this time.

I stumbled onto this web site by accident. I googled for calves for sale in Kansas as I am in the market for a few calves to raise for butcher again, this web site came up in the search. I truly have enjoyed the time I have spent reading the many posts here. I don't know who started this but they are to be commended for thier efforts. I have posted a few messages of my own to share my 9 years of limited experience here on the farm. I won't be staying away from this site for very long it truly is great.


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## cheryl-tx

well, guess I should have posted here first before jumping in.
I'm Cheryl, 39, Mom to 3 sons, 19, 16, 7. Married forever, LOL.
Live in a town called New Caney, just north of Houston, Texas.
Not sure about the homesteading thing, don't consider myself a homesteader, just live and think with a frugal mind.
Grew up on a small farm. Dad raised in OK on a farm (sharecroppers), Mom from WI, a dairy farm (Finnish).
They both migrated to CA where they met. 
Of course, after a few years in Ca, my parents moved to Texas, been here ever since. Hubby's family all from the Houston area. 
Grew up in Copperas Cove, lived with no electicity, running water, used the water from the creek, had an outhouse, this was the 70's.
We both have seen and known 'hard' times.

We live simple, though not easy. Hubby works hard, I do also. Having come from humble beginnings, we know what hard work really 'is'.

Live on 3+ acres. I wish we had more but happy with what we have, no zoning rules (so far), neighbors with cows, chickens and car lots, pretty much your typical white trash ******* neighborhood, said with complete pride!

I am pretty openminded, luv my life, wish I could win the lottery some day, till then, will just keep on living!

Working this years garden, tomatoes, okra, melon, radish, blackberry, strawberry, cukes, and goona try some tators, never tried, hopefully a success, my kids think tators are the 'only' vegi group. Read the lasagna thing, gonna give it a try. The area around us is pretty swampy so will see, got plenty of old tires, will try that idea.

Kinda stumbled into this website when I was searching gardening.

Enjoy all the hints and ideas 



Cheryl


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## 4nTN

Hi all,I`m new to this fourm.We have been subscribers to Countryside for two years now.We look forward to every issue and wish they`d go monthly.
I`m a 42 yr old mom to 4...2 grown daughters 22 and 21,(both in college in nyc) and 2 sons 16 and 3..also I have two stepsons 23 and 21..>whew<.i`m a SAHM..but in the past I worked with autistic and emotionally disturbed adolescents in NYS.I also have trained dogs for a large kennel right outside NYC.I moved here to northeast Tennessee about 8 years ago.It`s here that I met my second husband "Red" He`s a Machinist/Tool and Die maker..but has to commute 41 1/2 miles a day!One draw back to this area. 
We have a small place (only one acre) but I never knew we could cram so much living into such a small slice of land.We have a large garden (got rained out last year :no: )lots of fruit trees,and berries,25 hens(meat and eggs),2 dogs and 2 cats,and come spring a milk goat!We love the place and you`d know it if you saw it  !It will be hard to give up one day,but we would like more land.Lucky for us....it dosen`t seem so small because at the end of our country road is the Cherokee National Forest..where you could get lost if not careful,it`s very remote!I`m an Air force brat and have lived all over this world..but I must say God really went all out when he created this area.It`s really pretty.
Our interests include planting and eating things.lol.becoming more self sufficent,music,stained glass,culinary herbs,cooking,soap and candle making,machining,welding,bending metal,bent wood,4x4 trucks.The list goes on and on..We just hope we can find the time to try each at least once!
Thanks to whoever started this Fourm...it sure beats all the rest!


Shari & Stephen,Luke and Rory


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## cajundaisy

I wanted yo introduce my self and i didnt read first so my apologies to all for not paying attention. anyway, hi there all im Karen Im from a small town in louisiana I have 3 beautiful grandsons, Klaye,Austin, and Dominique. Im a stay at home granny, Im a new Chandler, I also love to garden and also we are avid birdwatchers. I also garden for the birds and butterflys. Im 46 yr old female, my honeys name is Dan. The weather here is a lil crazy and so unpredictable so we have long growing seasons. Looking foreward to asking questions, and swapping ideas. Thanks for having me to your board. Next time ill pay closer attention


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## tripletmom

I'm not really new here, used to be Teresa but had some real problems with logging in and all so ended up re-registering!


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## Egumuq

Hi I am new to this forum although my husband has been a member for a while. My name is Pam I am 23 years old and the mother of one adorable boy, Riley (18 months) My hobbies included sewing, quilting, scrapbooking, and going to school. I currently live in Ca but next year we are all moving to Alaska to live "in the bush" and have a much simpler life. We already own 26+ acres in the remote southwest on the Illiamna River. I look forward to reading everyone's post and answers to any questions I may have. Here is our web site if anyone would like to check it out, feel free to sign our guestbook and let us know what you think. (the dates on the web site are incorrect but that is because we do not my husband's boss to know when are leaving) Thanks Pam
www.pawcreekhomestead.com


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## dashley

Hi my name is Debbie, I am 46 yrs old........... I have been reading in this forum for several days...... I joined because my boyfriend and I plan to buy some land raise some goats........ make some soap...... learn to quilt.......... make a little jelly and I really love to garden too, there is much for me to learn and have run across some very interesting subjects here  Right now I am still working a full time job as a cook at a fucility for troubled girls......... I Like my job very much!! BUT am looking forward to farm life...........

My boyfriend is very crafty and incredibly creative, we plan to learn as much as we can about farm life before we jump off into the deep end............ I have one question......... well to start with anyway........... why do some of you when writing about God spell it like this "G-D" ? This question isn't meant to offend anyone, I truly don't know.............  

I am really looking forward to getting to know you, I already feel as if I know some of you from just the reading I have done............


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## ok_country

Hello from No Mans Land (Oklahoma Panhandle) My name is Rachel and I am 35.
My husband and I have been married for 18 years, and have 2 wonderful daughters, 14 and 19.

We raise cattle and horses. Also raise chicken for eggs, meat, and show. We are both into gardening and all aspects of farming and ranching.

I am a housewife, and love to garden, cross stitch, canning, and I am hoping to make a quilt this year.

My husbands work depends on time of year. Spring disking, planting. Summer watering and cultivating. Fall harvesting. All while running his running his own roofing and remodeling company.

I found this forum threw a search engine, and was very interested at all the topics that are covered here. Love the idea of neighbors helping neighbors and maybe I can be of help to someone myself.

We are also interested in the aspects of organic gardening and raising livestock in the same manner. Without steroids in our animals or adding chemicals to our garden.

Everyone have a great day!!!!


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## Melissa

Welcome everyone! We all look forward to getting to know you better. Please feel free to start any threads about the topics you are interested in, people are generally very helpful. I started this particular forum about 3 1/2 years ago on the old Lusenet server. Eventually we moved here joining the new Homesteading Today site. I hope everyone enjoys there time here.

For the G-D question, it is a Jewish belief that God's name should not be put into writing in an unpermanent way, thus many Jewish people add the dash to keep this from happening when writing God's name on paper or on the internet. I am sure someone can explain it better, but that is the basic reason.


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## manygoatsnmore

Hi, I'd been reading the posts for a while and finally registered! I guess I should introduce myself. My name is Mary, I'm a registered nurse, mother of 4, g-mom to 1 and one on the way. Have 2 grown sons, 1 grown dtr and one dd13 still at home. I homeschool her, and I'm the goat group leader for her 4-H club. She's been in 4-H since kindergarten, showing rabbits and cats, and has been showing goats for a few years now. We live on 6 1/2 acres of flat, sandy land not too far from beautiful Mt. St. Helens. Bit by bit, our place is starting to look less like Ma and Pa Kettle's place and more like the snug homestead I want it to be. We've managed to build up the soil for a decent garden spot, and we have our chickens, NZW and Californian rabbits, dairy and Pygmy goats, and in a few days, we pick up a pair of mini donkeys. My dd and friends know I'm a soft touch for animals and fairly likely to take in strays! I'm pretty frugal, love to shop garage sales, closeouts, and Goodwill...and I'll dumpster dive if it's legal and enticing! I'm definitely the sidetracked home executive type...It seems like I try constantly to get the clutter out of my life, but it finds me again LOL I might complain at times, but I think I've got a pretty great life.


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## dashley

Melissa said:


> Welcome everyone! We all look forward to getting to know you better. Please feel free to start any threads about the topics you are interested in, people are generally very helpful. I started this particular forum about 3 1/2 years ago on the old Lusenet server. Eventually we moved here joining the new Homesteading Today site. I hope everyone enjoys there time here.
> 
> For the G-D question, it is a Jewish belief that God's name should not be put into writing in an unpermanent way, thus many Jewish people add the dash to keep this from happening when writing God's name on paper or on the internet. I am sure someone can explain it better, but that is the basic reason.


Thank Melissa for the answer on the G-d question, papaw wanted to know the answer to that question too.................


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## katlupe

Hi,
My name is Kathy and I am fairly new to this forum. This is the first time I have been to this thread and I don't know how I missed it! My husband and I live in the middle of the state forest land in upstate NY. We are off the grid and generate our own power using solar panels - and yes, it is possible to do in NY, as long as you have a dependable generator. 

We are both in our early fifties and are totally dedicated to trying to live simply. One of the biggest challenges we have tried to do is to live without a motor vehicle. We just got a truck because we found that we weren't ready yet for going without one. Our parents are elderly, and when my mother in law was in the hospital, we had no way to go see her. We had gone 8 months without one, but we hadn't had a chance to set ourselves up when our other truck had died. We live in a secluded area, but we are only 6 miles from the closest town. And my husband bought a mountain bike, and one of those bike trailers for children, that you attach to the bike and he went to town for groceries. And he also picked up our kerosene (for our lamps) and our gas (for our chainsaw and generator). I have to hand it to him, as I could have never done those trips myself - upstate NY is all hills and big ones! He's in great shape!

We make our living from home on the internet. I have a store on ebay ( http://stores.ebay.com/Lupole) and am in the process of setting up my own website (www.peacefulforest.org). My husband is a musician also and writes the most romantic songs. He has a website selling his own music cd (www.larrylupole.com). So we are very busy and often on the computers, and every chance I get I sneak over to homesteading today forums! I am also a writer and am always working on something or other. I wrote our story in the December 2002 issue of Countryside. 

Our family now consists of 4 cats, 1 wonderful dog, 1 bossy Rhode Island Red (my pet! Her life is safe with me.), and 3 fantastic horses (God's gift to mankind!). We plan on getting more chickens as soon as we get our chicken coop built and a cow, when our barn is finished.

The things I like to do is to garden, can & dry my harvest, forage for foods & medicines in the forest around my home, study alternative medicines, write poetry, stories, books, movies, bake, prepare good food, take care of my animals, ride & train my horses, study the night sky, work on our family trees, shop on the internet, learn, learn, learn.


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## tltater

Just a quick intro. My name is Tracy, I'm 35 married to a wonderful man and have 6 children ranging in ages from 23months to 16 years. We own our own business and have 5 goats, 4 dogs, 3 cats and 3 bunnies. I don't get much computer time and have enjoyed seeing this forum when I stopped in to homesteading today! That's about all the time I have for now. 

Tracy
Bolivar, NY


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## second_noah

Hello! I live in North Carolina, am soon to be 27, and after a long time coming I will be beginning to persue my degree(s) in History and English.
I am female, despite my board name, I just kind of have a bit of a zoo here so it works...I've not ever really posted in this forum, but I do enjoy reading it. Nice friendly debate and encouragement/support seems to be the name of the game in here and I like that a lot.

I'm into history, obviously, as well as animals and well anything that catches my attention and can hold it for more than 5 minutes, not counting the television. Art and writing are things I enjoy immensely as well. 

I live with my Granny, help keep things running around here. Don't get me wrong, I'm no saint! BUT, the free place to live is a real nice privilage considering I can't afford to live on my own. We've got chickens and ducks, a couple dogs, and some other misc. pets running around here. We have a garden every year- LOTS of string beans much to my dismay! I spent many a summer getting up waaay to early to pick up rocks, hoe the ground, and pick beans....I'm looking forward to the day when I have children so I can do the same to them! haha Just kidding...

Thinking on a different level is something I try to do. I think it is important to see things out of the norm or traditional and into the deeper parts of people and situations. Sometimes that gets out of hand because I tend to over analyze things! Oh well...I also tend to ramble A LOT as you are seeing now! 

Anyways...nice to be here, hope I can learn a lot while I'm around!


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## NewEnglandBeth

I'm Beth, married to Carl. We have three children...William, almost 9, Kirstie, 7, and Stan the Man 5. 

We also have one dog, two cats, six guinea pigs and eleven chicks. At the present time we are considering also expanding to milking goats.

My children are homeschooled. All my kids have some challenges...one has Asperger's Syndrome, one is dyslexic and one is quite hyper! All in all makes for an interesting life!

Most importantly, we love the Lord!

Glad to be here and love discussions on these threads!!


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## coydog

Hello,
I stumbled onto this site thru countryside magazine. I'm not much of a social person because most peaple that know me think I'm backwards or have strange ways of doing things. Been with my wonderful wife for 11 years. She supports me in all the projects I get myself in to. I enjoy talking with like minded people. We live in eastern Iowa on 4 acres. We started raising bobwhite quail last summer and will expand to ringneck pheasants this spring. We have lived here for 6 years and our home is now about 90% done. When we bought it I estimated it would take 3 years. What we bought was a mobile home on a foundation with a 14 by 40 addition with basement in the back. The trailer part had a stick frame built around it with a trussed roof. I removed the trailer and rebuilt the house. Its been a big project but we were able to live here while i did the work. Enjoy the garden, fishing, hunting, butchering, putting up the food and putting in a productive days work. Well enough about me


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## Wen

Hi, I'm Wen an on-line friend recommended this site to me and I have been lurking for awhile. We are a homeschooling family slowing working on building a small homestead. I'm a little more gung-ho than my dh, but he's coming along..lol

We started out with chickens and ducks and now we are moving on to goats. I have already learned a lot here and I'm sure I will learn plenty more.


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## Chinclub

Hi I'm Jamie. I live in Walterboro South Carolina and am a stay at home mother to 2 children. We used to own a 35 acre farm in Conway, SC with goats, a donkey, rabbits, and misc other animals. My husband was relocated to Charleston with his job and we had to move so suddenly but luckily the couple who bought our place loved the ready made farm and kept all of the animals. Now we are all set up on 15 acreas and slowly adding some much missed animals.

I also breed chinchillas, have been for 7 years, and that is my first love among all animals, so if anyone has any questions don't hesitate to PM me.


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## Melissa

Welcome to the forum everyone! We really look forward to getting to know you better. If you have any questions feel free to ask.


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## Chinclub

Maybe I'm in the dark...What is the chinclub for men?..and by the way, I'm a woman. :haha:


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## Tamalama

Hello Everyone, My name is Tammi, I'm a long time Countryside subscriber, and a short time lurker on this site. My DH Isaac and I have been married for 25 years (off and on). We have one DD Angel who is 24 and getting way too big for the nest....so we're pushing her out, no really she is off to college (2nd half) in the Fall. We are then putting the house in the city up for sale and moving to our propert up North. North being NW Wisconsin, land of lots o' trees, cranberry bogs and really big mosquitos. :haha: We have ten acres, a small 1 bdrm bungalow, some outbuildings and lots of trash left by the last owners. The last three years weekends have been spent,: cleaning, pruning, burning, piling, building and most of all planning. But not necessarily in that order. DH and I are both 46, he is a Baptist and I was raised with no organized religon, but sought out many. For now I have "my own personal relationship with GOD" that sometimes includes church, but mostly includes me and nature. My hobbies are many and ever changing. Reading, Cooking, Painting, Drawing, Baking, Soap and Candle Making, Bees, Chickens, Crafts and Wreath making, Drying Flowers and Food, Canning, Nature Studies (my BS is in Biology so Nature is really a big'un for me), Music (all kinds at one time or another, it's always evolving), Gardening (my last job was with the MN State Hort Soc, what a great place!) I used to work for a Nature Center where we educated city kids on Nature and Farm life (where does your food come from?). That got me hooked on the idea of homesteading since then I've read, researched and practiced all that i could to get ready for...our homestaed! I move in approx. 2 months, i'm so excited I could spit. Sorry for the ramble, but felt the urge to spill  Thanks for listening !?! Tamalama


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## NativeRose

Welcome Tamalama. I love this place. It is a great place to learn and share and find special "cyber friends".


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## Sparticle

I've been posting to this site for a while so I guess it's about time I do an introduction. I'm 37 and divorced. I supported my husband financially for the last 7 years and even now i'm having to let him live here in the back of the house because like he says otherwise he'd "be living in a box under a bridge". He's bought a trailer (so I"ve heard) and will move it to the back of the property as soon as it dries up a little. I'm going to let him stay on and help with odd jobs and what not and pay a little rent to help me out a little. Although the helping out with odd jobs hasn't started (I didn't really expect it to and he's been in El Paso for over a month now). He has never been much help anyway. 

I found out about this place through Countryside magazine. I have 5 acres in Waller County, Texas. It's a lot of work and there were unexpected challenges, but I think I'm learning a lot and I think maybe my experience has helped others. 

I have a lot of reasons why I bought this property and then again I still feel like I don't have a clue what I'm doing. Some of the reason are, love of nature and observing life and creation, desire for self sufficiency, interst in going off grid etc.. If I had been allowed to go to college, I think I would have become a botanist. It went against my parent's religion and I "had to get married" to get out of the house. I had to take my 3 brothers with me and with it tons of responsibility. This is the first time in my life that I'm free to go back to school, but working full time and trying to keep this place up is exhausting enough. 

I thought I wanted to do an animal resuce and I have taken in a lot of animals that needed a home. But, I've stopped doing that because of the expense and the lack of desire to go through government red tape to become designated as an animal rescue. Right now I'm more interested in trying to create a vineyard out here and eventually maybe grow specialized organic vegtables. I'll take care and love the animals I have, but I think it would make more sense to put what money I do have into investing in this property and hopefully one day see a little return on the money. I don't know?

I'm trying to make it out here on my own and learning all I can. Maybe one day I'll figure out what I'm doing and where I'm going. But in the mean time, it's a heck of a ride.


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## Holly

Hello, I am also a long time lurker and I don't post much, though I read through many posts every day. I am a MUCH faster reader than I am a typest! 

I have been married to Rob(truly, my best friend and the best father I have ever met!) for 10.5 yrs. We've been together for 13. We have three amazing boys, Christian almost 7, William 4, and Wallace 2. We have a good life which we tend to take for granted way too often! (My thoughts are on Hears the Water at the moment)

As some might have read on other posts, we just moved to SW MO from NW WI in hopes of a simpler life style and the dream of homesteading. We recently bought 7.75 Acres (mostly wooded) and are attempting to build. So far we have to dry out before anything can be done. This does not look promissing any time soon!

We homeschool and are PROUD OF IT!!!

I believe in many things these are just a few:

God, Jesus Christ, and The Holy Bible.

Personal Responsibilty!

The Consitution and the Bill of Rights 1-10(past these I pick and choose)

I have always thought of myself as an artist but I don't stick to any one particular medium- I love them all! I read A LOT(almost exclusively non-fiction), and therefore, tend to teach my self anything I need or want to know. Obviously this forum is a "must have" when contemplating homesteading! And I am greatful for those who brought it about and those who keep it going! 
Thank you!

I am envious of those of you who came up with a real cool poster name, but also find it confusing many times as to what sex you are. I can't tell you how many times I've been wrong one way or another! :haha: 
We'll just keep all those a secret! Oh, I'm bad with guessing age too!

Holly, 30 yr old self diagnosed "Choco-holic" No, I am not seeking any professional help at the present time! That would ruin everything!


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## Anna M.

I'm 17 and live on 3 acres in lovely rural Iowa with my parents and 5 younger siblings (4 brothers and a sister). We love the Lord and thank Him that we can live in the country.

I've been homeschooled all my life. Lately, getting through with the majority of my bookwork, I've become something of a crafts fiend. Made CP soap the other day, am working on a beaded barrette, need to cut out a new denim skirt, and daily threaten Mom with getting a flock of sheep so I can spin their wool. I started baking our bread last fall--actually started really cooking last fall, and can't believe how much I like it. I also enjoy gardening (still getting the hang of it, though) and am really hoping for a good strawberry crop this year so I can learn to can jam. 

I enjoy listening to St. Louis Cardinals baseball games while weeding or knitting.

I found the Homesteading Today forums while searching for information on raising chickens. (And *did* I find information on raising chickens!) My future Silver-Laced Wyandottes are incubating away at the hatchery, due at the beginning of May. I'm excited, and comforted knowing I can get answers here in case of a poultry crisis. Hopefully in coming years we'll add to our livestock.

I love being able to tap the wisdom of all the expert homesteaders out there. Maybe someday I'll be able to offer some wisdom too. Until then, I'll keep learning from you!

Anna


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## kandcoop

Hi.. I found this site through another site Melissa is on. My name is Kandi, helpmeet to dh James, and mother to five wonderful blessings. Right now we do not live in the country but it is our desire to someday move there. For now we are busy with our little garden spot, and trying to live frugally.


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## MtnMama1

I just mosied on in from the Google page where I was looking up my ID, which happened to be MtnMama and came across "mountainmama" from North GA. I also am from No. GA and considered that fate. 
*
Will the real mountainmama please stand up? * 

PS I'm already standing! lol Come on out to talk mountainmama!


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## NewHarvest

Hi everyone!

I have been lurking on this website for awhile now, but am finally coming out of the shadows!

We have lived on our little (2 acre) homestead for 17 years now. Both myself and my husband were raised in the suburbs of Southern California. After we were married and had two children, we realized we could no longer live on one income in that area. We decided to try saving money by growing veggies in our backyard. We got two chickens and I learned to can and bake bread. Our neighbors thought we were crazy. But, we fell in love with the homestead life and began to pray that the Lord would lead us to a little piece of land. Well, He was very faithful, and here we are in Northern (very Northern) California in the middle of the beautiful redwood forest.

We began to grow so much in our knowledge of the Lord as we learned to grow and reap crops, keep flocks, preserve food. We wanted to share these blessings with others, so we started a little newsletter for Christian homesteaders called "_New Harvest_". A lot of our subscribers came from our ads in Countryside. After a couple of years, we had to give it up because baby #4 and #5 came along...just couldn't keep up!

But, ten years have gone by and we are back to it again! We love the homestead or home-centered life. We homeschool, home fellowship and love working our little bit of God's earth. We would love to hear from other Christians living the homestead life.

Our website is www.newharvesthomestead.com. Please come by and get a free sample copy of our newsletter.

Bless you all!

Lisa


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## donsgal

Well, looks like it's my turn to say hi to everybody and introduce myself.

My name is Risa and I live just outside Branson, Missouri in a little town of about 461 people named Reeds Spring. (I'm sure you guys have heard of Branson!) I'm 50 and look it - but don't FEEL it! My hubby Don is 45 and we have been married for 4 years, together for 9.

Hubby Don and I are happily childfree - and we have two wonderful cats who are our kid-replacements. Moggy who is seven and a pill and Jimmy aka "Nimmy" who is a little "slow" if you now what I mean.

Don and I live in a rural subdivision (shudder) on about an acre and a half. Due to those wonderful covenants and restrictions we cannot have livestock or fowl or anything like that so we are content for the time being to lavish our love and affection on our raised-bed square foot garden which is doing pretty darn well.

Hopefully one of these days we'll be buying a little chunk of land someplace nearby (if we can afford it - land prices are zooming up around here to about $3,000 an acre - sheesh), and have some chickens and other assorted critters which I would never have the heart to actually eat. So it looks like we will have a barnyard full of big, ugly pets to feed! At least the chickens will donate a few eggs now and then.

Recently Don and I have both elected to have career changes. He is a professional musician and his work necessitated us to travel all over the country for performances. Because of that I was more or less a SAHW. Well we both got tired of the "on the road" lifestyle and decided to settle down so I went to real estate school and he is now a SAHH. The problem is most people in the real estate industry don't think like WE do and it is a very difficult adjustment. The first time someone came along and was looking for a $300,000 house my initial reaction was "are you CRAZY?" (You can buy super nice houses around here for less than $100,000). Anyway, hopefully in time I can adjust to this job and make enough money to pay off our remaining bills (shame shame), and buy that little piece of paradise.

It is very nice reading all the posts here and very reassuring to know that there really ARE people out there who think and feel as I do. After awhile you start thinking there is no one with those values any more. Popular culture is a terrible sickness and I hate to see what it is doing to our country and the rest of the world. As long as I know that you guys are here, I know there is hope!

Thanks for welcoming me here. It is a joy to be here. Oh by the way - I have a REAL BAD HABIT of being terribly blunt sometimes when I post on newgroups and more than once I have offended the daylights out of folks without really meaning to at all. So if I say something that makes you want to slap me, please just ignore it. I really don't mean to be a smarty or rude, it is just my nature to blurt out what I am thinking without so much as considering how it might affect other people's feelings. And I apologize in advance! 

Risa


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## ajaxlucy

I feel like I should start with an apology for taking so long to post this. I found this forum when I was looking to buy my first sheep, and just started reading and, after a while, writing a bit. I've never done this kind of computer communication before, and didn't realize the etiquette involved. Sorry for just jumping in without introducing myself. 

I'm a nurse in Indiana who lived on a little 1/2 acre city-sized lot until my 95 year old neighbor decided to move away and sell her land (she had a greenhouse business). We bought enough to have a 1-1/2 acre back yard, big enough to keep a garden, some chickens, dogs, and Shetland sheep. I didn't grow up around any livestock or poultry; we got our first chickens as part of a homeschool project and went on from there. 

My son is 16 now and no longer homeschooled. He wanted to go to a small private high school instead, which he enjoys and where he is learning a lot. My husband is a teacher and avid bicyclist; every July he rides in the 165-mile one day Ride Across INdiana (RAIN) and in the fall, he and my son ride in the Hilly Hundred.

I like reading, knitting, cooking, gardening, farm or home-raised meats and vegetables, trying to learn to play the piano, bright colors, warm-hearted friends. And I like this forum.


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## cloverfarm

I have overlooked the introductions page then noticed it today.

I'm married, three kids, DH and I own 40 acres adn he rents three, no, make that four (this year) other farms of various sizes. It adds up this year to about 300 acres, + or - DH is a full-time farmer and I am a SAHM and unskilled labor on the farm. He farms with his folks who live next door. We raise beef cattle, hay, corn, wheat and soybeans. Here at the house we also have chickens for meat and eggs and a few to sell. We do have a garden but we aren't very good at it! The house where I grew up was in a woods and my folks would try to start gardens but give up on them pretty quick!

DH sells a lot of all-natural freezer beef, no hormones, animal by-product feed or routine antibiotics. He does not want to attempt "organic" right now. We have tried grass-fed beef but there is very little demand for it around here.

It's been a nice change going from piney woods to more of a prairie setting. Sometimes! Seeing a different set of birds and wildlife.

DH loves sports and politics as well as Bible study and church. I like reading about Biblical history and archeology and would love to visit Greece and Italy someday.

Nice meeting you-all!
Ann


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## CherieOH

Hi! My name is Cherie and Iâm a 58 year old former homesteader wannabe. I say former, because health concerns have forced me to give up on that lifelong dream, but I have not lost interest. Itâs been a real pleasure to read all your posts, and I stand in awe of those of you who have taken on the immense challenge of homesteading (especially off grid) and homeschooling your children. I must say there is much more involved to homesteading than I ever realized, but I find it absolutely fascinating. Here in my small town empty nest with my postage stamp size lot, my husband (married 37 years) and I garden and preserve as much produce as possible, so perhaps Iâll be able to contribute a little bit on this forum. I know Iâm learning a lot from it. Itâs a real pleasure getting to know you all.


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## sdcoyote

I have been a "guest" on the forum for a while and finally decided to register and introduce myself.

My name is Terry and I am a university professor. I am also a spouse and father to three boys (grown) and one foster child (still at home).

We live on a 40 acre "homestead" in very rural South Dakota (redundant, I know) with a large garden and 30 chickens. We also keep a couple of "butcher hogs" that we butcher and smoke every fall.

We belong to the Mennonite Church where our family enjoys the fellowship, music (if it was written after 1900 we ain't gonna sing it!!!), and peace and justice ministries of the Church.

I grew up in Missouri on a dairy farm and learned a work ethic that has not left me to this day. I taught high school for several years after college, but a geologist friend in the mid 1990's convinced me that the world and the US in particular was headed for huge energy problems in the first part of the new millennium. It has a sexy name now - "peak oil" - but back then it was just "demand outstripping supply." Anyway, my wife and I decided that she would go to work, help to pay for my Ph.D. and then we could chose a rural university that would pay enough so that we could "homestead," becoming as self-seficient and sustainable as possible. We also are very community and church oriented and wanted to find like minded folks to practice our beliefs. We found all of that in South Dakota.

So finally, after obtaining tenure, we are able to put as much into our homestead as possible. I now need go to the office only 3 days per week, so that is helpful. I must also publish, but not as much as before tenure.

My wonderful spouse bakes all of our bread, quilts, knits, and is a wonderful photographer. We live in a 100 year old house that I am renovating with "peak oil" in mind. I have put in wood stoves, new insulation, and am in the process of purchasing a wood cook stove to place in the basement. We can every summer - beans, beets, tomatoes, etc. 

My goal in the next year or two is to put up a wind turbine and be able to go off the grid if necessary. If not, it will cut the electric bill!!!!

So that is us. I just want to say "Howdy" to ya' all.


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## Jared

I'm Jared, 29 yo factory worker married to Becky, 25yo works at the same factory. I've got a son who lives in Vegas w/his mother (he's 2) and Becky and I have a 5mo daughter born on the same day as my son. Becky's got a 5yo boy and 3yo daughter from a previous marriage. I've had enough of working for a company who cares more about money than people, so we've decided to start our 4year plan to get out of the small Arkansas town that we live in and move to the family farm about 30 minutes away in Oklahoma. I'm lucky and a bit ahead of the game by having 20 acres I can call my own to start out on. She's a big green thumb and I want goats, guinneys and chickens. We like making candles and I want to try my hand at goat's milk soap.


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## Mrs. Davis

Hello! I'm also from SE Ohio (Hi, Melissa, we might be neighbors!) My husband (of almost 19 years) and I have two daughters whom we homeschool and live on 20 acres. We raise Soay sheep, Dominique chickens, guineas, and a pony. Although not certified, our farm is organic and we raise exclusively heirloom variety fruits and vegetables.

We have 20 raised garden beds and then 4 other no-till beds that we have had success with. We have apples, pears, peaches, apricots, grapes, rhubarb, asparagus, garlic (several varieties), blackberries, red, black, and yellow raspberries, gooseberries, currants, blueberries, elderberries, cranberries, lignonberries, boysenberries, chestnuts, black walnuts, pawpaws, and strawberries. And then we have all of the normal vegetables! Oh, and I forgot my herbs and my lavendar patch I'm starting!

My 10 year old daughter makes and sells whole wheat bread for our farmer's market and any other product she comes up with ~smile! We use whole foods when cooking and are vegetarians. 

Our hobbies: dh collects different versions of old time folk ballads, he has a dulcimer and a bowed psaltery he doesn't have time to play, 10 year old dd plays the harp and violin, spins, knits, reads, and copies everything I do, 4 year old dd plays the violin, sings, skips, bounces, says "look how high I can jump (1,000 per day), and copies everything I do. I spin, read, knit, garden, chase wayward ponies and sheep, watch how high my 4 year old can jump, read, do all the things for my husband that he doesn't have time to do, practice herbal medicine, and try to set a good example for all of those copying me.

I'm looking forward to gleaning much information from everyone here.

Warmly,
Mrs. Davis


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## trappmountain

I am from Western PA. I live on 18 acres. Much of which is wooded. I am 39. Married almost 18 years. I have a 13 year old girl and a 14 year old boy. We have 11 hens. 6 buff orpingtons, 3 white leghorns and 2 brown leghorns. My daughter has a nine week old potbelly pig and we have 2 pygmy goats between 3 and 4 months old.

We also have a guinnea pig a rat an 11 yr old golden retreiver and a 6 year old Shih Tzu. We have just added a 3 year old mix breed dog to our household. It just sort of happenned but he is a good boy and does great with all of the animals except the goats :waa: . When they bolt he wants to chase. I guess we have to work on that one! LOL :haha: 

I enjoy spending time with the children and the animals and walking in the woods.

I also like to read, work in my vegetable garden and can.

My land is my favorite place to be. I also enjoy riding my four wheeler and anything that involves my tractor


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## MN Mom

My name is Sara. I live in MN with my husband Jon, and our three little ones, ages 5, 3 1/2 and 1. We currently live in the suburbs, but our dream is to move to the country. We actually have our house up for sale right now, but so far no offers. We keep praying for God's will to be done, but golly gee, it's hard to wait!!  

Jon works hard as a sheet metal worker. I stay at home with our children. 

Some things that we do presently are: home birthing, co-sleeping, breastfeeding, natural health(ex: herbs). 

Some things we want to do are: homeschooling(our 5 year old is very interested in learning, so we are more officially(but not formally) starting that now), homesteading, living in the country, raising chickens, maybe a milk goat or two, possibly some sheep just because I like sheep(but would love to use the wool). 

I would love to get motivated and start doing more cooking from scratch(ideally, I'd love to stop buying processed foods and make more nutritious meals/snacks at home). But with 3 little ones, and trying to keep the house somewhat cleaned for showings, I just don't seem to ever have the energy to do everything I'd like to do.

I love to read, listen to music( :yeeha: ), spend time with my husband(though it seems as if there is never enough of those moments). 

I have read quite a bit on homesteading, but not posted too much. My husband uses my id too and posts sometimes. 

I have had 2 miscarriages :waa: Those were between our second and third births. I really pray we don't ever have to go through that again. We are quiverfull(as in we do not use birth control, and are trusting God with our family size). 

I would love to "connect" with others in MN, especially homeschoolers....and any experience homesteaders willing to help some newbies(when we get to move that is).

Ok, I hope I haven't taken up too much room in this post. :haha: 

Thanks for reading. Sara


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## Christine in OK

Not at all - welcome, Sara, and enjoy.


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## sagelands95

Hello, I wanted to introduce myself to everyone here. 

I'm a homeschooling mom to 3 little boys aged 10 months to 7 years. I live on approx. 1/2 acre in the wine country of the pacific NW. I usually have a pretty good sized garden, but this year due to health problems we had to forgo that. Very sad!! We hope eventually to enlarge the garden and own a couple of dairy goats and some chickens.

So, at this point I'm just dreaming of living the homesteading lifestyle, but I know eventually we'll be able to do more. I'm very much looking forward to learning from all of you knowledgeable people!


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## MN Mom

sagelands95,

Welcome to the group. I have been around homesteading for a couple years now, but haven't had the chance to live the homesteading lifestyle yet either. I hope you will be able to soon!

Best wishes, Sara


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## Mawna

so sorry I also have been posting right along and totally skipped my intro in this specific area of the site. Brain dead I guess.

I am 46, married, living in the North Central vicinity of the Ozarks in Arkansas. We purchase raw land and are building our house and barn by ourselves from scratch. Well the Husband is doing most of all the building as he has "the plans" only in his head. I just sit back and see what he comes up with. Beg and beg to do something, but pretty much get the "your'e a girl look". That part REALLY gets on my nerves. It has been one big adventure, I assure you.

I was raised in the old time fire and brim-stone Church of Christ. Have not been attending church here often as I just can't wrap my head around folks that run around whooping and falling in the church floor. And it seems every church up here like that kind of goings on. To be honest that behavior just plain spooks the Bee-Gee's right outta me. To each their own in that department. God knows what is in everyone's intentions and more than that their hearts.

I am a transplant out of Oklahoma. Muscogee Creek, Cherokee, and Irish. I am a registered citizen of the Muscogee Nation of Okmulgee. I raised 3 sons. Two of whom are still in Oklahoma, now raising families of their own. The oldest boy is working with the Police Depart. in his home town. The middle boy just returned from his stint in Irag. The youngest boy is outside of Amarillo working to become a Fire-Fighter. I got lucky they turned out to be okay.

I am college educated but forgot all I studied. Guess I dont try too hard to remember it all. I have worked in the Court System. Was the Exec. Sec in an Alcohol/Drug Rehab. Worked side by side with my husband as a hands on with him as a contractor. The last employment position I recently held was as a Human Resource Officer.

We have chickens, guienas, goats, dogs and a ton of barn cats.

Things I like:
Spring Summer and Fall 
I love to cook. (when I have a kitchen to do so in)
Canoe
Read anything of substance. 
Research most anything that comes to mind on the internet.
Flea Markets, Garage Sales, and just plan old scavaging "stuff"
refurbishing old furniture

Things I really dislike:
RV's
Spiders as I was bitten by a brown recluse last summer. Didn't hate them before.
Snakes always have hated those things
People who think they know everything
People who play dumb and aren't
People who try to ruin things for other folks
A vehicle that won't start or breaks down in the middle of no-where
Snow and Ice

I came to this site hoping I could locate some folks building a place like we are and share our up's and down's, ask advice, and offer some if asked for.
I have enjoyed the time I have spent here and thank you for allowing me to come in and chat. I hope I can be an asset always and not too much of a pain in the @__ at other times.

me in a NUT-shell....

mawna


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## Cat65

Hello, I'm fairly new here. I'm 40, married to trucker and we have 2 children, a girl 17 and a boy 14. 
Both are in the public school system in Southern Manitoba, Canada. 
At present I am a stay at home mom, doing a little house cleaning for others a few times a week.
May of 2004 I did something I always wanted to do. I went back to school and graduated from a community college with a Business Administrative Studies Certificate, not having had enough of the learning I also finished the Office technician, and Small Business and Bookkeeping Certificates this spring. The last two were completed with a transfer of credits from the first and a few extra courses.

Now that I have all that education I would love to be able to use it in a home business, my kids still need me. My daughter is a person with special needs and will remain in school probably till 21.

I'm looking forward to getting to know some new people here.


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## SWMoTom

I have been lurking for a few months but just found the Intro page.

I am Tom and I live in Branson, MO. Old man of 61.
I am divorced and having sold my business I now live on 4 acres.
I love to garden in the organic way but am not certified. I can 
lots out of the garden but I also give lots away. Took 3 grocery 
bags of cucs to town today and gave away. 

I also like to fish but the gas prices and hot weather are keeping 
me off the water for the time being.

I also have two motorcycles. When my son comes to visit he always 
wants to go for a ride with the boys so he won't let me sell the second 
one. We have some beautiful riding country here and in Arkansas.

I would like to have some critters but the resrictions of the area will 
not allow them.

You probably won't see me post much. I have found while lurking that
most of the folks know a lot more than I so I will most likely keep my
ears open annd my mouth shut.


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## DutchessR

Greetings,

I'm 'E' to friends and family, 21, married to my husband, 22, for the past 3 years. We grew up in the suburbs of Southern California; finished college last year, after which I worked as a Software Engineer and nearly went bonkers being stuffed into a cubicle 9 hours a day. My husband got an engineering job several months ago near the Puget Sound so we packed up and moved to King County, WA. Now in the midst of trying to find a more permanent residence (a home on about 5 acres). We'll be able to put an offer on a house in October when our lease is up. 

I love cooking from scratch and make sure to cook at least 2 meals per day, knit, sew, hike, play bluegrass (me on guitar, DH on banjo), and now study basic carpentry so that I can do my own improvements once we buy a house. 

Not a mom yet, so I currently play mommy to 2 rabbits, 2 guinea pigs, and a Bichon puppy. Planning on a chickens, ducks, and goats when we have the room. Our families think that we've gone a bit loopy with this plan, but that's the way it is  

Been lurking on these forums for a few weeks--looks like a really great group of people who have _lots and lots_ of hard-earned knowledge! It's fantastic just trying to absorb all of the information here.


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## Melissa

Welcome to the forum! Please don't be hesitant to post. I am a great believer that you can learn something from everyone.


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## Morriagiolla

Greetings.... I am Morria age 22, engaged.....currently living at home while my boyfriend is in college. I dream of having a homesteading/ranching/village. As well, I hand sew (prayerfully soon to tredle as well)...do embrodery, handloom weaving, grow herbs, do photography (landscape and people)....umm....and work with middle schoolers.


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## abbey_tor_acres

Hi, I have actually been registered for quite awhile but just saw this introduction thread recently.

My hubby and I are blessed with 3 boys. One a preteen, one a teen, and one 21. The 21 year old is majoring /graduating this year in chemistry with mathematics minor. The teen is starting college this year majoring in computer science, minoring in mathematics. He might switch the two before it is all over. They are both very hard working, have full time jobs during summer vacations, and have academic scholarships that pay for most of their education. We still homeschool our 'baby'. I tutor children and adults in reading and math in our home so I can be a stay-at-home mom and dh works reference at our county library. I love canning--we have 5-6 fruit trees and a garden, sewing--quilts, etc.--, painting, and other craft things. 

About 5 years ago hubby and I decided to look for land. One of his parameters was it had to be within 30 min of his work. One of mine was 20 - 40 acres. We started praying for our land. About a month after the 9/11 disaster, we discovered a land auction 30 min away just one day before it was held. Lots of people showed up, but most didn't bid. We were able to get 3 lots connected giving us about 20 acres for a really good price. It had an "A" shape without one leg. The leg missing had already been sold to another. He wanted to put in a practice racetrack on his 3 acres. We thought "OH NO!!!" So we started praying that he would change his mind or sell to us. About 6 months later he sold to us. He decided he wanted to be closer to the city. Although it took the savings we were holding for a well, septic, and home, we thought it was the best thing to do. 

Anyway, we hope to move on the place within the next year or two. Since we bought the place (I call it a farm, dh calls it all woods) we have been putting up a small pole barn, cutting trees (lots of trees), fencing, road building, and exploring--we found a spring! For the 700' road dh insisted on cutting all the trees himself. The boys hauled them off into the woods since most are hardwoods too small to use for building. Some we are using as rails for a fence. Then we had a neighbor use his dozer to grade it. It has been slow going but cheap with very little damage to the property. We are starting to clear an area for an office doublewide where we will be living while we build the house. We are getting the DW in trade from a friend. It will need some work- like a kitchen! Thankfully it already has two bathrooms. When we sell the house in the city we will be able to put in a well and septic and solar electricity. We already have a small herd of goats and two large pens of chickens there.

As you can see I write a good story--sorry this is so long.
got to go-

Vicki


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## Farm_Girl

Hi, everyone! I'm a homeschooled teen, (will be 16 in a week or so) and I live in rural California. We have our own orchard and garden, and a couple cats and rabbits, and hope to buy more land in the future so we'll have room for horses and goats and the like. 

~Rose


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## CountryHaven

Hello everybody. I'm so happy to finally be here. I've been lurking and reading for a little over a week, but due to a problem with registering, I wasn't able to post... it has been a very frustrating week. LOL

I would like to give a huge thank you to Shrek, who spent the better part of Friday night trying to help me figure out what was going on. Thank you very much.

My husband and I are from a teeny town in Illinois about an hour and a half south of Chicago. We came across the wonderful Countryside magazine about six years ago, and have been constant subscribers ever since, and we have learned along the way how to make homesteading a lifestyle. We have a ten acre farm where we raise most of our own meat, and vegies. We used to have all of our own dairy as well, but carpal tunnel, which for some strange reason doesn't affect me too badly typing, drove me to insane amounts of pain while milking goats. Hopefully soon we will have a small automatic milker, and will once again enjoy the wonderful benefits of dairy goats. I will sure miss the intimacy of milking, but there sure isn't much better than homemade cheese.

Although we're not totally self-sufficient at the moment, meaning my dear hubby still has to work full-time off the farm, he's a paramedic we're working toward that goal with a hopeful target of 7 years. We also raise/train/show miniature horses, and use them for local driving, and even garden tilling.

I love baking, crochet, and quilting, although the last two are primarily winter 'sports' for me. Hubby spends most of his free time fixing what I've managed to break during the week, and we keep pretty busy that way. 

I sure look forward to getting to know you all, this really looks like such a wonderful, friendly, and informative place.


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## NancyJ

Hi my name is Nancy Joe. I am 48 and married 24 years to my best friend Pat, (58). We live in North Central Wisconsin, North of Green Bay (GO PACK GO, LOL). 

Pat is medically retired and on disability, he injured his back several years ago and after 5 back surgeries he is unable to return to work. I am currently a Special Ed. TA (teaching assistant) working with emotionally disabled elementary children. I am working on being able to stay home again (giving it 2 years) we have a home business, just not making enough yet to sustain us.

I have 4 adult step-children and mom to a 16 year daughter named Sarah who went home to be home with the Lord 2 years and 9 months ago. Sarah had special needs and died from complications of pneumonia. There is much more to her story and if you would like to read it some time, let me know. She was truly a gift from God. We also have 13 grands, ages 3 to 20. 

I like to garden, sew/quilt, crochet, work with paper mache and pressed flower art. Pat works with wood and we make the things we sell in our business, Sarah's House Garden and Gifts.

We are gradually becoming as self sufficient as possible. We purchased a pair of New Zealand rabbits over a month ago and "Bunnie" our mama, gave birth to her first litter late Friday night, 8 babies. We are raising them for meat. Next we are getting some laying hens and some roosters for the freezer. Next year I would love to get a dairy goat. Just have to convince Pat to let me turn the lawn mower shed into a goat barn, lol.

We attend a very small country church and church workers are scarce right now so both Pat and I have taken several positions at the church. He is a board member, head usher and the custodian. I am the SS superintendent, a SS teacher, children's church leader, Wednesday night youth group leader, and church treasurer. Hope soon we have more people coming willing to take on some of the duties. September 1st I return to work (school) and will add to my load. 

Looking forward to sharing with everyone.

Nancy Joe (WI) 
Lord bless me indeed, Lord expand my territory. Lord 
keep your hand upon me. Keep me from evil, that I
may not cause pain. "The Prayer of Jabez"


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## Shannonmcmom

Hello,

My name is Shannon and I live in North Central Alberta, Canada. We have a forty acre "farm" with 6 doe goats due to kid in the next few weeks, 1 buck goat, 4 ewes, 1 ram, 2 ewe lambs 1week old, 1 ram lamb 1 week old, 50 broiler chicks, 13 brown leghorn chicks, 7 bantams, 9 cats, 3 dogs, 5 children and 1 husband.

I am a stay at home mom, my children range in age from almost 8 to almost 1.
We just recently got into livestock. I am trying to raise animals to eat but some of them I know are going to end up pets.

I homeschool are 2 oldest kids and my last 4 children were born at home with a midwife. We are avid readers here with a library of over 3500 books. We are renovations experts, meaning we are good at starting the renovations but not always finishing. I am an animal lover, and most animals really like me, which in the case of our ram isn't always a good thing.

I am really glad I found this forum.

Shannon


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## branwyn

hello all, 
my name is branwyn, I am 30 year old sahmama to 3 daughters and wife to one gamer. We homeschool and are saving up to move into the mountains and off the grid. Right now I make a bit of extra money by selling my crochet items online. 

Hmmm, let's see - our hobbies are music (playing and listening), reading, painting, sewing, quilting, crocheting, photography, homesteading, watching and collecting obscure horror and martial arts movies, piercings, tattoos, and both my husband and I are very close with our children and hope to teach them how to better the earth thru example. 

we live in northwestern georgia and are on year 1 of our 5 year plan (my husband works a few jobs, but will be concentrating on real estate eventually) to get out of suburbia and into the mountains.

um...not sure what else to post. i hope to learn and share a lot


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## GeorgiaRain

Hi, This is such a wonderful site. I'm not sure if I'm posting in the right spot, but just wanted to say hi to y'all! I'm not a homesteader, in fact, we just moved from the Ozarks, where we lived on a couple hundred acres, to Georgia for my dh's job. We were in such a hurry to move that we didn't have much time to house hunt, and I was so worried about getting my kids in the right school, so we found ourselves in a subdivision, with only an acre of property, and it's not zoned agriculture, so we've had to board our sweet horse. It's taking some getting used to, living back in the "city". Although most our neighbors consider this the "country" lol, but at least it's not "big city" anyway. I'm a sahm and have 4 children, 2 are in school, and 2 are still home with me (3 year old twins). My older 2 are 8 and 11. They miss the country terribly, although they are enjoying living in a neighborhood with kids to play with. I guess everywhere has it's advantages. We are fixin on moving our horse closer to home with some friends of ours, and that will work out alot better and my dd will have a riding partner. Maybe in a year or 2 we will look into moving back into the country, my dh and I were just talking about it yesterday, now that we are better aquainted with the area and know where to look. Anyways, sorry for rambling!!


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## akmtman2

Hello:

I am 38, married to my best friend from college, Cathy. We have four children, 3 girls and one boy ages 12, 10, 8, 5. Told DW while we were in college that I would not live in UT. She lived her whole life in the deserts of UT. After graduation I draggered her, sight unseen, to Alaska where we get 130 in. of rain a year.  When the ferry arrived at the island that was to be our new home my DW just weeped. Since then we have grown closer, and are working together to raise children, rabbits, chickens, dog, garden, and maybe a goat. We'll see.

I really enjoy this site and am looking forward to being a part of it.


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## 1/4acre

Hi, I'm Janice, currently 48yrs. mom to 3 sons. Married 30 terrific yrs. to the 1st and only. DH (john) was born on a farm in Poland.His family came to this country when he was 7 yrs. old. I had lived in an apt. in Chicago all my life. We are slowly building our dream. 1st a house of our own in the city,now a 1/4acre 60 miles NW of Chicago. In 5 yrs. the youngest will be finished w/ collage and we can sell and get 5 to 10 acres in southern Ill.I worked 25 yrs. in a factory without windows. Then 9/11 happened. I lost my job and changed employment. I now drive a schoolbus. It's the best. I really enjoy the kids and it has the advantage of working outside. I enjoy gardening and have plans to double the size of my garden next year. I also like to crochet, cook, bake and am learning to knit. I haven't canned yet(i'm chicken) but I do freeze and dry quite a bit of what I grow. This is the best forum. I am learning new things every day here as well as getting a few chuckles. So many of the people here have a fabulous sence of humor that comes through in their writing. I'll stop rambling now. I look forward to the posts daily. Janice


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## jokey

Hi All

I am mid 40's 3 kids all grown and doing awesomely,2 grandbabies. Married to my soulmate for 3 awesome years now.We have 2 very spoiled little minpins at home. We are right now living in a suburb of a very nasty crime ridden city and cannot wait to move to the country. Looking for our homestead,thinking Missouri? We were both raised in the country and it is definitely calling us back. WE HATE city living. We are reading all we can while looking for land about building a home. Cob,strawbale et al. Would love to find a workshop or seminar about either in NE Ohio where we now reside. Hubby is also learning and devouring anything on staying off grid. he is working on a steam powered generator. We have learned a lot already reading thru the posts here and hope to learn more.

Well that's about all I can think of right now just wanted to introduce ourselves


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## sdg

Hi, Though I have posted on the other parts of this board I just recently started visiting here. I really enjoy it too. I am 32 years old, married for the 2nd time to a wonderful man. I have 2 children ages 11 and 13. ANd 2 step children ages 16 and 18. We recently moved to Ny where my hubby is from. I am from Az originally. We bought an old farm house and 4 acres. We have rabbits, ducks, chickens, horses, goats, cats and dogs, oh and 1 house turtle. I enjoy crafts and growing my garden, which leads to canning...I learn all I can. I hope to talk to you all and learn alot from you.


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## Melissa

Welcome to the forum everyone!


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## Simpler1773

Just thought I should do a quick intro ~ I've been posting a little here and there but wanted to do a general "hello".

I'm 32, living in northern WI. Recently bought a house on 3 acres and have aspirations of raising chickens, dairy goats, and a garden or two. I'm really just trying to learn a little from all of you wise folks! 

I am a primitive folk artist, making mostly primitive dolls, santas, and a little rustic painting. My DH is self employed as a computer network engineer. 

We have 2 daughters, a 12 yr old and a 7 month old. We homeschooled the older one up until January of this yr. She begged me to let her go to public school and with the new baby I was too tired to fight it anymore. So far the grades are good :goodjob: The attitude I could live without, but that's not entirely the school's fault. Beautiful little hormones at work there....lol.

Well, I guess that's it for now! I look forward to talking with ya'll and getting to know you. Anyone in northern Wisconsin that wants to mentor me, just PM me....LOL! I have a bazillion questions! :shrug: 

Ricki


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## frillyaprons

Hi! Thought I would give you a quick info. I was a member months ago under the name boxermom (I think). Had to go off line after a major computer crash. :grit: 

I'm a SAHM to a 3 year old son, 3 dogs, 3 cats and 3 horses on 3 acres in NW Oklahoma. See a pattern here? My hubby is a fireman. 

I love to garden, cook, bake, can and try anything the old fashioned way. Sort of a cross between Laura Ingalls and Martha Stewart.


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## stef

Hi Melissa and CS Families
My name is Stefanie, but I answer to Stef. I'm so glad to get back on line again and find you all are still here. It's like visiting a favorite old neighborhood. A lot has happened in my life the last few years, and it kind of put me in a tailspin. But with the Lord's help I'm working at rebuilding my 'foundations'. Actually, the foundations have been there all along, just this old 'house' kind of took a beating. Thank God there is One Foundation that never shifts.
A little about myself. Am 57, single. I do have more of a family history, and maybe we'll get into that one day. One of the recent 'shakings' in my life was ending up on disability. Certainly never, *ever * thought that would happen to me. I have many intrests: reading, cooking, nature, science, geography, politics, sewing, writing, etc., etc. I love to entertain. It gives me a lot of joy and satisfaction to prepare a lovely meal and serve my friends. Everybody likes to eat and my motto is "my guests don't do dishes!". So that's it for now. I recognize many old familiar names on the board. Some seem to have left. Here's hoping you'll allow me to join the conversations now and then. Or maybe more. Stef


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## Loriann1971

Hi! 
My name is Lori and I am 33. My husband and I just bought a house in the semi-country outside of Pittsburgh. We have a little property and I am looking forward to getting back to my farming roots as much as possible on a small plot. 
Before we were married, I was a teacher, but now I am a stay at home mom and free lance writer. My husband just retired from the Air Force and after so many job related transfers we are very excited to finally own a place and put down roots. He just started working for the local school district and I plan to continue staying at home with our daughter and any other children we are blessed with.
I have really enjoyed reading the posts on this site and I am happy that I stumbled across it.


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## titansrunfarm

My name is Amanda, I'm 35. I have 15 year old son, Tim, who just started high school yesterday! Also live with David, my boyfirend. After two divorces I am way too chicken to re-marry! January before last I made some much needed major life changes, moved my gang of critters, Tim and David (he ended the lease on his house) from a small house in a cramped neighbourhood with neighbours of questionable morals in southern NC and an area where my horse (PT) and my boyfriends horse (Unique AKA "The Freak") were boarded, to my own place in Southern VA, an older fixer-upper and 7.5 gorgeous acres. Quit my job (RN) in a very large hospital ICU and found a new one in a little bitty hospital ICU here. I neede so badly to de-stress..and this was the answer! LIFE IS GOOD HERE! I've always wanted to get back to a simpler way and I am finally doing it, even got the chicken to prove it....


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## pcwerk

Hello all,
I have been posting awhile already and I have never introduced myself.
I think I kinda like the anonymity. I am a 43 year old disgruntled soul (but
I don't believe in souls or any kind of afterlife) who is ****ed off at how
screwed up the world is right now. We in the US (and many other places)
have lost our democracy to a bunch of corporatist elites and I WANT IT BACK!
Until that happens I guess I will go and hideout on 35 acres in SE Minnesota,
and wait for when TSHTF. Maybe along the way I can learn some useful self-
reliant skills and find peace in a beautiful rural setting...
I am married to a beautiful woman whom I love very much, but it is hard to
make it in this world (at least it is if you are facing it with stone cold sobriety
and not burying your head in the sand with the numerous mind-numbing ideologies). Julie is my rock, and my shifting sand at the same time.
We will try a new life, but it will not be easy since i am use to the "conveniences" that a large city brings (mainly better restraunts and something TO DO ;-) 
I apologize if I have offended anyone in any of the posts I have made in
the past. I am very passionate about my beliefs and I sometimes feel like
a preacher as I defend them, but I am sure that I am RIGHT and on the RIGHT side. If anyone ever has any questions about anything OTHER than
homesteading they would like my educated opinion on please PM me. I spent
many useless years in college and I may as well help others with my knowledge. Thanks for making this forum happen.

james


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## Melissa

Good to see you again Stef and frillyaprons. Lori, I am not far from Wheeling, WV, we don't live far from each other. Welcome Amanda.

James, I hope you find what you are looking for. Sometimes the journey is so much fun, it really doesn't matter if you make it to the final destination... I think homesteading can be like that, you never really get there, just enjoy the ride.


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## jessepona

Hi all! 

My name is Jessica and I'm 25. I'm married to a great guy named Stuart. He is an ecological restoration specialist and I'm a stay at home chef. Making enough food for him is a full time job LOL!

I'm a big dreamer; I always have a plan for the future. This is our plan: We want to buy as much land as my we can afford and use about 10 acres of it for food production, house, pasture etc... and use the rest for foraging, hunting, fishing and as a nature preserve. We want to make a place with as few invasive plant and animal species as possible so we have a really healthy forest. We also want to have a hay meadow with native grass species like indian grass and big bluestem. I want to have a few goats and sheep, chickens and two horses. Stu just wants a huge garden. I want to learn how to do all the things people used to know how to do, like spin wool and make clothes, pottery making and firing, glass blowing, black smithing, cheesemaking etc... (I know I'll never learn all this stuff, but its fun to try anyway)

Modern people take too much from the Earth and give nothing back. I worry that within my lifetime there will be hardships on all people as a result of this. So I want to homestead so I'm prepared for disaster and have a place for my family to be safe just in case. But mostly, I love the way people used to live so close to the Earth and I don't want to be a part of the overconsumption problem. 

We're both just out of college and it will take Stu about 3-5 years to build up enough experience to get a permanent job. I want have our own place now, but at least this gives me lots of time to learn and prepare. I'm not a novice at homesteading though, I lived most of my life on a 10 acre farm with horses, chickens and the occasional sheep so I have some idea of what I'm getting myself into. 

In my religion we believe everyone has an animal that they're spirit is closest too and mine is the squirrel. So sometimes I get kind of squirrely and chattery and I have to tell myself to shutup, and this is one of those times 

Anyway, I love this board. Its really informative and I lookforward to getting lots of info here.

Jessepona


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## Garnetridge

Just joined this forum today. I live with my husband and daughter in Central Texas. We have a variety of animals and about 30 years of experience with country living. Some of that time we were back in the city but still boarding our horses in the country. I have a medical research degree and am very alternative in my healing and health philosophies. DH is a software architect and works as head of IT for a local company. Daughter is into showing and breeding dogs, Indian Runner Ducks and several varieties of show chickens. I am just along for the ride and do what I can to keep the house and farm running smoothly. May be looking for bona fide employment if things don't improve with the economy. For now am trying to develop income from the poultry.


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## MichelleDawn

I found this site this morning while looking for copy cat recipes for Popeye Fried Chicken. It's an interesting site and I decided I'd join and introduce myself.

My grandparents were farmers in western Oklahoma and my parents had 80 acres in eastern Oklahoma. Besides Oklahoma, I've lived in Florida, Arizona, New Jersey, Washington State, and I currently live in Houston.

I love to cook but I'm not nearly as good as my mother or grandmother. But I did learn a lil' from each region that I lived in.


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## ourfather

Hi!

I'm 21, happily married, and not a homesteader. I'm reading and learning about it though! Someday I'd love to have my own homestead, it's always been a dream!

I'm a homemaker who's been lurking here for a couple months, and decided to join  The ideas, info, and links are great!

I'm also an American living in Finland  :viking: lol

Kat


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## brainfrey

Hello!
My name is Brandi. I'm 22 years old, married, no kids. I grew up in wheat country in North-Central Oregon, but I now live in a suburb of Portland. I really miss the country, and dream of homesteading. I've lurked here for a while, just now got my account up and running.
I love to read and research. If I discover a subject or topic that interests me, I'll snoop out every website and book I can find about it. I was very excited when I got to meet Carla Emery at a solar festival in John Day last year. She signed my copy of "The Encyclopedia of Country Living."

This message board feels very homey, and I look forward to learning lots from the experts!

-Brandi


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## thegirlnextdoor

so I'll prob edit this later...but a quick intro

I found this site while looking for info on various dog breeds, but got totally sidetracked reading this site & decided to join. Originally I got sidetracked by a rooster,which lead to this site

For the longest time now I've had this crazy isane notion of raising animals and making lots of stuff my/ourselves. SO likes the idea too, but right now it's not an option, and as for him, he'd want to have an actual farm raising actual groups of animals. 

Now, we live in a "This old house" type of house that we're slowly redoing ourselves mostly, with a bit of help from friends. I hang out the clothes, and right now we've got a temporary kitchen in the cellar laundry room. Two young kittens, both Norwegian forest cat mixes, that we got a few weeks ago from a friend of ours who lives out in the country.

I'm an artist, trying to work from home. And like to do all sorts of crafts and homemaking things, from cooking and baking to painting, baby quilts, scrapbooking to designing children's murals.

Haven't canned since I was little, and that was mostly my grandma's doing all the work but am hoping to teach myself a thing or three! My first huge goal is to be able to can sour dill pickles! Then try tomatoes, salsas and other things. One day maybe sell things, but mostly for us to eat, because it's healthy and tastes good and cheaper.

This year, we had plums, strawberries, lingonberries (they're like cranberries), black berries, black currents, red currants, gooseberries, cherries...but mostly only ate them fresh and gave lots away as gifts to friends and family, as no time or space or kitchen to can anything in

Next year would like to add hops, and grape vines...and some more fruit trees---not one of several apple trees had apples so have to figure that out too!

Well, for now, that's me

GND

hope that's not toooooo awfully long...


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## CountryMomy

Hello!

My name is Tricia.
My dh's name is Kevin. We have been married for 21 1/2 years.
We live in Massachusetts.
We have 9 children: Rebecca (19), Benjamin (17), Christopher (15), Samuel (12), Timothy (10), Matthew (8), Joshua (6), Sarah (3 1/2), Caleb (1 1/2).

I am also mama to 1 dog (Theodore - Golden Retriever/Chow), ~20 cats (all strays that we have adopted, some have names, some do not), 34 chickens (all hens), 13 Nubian goats (4 does (all milking), 1 wether (bucks companion/cart goat), 1 buck, 4 doelings, and 3 wethers (headed to the freezer this fall). My son, Christopher, is raising 11 turkeys this year. They will be slaughtered just before Thanksgiving. Four to five are for us and he is selling the rest.

Four years ago God moved us to a big old farmhouse on 12 1/2 acres in the country. We have a small barn too.
I have the hens for eggs and meat.
I have the goats for milk (and cheese) and meat.
My oldest two sons have taught our wether to pull a cart, so he hauls things for us.
The cats keep the mouse population under control.
Animals around here must give us something if I am going to feed them. Dog is my security system. :>)

I have a large vegatable/herb garden, grind my own flour, make bread, cook from scratch, can, sew, knit, crochet, etc.

We homeschool our children. We have been homeschooling since our oldest was 5 years old.

Well, that's about all I can think of to tell you about myself.
I look foward to sharing, learning, and getting to know you all.

God bless

Tricia

Website for my goat herd: http://yeshuasglory.blogspot.com/


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## Head'n Home

I have just joined the board and after reading all the posts, I think I can call all of you children. I'm 71, retired to north central Florida where few tourists go but the cattle and horse farms are many. Started out on a dairy farm about 35 miles north of NYC, but quite rural then. Spent most of my working life in Mass as an outside salesman in high tech. I've also spent some time in New Jersey, Georgia, Oregon and short stints in a couple of other states. We have always lived outside town, many times cutting our own firewood, gardening, etc.

Now, unfortunately, suffering the ravages of my smoking and therefore not too active any more but I love the country life. The greatest people live in the country, so there! Glad to be among all you folks.


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## missippigirl

Hi!
My name is Kayla, and I joined the other day, but I decided I'd go ahead and introduce myself. 
I live at home, on the farm, with my Dad and Mom. We live in rual Mississppi..(aka "Sticks") We live an hour from Gulfport, and an hour from New Orleans, Louisiana. LOL I guess when you mix ******* + coonbutt you get a redcoon? I dunno, but anywho! I am currently finishing my senior year of high school, and I homeschooled. I plan on attending college, to become a registered nurse, and then from there further my study in midwifery. Oh yesh, and marriage, lol.  But just wanted to say howday, and kinda tell ya about myself! 

_*<--hopes she has all her apostrophe's in order!*_


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## Itu

I joined this board the other day and have replied to a few posts, so I figured that I better introduce myself. I am 31 and live in north central IL. I have 2 wonderful boys ages 6 and 12. As a child I was raised very much in this manner. Over the years, I have strayed far away from it, but never forgotton it. After my divorce, and now new marriage, I am slowly getting back into the lifestyle that I once knew. As a kid, I didn't know any different. I thought that all families lived they way that we did. Once I got older, I realised that most everyone I knew thought that we were crazy because of all of the modern conveniences that we did without and all of the extra work that we had to do in order to survive. Oh the stories I could tell! LOL After conforming to society's idea of what "normal" is, for many years, I can't stand it. I long to get back to the lifestyle that I had as a child and rebelled against as a teenager. Boy, my mother would die, if she heard me saying this now!


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## Ssimple1

Hello! My name is Su. I live in Albuquerque, NM. Although we met here, my signifigant other and I are both from Illinois. I from Winnebago Co and he from Woodford Co. We are very seriously considering moving back to Illinois and running his family farm in Woodford Co. 
We would like to take the 80 acre farm from it's current soybean/corn crops to a more people/earth friendly usage. We have all kinds of questions and could use all kinds of advice. 

On a personal note, we are both in our late 40's. Phil's son graduates from high school next year. My daughter has a degree in Civil Engineering and is working on her masters in architecture. My son is a real estate agent and student studying Physics and would like to be a free lance writer. 

Phil grew up on the farm, has a masters degree in business, spent 10 years as a military officer, tried the corporate world and is now a regional truck driver. He's also a very talented artist. 

I learned to love plants from my father who grew up between farms and lumber camps and canning from my mother who grew up during the depression. 
I worked for Wal-Mart for 15 years as a bookeeper and have nothing nice to say about them. I now work for a fortune 200 co and tear my hair out every day. 
While I have had some success with gardening here in the foothills of the Sandia Mountains, I truely miss that gorgeous earth in Illinois. 
I am also an avid amatuer genealogist. If anyone reading this is from Western Maryland or Northern Illinois or even from Mennonite stock, we are probably related. 
I'm looking forward to getting to know the people on this board and hopefully gaining some wisdom.


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## EagleCountry

Hi Everyone,
I've been a lurker for quite some time now and thought I would introduce myself as many others have. I live in south central illinois (home of the corn and bean fields as well as the 300 lb white tail bucks) and have so all my life. It truly is a blessing to have the family I have and to be able to live within an hour or two of where I grew up as a child. My family is great and I have a college freshman this year who wants to become an elementary school teacher eventually. We live within a mile or so of small town america so we are allowed to pretty much do as we please but still have the luxury of being close to the stores. Sometimes I really do wish that we lived a little further from town. My family grew up near a very small community named Wynoose on a small river so yes we are river rats by design. I went on to fight and scrap my way through college and am now a Senior Product Engineer for a local company but my parents and grandparents engrained it into my brain to never forget where you came from as well as you can always come home......As Alabama says it "down home, where they know you by name and treat you like family". They say that home is where your heart is, mine will always be in the country.
God Bless, Bryan


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## Crickle

Hello everyone, my name is Crystal Genier. I have been married to a wonderful man for almost 6 months now. We live in Cochrane, Ontario, Canada. We are the last stop on for roadways if your heading to Moosonee. After us you have to take a train. We own a beautiful little house (although its got its own quirks) and have lived here for about 5 months. We own 4 acres and are planning on raising chickens, rabbits and eventually either sheep or goats. 

I am Anglican but currently attend my husband's Catholic church, which is really rather relaxed in its dogma and allows me to take Communion and other things which really aren't supposed to be done in the Catholic faith. I dont complain tho, our priest is quite nice and down to earth. 

Both my husband and I attended college and got our diploma in Forestry Technican, thats where we met. I'm also a trained Tree Marker and my husband took the course and received his Scaling Licence.

We are no strangers to homesteading. My husbands' family only just started to get out of livestock (due to health problems, my father-in-law was injured in a car accident in January) And both my parents grew up on farms and although we didnt have a farm we always had a lot of land and millions of pets. So I'm no city girl no matter what my in laws tell you.  I think I proved myself during butchering season this year tho. 

My hobbies are hunting, fishing, baking, gardening, cross stitch, reading, and working on our old '88 dodge truck with my husband. 

We are currently hoping for our own little miracle, hopefully the Lord will see fit to bless us before the year is up. Please mention us in your prayers.

I look forward to being part of this forum, I think it's a really good idea for homesteaders and just general country folk to connect like this. 

God bless you all
Crystal


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## Thruwurkin

Hello All,

I have spent the past few days reading posts. Wonderful stuff. I love the homesteading way of life (that is the way I was born and raised) but canât imagine myself starting over again at this age.

The house Iâm in is paid for and is much to big for me but Iâm gonna stay here and just dream. Who knows someday I may knock on your door and ask if you need some help.

I travel a lot in my â51 Chev Pickup pulling an original â40 Teardrop Trailer with my Boston Terrier, Cruiser sitting in the passenger seat. When anyone else rides with me they must share that seat with him.

I am 68 years old, divorced, retired Navy and retired from the Hanford Nuclear Reservation (home of the Manhattan Project). I am not a âHomesteaderâ but would love to live that way. The things I enjoy most is Castiron Dutch oven cooking, Old Chevy trucks pulling Teardrop Camping trailers, Camping and my 18 year old Son. My Son and I do a lot of things together but he is about to graduate from High School and go into the Military.

I love writing emails. Any that I get will be answered. Ask any question you wantâ¦I have very thick skin, will not be upset and will give you an honest answer.

I have read a lot of profiles and MANY posts in the past few days and have grown to love this board already. I may not post a lot but Iâll be reading all that you post.

Thruwurkin
Kennewick, WA


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## navygirl

Where do I start? I am female, 37 years old, twice divorced and now very leery of marraige. But I am trying to stay open to the possibility that there exists a man who would love to hook up with a fit woman who can swing an axe, work a chainsaw, bake bread from scratch, swing a hammer and lay tile, even do a bit of plumbing when its required, let's put it this way...you name it... if I can't do it, I can learn to. I'll save it for the personals.
Anyway, I am currently active duty Navy, stationed in Seoul Korea. I know, what am I doing on this board, right? Fair question.
I'm retiring in about five years, give or take. I have an eight year old son who is living with granny and grandpop in VA. They are living on a beautiful bit of 5 acres in the woods and loving life. But they can't have any livestock. And they can't build any outbuildings, or cut any trees, or put in a pond, or have a big garden. Homeowner's Associations are a real pain in the backside! And the container garden ony scratches the itch so far. 
Mom raised us in the boonies and we had gardens and raised pigs and chickens and rabbits. Slaughtering day wasn't fun but I still love the sound of chickens scratching about in the yard. Us kids used to pick wild berries and make our own jam. Beat the heck out of what you buy in the store. Still haven't found anything to match it. I miss it...I miss the snow, the wood fires, the power going out and we had to melt snow on the wood stove to water the animals. I miss the baked apples from our orchard that we baked in a wood-fired stove, scratching in the dirt, hanging out the laundry, swinging the axe, and the nights we kids dressed up in bags of cast-off costumes and put on plays before we had t.v. And I want to introduce my child to the joys of my own childhood. So we are anxiously awaiting a phone call from our realtor about 56 acres of land with utilities and an unlivable structure. Since our family can make anything livable, granny and grandpop are ready to bolt when the phone rings and give the property the once over and plop down our cash. That explains why I am here...I was looking for information about the water and land quality in the area we are looking at. Thanks to you wonderful people, I also stumbled across a ton of useful tips about what else to consider when the grandfolks are looking at the property. (Not my grandfolks, my son's). 
Our plans are to purchase land, build a monolithic dome home complex in a manner to house multiple generations without crowding each other, and HOMESTEAD IT! Yeehaaawwww! Hoping to convince my sibs to come out and build wherever they want on our land so the cousins can grow up together. There will have to be a land covenant of some sort to protect the land from being split up and abused and sold out of the family and such, but I want the kids to grow up together if at all possible. 
Since everyone else has given up the information, I will too. I'm a heathen. Of the Gaelic Traditionalist persuasion. 
Have to say, I admire what I see here. Hats off to all of ya.


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## Melissa

Welcome to the board everyone. We really look forward to getting to know you better. Feel free to post all of your questions, I know you will get a lot of helpful answers.


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## claytonpiano

I am a piano teacher (64 students) who has been married to DH for 33 years. I am 52 and have two daughters 25 and 26. Both are married and we have one granddaughter. I've done lots of other things -- taught school, seminars, children's choirs, church assistant and on and on. My kids tease me that I need a new career every 10 years. We homesteaded in the city for years because my husband was a pastor. Now he has a ministry to pastors and we moved to 3 acres just outside the city limits. 

We have a big garden, 120 chickens (I know, we're nuts!!), 4 turkeys, 9 guineas, and 11 rabbits. We bought this place for the price of the land and are remodeling the house. YUCK!! It has been fun, but I'm ready to enjoy the place and not work all the time. I finally have my big kitchen that I've always wanted and we spend lots of time there cooking, canning and now, my new hobby making soap!

My favorite thing to do is work in my greenhouse and quilt. I LOVE TO QUILT!! I love to sew, knit and crochet, but don't have as much time for it as I would like.

DH is a woodworker and builds outbuildings, carves spoons and generally can fix and do almost anything. He is best at coaching pastors and helping churches, but I think he is great at everything!!

I love this forum and love all the information that I've gotten here.


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## Traci_B

Hi everyone! I just moved to my new homestead in n. MI over the summer. Love it! We have been so busy building since we bought it as raw land. 

My husband and I have 3 kids, 4 saddle horses and 1 draft, 2 goats 16 hens, 2 roosters, 6 dogs, and 5 cats. I spend my whole day cleaning up after everyone and making sure everyone is fed, hydrated, and in general good health.  It actually isnt a bad way to spend ones day.


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## BrahmaMama

Hi Everyone; I'd like to start by saying how thrilled I am to have found this forum! It's ULTRA COOL to talk to people who truely understand my mind set. :sing: 
I live in rural E. Ont. with Hubby and one son at home, Daughters grown and on her own. They all pretty much think I'm wacked, that's O.K. we'll see who's surviving the best when the lights go out! Actually they often do around here (must buy generator for computer - not T.V.)
We have a large flock of chickens and ducks, a goat named Nigel. I'm big into gardening, infact I work summers at a B&B as their gardener, mine suffers a bit because of this but next year I'll work that out somehow to make it better. We plan on getting more birds next spring and I want to work on developing a dual purpose bird that's worth eating. A milking goat is definately in the plans and Turkeys too. I'm going to talk to my neighbour about renting or borrowing some land for pasture, we have a big-little-farm on just one acre. :shrug: 
I look forward to chatting with all of you, Thanks for being here !!! :bow:


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## cindyc

Howdy...

I am a homesteading wanna be, who is doing urban homesteading as much as is currently possible, and moving slowly toward our country life. I am a mom of five, and wife of one awesome guy for almost 15 years. We live in TN in a 100 year old farm house that would be perfect if it wasn't right smack in the middle of town. Wonder how much it would cost to move it? 

I am happy to listen and learn from the the collective experience of the group.

Thanks, Cindyc


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## delta9

Figured it's about time i introduced myself. I'm a wife to my husband of a couple of years, soon-to-be mother for the first time, and part-time law student. We took our first step towards homesteading by buying a trailer house a coupe years back. At the moment it's in a trailer park in the suburbs, but within a couple of years we hope to buy land in western Michigan (we're thinking Allegan County) and move the house there.

We're a Catholic family, but if I talk about Jewish things sometimes it's because I was raised as an Orthodox Jew until my early twenties when I developed a personal relationship with Christ. Getting baptized and married in the Church seemed like the next obvious step  

We try to live frugally, be friendly, and spend our spare time playing Scrabble, homebrewing mead, cooking, and going on quick roadtrips all over Michigan. Well, I do. Dh spends his spare time doing all of the above or playing role-playing or computer games.


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## Bluberry

Hi everyone

I've been lurking for awhile and am So happy I found this place. Just my
kind of folks , with the mindset I've had , seems like most of my life. Well,
after my first born. I was a single mom and knew I had to provide for him
and started in the garden 23 years ago. It's been an upward progress of
survializm ( is that a word ? ) lol - since then.

I live on a 5+ acre farm and am turning my basment into our safe haven.
One of my son's still lives with me and helps me tremendously. We don't
call it rent , we call it " holding each other up ".

When my X and I purchased this place , I had my dreams of living off the 
land, he had his own ideas about the place that he didn't share with
me. Without going into detail , I filed for divorce , was blessed to get the
farm and am now starting over. 

Now that I can focus on this place, my life and my Christianity, this forum 
will be my hangout to learn and share. I am very excited :baby04: 

I could go on and on but will do that in small doses later on down the road.

Pleased to meet you all (( hugssss )


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## mdegaston

Hello there. 

I've been reading things on this site for a long time now and finally got my own name (have used DH's a couple of times). I am a stay at home mother of four. The oldest is in Kindergarten (5 years old) and the youngest is not quite 1. The oldest two are boys and the youngest two are girls. DH and I have been married for 6 1/2 years and are still madly in love with each other. 

We have been putting together house plans for a passive solar house that we plan on building ourselves some day (hopefully in the next 5 years). Until then, we are big city folks (Denver). We'd rather have our land and animals now, but we need to wait a bit longer. We'd like to build some place with cheaper land (OK or TX maybe) that we can dig a well and grow food. We plan on traveling around soon to take a look at possibel places to live. 

I love sewing, cooking and taking care of my wonderful children. I enjoy learning new things and have recently taken up quilting. I also love to be outside in nature. I was born in Idaho and lived on a farm for a whole 4 years of my life, so it is in my blood.  I want to be more self-sufficient and I'd love to be able to can my own food. 

I love this forum and hope it stays around for a long time. I do have many opinions about things and am a very religious person. I hope that I can help you all as much as you help me. 

MD


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## Hetty

I have been so blessed by reading all your posts about things that I enjoy ,gardening ,cooking, saving the pennies , and loving the Lord.
I live in Northern Ireland with DH and two sons. DD getting married next year and other two sons are married. I have visited family in NB Canada also Mass. USA., and have seen your Cheap groceries, food is very dear here and no coupons! Gas is about Â£1 per litre.
Have a good thanksgiving.


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## miss_dee

I just realized I've posted here a few times and haven't introduced myself yet. I started visiting occasionally a few months ago, but now come here most every day. I've really enjoyed reading your posts, learning about your families, hobbies, and lives. We aren't homesteaders, although we do live sort of in the country, in NE Oklahoma. Guess I'm a wannabe, and I sure do enjoy this board. We both work full-time in town - my husband is a teacher and I work in an office. We have a couple of horses and some chickens - that's all we have room for. I adopted a barn cat a few weeks ago, but he found his way back to his old home, so they decided to keep him after all. We had a dog for years, who was always behind a fence at our old place, but when we moved here, had no fence. Well, he fell in love about two months ago, and has moved up the road.

I just had my 50th birthday; my husband will be 59 in December. We have two sons, one a soldier in Iraq (he is due to come home after the first of the year). He was on the news the other day but we missed it. Was nothing major, he was standing in formation behind his commander who was being interviewed, but still, would have been neat to see him. Our daughter-in-law and two grandchildren live in Georgia. Our other son is a sophomore in college, living about 2 hours away. We see him fairly often, but not nearly often enough. 

I love all kinds of music, cooking, reading, crafts, playing spades at Yahoo, gardening, and mostly just spending time with my family. My husband loves making people laugh, his students, his horses, his family, and mostly me.  

You didn't ask for a book, did ya? Well, there's lots more to tell, but I guess there's lots of time for that. Thanks for being here, and I look forward to getting to know you guys much better.


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## Pony

Hetty said:


> I have been so blessed by reading all your posts about things that I enjoy ,gardening ,cooking, saving the pennies , and loving the Lord.
> I live in Northern Ireland with DH and two sons. DD getting married next year and other two sons are married. I have visited family in NB Canada also Mass. USA., and have seen your Cheap groceries, food is very dear here and no coupons! Gas is about Â£1 per litre.
> Have a good thanksgiving.


How nice to meet you, Hetty!

A friend's daughter just returned from No. Ireland where she was on a mission trip. Also, my business partner visited Ireland this past June. She said it's very beautiful there, and she can tell why the national color is green because everything is so lush and verdant. 

Pony!


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## Melissa

Welcome to the forum everyone. I am always amazed at the number of people who find this place and post here. We have a wonderful community of like-minded people with whom to share our lives. Homesteaders have to stick together!


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## stoneymom

Hi everyone!! I am relatively new to this site, but have posted a few times and am really enjoying all the new info and insights I am getting from here, so I thought I should introduce myself. 

My name is Myra and hubby and I live on a small homestead in southwestern ND with our four childern ages 2 to 11. Hubby works full time in town and the childern and I have an assortment of anilmals we take care of. Currently we have 40 ewes, 2 rams, 7 reg. nubians, a variety of laying hens and a bottle calf named Buttercup. I also raise and train Pembroke Welsh Corgi dogs to be used as herding dogs.

We love living a simple, healthy life in the country. I am not currently homeschooling. The two oldest childern attend a small K - 8 country school two miles from our home. Currently there are 22 neighborhood childern attending and we employ 3 full time teachers. It is a wonderful thing, but if it would ever reach the point where it would not work out, I would love to have the opportuntiy to homeschool!!

I really look forward to getting to know all of you!! THis is just a wonderful site and I really enjoy being able to access this wealth of information from my home!

Blessings -
Myra


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## ducky

Hi, I joined a while back but mostly just stop by once in a while to read up. I raise chickens, ducks, and geese on a tiny egg farm. 
I keep my freezer full of ducks, lamb, and beef raised by myself or friends, and I eat a lot of eggs. LOL.

ducky


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## Beltane

Hello Everyone!

I just found this discussion board a few days ago....and I have already learned so much from all of you! :clap: 

At the beginning of this year DH and I were a bit discouraged with the way things were going in our lives - so we made a promise to reduce, reuse, recycle, and become more self-sufficient. We are concerned about the chemicals in our environment, so we went through the house and donated all of the chemical cleansers and household products that are not good for us or the environment. (Baking soda and vinegar seem to have cleaned everthing I've needed to so far - but it sure takes a bit longer!)

DH and I live in a beautiful old cape in New Hampshire on 40 acres. We have dedicated the last three years of our lives to finding homes for retired racing greyhounds - which has become our life passion. We are a 'foster home' for greys right from the track in order to aclimate them to home life while finding them a forever home. DH and I are mommy and daddy to 7 wonderful greys of our own, Beltane, Winter, Potter, Nellie, Aesop, Fable, & Green.

In our quest to become more attentive to the world around us, DH and I joined a CSA (community supported agriculture - if anyone was unsure!) and now support our local farmer up the road for raw milk, eggs, beef, and butter. I never realized how yummy food could taste when it was grown organically and without hormones, etc! Someday...someday...we would like to start our own CSA because folks in this area of the state have to travel to Maine to obtain fresh, locally grown organic veggies!

DH and I will be getting some chickens in just a few weeks - so I'm sure you'll see me in the poultry forum alot! We would also like to someday have goats, sheep, etc. 

Okay...I guess I've gone on long enough! Attached is a picture my family took of DH (Michael) and I just a few weeks ago with our 'family'.

I look forward to getting to know everyone here ~ I know there is something I can learn from everyone.


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## cpeyus

Hello everyone -

I'm so glad I found this site! I posted to the General Chat board earlier today, before I looked at this one, which appears to be the more appropriate place for an intro...anyway - My name's Carole, & I'm a married 30-something, stay-at-home mom of 2 boys, ages 16 (17 in January) & 10. We live on 2-1/2 acres that we recently inherited from my MIL in California (growing zone 9  ) We're about 70 miles southeast of Sacramento & 70 miles southwest of Carson City, NV. We're at about 3600' elevation, so we enjoy a varied climate - snowed yesterday, but last week it was in the high 60s. In order to continue being the stay-at-home mom, I've been working on ways to further trim that budget & become more self-sufficient...WHEW...longwinded today, sorry...anyway...love the site, have learned so much already & look forward to learning more, & hopefully being able to share useful info with you all...


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## Melissa

Welcome to the board everyone! Please feel free to post your questions and thoughts on forum as much as possible. I love to read people's stories and learn from their experiences.


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## TheStoryTeller

My name is Raymond. I am 52, and a disabled veteran since 1974. I have been writing for over 20 years, and it is my passion and happiness. I had a cabin with 20 acres on a lake near Canada in Washington State in the 1990's, but life has many an unexpected twist and turn. Now live in California. I hope the stories and poetry I share with members will be enjoyed now and then.

Raymond.


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## motherof9

Hello, my name is Wendy and it sounds like we share alot of the same interests. I am a mother of nine and enjoy quilting, gardening and cooking with the children. We are thinking about relocating to Missouri how is the weather in winter?And are there many places available to rent? Looking for farmhouse with some land any ideas where to search for info?


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## fsmfarms

Hello, I am Rocky and I'm retired and live in Colorado. We are in the process of choosing a cabin to be built on my land. We have 3 dogs, one is a Katrina dog that I fostered and when she wasn't claimed, I adopted her. I enjoy a lot of reading, quilting, cooking, fishing, hiking, snowshoeing, XC skiing and my family. A son and a daughter and a granddaughter and grandson. 

I am interested in a simple life and a green life. I also love drumming and the friendships I've formed in my drumming circle.


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## mrs.warrior

Iam 31. I live in Alabma. Iam married with 2 girls Amanda 15 Marisa 12. We have 5 dogs, 4 cats and a river full of fish.


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## mrs_bombdog

Hello everyone,

My name is Dana and I have a 5 acre home with cats, dogs, horses, and soon chickens.

I've been reading the posts here and find this to be a great board. I'm happy to have found it.

You can read my profile to see more.

Thanks!

Dana
Place your pin on our guest map!


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## ThriftyMa

My name is Mary I have 2 great children. Live on one acre. I want a farm so bad. We have dogs,rabbits,fish, hamster and lizard. I am a stay at home mom.
Looking for some land in Ky that isnt a arm and a leg. I do have a small grape vine and 2 pear tree's


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## nduetime

Hello, hello! I just found your site today ( and found a friend there too!) My husband and I have 20 acres, a boarding stable, horses, goats, chickens, ducks, rabbits, dogs, cats and whatever else comes along. I have just this year really gotten involved with homesteading and trying to be as self-sufficient as possible. Hubby is not as thrilled with the homesteading part of small farming but since it saves rather than spends he will go along with it. I am really excited to have found a place where I can ask lots of questions, especially about my goats as I have just bred my little lamancha and hope the nubian takes next week. I want to make cheese, butter, and soap. I could go on forever (but won't) This looks like a great place to meet likeminded folks and gather tons of information.


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## Freya

Just a quick intro.

Been a lurker for awhile and thought I would come out and be friendly finally!



Hubby and I work at home and I am also a homeschooler (of two with one on the way).

Past life spent around homesteading... current life we are searching for property to build on. 


That's the quick info.... look forward to participating!


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## dazza

Hiya everyone!!

My name is Michaela and I live in Central West NSW Australia. I am 23 and have 2 children, a 3yr old daughter and a 1 yr old son. I work as a shearing shed hand and wool classer and my partner is a truck mechanic (he was a shearer for 8 yrs previously).
We were both bought up on farms but now live in town but hope to soon get some land. We would run sheep (obviously given our work history) chooks, ducks and some crops (wheat, oats, lucerne maybe canola). I also have ferrets and go rabbiting whenever I can.

Can't wait to learn as much as I can here. Especially about sheep. America has so many breeds there I have never heard of!!

Michaela (dazza, is an old school nickname)


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## Lix

Hello!  
Thought I'd post a quick intro!
I am in my twenties and located 30 minutes from Ottawa, Ontario. 

My fiance and I bought a house last year on 55 acres. The property is mostly bush but there is about 12-15 acres open field. We purchased this property with the intention of bringing my mare (A Clyde/Throuroughbred cross) home as soon as we could get a barn set up.

So far, the plan is to set ourselves up (minimaly) to bring my mare home next spring (this includes building a shelter, fixing the weedy field, putting up fences, etc). Currently, she is boarded out just down the street. 

Once we are set up, we plan on keeping about 3 horses (and perhaps a donkey). We are very fond of Clydesdales and hope to add a few to our 'family' in the next year. We are also planning our wedding set for September next year. 

This site seems like a great ressource full of like-minded people. My fiance has also registered as deckers007 so you will likely see both of us around.


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## MomOf4

Hello! My name is Michelle. I found this site only a week ago, and for the past week, have been reading feverishly. The night I found the site, I stayed up until 4:30am reading!

I live in central Indiana with my husband and our 4 children (2 of his, 2 of mine, none are ours, but we both claim them all as our own). I am 31, hubby is 32, three daughters are soon to be 13, 11, 11 and only son just turned 9.

We live on the farm that has been in our family for over 150 years. The farm started with 150 acres back then, and just last year, we went from 30 down to 7 when a developer swallowed up the back 23 acres for a housing addition (my father owned and sold that portion). We live in a 120 year old farmhouse, and are now completely surrounded by housing additions. 

The advantage is that with the sale, my father bought a 530 acre farm two hours south of us, with 40 acres of woods, a creek, a river, and a small, delapidated farm house. This is where we go to get away from the hustle and bustle, and take our "vacation". We have fixed the house up, with free and stuff donated from friends, enough to use it as a vacation home, and for hunting in the fall, as both my husband and I enjoy hunting.

We have 2 dogs, a cat, and 3 horses. I would like to add chickens this summer. We have both always been homesteaders at heart. We live in one of the top 10 fastest growing counties in the country, and the city has, unfortunately, come to us, as we used to be out in the middle of nowhere.

My husband is a mechanic, and I am self employed as a decorative painter (faux finisher). I enjoy the few months off in the winter when business is slow, but don't enjoy the lack of income.

I found this website when searching for frugal tips. This past year, we had a tragedy which totally changed our lives. The mother and half-sister of my husbands 2 daughters were murdered. We have been used to a high standard of living (in other words, high dollar - for our income), having only 2 children at home, but that has had to change. I can say that I am thrilled with the change, and thrilled that we are being so frugal. My life seems to be so much more fulfilling now. If we had it my way, we would live completely off the grid and off the land, but with where we live, that's not possible, and my roots are too deep here to move, so we'll do as much as we can where we are.

We have a 1/4 acre garden, which we plant every year, but were not able to plant last year because the deaths occurred the week that we were planning to plant. I am looking very forward to our garden again this year, and trying my hand at canning, since I couldn't last year!

I enjoy crafts, quilting (I still have to finish my first one that I started 3 years ago!), baking, and all that homemaker stuff.

I am so glad I have found this site, and look forward to getting to know everyone!

Michelle
"We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing"


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## dixiemomof2

Hi everybody.

I just wanted to quickly introduce myself. I have been lurking around for a while soaking up all of your wisdom. 

I am a 29 yr old single mom of 2 girls (one is almost 7 and the other is 4). I work from home selling on ebay mostly. I have been dreaming of being self sufficient for years, ever since I read Walden in high school. I live in the almost suburbs (outside of city limits, but they keep trying to annex us in) on 1/2 acre.
While I would love to have a bit (ok, more than a bit) more land, it seems like I am going to have to make do for now. So, I am going to try and do as much I can with what I've got. That, in a nutshell, is why I am here gleaning as much info and wisdom from ya'll as I can.

Dixie


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## ColorMeAutumn

Hi Everyone

I've thoroughly enjoyed reading and learning here.
I'm Pamela, 45 y/o, native Californian and in the process of selling my long time business and relocating to VA with some acreage. I enjoy large container gardening growing a large variety of peppers, lettuces, potatoes, beans and my favorite.. radishes. Every year of challenges in the garden, I learn from my mistakes and I make plenty of them. I own one very adored horse and when I make time, enjoy drawing, oil and watercolor painting and jazz and classical music.
I'm surely not a homesteader, but grew up on a small farm, delivered many calves and foals and cured many a colic. Maybe there's hope yet!
Thanks again for all the great information and knowledge circulated here.
Love the forum.

Pamela


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## AnneJ

I am a mother of 2 boys, ages 4 yrs and 10 months. I raise working Australian Shepherds and sheep. We also have some chickens and ducks. We have a little 10 acre farm that we bought 2 1/2 years ago. My husband is a small animal vet. I'm really getting excited for gardening season to start up again. Really looking forward to those fresh eats! Anyone else pouring over seed catalogs?


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## Johanna

Hi there! I'm Johanna. I'm a SAHM of 3 little people, ages 5, 3 and 1. We are homeschoolers and live in South Texas. My husband is in the Navy at present, but will be getting out within the next couple of years. We hope to set up a homestead (or at least a pseudo-homestead) after that. We have some family land in the Magnolia, TX area that we are planning to use and are REALLY excited about it!!! This board seems refreshing and full of great information! I look forward to tapping this great resource.


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## woodsmokeinherhair

Well, I am a 45 year old, divorced woman with 2 children, the youngest of which lives with me and now has a rabbitry. We live in a populated rural area, near a large lake. It's a place where people typically come and let out their unwanted dogs :nono:. Anyhow, we have had rabbits off and on, and the dogs usually got them. We finally made a fence out of cattle panels, then put another fence with smaller holes halfway up that fence and put our rabbit hutches inside of this. This not only keeps the dogs out, but, for the most part, keeps the rabbits in. We currently have 1 brown male lop ear, who needs a mate, 1 New Zealand white (with 9 three week old babies) who also needs a mate, and 6 black dutch, all litter mates except one (our intension is to keep a breeding pair and sell the rest). We got our rabbits at the local auctions. I know that is not a good thing, but after having lost as many rabbits as we did to the dogs, we didn't want to spend a lot of money just so another dog could have a rabbit dinner! We haven't lost a rabbit since Christmas, even though the gate was left open one time, apparently all night :grump: . So as time passes, we are starting to get more and more excited about our rabbit adventure actually working! lol. I am glad to be a part of this board and have already learned some things that I didn't know  and know I'll learn lots more! 

Woodsmokeinherhair! aka Cricket.


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## krabema

Hello ~ :banana02: I'm Marcela and I'm a homemaker. I'm married and have 3 children (10, 3 and 1). I also care for my 6 yr old niece and 4 yr old nephew during the day while their mom works. I've enjoyed reading all the great info in this site and I'm so glad I came across it. I am looking for ways to cut down on our expenses and simplify our lifestyle so that our family can eventually move to our very own farm to raise cattle and grow corn and beans. My father in law and his dad are farmers in central IL. Therefore; this site is very helpful in finding ways to achieve our goal. Thanks everyone for all the great tips!


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## Timeless Rogue

Hi, Melissa ... if it's okay with you, I'd like to come play at your house. It's getting a bit crazy down the street. If it is, I'll come back with some info about me so folks know who I am ...


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## Sherpadoo

My name is Tiffany and I'm married to Oscar. We're 23 and just graduated from Oregon State last June. We got married halfway through our 4 years and are now out in the "Real World". We live on the Oregon Coast where it's pretty much 50-70 degrees year round. We're on our way to living as independently as possible.


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## Evie

Hi, I'm Evie. I live on a 134 acre farm in the Adirondack Park (Upstate, NY). My family has lived here for the past 200 years or so. I'm 28, married to Andy for nearly 6 years, and our daughter Catherine is 18 months old. I've been giving riding lessons and teaching summer camp for a nieghboring ranch since I was 15 and this is the first year I will not be doing summer camp. I used to manage hotels 60 hours a week, but now I'm home on the farm full time. My parents also live on the farm, in the main farmhouse, and we all work together to keep the place. Both men work in a 100% recycled paper mill, and I work out as necessary to keep us as debt free as possible. My sister isn't much on farm life so she lives in the nearest city. We're pretty old fashioned, still use a horse drawn dump rake to rake hay in the summer and have only recently sold the old Model A truck. We grow potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs, and lots of other vegetables. We also make maple syrup. Our animals consist of chickens, turkeys, ducks, horses, cats, dogs, birds, fish, and dwarf hamsters. White tail deer, wild turkeys and even bears are common here. The farm itself is completly surrounded by forest so we don't really have to see people unless we want to. I like to volunteer in the town for the Jack Wax party, Childeren's Programs, and the Senior Christmas Baskets. I enjoy cooking, baking, sewing, quilting, crochet, knitting, tatting, and genealogy.


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## Peacock

Hey, all! I'm Edayna (names changed to protect the guilty, LOL) and I would like to learn much, much more about homesteading. I'm a mom of two kids age 7 and 10, one dog and four cats. Oh, and a couple gerbils. And DD has a fish. 

I will admit it...I'm a suburban kid with dreams. But I'm learning. DH and I are making progress - we started in a trailer park while we finished our educations, bought a small house in the city, sold it and bought a suburban house on 1/3 acre, and just last month we bought a rural house on 1.25 acres. Still have to sell the last house, so we're house-poor right now - wish us luck! 

But hey, as a SAHM for the past 8 years I'm used to being poor. I shouldn't say that - we've never been POOR, just humble. We always had what we needed, and have been enriched by the experience of having to live simply and work harder. I taught myself to cook, grow veggies, and a bunch of other things to save a buck. 

We love living here. People here are more like us - real people, not SUV-driving, snooty Yuppies. Oh, I could tell you such stories about the previous neighborhood! I never really fit in. I'm kind of homesick now, though, 'cause I'm lonely. Sigh. Well, now that it's Spring, who has time to be lonely? There's a garden to plant!


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## ChasingDreams

Hello, I am Jami ... forever Chasing Dreams  My family of 2 youngins (and one cooking) and hubby are moving out to 6 acres of rural paradise in 2 weeks  I've lurked this forum for over a year now, just waiting! 

My hubby is obsessed (  ) in his tractor hunt at the moment, and I'm planning gardens and the like! We hope to raise hens, goats, and eventually a couple of cows ~ alongside a thriving garden and fruit tree orchard.

I will homeschool our flock, and hope it grows even more 

It's a blessing to be amongst others who chase the same dreams


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## carieann77

Hello everyone!
My name is Carie. I am 28 and wife to Norman and momma to Lee (8/9/97) and Greg (3/21/00). We live in rural IL. I homeschool the boys and try to run our little household the best that I can.

We live on 3.5 acres and about half is woods. I have a pond and a large garden. I try to grow and preserve as much as I can. I love to knit, sew, cross stitch, bake and read as much as I can.

I am really looking forward to meeting everyone and gleaning from the wisdom that I know is here.
Blessings,
Carie


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## His#1Girl

Hello to all!

My name is Sarah, I'm 18 years old and married to the greatest guy in the whole world. I'm a city girl, but have moved to my husband's home and am quickly learning anything and everything involving dairy animals. Our first child is due at the end of July, exactly 41 weeks from our wedding day, and we hope God blesses us with many, many more.

We have 3 nanny goats, 3 billys (TO MANY!!), 6 babies: I milk cow who is getting ready to drop her calf, 1 bull, 1 year-old-heifer and a 6-month-old bull calf, our future dinner. Not a whole lot, but they are ours and we love 'em. We're looking at land in Missouri to set up a permanent homestead on.


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## Melissa

Welcome to the forum everyone! We look forward to getting to know you better.


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## RedTartan

Hello all,

I'm going to be moving to 12.5 acres that I've just bought next month. I'm thrilled to be getting out to the country. I'm a city girl but my husband is a country boy  so I'm sure he'll help me ease into country life. We're going to convert a tool shed to a chicken coop (coup?) and keep Buff Orpington chickens. Next year I'm putting in a large vegetable and herb garden. Eventually we may add a small barn for a Jersey cow.

I'm also a stay-at-home mother homeschooling four sons. My husband works from home (OH) as a computer programmer for a company in California that makes Christian video games.

Pleasure to be here,

RedTartan


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## foxfirefarie

Hello everyone,
I'm a south Florida transplant that moved to mid GA. 5 years ago. We are located about halfway between Macon & Atlanta. I was raised on a farm with my 'Babu' when I was younger & decided it would be good to get back to a more simple life, for myself and the kids (son & daughter). They love the country but seem more interested in helping out the neighbors then doing there own chores lol. My husband however is still getting used to it. We rent 25 ac, and have a nice landlord that lets us do whatever we want with the property (w/in reason of course). There are only about 3 usable acres, the rest is trees/forest, a small pond and several outbuildings. The house is older, from the 30's I think and is of coure, a maintance headache at times. We have pecan & black walnut trees, 2 varieties of muskadines (sp?) and assorted wild berries. 
Things are progressing a little so I'm looking forward to a good year, at last (read on)
1st year: What grows here in GA? so...I watched everything grow - this I found out was a bad move as the yard/garden/forest that was NOT maintained for 10 yrs prior was threatening to sufficate the house and surrounding buildings.
2nd year: Organic vegetable garden, our first. Some $350.00 and 2 salads later I decided next time it would be different. Important Lessons Learned from that.
3rd year: Take Master Gardeners course - instant know-it-all! lol. Spent most of the year trying to find/digout the original owners flower gardens. BTW, if poison ivy has 3 leaves, why am I breaking out from this 5 leafed stuff?
4th year: Car Accicident - 8 mo. physical therapy. My kids finally learned the floor dosen't vacume itself.
5th year: Look Out Farm - Ye Shall Be Reclaimed! Can't do all I'd like by myself so i'ts taking time but there is light at the end of the tunnel - literaly, we are cutting back 
a LOT of trees that have shaded almost all of the yard & garden area. And, free firewood to boot.
I know some will say why put so much into a rental property but this is not just a house, it's my home and once a year I ask the owner, when are you going to sell it to me?
Thank you for letting tell my tale & becoming a member of HT. I look forward to getting loads of advice and sharing with all of you.
Linda


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## wolfhavyn

Hello everyone!
My name is Maeghan, I'm 27 and married to my best friend, Rodney. We are raising four children (two mine, two his) on a 28 acre piece of land in South-Central Kentucky that is (SLOWLY!) becoming our dream homestead. 
We grow a moderatley sized organic vedgetable garden and numerous herb and flower gardens. We have four horses, dogs and cats and we also raise chickens, ducks, geese and have just added goats to our family. Our property is pretty hilly and mostly woods and because we dislike the idea of dozing we are slowly clearing by hand. I hope to one day have a milk cow or two and raise my own beef and pork. We have a joke that our homestead is on the thirty year plan...joking aside though, we came to the realization that homesteading is not something that you can just jump into and everthing falls into place. Its a lot of hard work, trial be error and slow going but we love it and wouldn't want to live any other way!


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## davaseco

hello everyone!
My name is Valerie and I'm 32. I'm married to my best friend Dave and have one DD (7). We just moved onto our new land, 10 acres in the Missouri Ozarks, 3 months ago. My DH works in Springfield and I'm a SAHM. We're transplants from the West Coast. We left there for our DD's health, ours too! We've always dreamed of one day livin' the country life. The city was never for us! The acerage we bought is ALL wooded so it's gonna take a bit more work to get things operating around here. We're hoping to push out some trees to make a garden plot this month. We've gotten our first livestock....a DUCK. The manager at our local tack n feed gave it to our DD last weekend. Never owned anything other than a dog before, so I'm trying to get educated on raising ducks QUACK..I mean QUICK.  I'm hoping to get some chickens...guineas...or maybe some Buff orpingtons... as soon as I get a spot cleared for a chicken coop that is. We absolutely love living out here and all the challenges that come with it. I just KNOW I'm going to learn so much from everyone here on HT....wait, I already have!


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## omelay

hello!

i was looking for a place to introduce myself-- is this it? 

my name is tabitha. my family is homesteading in missouri. 

i have two young children (almost 4 and almost 2) and one on the way (In october sometime). my husband is working with a local Amish family right now doing timberframe, from time to time he does other things (solar, masonry). 

we have a small farm, i guess- just what we need for ourselves and maybe a little extra income with a roadside stand. a garden (36' x 72'), a small home orchard we put in this year, a jersey cow who is just freshened and thus a bull calf, and we raise meat chickens for ourselves.

we have been here almost a year. we moved from the san fransisco area last year to settle down and raise our babies. we are liberal, passionate environmentalists. unschooling, unassisted homebirthing, organic folk. 

peronsally, i love to knit, garden, and cook. i am learning to make cheese. 

tabitha


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## Jerngen

Hello from Marquette County in Michigans U.P. I go by Jer and am 30 yrs old. My wife (goes by Gen) and I have been married for seven years, have a 20 month old boy and another child on the way. We just moved here from "downstate" (Grand Rapids area) to pursue our dreams of homesteading. We plan to build our own house within the next year. We are interested in living off the grid, gardening, photography, and waaaaaayyyyyyyyy to many other things to list! Look forward to interacting with everyone!


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## Dun Coille

Hi y'all! I've been mostly lurking for a couple of months and I am greatly impressed by the amount of information available on this forum. My DH Michael and I have 4 children (Caitlyn 20, Brendan 12, Keera 5, Alanna 16 mos), though only 3 are at home. We have a bit over 4 acres in Northeast Louisiana and raise goats, chickens and rabbits with a dogs and several cats thrown into the mix. We garden and are slowly putting an orchard. My DH is a salesman and I am a soapmaker and herbalist. We are active in our local SCA group and have numerous other hobbies and passtimes.

Pleased to be a member,

Rebecca


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## moongirl

Hi everyone! I've been along time lurker....finally decided to register and introduce myself.
My name is Donna and I'm the 40 year old married mom of two daughters.(currently 9 and 2 ).Born and raised in Massachusetts. Been happily with my DH for almost 15 years,although he's only been my husband for the last 4 years.LOL. Seems like I will be one of the token pagans in your midst. I have been an exploring Pagan for about 4 years now, still learning and searching.
We currently still live the apartment life while dreaming of bigger spaces with many less faces. Our town is rural but all the neighbors can still hear you change your mind. Dh has medical issues that make finances a challenge on our best day! Still we try to never give up hope. If nothing else we have each other. What could be better?


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## giraffe_baby

Tammi. I am a 32 yr old wife/mother of two young girls aged 6 and 8. I have been married for 14 yrs! ( WOW ALREADY) and we just got a home here in Kentucky that is the house of our dreams ( only wish the earth,soil were more cooperative~~!)

I am a SAHM, my girls do attend public school but we homeschool above what the schools cant seem to get their stuff together with. 

My youngest daughter suffers from Neurofibormatosis ( NF FOR SHORT) and she has had 4 major surgeries in the past, and we have possibly another one in the horizion.

We are a down to earth couple who disipline our children, and want to get back to the " simple life" of living and grow our own food ( newbies at it) and get our family set up to fend for itself if an emergency should arrise!

I am an open book, anything you need/want to ask go ahead. I dont mind sharing!


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## WildernesFamily

Figured I should be polite and introduce myself too.. better late than never, right? 

I've been married going on 12 years to the most wonderful man, in my early 30s and we have 5 beautiful children, 3 girls and 2 boys ranging in age from 2 to 11.

We're in beautiful Colorado, living in suburbia and on the cusp of making a huge change to buy land and start our own homestead. We have three major things that we're working on right now: the sale of our home, hubby finding a job in our new area (out of state!) and buying a new place. Woohooo!!!! :hobbyhors We're excited and scared silly all at the same time... but hey, leaving all our family and friends and moving to a new country with 2 small children and no job was a good trial run for us 

~ Jane (my middle name, I prefer to use that online since I have a very distinctive and unusual 1st name )


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## mandyh

Hi, My name is Dianna, I am married and we have 2 girls, just turned 6 & 8. We live in the mountains of western Maryland. I've worked with horses all my life. We like to swim and fish in our pond, ride bikes and go hiking. We try to live a simple life. We are hoping to move to Florida this summer. I have an old injury that has gotten arthritic over the years. We only have a couple of horses left, one of them is my first horse(31). I always joke around and say she's the cause of it all. Anyway we are trying to sell our farm and move. It will be sad to leave, but hubby wants some blacktop roads and cable. I will always be a homesteader at heart.


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## naturelover

I only registered last week after lurking for a few days, and have already replied to a few posts. I figure I better be polite and introduce myself before I go making a whole bunch more posts. A friend of mine down in Texas told me about this site, said she was sure I'd be interested and was she ever right on. :dance: I think this place is fantastic, I didn't even know anything like this existed and it's so nice to be able to correspond with so many like-minded people here.

So... a little bit about myself. I'm a single-again mid-50's country gal living in what I think is paradise, a rural/agricultural area an hour's drive away from Vancouver, BC. I've lived on farmsteads pretty much all my life up and down the entire west coast of BC, come from a real back-woods pioneering family background. I love the homesteading life. I've raised a family, 1 son and a bunch of foster kids who are all off doing their own thing now. 

I guess you could call me a Jane-of-all-trades as I'm certified and experienced at a lot occupations, both men's and women's jobs. I've spent most of my working life as a Life Skills & Occupational Counsellor working with handicapped folks of all kinds or else working at a variety of other jobs in between times. Camp-cook, bus driver, commercial hatchery egg-candler and incubator operator, landscaper, carpenter, green-house worker, poultry farming, vetrinary assistant, secretary, home-care worker ... the list goes on but I'll stop there.

Interests and hobbies .... well, my user name says it all. I love everything about this Mother Earth we live on. I'm a jewellery maker and rock-hounder and have a big collection of crystals and minerals. I also know a lot about using crystals for alternative healing and am in the process of writing a book about it. I love cooking and putting up preserves, and whipping up my own experimental recipes. I'm into herbalism and orchid-growing, bird-watching, nature-walks, dancing, painting, sewing, wood-carving, I'm crazy about all farm birds, especially ducks. I have a passion for learning new things all the time so I tend to be a bit of a know-it-all and always wanting to tell :sing: other people about what I've learned. 

So I guess that's enough about me, that's probably already too much info.....  
Very happy to have found this place. :banana02:


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## Arkander

My wife and I have been lurking here for over a year now. Stumbled onto this site while researching alternative energy. Windmills, specifically....

Stumbled onto TB2K from here. Been lurking there for about the same length of time. Only two boards I read regularly.

Still a lurker there, but registered here to reply to a thread about OTR Trucking. By the time I got validated, the thread was off the front page, dead and buried. LOL

I told the missus about HT, and she checked it out. She got all happy about the Tightwad Tips, as well as the rest of the board. The woman can pinch a penny hard enough to make Abe yelp in pain.  

She's a Microbiologist by training.

I am sort of a bum. 

Oilpatch Hand, Soldier, Construction Worker, Over-The-Road Trucker, Odd-Jobber, and now UNIX Systems Administrator.

We have one 5-year-old DD.

In exactly a month, we will be beginning our Homesteading journey. We will be closing on an 80-acre property in south-central Kansas on August 11th. :baby04: 

Mostly pasture there, 70 acres, 40 of which are subject to flash floods. So we plan to raise "organic" beef, chickens, and maybe Heritage Turkeys for market. Not much sod-busting for us, although we are planning to start gardening with a 1-acre-or-so plot.... 

I'll still be keeping my jobjob, since my employer lets me work over the 'net. At least until we are debt free, or I get laid off.

The missus? Dunno. She may get a new jobjob, or she may stay at home. That remains to be seen. Either way, DFIL (retired Navy) lives with us, and brings a BA in Education and an MA in Horticulture to the table, along with "free" daycare. The missus will have the choice of a jobjob or to become a SAHM.

I saw a .signature one time. Can't remember offhand if it was here or on TB2K. But the jist of it was "Don't prep to SURVIVE the troubles. Prep not to NOTICE the troubles."

That is the eventual goal. To leave the Corporate Rat Race(tm), to slow down some, and to be in a place that is surviveable and sustainable, on or off the grid.

I will probably return to lurking for a while now. Not much to contribute yet. Still wet behind the ears as far as farming/homesteading goes. But once we get things going, I'll be on here asking questions. And who knows? Maybe when I get my [stuff] wired and know what I am talking about, I might hop on and ANSWER questions.  

Glad to be aboard!


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## h_oder

For the longest time, I thought the title of the thread was "Rules and _Instructions_ :shrug: Sometimes my eyes work faster than my brain...

Well, let me introduce myself. I am married, mother of 2 girls - 6 & 5 (soon to be 7 & 5 - they're 22 months apart). We live in Central Ohio, suburb of Columbus. 

I stumbled on to HT from a current events board while looking at their "prep" site. All my life, my friends have told me that I was Laura Ingalls, born a hundred years to late. There's something to be said for that - it also probably says something about my personality. While we are not homesteading by any means, it is something that has always interested me, and I'm trying to dabble here and there. I started my first garden this year - just some tomatos, cucumbers & peppers. I've already told DH that we'll be moving the garden from the side of the house (in an unplanted flower bed) to the backyard next year - lots of thoughts & will hopefully use the fall/winter to get those planned out.

I'm still working, and though I love my job, more and more the call to stay home has been picking at me. Unfortunately, we just closed on 40 acres (recreational only at this point) & haven't yet worked out the budget to see if we can afford my staying at home. Maybe if the garden works & I can cut down on some other expenses...

Anyhow, I have really enjoyed my short time here - there is so much to learn; both about homesteading and people in general. Everyone here has been open and friendly & its much appreciated.


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## eydimork

My name is Emma and I'm from the southernmost province of Sweden (although, much like the southernmost provinces of the United States, this land was in modern historical times stolen from our neighbours and we're thought of as barely Swedish hicks who speak funny). 

I'm 21 years old, childfree, polytheistic. I've always wanted myself a country homestead, to farm for household needs and a small excess, but it's not a possibility right now as I'm attending university full-time (I'm doing an MA in Classical Archaeology) and we have some of the world's highest gasoline and car taxes... so I need the public transport. We compromised, my fiancÃ© and I, and bought a house with a decent yard in the outskirts of a town of 7,000. 

We just moved in April 1st, so we're renovating right now, and have slowly started planning the yard -- where to grow potatoes, tomatoes, elder flowers, blackberries, garlic, herbs, et.c.... we already grow cranberries, rhubarb, red currant and apples. 

We have a Weimaraner puppy. He's 18 weeks. We intend on hunting him in a year or so. I'm into poultry, so I'm building a chicken tractor within the year and adding a local heritage breed (Scanian spotted) to the household. That's the only livestock the town permits within its borders, and sadly, we live 50 yards from the wrong side of the border. 

When we're both done with university and have decent incomes, we're buying a farmstead so remote the roads have no names. In the meantime, this is us!


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## AuntieM

I'm a homestead wannabe. I've been steering us that direction for years and hope to have dh on board by the time we retire. We live frugally and simply on an acre in an area I call rural-residential. We used to be rural until the city moved out to surround us. I want to have chickens but dh has a bird dog that has the run of the place right now, and I don't think the two can co-exist. In the meantime, I'll be reading the poultry forum with interest.


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## mamakl

Hi! I've been lurking around the goat threads for the past couple of weeks, and decided maybe it was time to check out the rest of this message board...

My husband and I are fairly recent transplants from the city into the country. We have five children (three birth, two adopted) and just the youngest two are still living at home. We've been homeschooling for the past 7-8 years.

We don't think of ourselves as homesteaders exactly... although I do believe in living simply, and as lightly upon the land as possible. We live on 5 acres of high prairie in Colorado. I have a couple of vegetable gardens...a big garden, away from the house with pumpkins, zuchinni, corn etc. and a smaller kitchen garden just out the back door (where the deer aren't as likely to get into it!) with tomatoes, peppers, herbs, etc. I cook from scratch as much as possible (although an occasional fast food burger still tastes pretty good!) We also have two goats (one of them pregnant!) and are eagerly awaiting her new babies (and her milk!). 

Well, that's us.. !his is such a great site, I'm going to go look around some more!

Maura


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## eacrouch

Hi, My DH is Arkander. We have both been lurking longer than we should. He has been on this site for much longer than I. We are currently trying to purchase our homestead. 80 acres of mostly pasture with a 3 bed/2 bth house with barn, garage, carport, shed, lean to. It is near Wichita KS. We are brainstorming lots of ideas. My main interest is goats and posibbly breeding dogs. We had my father and my 4 yr old daughter with us as well. My Dad is a garden/fruit tree expert so this will help. I love this site and all the info on it. Thanks. Erin


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## Bwana

Hi everyone!

My name is Dave but my friends call me Bwana. :nerd: 

I am 42 years old and unless something dramatic happens before October, will be divorced then.  I have no children. Wow, what a way to start an intro! I have found this forum through posts in backwoodshome.com forums. I spend most of my time over there but really do like the people here. Yes, I do have the same nic over there too. I recognize several nics from there on this board. If anyone wants to get an idea of what I'm like, I suppose until I post more here, they'd have to go to BHM to read my posts.

I have worked in factories since 1987, making everything from car brake rotors and drums to heavy off highway/military axles to oil and gas industry compressors. I am a machine operator (some say machinist, but to me, a person needs a journeyman's card to warrant that title) of large CNC horizontal mills. Occasionally I get to do work on manual engine lathes and knee mills as well.

I spent four years in the USMC and another 7+ yrs. in the Wisconsin Army National Guard. I hunt (though not often enough) and fish, golf, hike, camp, bowl on occasion, love football, range shooting, travel (been to Okinawa and Korea as well as Panama with Marines, W. Germany with the Guards, Canada and Yucatan Penninsula of Mexico as a civilian) and dream of adventures in Alaska and Africa. I guess I like a lot of stuff.

Regarding homesteading, well, I am really getting into it, but with the looming divorce, it will have to be on hold for a while. I am interested in all things homesteading. I have precious little experience though, so bare with me if I ask some goofy questions!  As I write this, I am also preparing to go to MullersLaneFarm in Rock Falls, Il this weekend where they are having a "homesteading weekend" which should be a grand time of learning the ways of the farm! Also, the thread that got me to stop lurking was the Wisconsin homesteaders get-together. It was difficult to not be able to respond for a couple of weeks! :viking:

Actually, one big reason I wanted to join in here was because of this guy!; :sing: 

   

Dave


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## jehehmeyer

Hi,

My name is Jim. 44 years old and married to the most wonderful woman on the planet! I have been reading the forums for weeks now. We live in suburbia, Northern Virginia. Get me out of here! We are working on an exit strategy that provides for some income and health insurance. We are looking for 5-10 acres and a much more relaxed lifestyle. We have the strategy; and we are woking to make it happen. 

Growing up, my family always had a country place. My father ensured that we all knew how to be as self-sufficient as possible. My mom and dad taught my brothers and I basic construction, cooking (both with a stove and over a fire), canning/food preservation, gardening, auto mechanics, plumbing, electircal, sewing, woodsman skills and other things. I am longing to get back to those roots. I really miss using these skills. I really want that porch with a view of the woods.

Here I am, wanting what at the time I didn't think was important as a kid. We will make it happen.

Glad to be here,

Jim


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## dmarie

Hi there:
I've been a member of this great site since the end of 2005 and it truly is a highlight of the day to check/read/learn. 
Haven't really said too much about myself as far as a profile goes, but since there are many of you introducing or reintroducing yourselves, thought I'd give it a try as well! 
So here goes:--relax, I will try not too ramble on or bore you! 
Name is Donna, 51 years "young" although after having my 19 month old grandson for a day (he is a huge blessing in my life!) sometimes that "young" turns into almost "old"! 
For the most part I am now able to stay home. There have been several "careers" throughout the years--legal secretary, assistant to a chiropractor/alternative health clinic, caring for the elderly and private daycare worker. Now it's pretty much wife to hubby (55 years old) mom to daughter (now 31) and son (almost 30) and grammy to grandson, not to mention chief cook and bottle washer, accountant, banker, vet (very spoiled housecat) caring for elderly inlaws, etc. etc.
Hubby and I (married for 32 years) own 9 acres of pretty much wilderness--rocks, trees and water (lake at the back of the property). There is one cleared field for garden of which there is very little this year due to heat, mosquitoes that just don't stop (literally until October sometimes) and sadly not enough time at the moment. Hubby plans if all goes well to retire within the next 5-6 years. He is an industrial mechanic at one of the local mines (nickel) We look forward to the day when we can once again be "homesteaders" in the sense of having animals once more. When our kids were little we owned a 5 acre hobby farm--pigs, goats and one overly friendly Holstein.
In the meanwhile we live as simply as we can, reading all we can regarding homesteading skills/frugality/simplicity and trying our hand at what we can.
We own another small farm (30 acres) 15 minutes from here where our daughter, grandson (and now fiance) live. The barn is a beauty--almost 90 years old. 
We are Christians (attend a small Mennonite church in the nearest small town--15 minutes away)
Looking forward to getting to know ya all better, hearing about your experiences, hopes, challenges and dreams!
Have a great day folks! Hope it's a bit cooler your way than here (95 degrees today!--yuck!) northeastern Ontario
Donna


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## PyroDon

Hello all 
My name is Don 
Ive been blessed with alovely wife and two beautiful daughters, we live outside a town of roughly 20,000 on 40 acres. I take pride in being a ******* (yes I have found a carwhile mowing the grass an 86 chevy station wagon that ran and became ours after 90 days now its headed for the recycle) 
Nice thing about our place is it will be completly paid off in two years or less.
I am a professional pyrotech , yeap make a living painting the sky with fire .
will put on the fireproof suit for the anti fireworks fames. Before taking the current job and still on the side Im also a licensed general contrator (20 years worth and can still out work most 18-20 year olds)
Fortunately it leaves a lot of time to work on projects. I build small royal carriages for children and sometimes sell them at renfairs . I also dabble with wind turbines and alternative power generation. The dream is to be self dependant . We raise chickens, have raised pheasant and quail in the past, My girls have a germanshepherd named windy who those not quite a year old takes her duty as a body guard seriously. They also have a minature gelding named mighty mouse who assists windy in her duty as well as keeps snakes and ***** away from the chickens. 
Hope to improve the gardens out put , switch the tractor to bio , and start raising fish. We have a freezer full of wild game and fish but my green thumb tends to be dirt brown , thank goodness for wild poke ,asparagus, berries and other gifts from nature. 
I have been known to argue with a fence post (anyone who's ever built a fence knows why) but my wife had to document it with video  
Here to learn and assist where possible , I'll try to avoid the political discussions though doubt Ill secceed.


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## Rhen

Hi I am Rhen (onscreen name).
Turned 30 this year, celebrated 12 years of marriage (still going strong) and am now expecting our 6th child in Feb. Our children are 1,3,5,7 and 9. Have two great dogs. We sold our homestead and moved to GA. Looking to get one started here ASAP. We raise chickens, ducks, guineas, rabbits and a couple of calves each year. I am an heirloom gardener, a homeschooler, a hunter/ fisherman and an avid football fan (my one vice after chocolate). Love this site. Such an at home feel. Thanks so much for making me feel so welcome. 
I know it isn't much of an intro but I just don't know what else to say!


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## YoungOne

Hello, longtime lurker and I realy liked what I saw. I am a 25yr old family man. My wife and I Have been married for 5 yrs and talking about moving to "our piece of heaven" since we were engaged. We were targeting around 2012 but with current political and economic issues (not to mention the HEAT <PHX, AZ>) we have jump started our plans and are lining things up to move late spring of 07' and start homesteading(yes I will continue working). We have 3 kids the newest is only a week old with the oldest at 4. I am a field hydrogeologist so water, waste water and geology are my knoledge area's. enough about me, on to learning.


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## celadon

Good Morning. I am from Michigan. I am 55 and husband is 56. We have been married 37 years. Have 3 children and 3 grandchildren. We bought a 70 acre farm here in Michigan to retire on. We have 13 horses, 6 dogs and 2 goats. Many cats. We attend United Brethern church. We were hoping on both of us moving here on the farm but it has not worked out that way so far. We have a grandaughter that has a abusive mother and my husband and son are living in Ohio fighting for this little girl. If you are interested on reading about her go to WWW.ALLFORSTAR.COM Please put us on your prayer list.

I put up 30 acres of hay every year for the horses. The amish here help me. They are great people. I have learned alot from them. I have 5 paso finos, 2 quarter, 1 tenn. walker,3 belguims, and 2 spotted saddle horses. The goats are Nubians and they are very spoiled. They think they are dogs. There names are Sandy and Mandy. I will tryand post there pictures in the goats site.

I put in a small garden this year. I am not into canning yet but did freeze alot of strawberries, corn and green beans. 

We love the country here. Rolling hills and all kinds of wild life. I call it my paridise in on earth.

I am enjoying reading about all the people here on this site. I think it will be a site that I will enjoy very much. 

Please keep Star in your prayers. Have a nice day and may God Bless you.


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## SeptemberWolf

Hello from northeastern Minnesota. The username comes from a phrase my daughter coined when she was a toddler. She thought that 'timber wolf' was actually September Wolf. We liked the phrase and so it's been resurrected as a username. My childhood farm background includes cattle, chickens, sheep, and assorted dogs including the English Shepherd; four sisters and a brother; and hard-working parents. When my children were younger, we were active in 4-H; rabbits, dogs, art and so forth. I mushed sled dogs for awhile and did some judging in 4-H dog shows. My daughter trained her golden retriever to a CDX and would have gone for UD but the dog's dysplasia prevented that. My son selected - after two years of research at age eight -- a Jack Russell terrier as his own. Anyway, I'm now on 18 odd acres in NE Minn with a batch of temperamental geese who appear to have one or two well-worn brain cells that they all share; four assorted and much calmer ducks; and a Jack Russell. Warnings of possible bear invasions are showing up in the media; due to the drought conditions here this summer, berry and nut crops are very poor, and bears are not finding enough to eat -- thus they will find grain, garbage, and bird seed quite appealling (while we find their invasions somewhat appalling). White tail deer in abundance! I feed neither but do keep the birds supplied with sunflower and niger. I'll keep this intro short. some useful info here! So, hello everyone!


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## madesso

Hi!


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## Sammi

Hello All ,


A lady never tells her age . :nono: I was born on a farm in SW MO . I have lived in Denver and now in NE Texas since I left MO years ago . I have three grown children and three grandchildren . I am sure that will be all as the two youngest just got married and they both feel that the world can't support too many more people . Where do these people who have 10 - 15 kids think their going to live and how will they live ? :shrug: If they decide to have children they will both adopt . 

I love to knit and I make Faberge style eggs from real goose and other eggs . My SO and I are both retired and travel several times a year . We've been to Ireland , Italy, the UK , Norway , Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands . We go to Canada once a year to conferences on precious metals . This year it's Toronto for the 3rd time . Great city . They have what I think is the best Chinesse resturant ever , Lee's Garden . 

Any it's grand to be here and what a great place it is .


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## tomiearl

My name is Tomiearl, hubby of 13 years and I live in Florida, Am working on getting our homestead together. I grew up in MO on 3500 acres, And I sure miss it. He grew up in Virginia on 80 acres. We have a farming background. We live in a small town of 3000 give or take a few. Am interested in learning and sharing knowledge.


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## SmartAZ

Hi, I'm SmartAZ. Three capital letters. Back in the BBS days, SmartAZ was the name of a board run by the Arizona chapter of Mensa. I never liked the board, but I admired the name so I swiped it. It seems to fit my posting style.

Here is a picture of my family tree:


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## doglover

Hi all, my name is Barbara and I use doglover as a screen name because of my beautiful little 11 year old Yorkie. The love of our life. I am 64 ,DH is 69. I joined Homesteading well over a year ago. My health failed shortly after so I never participated after that.
We are not on a farm, just a trailer on the mountainside. we sold our home and moved here 11 years ago which is forty miles from there. We were downsizing for retirement and actually planned to retire in Tn. Our daughter and her family would still live here, so we mainly needed a place where we could just come in and out at liesure. DH hadn't planned to retire until age 65 and at that time we were about five years away from it.
The best laid plans go awry, he traveled in construction and I planned to travel with him. With some broken bones and then some severe health problems I couldn't do it. By then we both loved this place and decided to stay. Have never regretted it.
We have a large garden every year and pretty much do what we want,when we want. We have a daughter and a son, four grandkids and our little yorkie. Am looking forward to knowing all of you.


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## FairLight

Hello, my name is Linda. My husband (aka Papa) and I live in the mountains of central CA. We have 2 and 1/2 acres and have planted fruit trees so far.
Critters and varmints have made gardening impossible, so have been setting gopher traps daily. 
We have deer who visit, a resident Bobcat, and Rattlesnakes during the summer. A Red Tail Hawk has moved in and seems to be very tame. He is not at all afraid of us and pays no attention to us when we are near him. A bear was through the area a few weeks back and broke into a neighbor's house at 1:00 AM. Kind of scary.
We are very near the Day Fire, but not in danger. Lots of smoke and some ash for weeks now.

This is a great forum, and I enjoy reading all your posts.
I am a Christian and count it a privalege to honor all prayer requests.
We are retired, have to terrific grand children who love to get out of the city
and onto the earth and breathe fresh air.

May life be good to you, and blessings to all.
Linda
P.S. "FairLight" is from the book "Christy" by Catherine Marshall. I loved her character and wisdom.


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## prairiebird

waiting and praying. In the meantime, enjoying the learning. My name is Robin. I have five children at home...all homeschooled. We use the principles of Marilyn Howshall in a "Lifestyle of Learning". My children bring the sweetest joy. I enjoy getting to know them anew each and every day.

I am married to the man of my dreams...spoils me rotten and who loves me with all his heart. I don't deserve such goodness.

Jesus Christ is the One who brings all the blessings together In Him. He is mad obssession....In whom I find freedom, joy, love and peace. He is my bestest friend.

We are waiting to see God direct us in our desire to homestead. We've been health conscience for many, many years...using many herbs, vitamins, etc. It is the common sense understanding that God made our bodies and this earth beautifully and in harmony. I want to live simply off the land, eat the goodness of the earth and nature and be responsible gardeners that say 'thank-you' to my Creator. 

I look forward to learning much here, sharing, and growing together in appreciation for this beautiful planet God gave us as our earthly home. You can read more about me and see my family on my website.

In flight,
robin
p.s., We live in the northwest corner of KS.


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## kidsngarden

I'm 34 and live in Sedro Woolley WA (about 2 hours NE of Seattle). I have 3 kids (DS 12, DD 9, DS 7) and a wonderful hubby. We just completed our first year of living in the country on a shy 4 acres after having lived in the burbs for all of our married lives (my husband grew up in the country and thought he'd never go back - but now he loves it!)

We jumped in with both feet right away... with goats, chickens, pigs, rabbits, and ducks. Plus a huge garden - which I only planted in a little less than half of our space this year. Our goal is to be pretty self sufficient, raising our own food and eventually buying bigger property and building a earth bag house that's as off grid as possible.

Love to be frugal and it's really a neccessity as we are trying to pay off debt and I stay at home while hubby works.

I love all your tips here!

kids


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## Melissa

Welcome to the board everyone. We look forward to getting to know you better.


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## ShellyL.

Hi, just a quick intro here...I'm Shelly and I live in the S.E. portion of the U.S. My husband and I have 3 kids - one of which is homeschooled (and the others too, when they become school aged). I found this place during a random read at the Curevents forum - someone on there mentioned this forum, so came over to check it out. This place is full of info and I eagerly want to learn all I can about homesteading. I hope that my posts will make some contribution to this forum in return. Thank you and good day, good evening and/or good night!


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## RockysMom

Hi I'm Susan. My DH and I live in a tiny town in TX with a population of around 90. We live on an acre with our chickens, dogs, cats, and companion parrots. We love working in the yard and gardening. I was raised on a dairy and grew up with the country life and am so glad to be back. We hope to purchase 5 to 10 acres in the next year or two and move further out. I love this group and have posted on the poultry board for the last year or so.


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## MountainRonda

Hello there Folks...here's my intro.....
I'll try to keep it short. Anything more you'd like to know, just ask.
I live in the coastal mountains of California, on a dirt road beyond the reach of the "grid". My water comes from a spring.
I am a widow now, (after 30 years of marriage) and I have 3 grown (homeschooled) daughters who watch out for me. 
I make my living by gardening and by weaving tapestries that I sell.
Life in the mountains can be hard sometimes but I get by with faith, hard work, and a smile.
Oh, by the way, my name really isn't Ronda. When I was a kid my best friend and her family planted that name on me....(long story)... I've always liked it.
I hope to meet some new friends here......see ya....


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## Karin L

I'm Canadian. From Alberta, and from a small town north of the provincial capital of Alberta. I'm a farm girl in both blood and spirit, and am currently studying Animal Science at the U of Alberta, and plan to specialize in beef, especially in cow-calf operation/feedlot operation.

Speaking of cattle, I've been around them since I can remember, and yet I'm still learning a lot about them.

I'm a photographer by hobby, play piano, draw, and love the outdoors. I have two kittens (farm cats), Button and Spider, that are the most friendliest and most mischievious critters that ever walk walked this earth! 

That's me.


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## Tricky Grama

I'm so happy to have found this forum!

I AM a grandma but chose the name b/c of the "trichogramma wasp', a microscopic wasp that controls canker worms. 

Now that I've bored everyone to death, I'll add that my dh & I live in a suburb of Dallas and own 20 ac an hour north of here. So this is why I'm in love with the website. Hopefully we will build & live there in a few years.

Other interests are NFL watching & travel.

I've already gleaned so much info, I hope I can contribute, as well.

Patty


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## KristineinKS

I've been lurking here off & on for over a year, so thought I'd finally introduce myself! I'm a 29-year-old, divorced, WAHM with 3 boys & a girl (ages 9, 8, 8 & 6). 

Last May my dream came true and I was finally able to buy a home in the country. I've only got a little over an acre, but it's a start. I've always lived in big cities, so despite careful research and planning, living here has been a real learning experience, to say the least! Thank heavens my SO was born & raised in the country, he's been quite useful.  

We had chicks last May/June (but a neighbor shot and killed them all) and a garden that didn't do so hot, so I'm starting over with my plans this Fall. I also do Weimaraner rescue, which usually keeps me quite busy and just a lil' crazy, LOL. 

I love all of the forums here & look forward to participating more!


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## Nellie

Hello, I'm Nellie, we are new to the country, just moved out here to the NW from Colorado last year. In one year we've managed to acquire a nice flock of ducks, chickens and a pair of geese, and a small herd of Jacob sheep. Mostly for free! I've been a country girl at heart, and am thrilled to finally be out here. I hope to learn a lot from y'all, and I'm sure I'll be pestering you with a ton of questions! 

Dh and I are Messianics, or Judaic Christians, if you want to call it that. We have 9 children ranging in age from 16 to 3. I homeschool. I want to learn how to spin so I can do something with the three fleeces I have in my sewing room.. hehehehe


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## NightHawk

Hello, this is the best site I've seen. I live in GA, on 7.80 acre that I bought two years ago. Married 18 years this nov, raised farm girl(grew up in TX), H raised city( grew up in MD). Don't have any thing yet but 3 house cats, wants chickins, sheep, rabbits, horse(s), to be self employed. No cows because they're too big. We're trying to be christains, both of us have been everything else. I called it my "American Dream", but sometimes it's a white elephant.


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## Pouncer

Hello all, I was led here by another member. I am located in Alaska, where self reliance is important  Just moved to a slightly larger parcel about a year and a half ago, so we are in for a lot of work. Work full time, my hub is a sloper, and I am into gardening, horses, all sorts of stuff.


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## Esche

I just found this site this week while avoiding my homework! I'm currently a college student, from Pennsylvania but studying in Scotland. I'm young enough that I'm often still shocked at how old I am...

My dream is to own 100+ acres (though I'll settle for less) and live as self-sufficiently as possible. I would love to have a family to share it with, but I find that very few people around me have the same sort of dream (part of why finding this website was so exciting!). My ultimate dream would be to found or be involved in the foudning of a self-sufficient ecovillage...but that all depends on what sort of people I meet in life!

My current plan is to join the U.S. Marine Corp after college, and I am currently working on my Officer Candidate School application. I will then scrimp and save and live on as little as possible until I have enough money to buy land!

I was not raised religiously and I consider myself agnostic. I love learning languages and I since I've been at college I have discovered the joys of Scottish country dancing and rugby. I both love and hate college. I love the oppurtunity to learn and meet people, but living in a town wears on me after a while and I am impatient to start "real life."

Since I don't really have a homestead, I content myself with learning usefull skills. I can cook, sew, knit, garden (sort of...) and chop wood and I work on a horse farm when I'm home. I'm looking forward to learning a lot on this forum and meeting some like minded people.

There are three things I could talk about til the cows come home: Homesteading, religion, and feminism. Homesteading because there's so much to know, religion because of the infinite philosophical possibilities and feminism because I'm a woman, darn it, and I find it infuriating that this simple fact makes my place in this world uncertain, variable and open to discussion! 

So there you go, more than you ever wanted to know about me! Now I'd best stop procrastinating and get to work...

-Esche


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## slnj

Hi all!I found this board through a link, a link, another link...etc etc!
DH signed us up, so we will probably both post. My posts will be signed ~Shelby~, if this will be a problem, I can sign up a different account if you want me to.
Dh's hobbies are: restoring vintage European motorcycles and restoring vintage European motorcycles.
Mine are: quilting, painting on glass and woodcrafts.
We have two goaties...Chloe and Desmond, one turkey...Dudley (who should be called Dudlette, she laid two eggs this week!) One duck...Nadine, two unnamed hens and one unnamed rooster, three dogs...Parker (golden and chow mix) Mort (unknown parentage, mostly goofy!) Suzy, a three legged Fiest(sp)rescue, and seven cats, Sheba, my most favorite..a ragdoll. Little,Twit,Gumby,Marco,BB and Sam.
We live in South MS, on 2 rented acres in a cabin with a huge shop.(the conditions here are a novel, saved for another thread another time)
I've been busy for the last several days, reading threads. I'll be wandering through most of the forums, with probably enough questions to make everyone nutz!
Great board, thanks for having us!
~Shelby~


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## countryboy01974

Hi everyone!
Decided that is was about time that we made an intro!
We are in our mid 30's. Have 3 kids:ds(15), dd(5),&dd(2/12)
wouldn't say that we are as much homesteaders as we are just country folk! We are in western ky. live on 6+/- acres. We have been on this site for a while and have posted a few. love to lurk around on here and learn so much! don't really know how dh found this site.But sure am glad that he did!
a lil about ourselves: garden, hunt fish, try to raise chickens and rabbits (but unfortrunately that hasn't succeded! wild dogs got our rabbits and our on dog has attacked our chickens!) cross stitch, scrapbook and just plan ol learning!
Hubby works f/t and i am sahm. well enough about us! and also i just wanted you guys to know how inspiring all of your intros have been!

amy (dw to countryboy01974)


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## rangercat

I think after 4 years it is about time I stop lurking and introduce myself. My name is Cathy, I am 33 and I live in Lancaster County, PA. My husband and I had our miracle baby last year after many years of trying. We attend Mennonite church and try to live as close to the land as we can and follow the golden rule. We just have an acre but try to use it as best we can. We have layers, a large vegetable garden, fruit trees, herb garden, and bees. I am a sahm. Prior to our daughter's birth, I was a park ranger. Thus the screen name.

I have been coming to this forum almost daily since 2002. I find it very grounding when I am struggling with the urge to fit in with the rest of the world. I owe many thanks to many people here.


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## dirtundernails

Moved one year ago from South Dakota with 1/2 acre to Missouri with 20 acres, our family of six is very excited to be "farmsteading". We have dairy goats, a Belgian for plowing and such, a beef Holstein bull, chickens, a small orchard beginning, and the start of the gardens (about 75 x 100 ft.). On the grid, but that could change. Housing is a garage/shop with living amendments while deciding where to build the house. Four children age 14 - 3. So far. Christians having a hard time finding a biblically behaving group of people to hang with.
Happy to find this forum with so much pertinant information!
"dirtundernails" is from my hubby, who uses HOD (Hubby Of Dirtundernails). My nails grow long and white. I used to complain that they were too clean, while waiting to get on a farm. People looked at me funny 'cause money is paid for nails that look like mine. Well, now my nails are dirty. Hooray!

dun


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## Mama McJack

Hi, I am a new member here, but have been reading on this website almost every day for years! I feel like I know most of you, and many times our dinner conversation here at home includes what is going on at Homesteading Today with everybody! I am in my late 30's, married for 20 years to my high-school sweetheart, and we have 6 wonderful children ages 17 years down to almost 1 year-old. We homeschool and I stay home with our children full-time, so living frugally is a high priority and necessity for us. We live in a small house on 20 acres in Montana and are working hard to pay our house off. We have dairy goats, horses, chickens, turkeys, rabbits, cats, and dogs. The goats are my favorite!! We would love to add a family cow to our little farm. Besides spending time with my family and animals, I love to crochet, weave, sew, cook from scratch, and learn all I can about saving money and homesteading! 
Mama McJack


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## Dente deLion

I've lurked here for at least a couple years, and finally decided I might have a thing or two to contribute ... and I just couldn't keep my mouth shut any longer. I work in a city, live in a 'burb, and daydream about the country. I have a "significant other" who has a son, but I may refer to them as DH and DS for convenience. Any sticklers for accuracy can read this post for the nitty-gritty. Thanks for providing this forum; I've found heaps of good information and great entertainment!


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## longshot38

hello all.

let me introduce myself, my name is dean and i am looking at starting a mixed grain and vegetable/small scale animal operation. i plan on haveing the grain as the cash crop and haveing the vegetables and animal for the family and for sale of the surplus at the farm gate or at a local farmers market.

BTW i live in Newfoundland Canada. i have a wife and one son, :dance: 

i have a zilion questions so please bear with me.

again hello all
dean in Newfoundland.


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## Melissa

Welcome everyone! Ask all the questions you want, there are many helpful people here.


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## PinonHillLady

Somehow in my advanced age, I didn't even see this until today!

I've been posting for a while, but never really introduced myself. I've been married to a wonderful guy for 20 years and we moved to the mountains of SE Colorado ten years ago. I'm a mom to 6 kids, five of whom are at home. My sixth child is an adopted daughter who has to live in a mental facility an hour away due to her severe diagnoses. My kids are 17, 13, l3, 12 and 11. 

We homeschooled for many years, and this was our first year of public school. I work part time while the kids are in school. The rest of the time is spent gardening, taking care of the chickens, home care and running kids to and fro.

I enjoy this forum VERY much and am grateful to all who post here.

PHL


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## tickranch

hello

I'm a city girl born and raised. I have wanted land for as long as I can remember. Finally a year and a half ago my husband said he was ready, so with in 3 months we were moving. We have 20acres in central Missouri. I have 34 chickens, 2 goats, 2 dogs, 1 cat, and 1 guinea pig. Oh ya ,I also have 3 children, DS 13,DD 9, DS 5, and this is our first year homeschooling. I found this site while doing a search for wood stoves and I have looked at it everyday since then. I feel like I have found some kindred spirits. Not to many people I know live the same life style as I do. It was a comforting experience reading through this site the first time. I thought to my self , I knew i wasn't the only progressive bohemian spirit on this planet.I have many guestions. I'm sure I will get answers.

Thanks
tickranch


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## RipVanArkie

Hello, I live in central Arkansas. My little family of four live on eleven acres of mixed pasture and woods with my parents. We are raising some sheep and chickens with plans for a few turkeys and a pair of llamas (for pets/guardians/packers). We enjoy everything outdoors. We are currently in the planning stages of building a new home off the grid. My interests are extremely varied while the rest of the family leads a more peaceful life.


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## botesbabe

:bouncy: Hi all! I am a stay at home mom to a 12 month old girl(Mackenna)and an almost 7 year old girl (Summer). I am married to a great guy who is a construction supervisor and my best friend(most days  ) We are in the process of buying our little slice of heaven- 2 acres, small house(did I mention he would be working harder at home than work, soon  ) and a shop for all his tools- hence the working harder part! I found this site by pure dumb luck! I was googling for something(don't remember what now, I quickly lost interest after finding you guys! ) and now..... I'm here!  

Anyway, I will be asking some really (probably) stupid questions soon and I'm sure that I will get some great replies! I look forward to learning and putting to use all my new-found info! It has been quite some time since I had an actual Veggie garden and am looking to grow several things this year( I have about a quarter acre that has been used for veggies by the previous owner in the past and just needs a little TLC to get going again). We also want a few chickens for both meat and eggs as well as teaching the girls about life and a little more responsiblity. Does anyone have a worm bin? I haven't really looked into it here yet, but I will try to get to it in the next day or so. I am SUPER excited about trying my hand at a real compost bin once we move and also having room to garden and have flowers. :dance: 

See y'all around! 
Tonya


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## botebum

Tonya is fibbing. *I* found this forum and told her it would be a great place for us to join. I lurked around for a couple weeks before joining and found some really great ideas, thoughts and info and joined. Tonya has been hanging out on a gardening forum and I usually fall asleep in front of my woodenboat forum. 
She tells you that we a buying our "little slice of heaven". Truth is, it's going to be a major project but we both are looking forward to it. It's our first house and we would need more than the two acres to implement all our ideas. 
As Tonya alluded to, I'm a tool freak. The house has a 400sq ft shop behind the 600sq ft house. (I'll always have a place to sleep if you know what I mean :bash: ) First major project will be to increase the ratio of house to shop. Soon after that the shop will grow and the inevitable seesaw will begin.
My career as a contruction supervisor began as a punch man(jack of trades) and progressed. A former occupation was as a finish ship's carpenter and explains my avocation of building and repairing wooden boats. Chickens are gonna be a whole new experience for me :help: 
Mackenna is demanding attention in a most extraordinary fashion(slamming the keyboard tray shut) so I must go for now.

Doug


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## dnw826

Hi, all! I am a SAH mother of 3 ages 2-6. My husband is a Chemist and I used to work in healthcare. I plan on homeschooling them, and we are pulling our oldest out of school next week. 

We just moved to the East coast and are desperately trying to get back to IL. We plan on buying a place in the country. 

I want an old house and I want to be at least 90% self sufficient. I need room for sheep and chicken and my dream is to grow pumpkins. My son's dream is to own a cow, lol! I don't know why, as he is a vegetarian and we can't drink cow's milk, but if we have room, I guess he wants it as a pet! My youngest wants chickens and my oldest daughter wants 100 barn cats. So we will have our hands full!

I have moved countless times-everywhere from inner city to horse farms. And we are ready to settle down and get out of the city!


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## rocksandpines

My wife and I live on 75 wooded acres in piedmont NC. The land is mostly pine trees. There was also a small quarry on our land (hence the screen name, rocksandpines). We have two spoiled dogs, a neurotic cat, and 8 laying hens (wish we knew what to do with all those eggs). We are both teachers (DW teaches 2nd grade, I teach high school Ag). We garden but haven't yet tackled canning since we both stay so busy. We are trying to make small steps toward a more self-sufficient lifestyle. When we moved here we put up a single-wide trailer. It is really quite comfortable, but we are now making plans to build a more energy efficient home. I'm really enjoying the forums here, just one question. How many hours a day perusing the posts is too many?


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## hrslvrtrailridr

Hi!
I live in Alaska (36 yrs) and love it. I have 2 horses, 2 dogs, and many cats. I am single (married once) and have a son in his 20s.
I have been enjoying the forums for about 2 weeks now.
I love Jesus! I love country living. I love riding my horses in the Alaskan wilderness (when I don't have to work).


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## ripcat-ranch

Hello! My dear husband and I are preparing to move to Kentucky to begin our 'quiet and peaceable life' on a small farm, right now we are living in Maine. We have 5 children whom we homeschool, no animals yet but they are soon coming, the kids have a list! My husband has been pastoring a small church here for over 6 years, and once we are settled there we hope to start a church in Kentucky. I am so glad we found this site, what a great amount of information! Thanks to each of you for all your input!


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## Kelly FG

My name is Kelly, I live on Long Island(NY) our area is considered 'rural' for LI but its really suburban. My DH & look forward to having some more land in the future, we often look at property in TN online. Right now we have 8 laying hens, 1 dog & 1 rabbit. We have a 19 yr old son & a 13 yr old daughter.
We try to be as self sufficient as possible on our 1/4 acre. I am doubling the size of my organic veggie garden this spring. We are looking into solar energy & we are living a much simpler lifestyle than most around here.
I'm really looking forward to reading, learning & participating on these boards. I heard about it on BackyardChickens.com
Thanks for having me!
Kelly


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## ROSEMAMA

Hello all! I've lurked here for awhile, but finally decided recently to join. You seem to have a good thing going on here, such great advice and lots of know-how! 
I've been a country girl (but not from a farm) most of my life, and love living simply. I'm an avid gardener (roses being my passion!) and take pride in being able to feed my family with the bounty from my veggie garden. DH and I have lived "in town" for a few years now, but are currently searching for land to move back out. He also misses the wide open spaces without eyes watching our every move. We have 3 children, 2 almost grown, who also love the great outdoors (GM and GP have a farm). 
I also can and sew, both skills handed down from my GM. When we move back out, I'd love to try my hand at hunting, also raising my own laying hens.

Thanks for having this place for learning and friendship!
Rosemama


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## Pomayla

I stumbled upon this site, read some posts and felt this would be a nice place to visit and learn. I'm not a homesteader, however I have a good hand for growing and have delivered many a foal and a few calves in my life. Grew up on a farm in California, where I still reside most of the time. I have property in NV and VA which I spend time on and will soon call "someplace" home. I've owned horses most all my life and now have 1 horse, a Percheron, the love of my life. When I make the time, I enjoy many forms of art, primarily jazz and classical music. Nice to be here. Sincerely, Pamela


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## ostrichlady

Hi my name is Barb I'm Married to James and I have 5 children Juli 17, Jared 15, Jasen 14, Jacob 8 and Little James 18mo. We have been ostrich and emu wranglers for about 12 years, and our flock has increased to chickens, turkeys, cows, bunny rabbits and soon pigs. I have mostly homeschooled my children, the oldest 2 are in a b&m high school. I have realy enjoyed reading your post and have found information very useful. I'm glad to be here. :dance: :dance:  

Barb


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## DoxieMom

Hi, I am new to the forum. My name is Keri, and my family and I live on 5 acres in Oklahoma. We just moved back here from Michigan in October. My DH and I have been married for 15 years, and we have 2 daughters, 11 & 14. We are active in 4-H, and are trying to find a church home. We raise Miniature Dachshund, and Great Danes. We also have Fainting Goats, a pet Angus steer, 40 hens and roosters, and one lone bunny. I am happy to have found this forum. Now I know where to find answers to questions!!


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## ailsaek

Hi all. I followed a link from a post on the Countryplans.com forums this morning, registered, and here I am. I notice from reading some of the other intros that lots of people lurk for years before ever registering or posting, but I've never been much of a lurker. I got active online on Usenet back in 1992 or so and, with a few brief hiatuses (hiati?), I've maintained a net.presence ever since.

I'm 43, came home from the hospital the day Kennedy was shot. I grew up in a village in central Maine, spent a year in the Army (things didn't work out), went to UMaine, had a daughter, got married, got divorced, graduated, moved to the Big City (Boston area), wasn't exactly a huge financial success. In 2000, I remarried, moved to deepest, darkest, suburbia, and had a son. Now DH's company has closed their downtown office and transferred everyone up to North Reading, MA, which is an hour commute from down here on the South Shore at the best of times, and we are looking to move. 

I am sick to death of suburbia and middle-class MA and want to move to somewhere 1) more working class and 2) where I can work on living more self-reliantly. We have a vegetable garden here (three 4 * 4 raised beds) and an herb garden, and an acre of land that I'd *had* big plans for, but now that we're trying to sell the house, I'm focusing on trying to find a new community to settle into and start over.

One of the factors I have to work with is that DH doesn't want to move anywhere that wouldn't be a substantially shorter commute than where we are now, preferably within half an hour of the office. The other is that the amount we are pre-approved for would be a princely sum in other parts of the country (my father-in-law is a realtor in Northern Maine; I nearly cry every time he shows me a listing) but isn't even close here. We've currently got our eye on a two acre place in Atkinson, NH, but first we need an offer on our current place.


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## KateC

I am a former hard-core lurker/occasional poster who has found her way back here recently.
My name is Kate and I have a dh and 3 kids, a 12 yo daughter, 5 yo son and 2 yo daughter...and we're hoping to be blessed with one or two more. We live in central MA in a fairly rural area. We have a nice spot on a hill on just under 2 acres and while it's by no means "country living", it's very peaceful and quiet and free of close by neighbors and noise. My dh works here in town, 5 minutes down the road, and I work from home for my family business. I am very, very fortunate to have that opportunity.
I can't really say that I currently do anything in the way of homesteading, but I would like to. We've lived here 7 years now and every Spring I say it will be the one where I finally plant that garden but it hasn't happened yet. But, of course, THIS spring will be it!  

Anyway, I just wanted to reintroduce myself and hopefully be a bit more active on the board this time. 

Kate


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## MammaPo

Hi ya'll! I'm Ami, new to this site, but so far I love it! I live with my husband and 3 boys on 60 acres in South Alabama. I'm 33, he's 36. Our boys are 8, 22 months, and 8 weeks. We moved out here in 2003, moved from a jammed crammed cookie cutter house, to a one room old hunting cabin! We loved it! It was just the 2 of us for a year and then my nephew came to live with us (long story, but I have a crazy sister!). He came to us on a friday and our house burned to the ground on a Monday. We rebuilt, a little bigger house, we have more rooms now, lol, but it's still a fairly small house. We got pregnant with Dewey in August 04 and our house was completed in April 05, 2 weeks before he was born. We adopted Corbin officially in Oct 05. April 06 Dewey turned 1 year old and 2 days later I found out we were pregnant with Gus! Gus was born this past December. So in 3 years I've aquired 3 boys! 
We have goats for grazing, and I enjoy them, pigs for meat, chickens, we had a Turkey but he was old and died on us. We plan on getting a cow for meat this spring. My husband is an avid hunter, we eat alot of deer meat and wild turkey. There is a 5 acre pond full of bass and brim (and beavers, ugh!). We are planning a garden this spring, which is actually how I found your site. We are new to the gardening and have been following our neighbors advice, but he is telling us things that I'm not very comfortable with. He is telling us different fertilizers that we'll have to use that are full of chemicals not to mention the pesticides. I would rather not go that route. I want as organic as possible. So I hope that ya'll will be able to give me answers to the barrage of questions sure to come your way in the coming months.
I guess my hobbies are reading, crocheting, and watching my boys grow. I never thought I would enjoy sitting on the porch watching them run and play and whoop and holler :hobbyhors ! There's nothing like watching barefoot boys run wild across a field! I hate to wish my life away, but I can't wait till all 3 of them are out there, I have a feeling in the next couple of years it's going to get wild around here! HAHA! 
Well I look foward to meeting ya'll!


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## woodsmokeinherhair

Well, I have started posting here, so I suppose it is time for me to introduce myself! lol. (Getting my cart before my horse is something I have been known to do! lol) 

I am 47 years old single (read divorced) woman, lol, and a native Oklahoman, living in what was once Indian Territory. I have custody of my 11 year old son, but had to send my 16 year old son to live with his dad while he suffered through his *hormones* lol. (It's ok, we are getting along much better at this time and I believe it was one of the wisest decisions I ever made). I am disabled, and have been for 3 years now. Worked full time since I was 17 (except for 1 year when I had lost a baby to SIDS and I stayed at home the following year). I am a typical A type personality  lol. I had polio when I was two and walk with a rolling limp that is typical of polio people whose muscles didn't fully develop in one leg or another and have to more or less throw their leg forward. I am disabled due to post polio syndrome, which is, essentially, that the nerves that regenerated after I had the disease, are now dissentegrating, and since I don't have the resilence of youth, they will not regrow like they did before. The physical abilities I lose in the future, will never come back. The only way to stop that, is to slow down. So .... here I am, all slowed down! lol. 

I am a reflective, thoughtful type of person. When I was in high school and I would say, "Dad, can I ask you a question?" his reply was typically, "Well, is it a well thought out question? One that you don't really already know the answer to?" lol ..... And he was right, a lot of times, I messed around losing time and effort on things that I already knew. I love my dad! lol. 

I have had some losses in my life. I lost a baby at 9 days old to SIDS (in this instance, that actually translates into nobody really knows why he died), and I lost a step son, who had always lived with us, when he was 21, due to a congenital problem he had since birth. Death gives you a whole new outlook on life. It made me question a lot of things. In the end, I wasn't religious. But I am exceptionally spiritual. I believe there is something out there. But I believe that not a single one of us knows what it is ..... 

When I was young, my stepmom's mother (is there such a thing as a step-grandmother? lol) well, she shared her Workbasket Magazines with me . I learned to crochet, I learned to knit and all the other needlecrafts inbetween. Once, when I was in the hospital for the last operation on my leg (mid 70's), I knitted a jean jacket and matching bell bottom pants! lol. I also love to cook. I have entered the state fair many times, and I know what they are looking for and *can* compete! lol (ok, I don't win first place all the time, but I do have a *Best of Show* ribbon tacked on my wall!)

When I divorced my husband seven years ago, I knew that my income was getting ready to take a dive. I could see disability in my future and possibly very hard times. So I made decisions based on what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. In that direction, I bought a house in the country, near a large recreational lake. It is also, incidentally, right across the street from my exhusband's lake cabin! lol. We get along quite well and our children are quite well adjusted, but it took time and effort, it was a choice we mutually made! 

I swim, it is one of the few exercises I do get, and I am 2 blocks from the local swimming hole . Most of my neighbors are retirees. I don't have much land, just a lot (although I am looking for another lot to enlarge my garden). But on my lot I have fruit trees, berry vines, a good sized raised bed garden, chickens, guineas, rabbits, a cockatiel, hermit crabs, fish and 3 dogs! lol. I am also trying to get a local Farmer's Market started in my town. 

I have been called a typical Mother Earth type of person. I dunno. If crafting and animals and generally making do with what you have before running out to buy a new one make you a Mother Earth type, I guess so ...... Oh! maybe it's my long hair! lol. Silly people *chuckles*. 

I don't have much tolerance for unkind people, or people who read negativity into everything. I am not unkind in turn, I do ignore them. Life is just too short for hate and the high blood pressure that goes along with the emotion. I believe in second chances, but not necessarily third chances (ask my sons! lol). And I'm pretty strong in my ways (most homesteader types are though from what I have seen). I do believe that we all get what we deserve for the most part. I believe that happiness is a choice too . But it also seems to me that sometimes, we gloss over the important stuff and then happiness comes out all scrunched up like a wad of paper about to be thrown in the trash, lol. As I said, my belief, is that happiness is a choice , we all own the rights to it. 

Anyhow, I have left the rat race behind. And I am working towards quality of life, not quantity (ok, ok, sometimes, I choose quantity, depends on how good a deal I am being offered! lol) 

Thank you for the time you took to read this ...... I hope to get around soon to reading some of the profiles posted here, and better knowing some of the regulars. 

Woodsmokeinherhair!


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## Melissa

It is nice to see new people joining all the time. We try to keep the board fresh and interesting and new posters certainly help with that.


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## pheasantplucker

Greetings. My wife and I have five children. I am recently retired from thirty years of teaching in public schools. My wife is a social worker. We purchased 15 acres of hilly land that is two miles south of Ohio's third largest inland lake (Seneca Lake). We enjoy kayaking, fishing, gardening, reading, camping and cooking. We mow almost six acres with walk behind mowers. We hope to plant trees including apple trees and some evergreens this spring. We also want to establish a grape arbor. 
Our cabin was built by a "formerly Amish" builder named Solomon. It is a Lincoln Log kit (The Elk Pond) which measures 24 x 28. It has a 12 x 8 front porch. Great room, two bedrooms, kitchen loft, full basement and two baths. I used to live in a cabin 30 years ago with no running water and an outhouse, so this is really a move up for me.
I enjoy archery, shooting firearms, including muzzleloaders, hunting and building things with wood.
Hope to see you around on this site some time soon.


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## Ramrod68

I'm 39,I live on the Delmarva Peninsula in the state of Maryland.I have a lovely wife who was my highschool sweetheart and is more of a sweetheart today.3 great kids 17,13,12, boy,girl,boy,. I was a member of FFA local chapter in school and grew up on a chicken farm with 172,000 chickens, 20head of cattle 300+hogs,pigs,peafowl,ducks and 4 really mean geese. I'm a christian and I'm gettin back to my roots so to speak after living a modern life for 15yrs. I can't wait to get dirty again. God Bless


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## highlandview

Hello! My name is Melissa. I've been married to my childhood sweetheart, Ed, for eleven years. We have five beautiful children: Abby , Eddie , Sam , Emma and Elizabeth. I enjoy sewing, crocheting, cooking, baking and being a Mom. We currently live on one acre in West Virginia. We have been searching for a long time for more land so that we can have animals. We live in a town with skyrocketing real estate prices so it has been hard to find anything. Most land is being bought up by developers. I've lived here my whole life so it is kind of sad. My husband runs his own business here in town so we can only move as far as he can daily commute. I've been reading the message board for awhile for advice; so I thought it was time I joined. Since it is OK to post prayer requests. Please pray that our current home will sell quickly and that the Lord will bring us to the land we've been searching for. Many thanks. :angel:


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## Melissa

pheasantplucker said:


> Greetings. My wife and I have five children. I am recently retired from thirty years of teaching in public schools. My wife is a social worker. We purchased 15 acres of hilly land that is two miles south of Ohio's third largest inland lake (Seneca Lake). We enjoy kayaking, fishing, gardening, reading, camping and cooking. We mow almost six acres with walk behind mowers. We hope to plant trees including apple trees and some evergreens this spring. We also want to establish a grape arbor.
> Our cabin was built by a "formerly Amish" builder named Solomon. It is a Lincoln Log kit (The Elk Pond) which measures 24 x 28. It has a 12 x 8 front porch. Great room, two bedrooms, kitchen loft, full basement and two baths. I used to live in a cabin 30 years ago with no running water and an outhouse, so this is really a move up for me.
> I enjoy archery, shooting firearms, including muzzleloaders, hunting and building things with wood.
> Hope to see you around on this site some time soon.


You aren't far from me. Your place sounds nice!


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## countrymommyof3

Hi! :baby04: 
I married my high school sweetheart (and first love) more than 7 years ago. I am very proud to be called a homemaker/housewife. I have three great children (two boys and one girl). I live in the house my husband dreamed up and designed for us to have built on 28 acres of land. I am currently homeschooling my oldest we are working on reading right now. I love to scrapbook and to bake/cook anything and everything in the kitchen. A friend of mine showed me your site a couple of days ago and I just can't pull myself away from it. I love the positive way carry on a conversation and the topics that are discussed.
I am looking forward to many discussions in the future. :dance: 

Danielle


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## Tam319

Hi everyone,

My name is Tamara and I live in central Alberta, Canada with my DH and our 16 month old DS. I have a BSA degree in Animal Science and DH has a MSC in Biology from the University of Saskatchewan. DH is a crop researcher and I am a stay-at-home-mama. We live in a trailer on my parents' cattle ranch which is such a blessing as it allows me to stay home and raise my son instead of having to drive into the city to work to pay off a $$$$ mortgage.

When my maternity leave ran out in October I decided there was NO WAY I could put my DS in daycare to take a job. I started researching alternative ways to be able to stay home. I somehow stumbled across the idea of homesteading and this website. I have a background in Animal Science so I have a pretty good idea as far as animal husbandry is concerned. We are in the process of getting our farm critters established and I am learning a lot about frugality! That is the big one for me and I have to be very aware of my spending and getting by on less. We currently help my parents ranch (they raise commercial crossbred cattle), I teach English riding lessons (I have 5 horses and 2 donkeys), I raise pot bellied pigs, pygmy goats and recently bought a herd of 25 bred Savanna meat goats. They are kidding right now so our herd is growing. Unfortunately the herd was iodine deficient (we believe they came that way when we brought them home in mid-January) and we have lost 1/2 the kid crop to goiters  Its been a real learning experience!! We are getting broiler chicks and some ready-to-lay hens this spring. I am hoping to get two bred Berkshire sows and a Jersey cow as well. My plans are to raise enough to feed our family and creatively market the surplus for extra $$$. Aside from the critters I also design websites for other ranches and do dog training in my "spare" (HA HA!) time. I enjoy riding (3 day eventing and dressage) and teach Pony Club and a youth goat club during the spring/summer.

I am just BEYOND happy about this whole journey. I have always felt a bit unfulfilled in life, like I wasn't quite where I was supposed to be. Becoming a mother and realizing my dream of homesteading has been one of those "AH-HA!" moments, like a lightbulb switching on. I suddenly realize THIS is what I am supposed to do, where I'm supposed to be. I feel such joy in my heart to know that my son will have a fulfilled, rich childhood. He will have his mama home with him yet will also have "enough" of everything he needs, food, love, attention, fun and adventure. I feel such great relief to know that I won't have to put him in daycare to go off to work at a job I hate. THAT is freedom. He is the most important thing to me and I can't think of a more important job than raising him.

Thanks for having me here! I look forward to "meeting" you all and learning lots!


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## TnWren

Hi All!

Dawn here! I've been lurking for a few weeks and decided to break down and join the forum, finally.

Dh and I have been renting our little slice of country heaven for 5 years now. We have the most awesome landlady who keeps a mini-farm behind our place with cows, mini goats and every type of fowl imaginable. At this time, we have 7 rabbits (down from 50-something 2 summers ago), our baby Pepper Anne (6 yr old red merle Aussie), 2 aquariums (1 salt water reef, and a live planted freshwater), and we're in the process of getting ready to add day old chicks to our madness.

We have a small aquarium business (setting up tanks and caring for them for the clients). Dh also has a "real" job to help out financially. We love gardening, indoors and out and have a passion for growing orchids, hoyas and jungle cacti. I just got into growing gourds for crafting last year and also love wire wrapping and jewelry making. Looking forward to getting to know everyone!

Dawn


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## booklover

Hi everyone. I don't live on a farm or homestead, but I grew up in a farming family back in the 70's when small farmers were still able to pretty much make ends meet. I own about 150 acres that is held in trust through my dad. He has two siblings and together we collectively own about 500 acres that are cash cropped, alternating corn, soybeans and some fallow years.

My hope is that one day we will be able to have a working farm with livestock on the acreage. I'm just here to learn as much as I can... unfortunately I won't be able to contribute much. 

Anyway, nice to "meet" everyone!

Oh, edited to add a little more about myself. I'm a stay-at-home mom. I quit my job as computer programmer/analyst at a major pharma company when our little miracle (who is now 5 years old) came along. My husband is a university professor. We live now in an English Farmhouse style home and love, love, love our old home with all its quirks and character. It sits on about 1 acre of land but is in an urban neighborhood. We have a nice garden. We supplement heat with wood in our stove during cold winter months. I'd like to learn how to cook on the stove top. I'm also interesting in growing my own food (although we'll never be self-sufficient here) and perhaps later, we might like to have chickens. Dh would like to have a couple of goats so he doesn't have to mow the lawn. :rotfl: I am also interested in learning more about pioneer cooking and husbandry.


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## Callieslamb

I have been lurking on this site for months and finally decided to join. I have looked at other homesteading forums but really like the flavor/,knowledge shown on this one.

I was raised on a dairy farm in sw MO. My dh is from Wy, Ga, and Mo. He is a mechanical engineer. We have six kids - 27, 25, 24, 20, 17, 6. Three of each. 2 dils and 2 grandsons. I live in w TN - after 13 yrs in Iowa - that makes us Yankees. 

Two years ago - we felt it expedient to live debt free. We sold our home, lived in a apt for 9 months and then bought 1.2 acres 15 miles from town. Our neighbors have 185 acres that is on three sides of us. Our friends and family thought we were crazy to give up our 3000 sq ft for 1400. We love it. It would have been hard to be this far from town when all the kids were home and working, school, sports, etc. 

Every where I live, I put in a raised bed garden. The only difference here is I have 2000 sq ft - fenced. I decided to raise some chickens last year. We built a coop and pen. I ordered 28, they sent 62 - all of them lived.....We learned how to butcher chickens. It was a BIG stretch for dh who can't step on a spider. We now have 15 hens and 1 rooster left and two dogs. Now don't laugh at our puny little bit of livestock. We have never even had so much as a pet before. Our older kids think we are nuts! When they visit, they say we talk like we live on a farm now - chickens and dogs all the time!

ds 6 is now home educated. Dd 17 is going off to college this fall. 

Here is the big Q - BIL wants us to come to his neck of the woods and develop a property for the family to get together for reunions (think 8 kids and 39 grandkids so far + spouses)- have homes and barns built; supply the place for emergency - alternative power, etc; put in garden & lrg green house, fruits; maybe a couple milk cows and some sheep and beef- some pasture and hay crops for winter for previously mentioned animals. this would also serve as a learning lab for interested family to learn life skills preserve food; butchering, sewing, and the guy stuff ( a couple other bils raise bees and hunt already). Other family members are interested in gardening, etc but reality? 

BIL would pay for all debt free.

We could end up not owning a thing. You guys all work hard and then have something to show for it! We might not. We would have no additional retirement funds, and little or no health insurance. We don't know how to grow crops or establish a pasture. Never touched a sheep in my life. Never made cheese but would love to learn. Never grew a crop in a green house. dh is allergy prone - and non-outdoorsey though totally capable with all things mechanical and likes to shoot guns as well as watching the livestock around here. We live in the mid S with a nice, long growing season - place the bil is looking at has 90 days av....and about 6 inches of rain....That's per year!

Yet he thinks we are his best resource. Scary. 

And we are tempted. What would you do? If you could have the ultimate "homestead" what would it be like? What would you include? What would you not be without? 

I realize that we would be doing a lot of work for others to drop in quickly and reap the benefits from. Would that be worth it to you to be able to live the good life? We woudn't have to make a profit of any kind. 

A lot to learn and decide here.


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## bugstabber

I looked thought his whole thread and I've never posted!

I live in South Dakota, married with two kids. I like to garden, cook & can. Okay, anything having to do with food.  I work FT away from home, so I try to squeeze in everything else in the evening. I like to sew, help with 4-H, and play with computers.


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## Wisconsin Ann

Greetings, all.
I've been lurking a while now, enjoying every forum (good lord what a lot of reading) and it's time to introduce myself.
Name is Ann, and my SO is Mike. We bought 12 acres in south central Wisconsin last Fall and have been slowly getting it ready to move on to. It was really overgrown with raspberry brambles and roses and HUGE grape vines. Oh yeah...an an old overgrown apple orchard.

Mike is a an agricultural engineer and I'm...well, a bunch of things. Crafty sort of person mainly. Grew up on a big horse farm and had a mother and grandmother who LOVED to garden and then can all the produce. 

The plan is to start with a couple dozen free ranging chickens, a couple of old breed pigs (out on pasture..foraging), and eventurally a couple of highland cattle and a few dairy goats. We had 5 hives of bees a few years ago, and loved working with them. We'll start a few hives this spring.

No electricity to the property, so we're going offgrid with waste veggie oil Diesel generator. 

I'm looking forward to getting some GREAT advice from the folks here. So far I've got so many ideas for various projects that I'll be working on them until sometime in 2010.

Ann


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## Callieslamb

Hello to all
I knew there was a place here to intro ourselves, but since I usually hit the "new posts" tab I was missing it!

I am Callie. I am a stay at home mom with six kids - 4 are grown and gone, one is hopping off to college this fall and then I have a six yr old son. I have been married for 28 yrs this week! I like to do just about anything and everything. Thankfully, with my age has also come a greater respect for what I really like to do and so I am able to temper myself - most of the time.

We bought a little over an acre of land just over a year ago. I have a good sized veggie garden - that I tend with complete devotion. I want to grow some of every kind of fruit that will produce in my Z6-7 garden. We have 15 hens and one cowardly rooster - he only comes at me after I shut the gate. We also have two dogs. Our older kids now think we are completely nuts to talk about our rooster or dogs at the dinner table. 

I also sew most of the clothes I wear - I plan on learning to make pants for the DH to wear to work someday. I quilt and can and freeze and homeschool my little guy. Some days there isn't enough to do and others there is just too much. 

I look forward to getting to know you.


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## tomstractormag

Tom Lavalette. Owner/Editor of Tom's Tractor Times and Garden Farmer magazine. Heres a brief version of who I am and why I am doing the magazine. Born in Sharon CT in Dec 1958. Sharon is in the NW corner of CT. I did not grow up on a farm but was surrounded by farms. I have always loved farming not so much animals but crops and equipment. Attended VO-AG and FFA programs in high school. I have always had interest in the smaller (garden type) tractors and equipment. During high school and college I worked for the local John Deere and White dealers. Both are now long gone. So sad how we have progressed. After college (suny Cobleskill, AOS in Ag eng) I went to work for a large (for the time...lol) dairy farm of 350 cows. Handled the shop and crops. After theis farm went under I farmed on my own, crops and custom til '93 when I sold out. Got married to my wife Bunny in jan 93 and moved to Lancaster PA in oct 93. Went to work for a crop farmer whos inlaws were and are a major supplier of eggs. We would clean the houses and spread the manure to local and not so local farms including the Amish. The time spend with the Amish I will always miss as now I drive truck for a local HVAC distributor. Remember I live in Lancaster co, Columbia PA to be exact. Can you say sprawl??? We are rapidly losing the best land on the planet. Top soil in my yard is 3' deep. After having ongoing problems with food I made a lifestyle change in 03. Lost over 60lbs in the process. You can say this has gotten a renewed interest in me about the food I eat. I have been aware our food supply has been garbage for some time now. I am getting back to growing what I want to eat. Between this and the small machines I saw a need for a magazine like mine. For mower infop on the mag and how to subscribe got to [email protected] or just email me at [email protected]. Looking forward to hearing from you all and you will certainly hear from me. Tom


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## GreenThumbCat

Good Morn' Everyone, :cowboy:

My name is Cynthia, and I was known on here as Magickhart but had some computer problems so I needed a new ID name.

Well now where do I start?...

As of right now I am 20/10 (That's 30... I have to stay in my 20's somehow!), a mother of 2 boys with one on the way due very soon on May 19th, currently a homemaker, but looking forward to starting school bus driving again next school year. Iâm originally from Winsted, Connecticut and migrated out this way about 6 years ago with my 'ahem' ex. We all live on a horse farm with my sweetie, Pat. (We make a great team and family out here in the sticks!) I'm so happy to have someone in my life now that has a kind heart, touch, and soul. 

I had come up with the name GreenThumbCat because I love to get my paws...er hands in the dirt. Life is one big garden ya know so dig it! As of this year I'm slowly creating a large garden that has a little of everything along with an area in one field for the corn, gourds, pumpkins, and melons... Also this year, I will be adding onto my herb garden, creating a berry patch, and try to fend off the rabbits, deer, and black bears. (Oh my!) The fruit trees that I want will have to wait until next year!

Pat and I are looking forward this spring to getting some chickens along with a couple goats, and maybe 2 feed pigs to add to our barnyard family. As of right now we have 2 horses, (1 is ours and the other we board for a friend.) 4 cats, and 1 hunting pup in training. In the next couple years I'd like another horse for myself, and maybe a couple rabbits for the children  (and me!)

...:typomat:...

Letâs seeâ¦ What else??â¦

In my eyes family always comes first, so allot of my time is used with my boys. I love cooking, baking, canning, and freezing. There is nothing in the world like homemade! We hunt and I fish. I've also been known to write poems and songs. Pat and I have a passion for Texas Holdâem!  (Shuffle up and deal folks!) Havenât been able to do any riding because of the baby on the way, but am looking forward to that later this year! And, I love trying new ideas around the house and out in the garden.

Phewww I think thatâs enough of that for now!


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## Grace&Violets

Hi, I am a wanna-be homesteader, who is learning to knit (I can make a mean washcloth!), starting my first garden this summer, made my first loaf of bread a few weeks ago with several since, have been making most of our meals from scratch for a couple months and would love to move to some acreage so that I can raise some chickens, goats, a few cows and some horses, as well as plant a much larger garden than what is able on my cul-de-sac lot. I have 3 kids, ages 4 and under, so I think it's important to be home for them and give them as healthy of a life as I am able.

When I was younger, our family home was on a few acres that we had a huge garden on. I loved being in that garden. I also spent many summer days on a farm of a friend of my mom's. I helped out with many different chores, so I have some experience and have a notion of what I am wanting to get my self "in to". My husband and I will be celebrating our 15th anniversary in August and he has the same goals as I do, as far as where and how we live. I'm very lucky to have a wonderful and supportive husband, like mine.  We live in Colorado and would like to stay here, but have considered other areas, if necessary.


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## dmarie

Hello from northern Ontario, Canada. The land of ice and snow as some refer to it as, and April is living up to that description! Had spring for almost a week, but now winter has returned. Mother Nature is a wonder, but sometimes....!!!!
My name is Donna, now 52 years old(don't like old--younger is much better!) Married 33 years this summer.
Our daughter is 31, son 30, and 2 of the sweetest grandsons ever on the planet--ages 2 years and 2 weeks--of course every granny thinks that doesn't she!
I enjoy anything to do with the countrylife--gardening, critters, simple living, learning to do things the old way. At the moment though we are critterless, due to just moving into this old farmhouse at the end of January, so the usual renovating. I long for the day when I/we can have chickens, goats, etc. again! 
Our "farm" is about 30 acres on a small lake--one of many in this part of the province. We feel blessed to live in such a beautiful area, not including the clouds of mosquitoes of course which will soon be making themselves known once temperatures rise again!
My husband is a millwright by trade, works in one of the local mines. He will be 56 this summer.
We are Christians who attend a small Mennonite church in a small nearby town. 
I truly enjoy this site and getting to know many of you through it.
Blessings!!!! Hugs, Donna (dmarie)


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## matt633

I am always jumping ahead, so I missed that this was an introduction page! I have only been a member for a month or so, so I don't feel too bad. OK, about us:

First, my post name is Dh's name (Matt), but also our family life verse, Matthew 6:33 (seek ye first the Kingdom of God...). DH will probably NEVER post - he hates computers and most anything else that involves being indoors and "wasting" electricity!

I am Rachael (29), helpmeet and bf to Matt (also 29). We met in Hs,were not Christians, got pregnant w/ DD, got married, and tried to straighten up! Got saved several years later!!!! Now we have a more blessed life than I ever hoped for! I get to be mom and homeschooler of 2 awesome kids (DD-Hope, 10 and DS-Remington,6). We have hoped and prayed for more since my son was born, but the only conception in those 6 years resulting in miscarriage almost a year ago. So far, it has just not been the Lord's plan. I love the idea of a large family, but I know He knows what is best, and I AM VERY THANKFUL for the 2 I have, even more so b/c I have a boy and a girl, so I get the best of both!!

Dh works in a fiberglass plant w/ crazy hours, works part time for my dad's lawn business, and has worked Pt as a youth pastor for the past 4 years, but took a break to go to college. His job is putting him through, so he works Mon-Fri now like normal people and is actually off on the days he has school (about 2 days/wk) Now he is home every night and every weekend and I don't know what to do w/ myself!!

We have gone to Baptist churches since getting saved 8 yrs ago (neither of us raised in church), but are now looking for an independent church. We are very conservative Christians, who believe that men lead the home; women are equal but created to be helpers; children are a gift from God and should be loved, trained up in godliness, and enjoyed; and that churches are for fellowship, sharing and teaching of the Word, and building up of one another in Christian love. So far the churches around here are more concerned w/ politics and social clubs! we will keep looking and praying, but have considered home church even.

As far as homesteading, I don't consider us to be homesteaders (...yet!), just country. My husband grew up in Fayette, GA (about 30 min from our home now) on over a hundred acres of family land. Everyone in his family had gardens and animals; his parents stuck mostly to raising chickens. They fished, hunted, gardened, ate chickens off the yard. By contrast, I grew up on 10 acres that we hiked on! We did have some dogs and cats! My parents didn't hunt, we only fished on ocassion, and we NEVER ate meat that didn't come from the grocery store! Anywho, I grew up in Coweta county, lived here most my life and that is where we live now. It is not as country as it used to be, but we live at the southern tip off a dead end road. We have almost 5 acres, bought as raw land, had a house built and enough cleared for a yard. The rest is woods, some of which we have cleared by hand (literally) to put in chicken pens and goat fences, and 4wheeler trails. My husband has taught me to use all sorts of tools, to get dirty, to set fence posts and pull fence, to ride a 4 wheeler, and how to handle and care for all the animals. Right now all we have is 2 goats (getting 2 more), 4 rabbits (getting 1 more to breed), 15 chickens (we will always be acquiring more of those, they are DH's fav), 2 dogs, a turtle and a parakeet. It has been such an experience for me and the kids.. I feel like it is just as new and amazing to me as them! DH thinks we are funny cuz it is second nature to him. He also thinks I had a deprived childhood...I agree. Everyone should get to live like this and I feel so blessed to be able to!

One day, we hope to be able to buy a large tract of land that our children can one day build on as well. I would like to raise many breeds of chickens, have dairy goats to make soap, have llamas, donkeys, horses, and a cow or two. I'm not sure about pigs, though!!! For now, though, it is day by day enjoying the journey and the changes I see GOd making in me. My Dh's family says I am a ******* in the making, but I feel I am just drawing closer to God by simplifying, growing closer to all His creations, and closer to what I feel life is really supposed to be about.

I appreciate everyones kindness, advice, and fellowship on the forum...I love it here! Sorry to ramble, just wanted to let you know who we are!

Oh yeah , we enjoy: family, our animals, 4wheelin, being outside, fishing and boating, 4H projects and shows, crafts and cooking of ALL kinds, photography, building of all kind, cars.


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## ruby_jane

I am a mom of five pretty good kids--four teenagers and a "surprise" 16 month old daughter. We live on the East Coast in the tri state area. Currently I work in a photo lab but next weekend is my last day. We discovered after me going back to work full time, we're just not getting ahead. Besides, it's sad when I pass my husband like ships in the night as I am coming home and he's leaving for work (he works midnights). My marriage and family come first...

I have been remarried now for about 3 years. 4 out of the 5 kids live with us, as the 14 year old wanted to live with my ex and his wife  Please keep them in your thoughts as they are preparing for a big move to Nevada this summer (they are driving out).

Our goal would of course be our own homestead, but slow and steady does win the race...with me being home full time again, the kids, the hubby and our household is looking forward to it!

Looking forward to the lively conversations


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## ericsgirl

HI!!!!! 

YEARS ago (has it REALLY been THAT long????), I belonged to the 
old Countryside forum. I no longer even remember my username, but
learnt a lot and at times argued a lot.  (I am an ex atheist/evolutionist
turned Christian/creationist.)

Anyways, it's been several years since I've visited a homesteading forum
of any sort. The last couple years of my life have been........well.....
crazy, to say the least. 

I went from being a home-schooling mom and wife, to a divorced 
mom having to send her kids to the government schools against all
I believed in. Working at McD's... struggling to make it.. dealing with
stress of a very manipulative ex who was trying to replace me with
every visit the kids made to him. (With his new g/f, I should add.)

I had to leave quickly... with no clue that I was going. I left behind
my dogs, my chickens, my cats, my fruit trees and blueberries.

Right now, I am renting a mobile out in the country, seeing my 
best friend of the past couple years, and studying medical transcription.
My goal is to be working FROM home and earning a decent living,
to homeschool again perhaps, and to be able to pay off bills and
save and have my own place. On weekends, I drive a lift at a
big distribution center, so my weekdays are free for pc work 
and study, thankfully.

Someday, I'd love to own chickens again, and perhaps a few goats,
and a dog or two.

Next weekend, I am going up to see my b/f and we'll be planting 
a garden together and some blueberries. I can hardly wait.

I hope to get to know many of you in the days to come, and
am ever available if anyone needs prayer.
Tough times make for tougher people, I believe, and what doesn't break
us shall make us in the end. Or, as God says it: All things work together
for good to those who love God... Still, there are times when we all
need a shoulder or an extra hand with our burdens.

Ok, this is way too long of an introduction.
egads,lol.

Love,

eg


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## ericsgirl

ruby_jane said:


> I am a mom of five pretty good kids--four teenagers and a "surprise" 16 month old daughter. We live on the East Coast in the tri state area. Currently I work in a photo lab but next weekend is my last day. We discovered after me going back to work full time, we're just not getting ahead. Besides, it's sad when I pass my husband like ships in the night as I am coming home and he's leaving for work (he works midnights). My marriage and family come first...
> 
> I have been remarried now for about 3 years. 4 out of the 5 kids live with us, as the 14 year old wanted to live with my ex and his wife  Please keep them in your thoughts as they are preparing for a big move to Nevada this summer (they are driving out).
> 
> Our goal would of course be our own homestead, but slow and steady does win the race...with me being home full time again, the kids, the hubby and our household is looking forward to it!
> 
> Looking forward to the lively conversations



Aww! Hi Ruby Jane!

I can just imagine how much they're looking forward to having you at home
full-time!  If I ever get married again, and I guess I do think of it now, I do want a job where I can BE there for everyone too! 

My boyfriend/best friend works very crazy hours (in radio). Well I can imagine
the ships in the night feeling and don't want that either. I'm so happy for you!

Good "luck" and God bless!!!!

eg


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## springledge

Hi!!
My name is Margaret. It is always hard for me to introduce myself. I will try, but I am pretty dull :baby04: 

I am 53 and I am still on the Kentucky farm where I have lived since I was born. It is the old family farm and has been in my family for generations. I live in the old family home....aka THE MONEY PIT. If you have seen that movie, you know my house! Right now, I am waiting on the man that is supposed to install our new septic tank....YUCK!!! Don't ask...it has been a disaster!

I am divorced but married a wonderful man 4 years ago. I have two beautiful children...a son that is now 31 and a daughter that is 23. My daughter lives with her husband in another house on the farm..a small house behind the old family home. My son did live in another small house on the farm, but recently purchased 5 acres and a larger house a few miles from me. I have two lovely grandchildren...my son's daughters. The oldest is 7 and the youngest is almost 6 months old. I really miss them living next door!

I know a little about a lot of things and alot about nothing so I will probably be asking more questions than giving answers....but I will try to help if I happen to know the answer to a question. 

Ooops...septic tank man is here....gotta go. See, I don't even have time for a proper intro. I love this board. It is down to earth and polite....a rare find today!


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## House faerie

Hello!
My name is Sylvia I am a homeschooling mom to six children ages 3mo. to 15.
I have been married 17 years and we are about to move to an old farm house with seven acres. Never homesteaded before but I am eager to learn all I can. 
We live in Indiana


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## MTTMATSUA

Hi all;

We currently live in SoCal in a suburban/rural area of San Diego County. We have 2 daughters, 19 and 24 (time flew by!!!) HS'ed oldest til 3rd grade (lloonngg story why we stopped) but HS'ed youngest thru highschool (she 'finished' at 16).

DH is retiring in a little over 3 years (count down on the main screen of our computer!) and moving to Indiana...any thoughts on the wheres of there would be much appreciated! We have some 'favorite' areas already but would enjoy imput from folks already there  We're native Californians who have sadly seen our state change dramatically w/in the 30 years we've been together (highschool sweethearts, married for 26+) and the 40 something years we have been here. Now we are eager to move onto something like the farms/ranches we grew up on up north...

And just an FYI...MTTMATSUA stands for 'more than the moon and the stars up above' My husbands always signs his cards and letters to me that way...now abbreviated  He's the best for sure!!!

cannot wait for more good hints, tips and ideas....
Bonnie


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## AnniesGoats

Hello - My name is Mary. Annie is a goat.  My husband and I, married for 5 years, live on a small farm in SW Ohio. We do not homestead, however, I have a great deal of interest in it. I soak up anything helpful like a sponge. We have a herd of meat and dairy goats. My dream is to operate a goat milk dairy. I dabble with goat cheese in my own kitchen, however, I do not want to make cheese on a larger scale. I made soaps years ago, and now plan on getting back into soaping, but with goat milk this go round. I retired from my desk job about 6 years ago, and now I am a homebody that enjoys animals and quiet. God blessed me with a new life a few years back, and I intend to enjoy it!


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## gracie88

Hi all, I'm in the PNW, looks like I am one of a very few. Oh well. I came to this site looking for goat info because I just got two goats and knew nothing about them (except that we really like goat cheese  ) Anyway I have been lurking for a bit but started feeling a little guilty and thought I should at least say I am out here.
We have a few acres, two kids, two horses, two goats a handful of chickens, three ducks and one monster big tree (no partridge  )


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## Standupguy

Hello gracie...I too am new to the site...I live in SW Missouri...Have few chickens and goats also a guinea pig  1 wife and 2 beutiful daughters--Sophia and Grace---And it looks like I am out numbered by the wives on this site!!!


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## knuckledragger

Hello, 

My name is Jim and I am a firefighter in Memphis. I am married with three kids (2 girls ages 9 and 7 and a boy who is 4). My wife is a stay at home Mom but she used to be a vet tech, a zoo keeper, and work at a horse ranch (Everyone says she married me because she was used to dealing with big, dumb animals). My wife and I just bought 20 acres in Van Buren County, Arkansas. We hope to retire on it in about 15 years and maybe build a little "wilderness retreat" cabin on it in about 5 years. The land is level to gently rolling/sloped and it has about 700 feet of creek running through it at the foot of some 8-12 foot rock bluffs. It is mostly wooded, has a well already drilled (but no pump) has electricity at the property line. There is a rickety little storage shack on it and it still cost us less than the 1/3 acre plot our little suburban house is on just outside of Memphis. Arkansas is AWESOME!


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## MariaAZ

Hi!

Someone on another forum I frequent mentioned this site and I thought I'd check it out, and ended up loving it here!

My husband and I are in our early/mid 40's and live in Phoenix, AZ. I've wanted to live on a small farm ever since I was about 12 and a neighbor gave me a copy of "5 Acres and Independence." I even went to college and got a degree in agribusiness to forward the dream, but so far I'm still living in the big city. I persuaded Hubby, who studied horticulture, that living on a farm would be a good idea so we are now researching areas we might want to move to.

I am self-employed, making my living on my computer and Internet access. Hubby works for a large airline that serves quite a lot of cities. Our job situation means we can consider a lot of different places in the US and still hold the same jobs.

We've raised Mini Rex rabbits, dogs, and have raised a few chickens here in our little suburban paradise. I'm looking forward to learning more about homesteading and livestock keeping!


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## NancyJ

Hi, thought it was time for an update. Last I posted here (Introductions) was in August, 2005. We are still on our little less than an acre of heaven and making the best of it. Raising rabbits for our meat. Just the other day I started a worm farm, dual purpose: sell worms to the fishermen/women that turn around in our driveway to fish at the creek that is 100 yards from our house and to process rabbit manure/scraps into potting soil, which I also plan to sell. I am selling rabbit manure tea which I call Bunny Hunny...lol.

We are no longer wearing all the hats at the little country church...in fact we have moved on to another church (after being away from the church for 1 1/2 years, long story). We found a little Baptist church we really like and have been attending for about a month now. 

I am still working as a Special Ed. EBD aide, but desparetly want to quit and live out my days here on our little "homestead" Ideally...I would like to be smack dab in the middle of 15 acres somewhere in Northern Idaho near the mountains, like in my back yard or on a mountain. But coming back to reality here...don't ever see that happening. Dh and I are getting up there, he 60 me 50. We get around quite well yet but it would be too much to just pick up now and start over. There still may be a chance we can buy some land around us...even another acre would be nice.

My home business is still cluncking along slowly and I have added event planner/decorator with a name change, it is now "Sarah's House Parties & Gifts." I am going to work hard on promoting my business as I have given myself 2 years to stay at my school job. A good friend (anothor aide) will be retiring then and I can't see me working there without her. But then I know everything I have and all that I am is in God's hands so His plans may be different. Good thing He made me so flexable...lol. Actually I *TRY* to live by Paul's words in the Word "I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." Phil. 4:12b-13.

Future plans for our little homestead: well my plans actually...still have to convince DH. I would like to get a pair of Goats, Nigerian Dwarf and about 6 or 8 laying hens. I think I will have an easier time talking him into the chickens...lol. If I could just make enough off all my little side jobs to pay for feed for the goats there wouldn't be a problem...working on it...lol.

We have veggie gardens tucked in every where we can this year. I am even going to plant a small hill (8ft x 6ft) in alfalfa to help with feeding the rabbits. I only keep four over the winter, but that is still a lot to feed. I sell a lot of handmade gifts and make a lot of the decorations I use in my business. Just don't make enough yet to quit as I have good health insurance thorugh work and that is mainly why I am working. Dh is on disabiltiy SS.

Well that's what is happening here. I just keep on keepin on. God Bless
NancyJ


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## gracie88

Standup guy, maybe the husbands are here but the wives are just talking more (says a wife  )


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## wdchuck

Hello,

Sahd of two, Girl_4, Boy_2-2/3, married for 13yrs, and one white-eyed Husky, have been on our 8acres in SE/SC Wisconsin for 5years now, it sure has flown by. 

The master plan was to buy a repairable home with outbuildings; build the 2-story garage live upstairs while we gutted/jacked/rebuilt the home, then start a fish farm and a family while tidying up the property from 15years of vegetative/forestry neglect. Yeah, right, while working on the deck for the second floor of the garage, wife comes home from work and says we have to talk, yep, 3months into the master plan and it would all come to a screeching halt in 8months, there went the budget. 

So, fast forward to today, the garage still received the second story, but still only has a tarpaper exterior, we made do with the house as it was, I put in a wood furnace that works with the central heating system to cut the LP bill, our garden has grown to 1/4acre, we keep the vegetation at bay with the riding mower w/bagger for collecting mulch, and occasional gas trimmer use. The two kids we have(two have ascended) are an absolute blessing with their wonderful nature, sooo content, and our life is moving along at a comfortable pace, except the kids are growing up too fast. 

Our place is fairly well divided, 4acres woods, 4acres open, we have two capped silos that are in excellent condition, can't figure what to use them for yet, but the kids like going in them, an old stone barn foundation, concrete floor that we have our firewood storage on, the house is about 250' from a township road, rushour is good for 3cars in the morning and 5 in the afternoon, farm equipment in between. The neighbors are sparse and everyone kind of keeps to themselves so all my projects need to be thought out for one person, nothing moves too fast that way, makes me think safer too. 

We are growing-out about 1-1/4 acre of our 2acre back field with more prime hardwoods, wanut/oak/sugar maple/cherry/hickory, the rest of it will remain clover(mowed) and the big garden, bonfire pile, and general play area for the five of us. The back woodline has black-raspberries growing along it, which are turning right now, then the frontyard is covered in black mulberries, smells like a winery, and the kids have purple faces/fingers every day from snacking off the trees/bushes, and there's a little apple/cherry orchard too, will be saving all the fruit for seeds this year and planting them in the spring, plenty of walnuts too. 

Last year was my first canning experience as an adult, used to watch mom as a kid, and we did beets and tomatoes, they all turned out well. This year we are aiming for something from every area of the garden, along with drying walnuts and making butter for spread with homemade jam.

Livestock is not in the immediate plan yet, but my wife has brought up the idea of chickens on more than one occasion, rabbits for meat would be alright too I suppose, we'll be doing more research on both before getting any, since I'll be the one caring for them, I want to know what she's getting me into.

Well, that's some of our story, pictures of the property, before/during/and more during, later on. 

We are all His children.


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## CGUARDSMAN

welcome to the forum there is a lot of good info here and some lively discussions! Chickens are easy if you have a place to put them at night. Fresh eggs are hard to beat not to mention chicken dinners. anyway...welcome!


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## digdirtplanthar

I mainly hunt and trap for a living with odd jobs in the summer. I dig herbs through out the year to bring in money when hunting and trapping are closed. 

I am happily single not looking for any mate. I am male.

I have several dogs and cats here. 

I have a pig that will be part of my winter meat along with a calf.

I raise a vegetable garden and do some wood carving. 

I live a very simple life and enjoy my solitude.

I have lived this way for many years and I don't intend to change one little bit.

I want to thank each of you for letting me come onto this forum and visit with you for a while. May God bless each of you.

digdirtplantharvest


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## red1

Greeting everyone. Red1 here, the handle is an old one from my boilermaker days.
From Kansas, grew up on a wheat farm during the 50s' through early 70s'.
Probably spend most my time looking through the different forums, especially like the ones on farming and farming equipement.
thx
Red1


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## pattimow

Hello from the deep south! Mississippi

I have just recently been introduced to this site and have really enjoyed reading over the threads.

I do not live out in the country but would love to. I live in a town of approx. 55,000-60,000 people...a place big enuf to have alot of big city convienieces (shopping centers, top notch medical facilities, great schools & universities) but small enough to know most of your neighbors.

Growing up here it was like living in the country. We had about 4 acres in town which my dad and granddad "farmed". No animals but lots of vegetables and fruits growing. 

These days I am limited to growing a flowers/shrubs and tending to all the wild birds I feed, the squirrels and the fish in my Koi pond. I do enjoy however reading about the country life and I am sure I will enjoy it here...brings back memories of going to my grannies houses...having no electric, a hand pump out back of the house for water and an "out house!"

Thanks for letting me join your community!


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## Sharmom

Good afternoon!
I am new to this forum and hope to learn alot.
I am Shar. Wife to John. We have 10 great children, a wonderful daughter-in-law, and a beautiful granddaughter. We live in NE Ohio on 14 acres. 

We used to raise goats, but my son took over them when he moved back to Ohio. We get pigs occasionally. We currently have chickens, but the darned raccoons took 20 of them in the past week, despite our best efforts! 
We would like to get a dairy cow and possibly beef, too.

We are currently looking for a farm dog to protect the livestock. Anyone know a good breeder or someone who has a dog that might fit our situation? We used to have an Australian Shepherd mix. She was the best, but we lost her a couple years back. We also had a yellow lab that was great, but now she is gone, too. We rescued a 1 year old german shepherd mix in January, but he likes to chase the chickens and I'm pretty sure he will eat them, so we can't count on him to help. Any suggestions? I think I'll post this in the pet forum, too.

I look forward to getting to know all of you! I have already gained some knowledge reading the forums.

God bless your day!
Shar


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## jil101ca

Hi everyone! I'm a 40 year old, wife of 1 and Mom of 3, 17 year old boy, 15 year old boy and 5 year old girl. I live in Northern Ontario and found this site through Beradette, (Thanks Bernie) I am a country girl trapped in town but do raise rabbits and grow tomatoes in my little garden space.I also have a dalmation/border cross who is 2 named Puppie, a very fat cat named Doedoe and somekind of tadpole/polywog named Poly Homesteading certainly has my interest and I think this site is wonderful. I know I can learn alot from everyone here. We have always wanted to have a log house in the bush build by us and are working towards that dream. This year I'm going to can my tomatoes with Mom's help and I have 6 baskets of strawberries in the freezer waiting for me to try my hand at jam.


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## jason.

Hello, all, I'm Jason. From upstate New York, lived all over NY, PA, and now IL, where I'm finishing my PhD in American literature. I'm a teacher, writer, and editor by trade, and a runner, gardener (medicinal and cooking herbs in my limited space now, hope to expand to catnip and tomatoes soon), cook, and woodsmith by avocation. Stuck in a big big city for the next couple of years, but looking for land and a job away from big big cities after that. A couple of cats and a woman who drives me to perfection round out the picture. I'm happy to be here.


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## georgec

Hello, I'm George. I just bought 60 acres in SE OK. We already have 3 goats, 4 dogs, 17 chickens and 11 Guineas. I hope to add a few more goats and cattle soon. I am a Senior Database Administrator; trying to balance city (although very small city) and country life. My wife homeschools the 3 kids (ages 5, 11, 12). The kids love the property, swimming in the pond and plenty of room to run. Wife likes the property, not thrilled with all the animals.


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## AJ Williams

Hello,

We live in Georgia. My name is Tony (48). My DW Patti (38) and I are actively searching for our place in the country. We have 5 boys between us with 4 at home. They are 2 1/2, 6, 7, 8. The 16 yr old resides with his father.

We want to raise our boys in the country where we can teach them the proper ways of life. We are Christian and teach our boys Christian ways. We try to walk our walk the way we talk our talk, straight up.

Looking forward to gleaning good information and advice from you fine and sometimes funny folks.


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## Vanne

Hi all! I'm Anne, 23yrs old, married for 5 yrs, 1 beautiful baby boy (4mo old).

I'm a SAHM, and professional dog trainer. I love it!

I'm trying to grow most of our produce but have had dismal success the last 6 yrs. I'm hoping you guys can help!! I'm hoping to raise rabbits for meat, but the hubby doesn't like the idea (yet). I'm a pro at being a tightwad and I love reading all the suggestions here!


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## pugs

Hey there
I'm a divorced 33 year old single dad of the 2 best kids a person could ask for. Boy age 7 and girl age 5. I have primary custody of the kids, so my life is busy to say the least. We live on the family farm in IA and raise corn and soybeans. When I was growing up it was a dairy farm. Then as Dad got tired of the daily grind of milking he traded the cows for sheep for a while. When I moved back and took over, I got into raising hogs. My son has wanted chickens for a few years now, so this year he got some. He has 15 laying hens and that are just starting to lay, and 12 cornish X that are headed to the freezer in a couple of days when my ex-MIL comes to help butcher in a few days. 

Didn't have a garden this year because of time issues, but the kids have made it clear that we WILL have on next year. Otherwise I like working in the shop, mainly on old motorcycles. Would like to eventually dable in black smithing when I get more free time.

Anyway, I've enjoyed lurking around HT, and I am looking forward to participating.


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## Cheryl aka JM

Hello,
Not really sure how to go about introducing myself here. Lets see~ Iâm a 35 year old mother of two, been married 17 years. Our oldest son just went off to college this year. Our youngest son is 15. We currently live in Southern California suburbs~ but a job transfer (for my husband) to Huntsville Alabama has given us the opportunity to sell this house and move onto a nice little 25 acre piece of property in Alabama! (If we could just get this one sold! What a nightmare the market in So Cal is right now!). We are still in the purchase process for the new place in AL but it looks like all should go through fine. I am very excited about country living~ Iâve always wanted to but never had the opportunity before!

Iâve enjoyed reading so many interesting things on this site already~ but Iâm sure I will still have dozens and dozens of questions to ask~ especially once we actually get ourselves moved in out there.

Iâve never lived in the country before~ but Iâve brought a little country living to our urban home for several years. I keep a tidy little tomato garden that gives me plenty to eat, can and give to my neighbors. My little strawberry patch has produced well too. Iâve never had the opportunity to keep any farm animals but I do know a bit about animal husbandry and genetics as I run my own small business breeding morph snakes (corn snakes and ball pythons for the pet trade) and rodents as snake food. Until very recently I was running a decent little business producing clean, high quality feeder rats/mice. I plan to begin my colonies again once we are set up in our new location. Itâs going to be so nice not to have to hide my Mouse House from the next door neighbors anymore!

So~ I guess thatâs my introduction. Now back to reading everything I can while I wait for the bank to put through our loan paperwork.

Nice meeting y'all


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## Trudy in TN

Hello, My name is Trudy and I live in Middle TN with my dh of 23 years, David and my two children Ian (almost 20 - living at home about to start second yr of college) and Rachel (just turned 18 this week and a senior in high school). Ian drives but Rachel doesn't even have her learners yet.  We can't afford to put her on the insurance right now. We live in the city right now but I am a country girl at heart who fell for a city guy :shrug: Go figure.
So my homestead is a quarter acre lot in town. Dh works in Nashville and doesn't want to go any further out. He drives about 30-40 minutes to work right now. He wants to move into Nashville so I guess here we will stay.

I was born and raised in Ontario, Canada and came to Tennessee for college and met dh there. I really miss the four distinct seasons though. I dream of moving back home sometime. We lived up there went my children were born and we were doing fulltime mission work. Dh really likes it up there also and we have many dear friends there.

I have been a SAHM for almost a year now due to serious health reasons. I have applied for disability and have already been turned down twice so this summer I got a lawyer. He says it will be another 4-6 years most likely. So I am in total frugal mode right now to make it work. We have a garden and dh has said that he will enlarge it next year. We have a good farmers market though for those things that dh won't plant. So far this summer I have canned saurkraut, salsa, tomatoes, pepper relish and pickles. I have also done strawberry and raspberry sugarfree jams as dh and I are type 2 diabetics. Dh will not allow any animals besides a dog so no chickens or rabbits here. I don't think my kids would help much with them anyway. They don't understand mom's self-suffiency thing.  

I have already learned alot from this group while I was lurking and I am looking forward to learning more.

God Bless


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## Melissa

Welcome to the board everyone. We look forward to getting to know all of you better~


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## notenoughtime

Hello, I have enjoyed visiting this sight and thought I would join in. I am 46 years old and have 3 kids 18,11,and 8. We purchased our 40 acreas with a older farm house 2 years ago. (my lifelong dream). We have 3 horses, 2 dogs, and lots of cats and a large garden. I also plan on getting bee hives this spring It is a old farmstead with buildings in need of repair but it will come with time and energy. I also love to sew, cross-stitch, piece quilts, cook and do home repair projects. I am a nurse but currently staying home for the time being. I do enjoy reading all the different threads there is so much knowledge, information and wisdom out there that others are willing to share. I am looking forward to being a part of this forum.


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## calliemoonbeam

Hi Y'all,

I've made a few other posts, so thought I should come and introduce myself. I don't know if I actually qualify as a countryside "family", since I live alone presently, but I do have one son and a daughter-in-law who live about 30 miles away. Right now I live in a duplex in the city, but dream of moving to the country one of these days. In the meantime, I'm reading everything I can find on homesteading and all that entails. I used to spend summers with my grandma when I was young, and I guess that's when the bug bit me. She was a wonderful woman who personified the homesteading way of life - maintaining her own livestock and huge garden into her late 80s, canning, sewing, quilting, smoking meats, etc. She lived until two days prior to her 98th birthday and was an inspiration to everyone who knew her.

For years now I've felt out of place, just didn't fit in anywhere. It seems like there are two classes of people around here - the almighty dollar-worshipping yuppies whose only concern is what new gadget to spend their money on next and the lie, cheat, steal, whatever it takes to get what you want type of people whose weekly highlight is watching "Cops" type shows to see if they see anyone they know. Whatever happened to just good ordinary middle-class folks? Unfortunately, I had some serious health problems and after being out of work for over a year have had a serious financial downturn. I'm presently living in the middle of what I laughingly refer to as "white trash central", lol. There are actually two meth labs in my neighborhood, and they sell dope from the neighborhood ice cream truck! I tried to make friends with a couple of neighbors, but one wanted to borrow money or food all the time (and never paid it back), and the other one sent her son and his friends over to break into my house and steal from me when I was gone (saw some of my stuff at her house afterwards!). I can't tell you how happy I am to find these boards and see all you wonderful people and realize I'm not alone and there really are other people like me out there - some even here in Oklahoma!

I love to cook and collect cookbooks, read, sew, quilt, crochet, pretty much all crafts. I love music, all kinds except jazz and opera, and I sing constantly even though I can't carry a tune in a basket (especially really loud when I'm in the car - I get some weird looks let me tell you). Back when I was still healthy I loved to swim, hike, dance, and ride motorcycles and horses and hope to get back to all of that someday, but those kinds of things just aren't much fun alone. I've only gardened a little bit, but dream of having a big garden like my grandma's if I ever get that place in the country. I consider myself spiritual, but not religious. I've had some really bad experiences with organized religion, but don't have a problem with anyone else's beliefs and am always open to discussion. I do believe in the golden rule and always try to treat people the way I would want to be treated. I always see both sides of any issue and have been told I'm very fair-minded and a good listener.

My ideal property would be 10-20 acres, half wooded with a stream or river running through part of it, at least an acre for a garden, a small fruit and nut orchard, chickens, rabbits, goats and possibly pigs and beef cattle, and a couple of Great Pyrenees. My house would be small but well planned with a large pantry and root cellar, passive and active solar, woodburning stove, and well water, with a screened-in porch. I'd love to be totally off the grid if possible, but have to have my computer and internet, lol. I hate the Oklahoma heat and humidity and have always wanted to live more northwest somewhere, especially close to the mountains or ocean, maybe in Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, or even Canada! But unless some not-so-shining knight (probably with dirt under his fingernails and in overalls instead of armor - but my prince just the same!) on a John Deere sweeps me off my feet and moves me there, I'll probably grow old here. 

Well, sorry I ran on so long, but you should probably get used to it now. You'll find out real quick I love to talk! Looking forward to "meeting" all you good people and hope I'm not considered too wannabe for you. I'm hoping to learn lots here and have discussions with like-minded folks.  

calliemoonbeam (moon)


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## mamainfrance

Hello!
I'd like to introduce myself...I'm a 42 year old mom to 6 great kids soon to be 7 as our baby is due end of November! My DS is 43 and is a computer engineer. I'm a SAHM who is very much into simple living! I make my own bread, yogurts, all baked goods in fact we never buy any ready made stuff! We have a few chickens for the eggs. 
We live in the south of France (I'm originally from Canada) in a very small village (population :200) We have about 3/4 of an acre...We have a few fruit trees (apricot, cherry, apple, pear, walnut and figs) No garden this year because of my pregnancy but I really miss it! I'm already planning next years garden!
I've been lurking for a few months now and just love all the tips that I have read! I would love to start making my own cheese. I've already made butter and I found it quite simple! 

We're considered to be a little weird because we have such a large family (here people have 2 kids period!) and most people don't understand our lifestyle. For example, I made a batch of soap that I showed to a 'friend' and she just said "why in the world would you want to make soap?" I replied "because I CAN!"  That was the end of that! 
I was thrilled to find this site and especially to see that other people share my love for doing it yourself!


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## ScrappyNana

_Hi everyone  A bit about me, ScrappyNana= scrappy for the mountains of quilt scraps I have around and Nana bestowed on me by my 5 wonderful grandbabies. 
(9 months, 1 yr, 3 yrs and two 5 yr olds). I'm mother to three fabulous daughters ages 24, 26 & 27. I've been single more yrs than I can even remember at this point. After a while, it just seems easier that way  
I live on 5 acres in the florida panhandle with my poodle (Minnie Pearl) and my rescued cat (Zsa Zsa). I don't have any livestock right now. I had a very sad veggie garden this spring/summer. The drought has been so terrible that it seemed I couldn't water anything enough & the heat just gets to me so quickly any more. 
I do love to garden though and I'll plant anything! hehe I also make alot of quilts, stuffed toys (ragdolls mostly) and soaps. I write when I have time and the hours fly by when I sit down to finally get 'that story' out of my head. 
I look forward to getting to know y'all here at HT.
ScrappyNana_


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## Durandal

Hello, my name is Rich. I live in Ohio. I manage my family's 320 acre Ohio Century Farm. I used to be a graphic designer working on packages for P&G and Coke but now I build stables, harvest corn and soybean, and do just a little bit of everything under the sun farm related.

Our Carriage House Farm has been in our family since the 1840s and recently a chunk of us have decided to make a go at farming, truck farming, and boarding horses.

While I have been gardening off and on at the farm for 20 years plus my childhood, I never considered a career in farming. Now I have been doing it for over 6 years and I would not change a thing.

I was originally guided here by a gentleman who was giving links to bee keeping information (something I want to get involved in as we increase the number of fruit trees and grape vines), but I can see this forum will be a value for all sorts of things.

Hello everyone!


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## calliemoonbeam

Hi there mamainfrance, ScrappyNana and Durandal! 

I was the "newbie" prior to y'all. Don't just wait aound, you need to jump in on some of the threads and post. I found that people don't really notice these new intros until you post somewhere and point out that you have one here. Don't be shy, this is a great group of people, and they've made me very welcome so far.  

calliemoonbeam


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## Hillbillybob

I want to introduce myself here on Country Families. I'm Hillbillybob and that is what a lot of my friends call me. I was here a year ago as Hillbillybob47 but haven't been able to log back in as that so re-registered without the 47. I'm a farmer who grows wild herbs for a living. I hunt, fish, & trap. I do woodworking when I find time or the need for Christmas gifts comes around. 

I have been married twice and have one son with my first wife. I am a widower of my second wife and we were together for 18 Â½ years before she passed on.

Last summer I met a wonderful, beautiful woman here on this forum (Naturelover in B.C.) and we are planning on getting married. We haven't set a date yet, we kind of have an international border between us but we are working out the kinks in the red tape to remedy that. 

I think that I have said all that is needed.

Hillbillybob


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## horsepoor21

Hey Everyone , I'm Amy , I'm (almost!) 26 years old . My husband and I just celebrated our 7th Anniversary. He is a truck driver and I am home taking care of our four children ( 6 , 4, , 2, and 7 months ) . We are a Chrisitian family and we also homeschool. We live in western South Dakota and as my username says , we are horse-poor ... It should actually say ANIMAL poor though . LOL We are down to only one horse right now . We also have two house bunnies , two guinea pigs , one hedgehog , some fish , and 3 dogs . We are expecting our first litter of Newfoundland puppies any day now and are so excited ! We live in town for now but have plans to become dept free and buy some land and eventually build a cabin on it . We are most definetly interested in making our lives as simple as possible and I'm so excited to soak up all the information I can from everyone here on becoming self sufficiant! :dance:


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## Labrat407

Hi Everyone, 
I just wanted to introduce myself. I am at the start of my Homesteading journey with my family. The Family unit consists of Me, my Wife and our 3 kids under 7 yrs old. We are living in a city currently and have a large lot the we are slowly gardening more and more. We have started to look into larger property in Northern Ont. closer to our family there. My wife grew up in farm country there and my Uncle was a raised Beef and cash crops, (I always has a summer job) for a long time.
I currently work with computers, and prior to that I was a Chef. I have an extensive collection of cook books (I did have to downsize for the new house) with some out of print ones for canning and baking. 
We hope to find a nice property in about 3 yrs and start our Homestead.
I hope to be able to add as much as I can to the forum here.


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## HeavenHelpMe

Hiya, Labrat!

Welcome to your newest addiction.


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## Homely

Hello all!
I am a long time lurker, around 2 years now. I recently signed up so I can benefit from the collective wisdom of the posters here. 
I'm a wife, mother and homemaker. I'm not _really_ a homesteader, but I dream of doing it. I'm a zone 11 (wannabe) gardener. I home-school and have always wanted to raise goats.


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## mduncn52

Hi. My name is Mark and my wife of 5 years is Denise. We are 54 and 48 yo. With in the last week we have been presented with the opportunity to live a lifelong dream. Dee's daughter Rhiannon and her fiancee Brian bought 15 acres in deep southern Ohio and have asked us to join them in a move. We are going to clear the woods on the property and over the next few years begin to build a homestead farm. We must be crazy but we're not smart enough to know "it can't be done", so we're just gonna do it. Among the 4 of us we have a wide variety of skills and experiences that mesh well together and we all get along really well. In fact Dee and her ex-hubby lived in MN for 10 years on farms and existed on a subsistence level. The strongest thing though is our faith that we can really do this. Brian and I have been thinking through as many ways as possible to generate income. We are all going to work regular jobs and live in a house in some town near the property and work on the land every day. I will be going down to the land in Oct with Brian for 3-4 days to get the PL's identified, probably gonna have to use a portable GPS and the property description to work our way through. Also gonna look at the job market down there to see what's available. We currently live about 25 miles west of Cleveland and the whole economy up here stinks. There's just gotta be a better way!!!. I will post here from time to time to let you all know how we are faring. If you wanna throw in your 2 cents (been typing for 35 years and can't find the cents sign on my keyboard) worth we'd appreciate it. 
Melissa I see you are in S. Ohio also, we'll be in Jackson county. How are things in your neck of the woods.....job market, housing availability, etc. Any advice or info would be welcome. I'll be brief today(usually I'm kinda wordy). Keep the faith
Mark


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## JacknJava

Hello there. My name is Beth and I live in Northeastern Wisconsin with my husband of 9 years today, three dogs and two horses. I am currently working part-time as a legal assistant in order to pay the bills while I go to school for my true love, to become a veterinary technician. I am here because I have always had notions of becoming at least partially self-sufficient. Once I graduate school and start working in the field, I will probably end up making less than I do now, but job satisfaction means a lot to me. However, I will also have a fairly large student loan payment for quite a while, so getting some homesteading ideas will probably be a necessary part of life.

It will be an interesting trip, as I currently do not know how to sew (I buy clearance clothes from Walmart), and I don't know how to garden. However, my husband and I have been attempting to work on our home by ourselves, which doesn't always turn out great, but it gives us time to work side by side, which can be nice.

I have been getting some good ideas about gardening from this site already. I hope to get a plot dug next fall and ready for some planting the spring after.

I am currently on a school break, so I will be able to do a lot of reading here in the next week or so!


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## gina kay

HI! My name is Regina and I'm 48. I've been remarried for 5 yrs now to a wonderful man who is terrific to my 2 grown kids. My son is 21 and he's living in Houston area with a longtime girlfriend and they are expecting their first baby in December. They both work for the same company and DS is training to run all his boss's stores so he makes the schedules so he's worked GF's schedule so she's off more and will be off 6 mos after birth. My 24 yr old daughter is married to a guy in the Air Force and they are now stationed in Guam. They have a 3 yr old girl and a 2 month old boy. DD was becoming sleep-deprived so they sent for me to come help. I got here Sept 3rd and will stay until Nov 3rd. My DH is a truck driver and is on the road Sunday night until Friday afternoon. We have walkie-talkie phones so we tak at least 5x a day....except my phone doesn't reach from Guam but DD has unlimited long distance. We live on 13 acres between Houston and San Antonio and have another 4 acres down the road. I also have 73 acres that I inherited with my siblings in east Texas that is very isolated. Unsure what we'll do with it--most likely our kids will move onto it. DH and I have 53 or so chickens, 3 horses, 4 head of cattle(want more), 13 or so dogs(mainly Australian Blue Heelers), 20 cats (copperheads, moccasins, and chicken snakes common in our area but we don't have a problem),and 1 rabbit. I have a large veggie garden and some fruit trees. I love to can, quilt, cook, crochet, oil paint and watercolor, read and watch some tv (especially csi,numbers,etc.) and go to church. We live 8 miles from town down a gravel road where we know all our neighbors and I can leave money, for a stamp, with my letter in the mail lady, and she'll leave my change. I sell my eggs to a restaurant in town and to friends. We love our simple way of life and wouldn't have it any other way!


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## Anne Marie

My name is Anne Marie. I live in Indiana with my parents and three younger brothers. I have rabbits, goats, cats, and a dog. 
I enjoy raising livestock and gardening. I also enjoy reading, going on walks, and riding my bike.
I found this website when I was doing a search for homesteading forums.


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## Rae Jean

Hi guys  Country girl here(well mid-30s :shrug: ), living single on 40.


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## grubb1019

Hi! I've just been luking around and thought I should introduce myself. My name is Gwen, Im married (10 years this month), have one daughter and two sons. We live in Ohio. We have goats, chickens, one pony, lots of cats, and one Great Pyrenees.


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## natural granny

Greetings from East Central IL. I'm a 40-something year young homesteader married for nearly 30 years with 5 adult children (2 are my kids spouses, but I love to claim them, too) and grandmother to my 2 year old granddaughter. I own and operate our "mom and pop" type shop, making and selling handcrafted soaps, salves, lotions and potions, herbs, and various other wares. We raise chickens, turkeys, ducks, and commercial meat rabbits. We also have a goose and a goat with a german shepherd/great pry cross to watch over it all. We hope to add a couple calves and some pigs soon. We scaled down our garden this year with the last of our children leaving the nest, and planted only about a half acre garden. We have fruit trees, berries, rubarb and grapes. Hubby has a job in town and in his spare time, He runs his own small equipment business. We try to be as self relient as possible, while keeping our life simplified. I sew on a treadle sewing machine, dry clothes on the clothesline, bake our bread, can, freeze and dry the foodstuff we produce. We hunt and fish to add more meat to what we grow. We limit our use of chemicals, don't feed medicated feeds to the animials and focus on organics and naturals in everything we do. I look forward to exchanging information here.


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## Mr.Hoppes

Hi. I'm Mr.Hoppes' Mrs. Hoppes. We have been married for 8 years and as you can tell by his sig, we have three beautiful children.

I am waiting for my account to be activated so until then, I will be using his account. I will specify when it is me talking so as to (hopefully) cut down on any confusion.

I am a homebirthing, homeschooling, homesteading, breastfeeding, babywearing, cosleeping, cloth diapering mama.

I love my husband deeply and I love God more. We have enjoyed learning how to raise our own food as we travel down the path of self-sufficiency. We have also enjoyed watching ouor children grow and learn as they explore their world and have the connection with nature and their food that many children do not experience and adults refuse to acknowledge.

Speaking of children, Hannah is crying, so I must go.


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## Mrs. Hoppes

I'm me! WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE


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## Arkansasfarmgal

Hi! I am a homeschooling, horse loving mom who lives on a farm in NW Arkansas with my husband of 16 yrs and our three sons. We raise beef cattle, and have 4 horses, 1 pony, 1 rabbit, and 4 dogs.
I have been reading this forum for a few weeks and finally decided to join the fun.


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## dixiegal62

hi! welcome to the board, Im still pretty new here myself but I have found people here nice and willing to help or just chat


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## BarefootMeadows

Hello all!
I stumbled across this forum and after lots of peeking at posts I thought I'd join! I am married, have 2 grown daughters and one little 2yr grandson...a complete joy really!
We live on 15 acres, have 3 horses, 11 chickens, 3 dogs, 2 barn kitties and we board a few horses for friends. Gotta love the horse therapy!
I am an organic gardener and knit with wools and my hubby is a carpenter...so, we are always busy!
We just moved to our place this last June and have been so busy...now we are getting to the winterizing part...what a chore!
I look forward to learning new things and putting in my 2cents worth...always good at that ....according to my hubby!  
See ya around!
I forgot to explain BareFoot Meadows...
I hate shoes...you can catch me doing most anything in my home, barn or yard in barefeet or FlipFlops... if I don't have my Justins on...My horses all have barefeet also. So, BareFoot Meadows seemed appropriate...


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## TiaD

Hi all - I recently found this site and have really been enjoying the posts so far - have even managed to learn a few things already  

I'm Tia and I live with my husband of 12 years and our two kids in residential area east of Seattle. We plan to do as much urban homesteading as we can until such time as we can afford a place out in the country. For the time being though, we are staying in the city so as to be closer to the resources needed for our special needs son who is 5 and developmentally delayed, along with being borderline autistic. I'm fortunate that I can be a stay at home parent. 

Right now, I'm going through our home room by room to get things better organized and to create more storage space for canned goods and such. Our goal is to really get back to basics and live a much simpler life. I personally would love to get off the grid and use only renewable resourses like sun and wind for our energy needs. 

I already do most of our cooking and baking from scratch as my daughter and I have multiple food allergies (along with being celiac). In my spare time I love to read, sew, knit, crochet, embroider - ok, pretty much anything fiber arts related - and I'm also an ametuer photographer. I want to learn how to go from "sheep to shawl" and luckily I know several people who can take me from shearing to cleaning and carding to spinning. Now, if only I could find room in our house for a loom  

the entire family is involved in the SCA (which is a great place to learn a lot of interesting skills). During the summer, we love to go camping a lot. Hubby and the kids love to hike and go geo-caching too. 

blessed be
Tia


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## BarefootMeadows

TiaD said:


> Hi all - I recently found this site and have really been enjoying the posts so far - have even managed to learn a few things already
> 
> I'm Tia and I live with my husband of 12 years and our two kids in residential area east of Seattle. We plan to do as much urban homesteading as we can until such time as we can afford a place out in the country. For the time being though, we are staying in the city so as to be closer to the resources needed for our special needs son who is 5 and developmentally delayed, along with being borderline autistic. I'm fortunate that I can be a stay at home parent.
> 
> Right now, I'm going through our home room by room to get things better organized and to create more storage space for canned goods and such. Our goal is to really get back to basics and live a much simpler life. I personally would love to get off the grid and use only renewable resourses like sun and wind for our energy needs.
> 
> I already do most of our cooking and baking from scratch as my daughter and I have multiple food allergies (along with being celiac). In my spare time I love to read, sew, knit, crochet, embroider - ok, pretty much anything fiber arts related - and I'm also an ametuer photographer. I want to learn how to go from "sheep to shawl" and luckily I know several people who can take me from shearing to cleaning and carding to spinning. Now, if only I could find room in our house for a loom
> 
> the entire family is involved in the SCA (which is a great place to learn a lot of interesting skills). During the summer, we love to go camping a lot. Hubby and the kids love to hike and go geo-caching too.
> 
> blessed be
> Tia


 Hi Tia,
I am north of you in the Arlington area. I am new here also.


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## TiaD

BarefootMeadows said:


> Hi Tia,
> I am north of you in the Arlington area. I am new here also.


Thanks for the welcome - nice to see someone else from this area. And I'm so jealous Barefoot! I would love to have a spread like yours! 

Tia


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## greenhaven

I'm not sure that I have formerly introduced myself here, as I have sporadically posted and lurked here for quite some time.

I am Shannon, 36, married to Steve for coming on 18 years, and have two teenaged boys, one coming seventeen, the other just turned 15. Hubby and I are in process for an international adoption, Guatemala originally until the bottom fell out. (Long story) Now we are waiting for approval for a Taiwan program.

We moved off our five acres last December because our house was such a wreck and it was way cheaper to buy one in town than to build a new one on our property, especially with two boys coming college-aged. I gave up a flock of laying hens, but moved my horse to a boarding stable. I try to maintain our homesteading values, like living simpler, paring down, eating locally. I had a very small garden our first year here, (we are only on 1/4 acre anyway) hope to expand and get some "edible landscaping" planted!

My hobbies are my horse, photography, reading, gardening. I am a Christian and we attend an evangelical Protestant church. I volunteer there and at my sons' school.


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## MissTwoWeeks

Hello to all,

I recently found this site and really enjoy reading all of the posts and seeing how everyone supports each other.

My name is Julie and I am a TV addict. I am currently a Black Jack dealer here in Las Vegas at an off the strip property. I am married to a wonderful man David for the last 21 years. He is a OTR driver so I don't see him much. Not unlike the Navy he retired from two years ago. Never really saw him then. I have a general idea on what he looks like, but he better call before he comes home unannounced! Don't have any kids, just three out of control dogs. 

We finally sold our house here in Las Vegas, well in 17 1/2 days it becomes officially sold and we are on our way to the beautiful hill country of Texas to the little place we bought back in September. Wish we sold it last year when the market was "better", but glad it's done. It was on the markey WAY TO long. 

I will miss LV a bunch, mostly the choice of grocery stores, the two targets within five miles of me, the three home depots, the four lowes and the thought if I'm hungry after work I can stop a fast food place open 24 hrs. I won't miss the traffic or the rude players at my games. I will miss my friends and the paycheck. 

I am looking forward to the new way of life out of the city. The new neighbors are very nice, and we have resolved to "assimilate" into the new culture and not try to change anything. I am so up to learning about everything that is involved about living out in the country. 

Yes, I am a newbie with romantic visions of living off the land. But baby steps will be taken as not to ruffle any feathers. 

Thank you for being there for me as I am sure there will be a lot of questions coming from this soon to be fish out of water. 

-- Julie


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## tanksoldier

Hmmm... what to say.

My wife and I have been married for seven years. We have no human children yet but do have two furry ones: a 7-year old ridgeback mix and a 13 year old cat. We live in a small town in Colorado near Boulder but hope to move soon to a larger property where we have more elbow room.

I was medically retired from the Army after almost 16 years. I wasn't ready to go, especially with everything happening these days, but I'm trying to look at it as an opportunity to try new things.

My wife works in the IT industry and enjoys soapmaking. It started as a hobby but she's become rather successful recently with holiday orders.

Together we enjoy riding our cruiser around Colorado. We might get in one more ride this year but it's about time to put it away for the winter:


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## kaysky

Hi All!
I have been a lurker for a couple of years, so i feel like i know you all. the tread a couple of weeks ago about why lurkers don't join prompted me to finally join. You see, i always felt i don't belong here cause i don't live the homestead life. I have the same ideas and values, it just isn't happening currently.

A little about me: I am married to a wonderful guy, happy that God graced me with this relationship. He has an 11 year old son who lives with us part time, and I have a grown daughter who is married with a 12 year old step daughter. We live on 1/3 acre in suburbia. I love the neighborhood feeling here, and have great neighbors. but we would really love to have more land to do more things with. It just will probably not happen till his son is grown.

I love gardening, cooking, and providing a healthy frugal home for my family. I have gotten many great tips from this site, and hope to someday be able to contribute my own!

as a family we all ride dirt bikes, bowl, and enjoy a quiet bon fire with deep discussions. Times like that you discover that your children have great ideas!

May God Bless you all, and thank you for having me here!


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## Glenda in MS

Hi Everyone!

I live on a small farm near Hattiesburg, Mississippi. We grow a large garden, do a LOT of canning and putting away, and love our country life. 

I am married to the love of my life. He is a pile driver. We have an 21 year old daughter and a 17 year old son. Both children still live at home. Dear daughter has a very rare typr of Down Syndrome called Mosaicism and does great. She graduated from high school with a regular diploma and earned a 1 year certificate in Office Management from a local community college. She drives, and really leads a fairly normal life, but does require some assistance with things like money mangement, ect. Dear Son goes to one of the few remaining Agricultural High Schools in the state and is planning to go to MSU to pursue a degree in History and Agricultural Sciences.

I am a Volunteer Coordinator for a Hospice organization. My life's work is caring for patients and their families who are in the actively dying phase of their journey through life. I enjoy sewing, cooking, gardening and landscape stuff. 

And, of course, I enjoy online forums.


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## Rascal

Hi everyone,

I love this site & most of the people on it. 
You guys have made me laugh so hard sometimes it isnt even funny.
More importantly I think I have found a group of very good hearted folks,
with a common goal,live your life as best you can,take care of yourself & the ones you love,
& help others where you can.

Ive been looking into homesteading for awhile now,it just feels right for me. 
Its where I want to be & how I want to live.Im not completly there yet, it is my goal
Ive raised chickens,had horses,got a GSD. I have lived in big cities & quite towns,& out in the sticks,which I prefer. 

I am learning so much from all the posts here, & just hope I can contribute as much. 
Even if its just to lighten your day, make you laugh, or help out with a positive 
outlook on things.

I chose the name rascal for a reason, I am one, mostly good natured.

I just wanted to say hello to everyone & introduce myself.

P.S. I love Elfie!!!!!


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## countrydawg

Hello all....I live in West-Central Illinois with 4 dogs and the DH. I have 2 boys, my son is 8 and my step-son is 15 (16 in 2 months :help: ). Although they don't live with us, we do get the pleasure of their company quite often. 

Recently I have taken up the notion of working into "simple living". I am going to start my very first veggie garden this spring, and will also try my hand at a few chickens. My MIL agreed to teach me how to can the veggies (should they actually make it...lol) and I have been reading up on how to can meat. 

If anyone has any advice for me, I'll gladly take it!! Hop to chat with everyone soon!


----------



## oakspring

Hello everyone. Stumbled onto this great forum...THANKS. We're still looking for our homestead. Currently living along the Front Range of Southern Colorado on an acre and a half, but looking for a place in Southern Oregon or maybe Northern Idaho. I'm a Husband, Father, Desert Storm vet, retired sailor, teacher, rookie blacksmith, gardener, and homesteading dreamer. 

DW and I have finally decided that we've waited long enough and *we're going for it. *Within the next two years at most we're selling out everything thing here and packing up our converted bus and going back to the land. So any assistance, advice and encouragement will be most appreciated.


----------



## MushCreek

Hello- I've been reading this forum for a while, and decided to join in on the fun. We currently live in the burbs of west central FL, but have 7 acres in the SC mountains. The Lord willing, we'll be starting the next phase of our lives in about 2 years.


----------



## General Brown

Hello, like Mushcreek, I have been reading the forum for some time. I live in the heart of the midwest on a 90 acre piece of ground, mostly woods and pasture. Unfortunately I rent, sure wish i could purchase. 

I love the outdoors... hunting, fishing, gardening. If its outside, I love doing it.


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## Rockytopsis

Well mostly Nancy. We live in East Tennessee and have 11 acres and raise Boer Goats for meat. We have a few chickens and guineas for our own use and we have a garden every year. Love tomatoe juice and all kinds of squash and sweet corn. I plan on vaccuum packing more corn and squash this year.

We met in 92 and got married in 97. Al is retired Navy and I am retired from sewing factories.

We are both active in the local VFW post and I am working to try and establish a 4H group for local kids with goats.

We also belong to several local goat groups.

I have found a lot of good reading on this forum about a lot of the topics I am interested in.


----------



## Coral Farmer

Hello, so glad to have found this forum! We (DH and I) are in the land-searching stage of starting our homestead and need all the advice and help we can get! 

We just discovered Joel Salatin's books and are reading them along with lots of other books (alternative building methods, etc.). Along with chickens, goats, pigs, etc., we plan to continue and expand my start-up aquaculture business. Thus my user name, as my focus is on marine animals - coral, anemones, and eventually fish.

Looking forward to reading and learning here!

-Sonja


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## QuiltingLady2

oops.


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## hillbillygal

Howdy y'all. I live in TN with my dh and dd and one on the way. We are trying to become more self-reliant and are having to work at it a little at a time. I've been reading the forums for a few days now and am excited I've been cleared to post and join in. Look forward to talking with you!


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## Ohio Rusty

I was just validated today and I wanted to intro myself to the list. I'me been lurking for a while reading the posts and thought it might be a fun place to be involved. First off ..... let me say that the reason for my successes and enjoyment of living is because I trust in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour. All I do everyday is not because of anything I did do or can do, it is because Jesus has seen to it that our lives have been blessed, and blessed abundantly. Thus everything I do is to glorify God everyday. Can I have an AMEN !! 

Next, I live rural in SouthEast Ohio. I have a small 'farmette' if you will on the edge of Wayne Nat'l Forest. I like to garden, gather wild and home grown foods for the table. I do fish and hunt, but I'm more partial to a melt in your mouth black angus steak than a somewhat chewy venison steak. If lean times do come with the coming recession, I can at least put some meat on the table so we don't starve. I'm not what you would call an avid hunter, but I have taken deer, pheasants, rabbits and fish to supplement the food budget. I reload pistol bullets on a limited basis, mostly just for recreational shooting. I'm more into the blackpowder/flintlock/Dan'l Boone type guns that are more pleasant to shoot. I don't get to spend as much time at home 'playing' as I would like as I work 2 jobs in order to pay the heating and travelling expenses. Not many computer jobs in my rural area, consequently, I have to travel about 60 miles one way to Columbus Ohio for suitable work. It makes my fuel bills quite expensive. I'm not in any way a hard core survivalist, but I do lean toward being a bit self sufficient. Hard-core survivalists kinda scare me actually ...... If someone came to my home wanting food, I'd invite them to my table and feed them instead of killing them to protect my corn and green beans. The way we'll get thru hard times is helping each other to the best of our abilities. Just my humble opinion ....

I have been reading with great interest all I can about the recession, and I'm really glad to know that Bush thinks his economic plan will stimiulate the economy and all the bad stuff will just quickly disappear like a recession never happened. (note a hint of sarcasm here). We'll all get thru it no matter what. We may have to give up a few luxuries, but we'll all still come out on top because we did some forms of preparation. 

I hope to share lots of things with the forum members in the future as I have more topics I can talk about but most is better written in other appropriate forums.
Ohio Rusty
Southeast Ohio

_"This is America !!, where many have fought and died for our right to express our views with inflatable creatures in our yards........"_


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## OurLilHomestead

I am new here. My husband & I have been married for almost 17 years now & have 7 children at home right now. We have dreamed about living off the land for many years & are now taking our first steps. We're looking for land & considering the possiblilties of what we'll do with it. We'd like to grow most, if not all our own food as well as eventually be completely off grid. I'm tired of paying electric bills LOL
I look forward to learning so much from every one here. I hope to share the knowledge I already have in some areas pertaining to homesteading.


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## SimplerTimez

Well, I'm only one part of the us, my DH Joseph doesn't "do" forums unless they are technically oriented 

We are looking to trade our technology oriented lives for much simpler ones (eventually!) We both work in the IT world, I as a project planner and he as a Network Admin. Not that we think homesteading is easier, just, more basic - and hopefully one more a bit under our control. I have spent the last two years greening up, learning to garden, reducing, recycling and absorbing information for us to use when we finally purchase our land. 

Our interests are:
Organic food growing, small livestock, bee keeping and building our own dwellings. I read a LOT and J tinkers.
I grow and he builds stuff. His current project is a portable greenhouse for me from scraps we have here.

I am amazed at the amount of knowledge found here, and extremely thankful for all of the helpful people I've seen posting here. Maybe one day, in the far, far future, I can help others after I've learned past excited novice stage 

I look forward to learning from ya'll.

~Sunny


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## Atropos4

Hello, I'm 27 and married to alpha phi for almost 8 years. Pet grooming is my career and I love what I do. I love being around and smooshing doggies all day. (occasionally cats but it can get a bit dangerous grooming them) 
We have seven furkids that include two dogs, four cats, and one very fat hamster. We hope to be able to aquire chickens this spring and DH also wants rabbits. My friends say I have a sign on my forehead that says sucker that only animals can see. I have always been one of those people that brings in some pitiful creature and nurses it back to health and sometimes find it a new home. hehe These days though the hubby makes sure I do find them new homes besides ours. Our home has about all it can handle of indoor critters.
I've gone through somewhat of a transformation the past couple years. I guess you could say I finally saw what others were seeing all along reguarding how I was treated by my family. I'm still coming to terms with it and trying to repair myself but I think I'm making progress. 
Alpha phi has been very supportive in helping me through all of it and I am very thankful for him. 
Let's see, I was born in Texas...pretty much raised in Michigan but couldn't wait to leave. First chance alpha phi and I got we moved here to the mountains and I have zero desire to ever leave.

I look forward to getting to know new people and likely learn a thing or two.


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## HappyHomemaker

Hi,

Wanted to take the time to introduce myself.
I'm a full time wife and homeschooling mom of two, who works with hubby at his business when he needs me. We live on the coast of NC. 

I love cooking, baking, sewing, knitting, etc...and I've just really begun to discover quilting. I love animals but currently only have a cat and a dog. 

This year we bought a new "old" house on 2 acres of land. Not a lot, but I have medical problems that make it difficult for me to even help care for what we have. I'm hoping to add fencing and chickens this spring and go from there to sit up our small homestead.

Looking forward to getting to know everyone,
Happy Homemaker


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## hfwarner3

I am 37 years old and have been married to the love of my life for 12 years. We have 5 children (DD-9, DS-6, DD-4, DD-2, DD-1) with number 6 due in October, 2008. We are catholic and we homeschool the kids.

I am an information technology architect for one of the top 10 banks in the US. I spent 5 years in the Army from 1988 - 2003 before going to college. I was in the 82nd Airborne for both Operation Just Cause (Panama) and Desert Shield/Storm (Iraq). I was in communications.

My wife spent 7 years in the Marine Corp. She teaches LaMaze at the local hospital nights and weekends (so one of us is always home with the kids). She is also a trained Doula, but she is not assisting births now.

We live in Kennesaw, GA (where every homeowner is required by law to own a gun), just northwest of Atlanta but our family lives further west from us, near the Alabama border. That is where we are looking for property. In the hopes of moving to a rural life in 2-4 years.

We have been "practicing" homesteading for a few years now - as much as you can in suburbia. We have 5 chickens (the dogs got 1) that we are raising for eggs. We also grow our own veggies, herbs, and peppers. 

I grew up in the city but my extended family had several hundred acres outside New Market, Maryland where I would spend my summers and holidays. I have helped plant, grow, and harvest corn, beans, and tomatoes. I have helped slaughter the hogs and I have raised hens for eggs.

That is us in a nutshell.


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## Riverdale

Hi, I have been lurking for a bit (and a post or two)

I'm 45 and my wife of (nearly) nine years is 39, we have 2 kids, a boy who is 7 and a girl of 5.

We live in central Michigan (northwestern Gratiot Co.) on 3 acres in a stone house that was built in 1918.

We raise chickens for meat and eggs, rabbits for meat and (perhaps soon) either goats or sheep for meat and cheese. We also garden and have a ton of wild blackberries.

I grew up on a dairy farm in northern Michigan (Charlevoix Co.) and currently work a a plastic extrusion factory in Shepherd, MI as a maintenance tech.

My personal hobbies are gardening, metalworking, woodworking and my kids:walk:


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## Cathy

:hand:Hi my name is Cathy. I am 37 yrs old and I live in Rhode Island with my husband of 15 yrs, 2 girls 14 and 20, and two pugs. My husband is self employed, I do all the bookkeeping and payroll which allows me to work at home where my heart is . I love to cook, and make everything from scratch for health reasons and pure joy in the kitchen. The past year I have been reading and learning as much as I can about homesteading and becoming self-sufficient. I have had vegetable garden for as long as I can remember. We just have ordered our first chicks that will arrive at the end of March and hopefully our first nubian goats that we can bring home the begining of June. I am very excited and very nervous at the same time. I am sure i will be full of questions and I will be very greatful for any help and guidance you can all give me 

Looking foward to making new friends,
Cathy


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## Suzz

Hi! Iâm Susan, or Suz. 49 year old single parent of 2 daughters, ages 16 & 18. We three girls have been on our own for almost 14 years now, during which time I worked as an ICU RN & took classes at the local university. I just graduated in October, and started a new job as a family practice Nurse Practitioner in a smaller city about 90 minutes drive from home. Iâll be lookinâ to relocate closer to work in about 7 months or so. When I relocate, I want a rural place, with at least 10 acres (my fingers are crossed). My older daughter is heading off to university next fall, so where we live isnât so important to her, & my younger daughter wants to be a vet, so living rural sounds great to her. Once weâre there, Iâm sure our 3 kitties will be joined by an assortment of other critters. 
Although Iâve been really busy for the last while with raising my daughters, working to support us, & taking classes, I have in the past grown veggies & done some home canning. I baked, collected recipe books, sewed, knitted, crocheted, tatted. I love fishing & hiking & spending time sipping coffee on the shores of a dead calm lake in the middle of the woods, just letting the peace seep into my soul. My folks went through the depression, so I can remember Mom making our clothes & the pantry shelves in the basement were always well stocked. Dad could & did fix almost anything, and from him I inherited my love of âtinkeringâ with things. Iâm no expert, but we spent some great times together taking stuff apart here at my house, fixing it & putting it back together again. 
I love singing, and on occasion have been called the âsinging nurseâ. I enjoy reading, & looking for interesting information over the internet. Iâm just beginning to figure out what to do for âfunâ since my life has been so full of other âstuffâ for so long. Fun things do include workinâ on self-sufficiency though & being prepared. 

We've lived here in the suburbs of a megacity for 12 years now, so my homesteading options are few. There are rules governing just about everything, so no chicken/goats/etc, my garden is small. My favourite part of the backyard is the ancient sweet black cherry tree ... must be 2' in diameter at the base ... from which we get over 100 lbs of cherries on a good year, which I dry, freeze, or turn into jam after we've stuffed ourselves silly & given away lots of baskets of cherries. 

The rural move will be a big one for us, so I'll be full of questions, & grateful for any advice you may have for me.

Tks!


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## TiaD

Hey Suzz,
I grew up in Ontario so I'm curious as to what area you are hoping to move to. I grew up in the Kitchener-Waterloo area but spent a year in Toronto before my husband's job took us to Seattle. 
Welcome to the group!


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## Aint2nuts

I am a 42 year old mother of three little dev...I mean Angels :angel: who I homeschool. DS 11, DD 11, DD 10. For the past 7 years I have been disabled, well officially disabled, I was disabled before that but not officially. Now I am certified by the state. 

At this time I am looking to buy a house with property to make into a home. I live in Aridzona and the water situation is looking DIRE, according to Nation Geographic we are just a few years away from being without water. Not a good situation with over a million people depending on that water. I want out of here before the water runs out. I also want to be on land that I can have a garden on and a few chickens and such. Maybe a pig or two for meat, and a goat or three -- one for milk. 

I am LDS, and a prepper. I believe in putting aside today what you might need tomorrow. I also believe that you need to put yourself in a situation where you will thrive if the SHTF. I want to be in a rural area, when the economy collapses, like it is threatening to do right now. 

In Louisiana I have a friend with a blueberry farm. She has one acre parcels she is putting single wide mobile homes on (four of them), I am considering renting one of the mobile homes. Each mobile home would have an acre, and that would be plenty of room for a few chickens, and a vegetable garden. 

However, moving to hurricane country is more of a last resort. I am really looking hard in Missouri, Arkansas, Indiana, etc. for land with a home on it that I can rent to own. :banana02: However, the payments need to be under 700 a month, less is better. 

I endevor to persevere.


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## Murron

Paulie Walnuts said:


> Hello there.
> I used to live out in the sticks, now I live in a "rural suburb". I've never been a farmer or a homesteader.
> This looks like an interesting place to read so, I will try to blend in.
> I grow tomatoes. I'm really good at growing weeds to.
> I've been lurking here for some time, I thought it was time for me to join in the fun.



*PW* - Cambridge - "rural suburb" (???) ... Made me laugh!  Up until two years ago, I lived in Arlington, and wouldn't ever consider it to be anywhere near "rural"... Thanks for the giggle, though, and welcome to HT!


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## Michelle

Hello everyone. I'm Michelle and I'm from Houston, TX.

Right now we live in the suburbs of Houston. My dream in life is to live in the country and homestead. It makes me very uneasy to be so dependent on the "systems" most Americans depend on (i.e. food, utilities, needs).

Currently that dream is not possible 100%, but I've decided it's time to take action! We'll be making small changes to our lives towards more simple living even if it is in the city.

I've been lurking here for a while and enjoy these forums very much. I hope it's ok that this city dweller joins you all. 

A few other tidbits: I'm 30 and married to my wonderful husband Jesse. I'm a computer programmer and thankfully enjoy my job. It is just a job, though. We do not have two-legged children but do have a cat and a Great Dane that are our "kids".

So... hello!


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## Michelle

Thanks, that's very kind of you to say. 

How funny, those are the areas of Houston that we're in (mostly). We used to live in La Porte, then Deer Park. Now we live more on the east side of Houston, but I still work in La Porte. Grew up in Friendswood.

Yes it is rodeo time. I've enjoyed the livestock show in previous years, but usually pass on the big show in the evening. 

Thank you for the welcome.


----------



## HopeFarms

Good Morning! I tried to post my intro yesterday but the internet and I weren't getting along, so here I am. I'm Sheila, 35 (anyone besides me not feel their "age"?,...when I write it out, it looks funny. Like I've gotten it wrong. It should be 27, but with an extra 8 years of life-experience...) and I'm married to hubby, 41 with a 2 1/2 year old son. We live out in the country, in an ancient farmhouse (built in 1890) and have almost four acres. And a barn, a shed, garage, tool room, well house, and a mechanics pit, which is a good part of what attracted us to this place besides the house and it's history. We moved here from southern CA a year ago, and I haven't ever looked back. (I was born and raised in southern Cal and hubby was born and raised in upstate NY, and NJ/PA) 

We're restoring this farmhouse, trying to put it back to it's original (as possible) condition, and it is wonderful. We like old things. We have a pecan tree, a walnut tree, and two pear trees and if it doesn't freeze again this spring, we should see a yield from those. I plan to shell the nuts and freeze them, and can the pears.

We're currently planning our garden, and planning to do a lot of canning and freezing (of which I need to learn how to can, so I'm so glad I came upon this forum). Last years garden was not such a success because of the severe drought, but I'm hoping for a good rainy season here in the southern Piedmont of NC. 

What else. Well..., we use well water, and have access to county water, we use as little energy as possible, I hang dry our clothes, most meals are made from scratch, nothing goes to waste, and we recycle. 

We want to raise chickens for eggs and meat, and a cow/pig every year (or every other year? I've a lot to learn) and I want to get a milking goat for milk/cheese. We have one dog, a mini-Australian Shepherd/Blue Heeler cross and he is my son's buddy.

I'm glad to be here and I look forward to getting to know you.


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## Pakalana

Hi! I'll start off with the basics first. I'm 32 married to dh 34, for 14 yrs this month. I work at home (saying stay at home just doesn't really portray the whole picture somehow  ). We have 5 kids, ds 11, ds 10, dd 8, ds 6, dd 4 and a growing plethora of pets, while adding to the 'working' animals. Three years ago, we bought a 1935 farmhouse with a bit of land in North central Washington and we're slowing building up a small family farm. 

As for the farm, we're up to hens, bees (they were a surprise last year), ate the pig and plan on more, goats are being added this year. Milk cow will come into play somewhere down the road. Then there's the garden, it keeps growing in size each year, it's possible that has something to do with the kids. 

Well I think that covers the basics of life here. It's a work in progress.


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## countrymouse2b

My name is Kim and I am an American gal married to a crazy Australian. We have 6 children so far, the 2 oldest are in college (they are 18 and 24). I am homeschooling my 7 and 5 yr olds, and my 2 youngest are 3 and 21 months.

DH and I have been city slickers all our lives, but we've had dreams of moving to the country (followed by prayers!) and now it looks like our dream may be fulfilled soon. We have friends with 40 acres in the country and they were just given approval to have up to 8 families with 5 acres each.:clap: So now we are in the process of looking for a cheap mobile home as a temporary dwelling. Our friends own goats, pigs, chickens and horses. We are planning on following suit, at least with the chickens and goats.

I have never begun a garden or owned an animal other than the usual normal household pet. Neither has dh, so we are total greenhorns. Our friends are going to be a huge help and blessing to us! And I am happy to have discovered this site!:sing:


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## TxCloverAngel

Michelle said:


> Thanks, that's very kind of you to say.
> 
> How funny, those are the areas of Houston that we're in (mostly). We used to live in La Porte, then Deer Park. Now we live more on the east side of Houston, but I still work in La Porte. Grew up in Friendswood.
> 
> Yes it is rodeo time. I've enjoyed the livestock show in previous years, but usually pass on the big show in the evening.
> 
> Thank you for the welcome.


well howdy neighbor!
I'm just NE of Houston.
used to live in Spring...
now out near Dayton/Liberty.
welcome!


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## no hurry

Hello!
I am 31 and I grew up in TN surrounded by farms with many aspects of homesteading just being more of the norm in our rural town. By 18, I was itching to see the world, so I joined the Air Force. Fast forward now 12 1/2 years and I am now itching to get back home! Funny how things go full circle.

I am currently stationed Las Vegas, Nevada and after finally getting the huge house in the uppity suburbs w/ all matching decor and 2 new cars in the driveway, with gorgeous hubby by my side, I have realized that all this "stuff" is quite empty and I want the simple life of my childhood back. So here I am, going through the big D and dreaming of my own little farm in TN when I retire from the AF in 7 years(I am too far in to quit now!).

I have started making as much of my own food from scratch as I can with my crazy job and have been learning to bake bread. For the rest of 2008, I am going to pay off my debts and am going to spend the entire month of June back in Dixie collecting my thoughts, getting Dad teach me to shoot a shotgun, mom to teach me to can, and start looking for suitable land. 

I have a lot of big plans and have been reading everything I can get from the library, this forum, and other on-line resources. I am sure I will have a lot of questions and thank you all for the wealth of knowledge you share


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## BigM

Hello ALL!

I am BigM. We are not currently homesteading, but it is my life's dream! We are more of urban homesteaders. We have a pig to slaughter soon, and a garden that I've almost successfully killed all of, and are contemplating a few chickens. We are currently thinking about seriously looking for land of our own that we can actually USE, IYKWIM. I hope to learn a lot here, and maybe make a like minded friend or two!

Me


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## Alice Kramden

Found this site a few years ago, lost it, changed computers, had to start over from scratch. Couldn't remember the name, then, luckily, I found it again a few weeks ago. 

I'm single and retired from working in a coal fired generating plant. 

Got my house paid for last year, and though it isn't much to look at, it is mine.

I have an acre, within the city limits (small town but growing--we got a Walmart a couple of years ago!) and am surrounded by cattle farms. Santa Gertrudis and Herefords. Used to be some longhorns across the road, man what a sight they were!

Lots of livestock of all kinds kept out here, chickens, geese, ducks, turkeys, sheep, horses, but I haven't seen or heard any pigs. 

Haven't done anything with this place but mow the grass for the whole time I've lived here. The occasional idle thought of having a garden has drifted by, and I've never followed through on it. This might be the year, though, to try and plant SOMETHING. I've done it before, and had some success, so I know I can. 

When I was a kid, everyone who lived in our neighborhood had gardens. I mean acre sized plots, growing everything they ate. My step-father could grow anything. Now, that neighborhood has gone to the dogs. Sad. What was a vast cornfield is now a trailer park. Another spot has grown up into brambles and pines. 

I think hard times are going to catch up with us, and those who have the knowledge and skill to grow, hunt, fish, and get by with less will be the survivors. 

Ok guys, y'all take it from here!


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## bluesky

Hi everyone -

I'm very happy to have found this site! There's no much great information being shared. I'm a townie, as my husband says, and have so much to learn!

My husband and I live in the beautiful southern Ohio hills on six acres about 10 miles from a small farm town and 15 miles from Chillicothe, a larger town that we try to stay away from. We've been here four years and really haven't done much to the place. Originally the house was a one-room cabin, which is now the living room. You can still see the original logs from the attic and crawl space. Someday we'd like to expose them and restore the front room to it's semi-original state. Our land is all cleared, but we're surrounded by acres of woods belonging to our neighbors. We're hoping to plant christmas trees on our land, an acre at a time, starting next year, to provide some extra retirement income. 

I have six grown children and 10 grands. They all live at least 75 miles away and love to come to Oma and Papa's for visits to the country. 

My husband and I both work at a hospital about 35 miles away. He goes in to work every day and I do medical transcription at home and only go in to work every third week. 

We're planning this year's garden - going to try square foot gardening. We've had good luck with most of what we've grown but I need to learn more about preserving the harvest and I've already picked up some great ideas here.

My hobbies are birdwatching, reading, gardening, sewing, guitar playing and photography. My husband and I are doing a photo show at a local gallery starting next week. I'll post some of our pics if somebody can tell me how to add them.

Thanks again for being here!

Trish


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## AlinaShea

Hello everyone, I'm a single mom living in Sandusky (where Cedar Point is) and have lived here about 6 years. Lately I've felt an even stronger desire to be more self-reliant and sufficiant. We've been growing veggies each summer in our back yard and this year have begun learning about aero- and hydro-ponics. I've been doing a lot of crafts my whole life and have taught my kids many of them as well.

I'm 36 and my kids are 16(son) and 11(daughter). Many times I feel like I'm in the wrong era, but I don't really know which one I'd fit in best. I do home-school my kids and they are doing very well with it.

I'm learning more and more about the things that interest me - knitting, gardening, food preservation, spinning, alternative energies and so much more. I'm currently working on becoming debt-free and will be getting out of this town in a couple years. My initial goal is to fix up a motor home with solar panels, biodiesel converter and several hydroponic shelves so my daughter and I can travel the country selling my salve.

I'm glad I found this site since it seems to be filled with information.


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## sssapps

Hello!

Since both of us will post on here, we'll divide it up a little. We are located in 'southern' IL - about an hour east of St. Louis, MO. 

Jacob is active duty in the USAF - and this August will be 8 years for him. He mainly does computer networking types of things. He is 25. Kristine stays at home with the kids (Soon to be 2) and takes care of the daily farm chores while operating our horse business Still Seeing Spots Appaloosas. She is 22. We have a daughter, Abigail, who is almost 19 months. She was born 9/11/06, and our second baby is due April 19. 

We both grew up in the country and are really looking and trying to get into a more 'self-sufficient' lifestyle. Although, it is a bit of a challenge with being in the military. We are hoping to seperate from the military in Nov 2009 and move back to our home state of WI and take this on a bit more seriously. In the meantime, we are trying to learn as much as we can (both from mistakes and reading!) We have been expanding our garden each year as we learn more, raise chickens for eggs and butcher, hogs for butcher and then have a few random animals around...besides the horses that we breed and train. We are anxious to get involved in the forum and see what we can learn!

Jacob & Kristine Ryun (and growing family!)


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## Hobbes

I am a young man, 29, living in the heart of Dixie, returning to my country roots. This is my fourth year gardening, and each year I learn more and more! Faith wise, I am a born-again Christian. I am a currently serving in ministry work with a ministry to Christians, teaching, discipling, and giving a Christian perspective on current events.

I've raised rabbits and chickens, but recently had to stop because of work requirements, but would love to do it again!

In case you are wondering, my name is from Calvin and Hobbes, the comic strip. I take after and identify with Hobbes with my personality, hence the name.


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## mclain458

Hey everyone, I am Nicole, a 25 yo wife of 7 years to a wonderful husband (we have been together almost 12 years - yeah since I was 14 - and he was 17!) We have (almost) 4 wonderful children, 2 sons, 1 daughter and one more little girl due in August. As of summer we will have 4 kids all under 5-1/2 (are we crazy?) We live on a little slice of heaven here in small-town Midwest. We actually built most of our home ourselves (while I was pregnant with our second child) - I designed it so it is exactly what we wanted, not too big, not too small and very charming! We have 1 big old farm dog, one cat, a dozen chickens and are hoping to add a couple turkeys and a pig for fattening (not this year though - as we are gonna be busy enough with the baby and our oldest starting school) I homeschool Kindergarten for our 5 yo son, although he will start his first year at a wonderful Christian School in the fall. My daughter will be 3 in the summer and our second son will be 2 in early fall (yeah they are barely a year apart). I am a full time stay at home mother and LOVE my job - my husband works in the construction field and travels occationally. Some interests include cloth diapers, sewing, knitting, quilting, crocheting, gardening, and just plain being out outside. Hope to gain some more knowledge on homesteading (I have a love for learning new things!) and meet some likeminded people.


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## whocares

Hi I'm Jean, our family moved from Central Florida to Central Kansas after the Hurricanes in 2004. Hubby and I have been married almost 23 years and moved to the country to have a better life. We have 3 kids, 21,18 and 13. WE plan on retiring in 10 years and want to get off grid and homesteaded by then, so I may need lots of help!!!

We live in an 1885 Victorian and we have 5 acres, complete with a very nice barn and equiptment barn...I love the country and was rasied in Michigan.

I am a geek for a living, I own a computer repair shop. Hubby drives trucks across the country for now. Oldest son is a welder, so thats handy too.


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## artsyfarmer

Hi, my name is Colleen and I'm new to HT and love what I see. 

My family lives on a tiny farm in the Southern Tier of NY and this spring we will be adding the first of our animals. We will be starting with chickens, then goats, then sheep. I live to make cheese and pasta and to grow tomatoes so I guess you say we are farming and growing our own Italian dinner :sing: 

I'm an artist, we homeschool and my husband has finally given up resisting the homesteading lifestyle. WOOOHOOO! 

I'm looking forward to "meeting" you all and learning lots.


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## bajiay

Hello to you all! I just joined today and I am enjoying reading all about everyone. Such interesting people!

My name is Michele and I have been married to my wonderful husband Monty for 9 years now. We have 7 dwarfs, only smartypants Hannah, age:11, resides in the home. Monty is 10 years older than me and has taught me a lot about being self-sufficient. (gardening, canning and such) Other things I have learned on my own. I have a lot of passions in life and when I want to learn something, I just do it! I have had several occupations in my young 36 years of life. I have been a medical assistant, science teacher (K-12), wellness counselor, welder, real estate agent, and I am currently a part-time 911 Dispatcher in a little po dunk town in Montana. I still do Wellness Counseling since that is my calling in life.

A little over a year ago, we were blessed with the opportunity to move to Montana. My husband retired early from his lifelong career as a maintenence engineer for a big company in Utah. We moved to a 33,000 acre ranch in Montana and are so happy we made the choice to do so! It has been such a growing experience for us. Our driveway is twelve and a half miles long! I still have to laugh at that! I grew up with my parents being city folk. My Dad came out here a few months ago and couldn't believe I could exist in a place like this! Country girl at heart, I guess! 

We have had the blessings in the last two years to become debt free and though we live on a VERY limited income, I have become VERY frugal and self reliant so that we stay that way. We garden, (I am waiting very impatiently right now for the ground to thaw so that I may plant all of these beautiful seedlings that I have grown!) and can everything, I buy in bulk from Costco, I am in a wholesale delivery club for bulk goods also. I make virtually everything from scratch. We try to stay away from all processed foods. We hardly ever go out to eat. (No where to go to out here anyway!) I make my own cleaning solutions and different potions that I need. I don't like chemicals. We have ranch raised beef that is organic. The only meat I buy is organic chicken which our Mom & Pop grocery store actually carries! 

I homeschool Hannah, which on MOST days I think is a wonderful blessing! We go to church on a regular basis and participate in church activities. Our main source of entertainment is staying home. We watch movies, play games, cook together, read, garden, explore the ranch looking for animals, target practice, etc. Life is good! We are blessed!:cute:

Thanks for reading!


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## ErinP

After a few months of reading, I decided it's time to start posting, so here's my intro:

I'm Erin. I currently live on a ranch in the extreme south west corner of Nebraska. (I'm closer to Denver than I am Omaha)
My husband and I have been married for 10 years though at Christmas we celebrated 14 years together as we dated all through college before getting hitched.

I ended up with an ElemEd. degree and taught a couple of years fresh out of college in a one-room country school in the Nebraska Sandhills. I subbed a couple of years and then retired for 7 when my kids were born/little.
Most recently I taught in the 2/3/4grade classroom in our local school for a year--just long enough to realize my kids are still too young for me to work full time, yet. lol
I'm back to subbing and quite happy doing so.
I also have an online fabric store, http://www.theBackGate.biz where I sell western/farming/Americana type fabrics to support my fabri-holic tendancies. Occasionally I quilt.
Mostly, I collect. 

I have two kids. My son Jasper is 8 and daughter Tyrell is 6. Five dogs: a half-deaf, arthritic border collie, his 6 month old apprentice (also BC), a geriatric, deaf, blind and crippled bassett of an unknown age and two weiner dogs.
Five horses: my husband's 26 year old cow pony (who thinks he's 12), the kids' 5 yo mare (who is rapidly becoming the best horse on the place) my 12yo draft/QH who's never been good for much of anything, an unbroke 5 yo App, and a 6 year old miniature pony who is about as useful as you'd guess. lol
I also have a single house cat, eight chickens (down from 11), a two bucket calves.

In case you couldn't guess, when I was a kid I never had enough pets.  I grew up in Wayne, NE. A small town by most standards, but by Nebraska standards, 5500 is huge. I was considered a "city-girl" for a long time. But, I met a cowboy when we were in college and the rest is history.

He currently manages a ranch for a Florida investor. Ie, we see the boss about six times a year and hear from him about once or twice a month. The next best thing to owning your own place. : )
We're not as remote here as we've been on other ranches in the past. WalMart is 80 miles away. A mall is 150. The nearest grocery store is only 30. And we get mail every day.

That's my criteria for "boonies".
I've lived on ranches that were remote enough we only got mail three days a week because the carrier delivered the other side of the route on the off days. But we're only 12 miles from pavement here. 

Anyway, I'll shut up now. lol Nice to meet you all!


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## Blu_Sky

This is where all the newbies are, yeah. I keep looking at the number of posts people have like eight thousand plus, wow. My info was posted incorectly i'm sure on the country families / my info


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## klbepb1969

Hi :cowboy:

My name is Erin. I am 38 and live northeast of Houston on the edge of Kingwood. I have a normal sized lot for now, but when my youngest graduates and leaves home, we are SOOOO out of here and on some land. I have a decent garden this year, and I am raising chickens, rabbits, and have two mini nubian dairy goats. I have only recently been inspired to be more self sufficient. I have had gardens in the past but never seemed to be as concerned with them as I am this time. I am learning all about being more thrifty and trying to make our dollars stretch while also trying to be a little better to the environment. 

I have a 19 year old daughter, and a 15 year old son. I also have a 7 month old grandson. I have been married to my wonderfully patient husband for 18 years. (second marriage but best friend since I was 14) 

I have been lurking here some enjoying all of the wonderful advice. I have lurked on the animal boards also. This site is incredible!


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## stockdogtta

Hello everyone. I been lurking on this forum off and on a few months and have seen posts that I mite be able to offer a little help. So I registered the other day.
Iâm 58(in couple weeks)--lived in the country all my life. Have had at least a few of most kinds of farm stock, gardened, enjoyed rural living and nature. Anymore I only have sheep---stock dogs---7Australian Shepherds-1 BC right nowâ¦.ooops almost forgot, a few bob-tail cats and one rooster running aroundâ¦gotta have a rooster crowing in the morning. 
Was married 26 yrsâ¦5 grandkids -1 daughter-1son-he was a chief deputy sheriff and was killed 2 yrs ago while on duty. Iâm sorta semi-retired -work 15-20 hrs a week with Paint horses. Mainly work/train my dogs but do a few trials every year. 
Enjoy reading everyoneâs post and maybe Iâll be able to contribute a little info/experience and help to someone a bit now and then. 
Have a Good day


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## w12code3

Hello all, my name is Justin. I am married to Pakalana who introduced herself a few posts above. She really likes it here and told me to join. Ever obedient, I have done so.

Lana had done a swell job of outlining out situation with the farm and kids. In order to subsidize our agricultural adventures I am employed as a police sergeant :1pig: out here in the hinterlands.

The farm is the main focus (most of the time) but I also am a straight razor shaving and collecting enthusiast I shave exclusively with the straight razor and have found all aspects of the discipline to be an excellent focusing exercise. I also collect and shoot early 20th century battle rifles. When I can find the time (usually in the winter) I am an enthusiastic reader of literature and an occasional author of short fiction.

Soâ¦. âHi.â I look forward to participating in this community.

Cheers,

Justin


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## mayfinn farm

Hi! I am Stephanie, married for 12 yrs, mom of two beautiful kiddos and one puppy. Just bought 5 acres here in Indiana, and am waiting for my house to be done to move in.:bouncy:
I have posted here a couple times, but mostly read a LOT, and have learned a ton here. Just wanted to say hello and introduce us, I am sure I will have zillions of questions real soon.


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## PurpleMartineer

Hi--
Brand spankin new here--this is a GREAT board! 
My name's Alisa, 37, married to Chris, 46, with 3 kids (6, 2, and 5 mos). 
We live on the east coast, with 6 acres, horses, chickens, turkeys, dogs, and an African Grey parrot. We are both biologists--I stay home and take care of the kids. We have an enormous purple martin colony, hence the username--we house 106 pairs of martins each year, they produce about 400 or more babies, when everyone's fledging it is mayhem around here. I homeschool my oldest dd, and chase after my 2 year old while juggling my 5 m/o. We have chickens for eggs and meat, turkeys for meat, we have a garden for the monarchs, and our horses never get ridden because we dont have the time. We like to be at home, but also spend a lot of time at the beach in the summer. We are transplants from the midwest into the south. DH was raised on a homestead/small farm in MO, I was raised in the Chicago suburbs (glad to be outta there! yikes!) We met in TN working in the great outdoors as wildlife biologists. 
Great to be here!


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## MiniMama

Hey, y'all!:cowboy: I guess this is the place for introductions. I see lots of interesting people on this forum, and I'm looking forward to being here.:bouncy:

I live on a half-acre lot in Northwest Florida. I would prefer to live out in the country, and hopefully that will happen at some point in the future. I am originally from Wyoming, so, (even though I've lived here for a number of years), I really miss living more out in the open, and not quite so close to folks. 

I have one husband, two children, and six grandchildren. I also have one miniature horse, named Dundee, one blind Yellow Lab, by the name of Allie, one Jack/Rat Terrier, who goes by the unlikely moniker of Diego, (who thinks he's much bigger than he really is), and one Russian Blue rescue cat, who answers to Kisa, (kee-sa), who truly believes she is descended from royalty!

I love to read, especially history, and I enjoy movies, particularly historical epic-style. I enjoy writing, (which comes in handy, on a forum. LOL!). I like to fish, and poke around in the woods. I like to trap-shoot, when I get the chance. On occasion, I ride horses with my best friend, or go to auctions with her, or help her out with her pony parties. 

I collect books, (of course), including cookbooks, and I have a scad of shot glasses. I enjoy cooking, but I prefer baking. I do alot of genealogy, (kind of goes along with that love of history, I guess). I love all things Celtic, being mostly of Celtic bloodlines. Having a Seminole great-grandmother also gives me a great interest in anything Native American. I love music, especially Celtic, Native American, Classical, and Country. I don't have a talented bone in my body, when it comes to actually playing anything, but I do have a guitar, and an Irish pennywhistle!

Looking foward to getting to know other folks here!


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## MrsNicklebee

My name is Esther. I've been married for almost 16 years and I have 3 boys. 

A couple of my friends (not sure of their usernames) occasionally share interesting tidbits from here so I thought I'd check this place out for myself. 

I've been talking to another friend about raising goats (she does it and I'd like to) and that has led to lots of interesting conversations with my family about what we'd do along with the goats if we lived on property bigger than a boot box. 

In talking with my friend and also reading here, I am amazed how the various critters seem designed to be raised together. I look forward to learning all I can about that for the day when my family gets the opportunity to start over in a bigger place. 

Later, 

Esther


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## xandert

*My name is Dawn. I'm a 37 yo wife and critter keeper in southeastern Arizona. My DH and I have been married almost 15 years. We currently share our home with dogs, guinea pigs, rabbits, chickens and a cockatiel. Have a sun conure joining the family this weekend. We live in town limits, so we're limited to 3 rabbits and 3 chickens (pullets nearly ready to start laying), most of which I just obtained a month or so ago in order to raise meat (rabbits) and eggs (chickens of course). Also joining the family soon is two axies (axolotls), and I'm getting ready to get back into the aquarium keeping hobby. I've missed my fish the last 5 years.

I've been raw feeding my dogs for 5 years now and haven't looked back to kibbled/canned food. My dogs are NR, as well as going that route as we can with the other animals - so no poisons, cleaning chemicals and the like on my pets, in my house or on my property. Still have much to learn about natural feeding for the rabbits and chickens, as well as the guinea pigs, but I'm working on it. 

I'm always on the lookout to learn more about homesteading and self-sufficiency. Even though we live in town on a small property (about 1/5 acre), I feel we can do better. We hope to eventually move outside town, and then I'll have even more freedom to do some of the things I'd like to do - like raise chickens for meat as well as eggs and have a bigger garden. For now, I do what I can and know to do.

For the first time this year, I'm trying my hand at straw bale gardening. Excited to see how this works out. Our backyard is basically a slab of rock (calechi), so raised bed gardening is what I've done in the past. Got tired of hauling compost in from off property though. And I'm wanting to start composting guinea pig bedding and such this year, too.

Well, that's me and mine. 

Dawn T*


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## Chuck R.

Hello all!

Iâve lurked for a while and finally decide to register. 

Basic background; Originally from Rhode Island, now in KS, 48 year old retire Army officer, currently working for a defense contractor on an Army fort. Iâve been married for 17 years, my wife is Austrian and we met in Spain while I was on R&R, we have one 4 year old son, two Golden Retrievers, and 6 fish. Hobbies include hunting, competition shooting Pistol/rifle, camping, dog training, gardening, and aquatic mammal elimination (see muskrat/beaver problem).

We currently live in the city limits, but in 2003 we bought 40 acres out in the âcountryâ, complete with 9 acre pond and one heck of a muskrat/beaver problem. Weâre on the âpay as you go planâ and weâve been making steady improvements since buying the land; resurfaced the dam, new overflow pipe, dog training coves, roads and fixing drainage issues. This summer weâre putting up a 40x60 barn and in the Fall weâll put in the orchard and rainwater collection system for the orchard/future garden. We should have the acreage paid off by DEC, then weâll begin saving for the house with the intent of building in 2011. Currently our northern neighbor (great guy BTW) mows the place for us and will be turning 20+ acres into corn this year and next in exchange for filling in low areas and transforming CRP into hay/pasture. 

Once we move out to the land the âplanâ is to get some animals, so I guess Iâd better figure out what Iâm doing. Not really much to add other than Iâm looking forward to learning, and hope to contribute what I can.

Chuck


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## amyquilt

Hello!
I'm Amy. 42 yo wife and mother of 3. Oldest dd is 20, younger dd is 7 and ds is 4 and Autistic.

My dh and I live with our family in Amarillo Tx. It's not home, just temporary until he's transferred with his job around the end of the year, 2008. He works for Tractor Supply. (Hope it's ok to post the name here)

Our dream is to own a few acres and have a small hobby type farm.

We moved to Amarillo from the suburbs of Houston in mid 2006 with his job at that time. We've determined that the Panhandle of Texas isn't the place for us. We plan to stay in Texas, though move more toward the Hill Country or Northeast/Northcentral Texas.

I am the past owner of several online cloth diaper related stores. I designed and marketed my own line of cloth diapering accessories for 1.5 years. All of my cloth diapering related businesses have been sold and I'm on a new venture with an online store (www.hugsbythepound.com) offering products (mostly WAHM made) for children with special needs. I do also do some web design work, as well.

I stumbled upon www.homesteadingtoday.com many months ago and have been awful about only lurking. Well...I'm registered and ready to make new friends with similar interests as my family!

That it in the short form...any questions, feel free to ask!
Amy


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## Sabre3of4

Hi
My name is Sabrina and I a a SAHM of 5(19 -1 1/2) and we live in the sprinfield area of SW MO. We live on a 1/2 acre we rent but I am tryin to find a new place as the landlord won't let us have a garden:Bawling:....
We have an 8 yo basset hound and 6 cats and that is it for animals for the time being. I like to quilt, sew, cook, getting started in canning, garden and we are involved in a historical recreation society called the SCA.
I followed a link from The Backwoods Magazine forum and I am really happy to have found the board here . It seems like there is a lot of people from Mo and the surrounding states. I have already gotten a lot of info and hope I can share some expertise in the future. 

Sabrina


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## Katlady

My name is Deb. I'm a single female 51 years old living in the N Georgia mountains. I have about an acre of land and live here with my 2 dogs and many cats. I don't have much yard space so I garden in containers. Mostly old apple crates as we are the Apple Capital of the world here. I raise my tomatoes and peppers and potatoes. I have many herbs and love old fashion flowers. My water is gravity fed from the stream on the small mountain behind my rustic cabin. I'm putting in a woodburning stove this summer for heat this winter and am excited about that. For now I work on my place alone but stay busy. I work at home promoting arts & crafts shows so only have to be gone for a couple of weekends a month. I do some woodcrafts that I sell at the shows and buy and sell used books also. Some days it gets lonley without a mate but then I have my online friends. I hope to make more here. Thanks, Deb


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## Tallgirl98

Hello to everyone! It's time for me to stop lurking on here like a creepy stalker!
I've been married for 8 yrs to a great man, who is serving in the airforce and we are currently living in Germany with our two boys,8 & 4, a dog and two lazy cats. 
I sew, paint, garden and enjoy being outdoors. I am looking forward to the day when we can stop living like nomads and have a place of our own to raise livestock and provide for ourselves. I also like being able to be on the same forum as my mom. Hi Minimama!


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## NancyJ

Not sure if I have introduced us or not. It has been awhile since I have posted so I guess a re-intro wouldn't hurt. I am Nancy and my hubby is Pat. I am 51 and a Teacher's Assistant (but I am not sure for how long). Pat, 61, is medically retired after messing up his back when he was drving truck and he is on Social Security Disability. We have been empty nesters for 5 1/2 years now, after our last child (of 5) past away at the age of 16 yrs. Our other 4 are married and between them we have 13 grandkids. We will be great granparents for the 1st time in September.

We live in North Central Wisconsin and kind of homestead on a little plot of land just under an acre. We raise NZ Whites for meat, will be getting about 3 or 4 laying hens soon. Just enough to keep us in eggs and maybe sell a doz here or there. We are doubling the size of our garden this year and also planting veggies where I normally plant flowers. 

Last summer I bought a hand turned clothes wringer to go with my wash tubs and wash board and will be using them this summer. Just have to locate a good place for the clothesline now. We have been cooking on a woodstove for 2 years now and I love that. We save a lot of rain water and some of that we are going to use to flush our toilet with. We do have an outhouse, but it is old and we cannot put up a new one now. Can only use an existing one. We have very little grass to cut because most of the yard produces food, so I bought a reel lawn mower and that works out just fine.

We also make a lot of handcrafts and just recently put up an Internet store. I sell things to my co-workers too. This craft business just may become full time work for me. The district I work for released our financial report and it is projected by the year 2010-2011 there will not be enough money in the budget to cover all the salaries, so TA's will be the first to go. I have not receive my letter of intent yet and that is making me a little nervous as there are only 14 days of school left.

Oh well we have a nice sum in the savings as I have had about 1/2 of my pay every pay period deposited in the savings right away. What am really working for is the insurance. The district has a great insurance plan. If we had to we could live on Pat's SS. I just won't be able to get sick or need a doctor ever, lol.

But really I am not concerned, we are both believers and God has taken good care of us all these years and I know He will continue to. So whatever happens...we are in His hands.

Well I didn't mean to get so long winded. Hope to get to know you all. Anyone live Green Bay? We are about 60 miles north of there. Take care and be blessed.

NancyJ


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## emerald_2033

I recently registerd with the site and decided to introduce myself. I am 34 years old, a SAHM to a 14 year old son and 10 year old daughter. I am a farmer and try to become more self reliant every day. We (my husband, kids and my brother) currently own about 5 acres, lease 34 and help farm my families 100+/- acres. On our own farm (the 34 acres) we have 5 horses and a donkey as well as a large garden for our own use as well as for local produce sales, we use all horse power on this...no motorized equipment at all. We have chickens for our own use and help with an uncles pastured semi-commercial flock. We also help with about 40 head of cattle and a very large shared vegetable garden on the family farm. We also have 3 dogs,5 cats, a house rabbit and....a duck.
I homeschool our children and love doing so. I also enjoy canning/preserving, cooking and baking. I want tolearn to sew and handspin. We are soon opening arabbitry with angora rabbits for fiber production and sales, as well as selling breeding stock.
I am sure I forgot to mention something important....LOL.
Oh yeah....I'm Andrea and my husband Mike and I have been married over 16 years.


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## moldyoldy

Hi all.
I'm from Washington state, I am married 20 yrs to a very good man.I have two girls 26 and 15 yrs old. We have two grandbaby girls, ages 5 and 3, one is ALL princess and one is a tomboy in a tutu. They live close by. We live on three acres, but, we are hoping to sell soon and move to more land. We have 50 chickens, three fat dogs and five lazy cats (who decide to come live with us, as we have better food). Nice to be here.


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## SCRich

Hey all, SCRich here as in South Carolina Rich. I have been on the board for a few months now and learned a LOT. The forum is so large I have yet to venture to all the corners to see what's up and tonight I finally reached this sub-forum.

I am 41yo (and I am feeling the old part!) my wife is 37 and we have 2 sons, 8 years and 10 months old. We live commuting distance away from Charlotte but not too close on roughly 30 acres of an old pine tree farm. My 80yo Mom lives with us but in her own home, we built a rather large home since I do not plan on moving again, MAYBE when I retire. Our home is attached to her own by a 30ft hallway, close enough for emergencies but far enough for privacy. We are Christian, I smoke occasionaly but neither of us drink. It is not that we will not but a year, two or even 3 can go by where we will not even have a drink when dining out (which is rare). To many's dismay do not frequent churches, we respect all religions and believe that we are good Christians by following a good life, treating others with respect and care, helping people whenever we can with no judgement or seeking compensation and most of all trying to treat others as God would want us to. Praying for forgiveness one or two days a week and sinning the other 6 is not our way of life as is with some people. Maybe a bit radical but we have seen worse.

We have had a lot of rough times over the years but we make due. Always broke at the start and when we finally had money we invested instead of spending it then we got caught up in the Florida real estate market. We have 2 new vacant homes for the past 2 years. Rented one out for 9 months and the deadbeats flew the coop, we decided the cash was not worth the aggrivation so they are empty. At least we managed to sell our main home in Florida quickly and my Mom's after a year so we are not broke or under forclosure but still wasting money away every month instead of investing for retirement.

We love the rural life that is why we had to leave Florida! No animals yet, doubt we will have many since our land is VERY rugged and flat or rolling land is very limited. This year I tried gardening for the first time, I can see a lot of mistakes and a lot of good progress. I hope to make the 30x30 garden into a 1-2 acre garden next year if I can afford to get power and a well to the only section of flat land we have. The 3 of us are avid target shooters and get as much range time in the back yard as we can which is not much with the baby and still working on the new house and yard.

We are lucky that we are busy here if not we would be at a loss. No family in the area and no friends yet other than co-worker aquantances, and the only neighbor is about 1 mile away. My wife is in management and I work by myself on the road so few there also. Thanks to Homesteading today I can interact with other people with similar interests, my only other contact with people would be my hobby of Amateur Radio which I have done little of since our several moves over the past 2 years.


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## TheMrs

Hello! I am excited to finally be able to post here! I've lurked for a while, but finally decided to become official. 

I am a 31 year old stay-at-home mom in Missouri. DH and I have been married for five years. We were both baptized into Christ's church two years ago. We have a 3 year old DS and 1 year old DD. Baby #3 is due to arrive in mid-November. DH is a former police officer who is now a college-level law enforcement/criminal justice instructor. We live in the county on a dead-end street...so definitely not as rural as we would prefer. We plan to spend the next five years in this home and then purchase our dream property out in the middle of nowhere. We hope to have about 40 wooded acres with goats, chickens, and a large garden. Self-sufficiency on our dream property is also very important to us. I have found a lot of useful information on this site that I hope to utilize when we have our dream property. For now, I'm trying to slowly incorporate a homesteading lifestyle at our current location.


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## cdrsoflebnon

Howdy!
I am a 35 year old SAHM. I am married to Sam a career firefighter. We homeschool our three oldest girls (ages 14, 12, and 10) while the two youngest girls (ages 8 and 6) are in the local public school. 

We have a small "farm" in Connecticut where we raise mainly Oberhasli goats. The 14 year old has Ober grades and the 10 year old just bought her first goat: an alpine. We also have about 70 chickens, 2 cats, 3 dogs (Two are LGD's, the third is a corgi mutt we rescued after she was tossed from a passing car). We also raise bees for honey and this past winter tapped our trees for the first time for maple syrup. This summer we are helping my in-laws with their haymaking as they are getting on in years. 

Sam and I are also 4H leaders. Our goat club started 3 years ago with 5 members. We are currently at 32, with several more waiting for the October start date! We are also Girl Scout volunteers with all five girls involved in various troops.

I can't wait to get into all these posts and learn what I can.


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## SCRich

Even though I am not a newbee I got a question I have yet to see answered. All of this forum shorthand, it's confusing and even within the text I have a hard time understanding.

DS, DH, DD and a ton of others, what do they all mean ? SAHM OK I figured that one out but what is DS Dear Sister ? DH Dear Husband ? Sometimes I think I got it licked then I read something and I am HEY that does NOT make any sense guess I was reading everything else wrong.


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## AR Cattails

Yes, DS can be dear son, dear sister. DH is dear husband. DD is dear daughter. FWIW is for what it's worth. Gosh, there are others but I can't think of any right now. Perhaps other's can.


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## MamaSteph

I figured I would finally post after lurking for the past week or two. 

I'm Steph, 25-year-old SAHM to my six-month-old son. Been married to my high school sweetheart for nearly three years. We are currently living in a one-bedroom apartment on the edge of Michigan's capital city. We hate apartment and city/suburban living and are in the process of buying an A-frame house on 3 acres about 20 minutes away. We were looking at larger plots of land, but don't have the money for the big down payment that raw land requires, not to mention the costs of digging a well and septic and hooking up electric. We are really excited to be able to start a garden and get chickens and are looking forward to the peace, quiet, and independence we've been without these past few years.

Eventually, we want to hobby farm, but plan on taking it in baby steps. First a square foot garden and the chickens for eggs, then meat rabbits and meat chickens, then bees, a berry patch, an orchard, and maybe one day goats or a cow.


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## saremca

I really don't like doing big introductions. I never know what to say. So my name is Beth, I'm 38, and a married mom of 3 children who are homeschooled. You can read other junk about me in my profile if you're interested.


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## netandtim

Well, I guess I should quit lurking and dive into this full time. I registered quite a while ago but never posted. Over the past few months, I've been reading and learning great new things every day and decided it was time to pay back some of that education by contributing what I could to the forums.

DH and I have been married for nearly 15 years. We currently own a home in the city, but recently purchased an old homestead on 12 acres. That will be the final landing spot for us in a couple of years. We used to be able to say "no kids, no pets, no plants....nothing that can't feed itself except for DH" but we had to change that a bit since we put in a tiny garden this year! Once we get to move to the farm, the "no pets" part will change as well since we intend on a couple of freezer cattle, some hogs, chickens and the requiste farm dog.

My growing desire to get back to my farmgirl roots and learn all the dying arts of self-sufficiency is what led me to surfing the net and coming across this forum. I read as much as I can on all things homesteading related and have the book knowledges, now I need to "just do it!"....

Annette of NetandTim


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## Susan

hello everyone 
i am Susan, lived in Arkansas most of my life with the exceptions of when i was married to an Army soldier and we lived away from here, always came back home tho, right now I live in city limits of Booneville but hopefully soon will be back out in the country where i own my own place, just cant seem to get there quick enough!
Once i get back to my place I will be having chickens and whatever other animals i can! 
I can or freeze everything i possible can from the garden or whats given to me, sure helps that grocery bill!!
I enjy doing crafts, piddling in just about anything that doesnt require needles or a paint brush, lol
grew up with five older brothers and just never got into sewing or crochet/knitting, momma tried tho and ive done a few things in my younger years, its just not something i am fond of!

I am 43, mom of two , my dd is 23 and ds is 22,well will be in three weeks anyways, I am proud gramma of a one year boy and loving every minute of being a gramma!!! Holten is my pride and joy!!!!

I was directed to this site by another member and I absolutely love it here, ive posted on a few threads, asked a question or two and always gotten quick responses back!
Maybe one of these days I will have everything read...am certainly learning alot!!


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## Sergeant82d

dupe post


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## Sergeant82d

Hi, I'm Brad. 43 YO retired Army Non-Com, now a 911 dispatcher living on 10 acres in So Cen OK. We homeschool our five kids 8, 6 & 4 yo girls, and twin 1 yo boys. I've been married for 13 years to a wonderful woman who has shared my dreams for this life - and it just keeps getting better. Rachel canned 8 quarts of pickles and 12 pints of Blackberry Jam just today - and this was not the first time she has put stuff up, just in the three months we've been here. She is something else.

I grew up on a small farm in southern Kansas, to parents who shared the same dreams I do... or probably that was the other way around... But regardless, I grew up learning a lot of the things we need to know - if only I remembered more of it! But books and the Internet are a big help.

We've got a pretty decent garden for being in a rush to get the ground worked and planted. We didn't get moved here until April Fool's Day, after my retirement. We didn't get it planted until mid-May, and we started picking cukes, squash and beans last week.

We've got a pretty good chicken flock going - 20 Cornish Rock crosses for meat - with 50 more coming in a couple of weeks; and about 40 layers which should start producing in another couple of months... Oh, and five Emden geese and one each of Khaki Campbell and White Pekin ducks. My wife likes the geese... and they like her.

We're getting four Hampshire pigs this fall to raise for meat over the winter; they will be manuring and tilling the garden area for us. My old Army buddy Tim has gathered wheat, corn, and milo to feed them, and will help butcher them, after we take care of them. I'll have extra corn and beans planted next year to feed the next batch. Just didn't have time this year to get more ground worked up.

We bought a great place which is already well fenced for cattle, and we'll get one or two steers to raise while we look for a nice Jersey cow.

I think I'm going to get a *very* small flock of sheep maybe 4-6 ewes and a ram - to take advantage of some of the pasture we've got, and hopefully to help mow the lawn a bit!

Man this is a great life, huh?

We enjoy reading and sharing other folks' stories here, and look forward to sharing a bit of our own as well.


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## countrysunshine

Hi. My name is Mary. I have been reading on the forums because I was looking for soapmaking info and found this site. I found some of the forums interesting. I hade been on the homemaking forums only. I can, cook from scratch, sew, garden, etc..

Yesterday I got to poking around in the other forums. I share this because it was such a bittersweet moment for me. I am NOT making fun of anyone w/ this story. My mother just died suddenly in April at 63. After reading some of the homesteading postings I was laughing at myself and actually reached for the phone to call my mom. I wanted to share with her that I had discovered when I was growing up we weren't poor we were merely homesteading! She would have loved that.

You see, I grew up w/ out indoor plumbing. We had a woodstove. I did all our laundry on a wringer washer (winter and summer) and hung it out to dry. We picked and preserved everything we could find. I have known how to sew since I was 8. I have been good at it since I was about 9. We had chickens and a milk cow. We had feeder pigs and calves most times.

I never gave up some habits as I grew up and our standard of living got better. Mom would have loved to know I am just homesteading and not just "poor people with poor ways". I have always said that no matter what happens I have the skills to survive w/out the modern world.

Thanks for letting me look into your lives and put a new spin on my own.

Mary


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## Beast of Burden

Well, I finally got to make one test post elsewhere after trying several times to make a introductory post here. Combination of cookies and security wouldn't let me stay logged in apparently even after I read the administration instructions.

My wife and two of three daughters and myself live on the farm that I grew up on. My Great Grandfather bought this farm in 1881 and we live in the same old two-story square framed house he later built in about 1898. We even have a large smokehouse that is now used for the washer/dryer and freezer. Would loved to have been around back then to have tasted some of the smoked meats. We also have a barn that I think is around 125 years old with the large 6x mainframe held together with wooden pins. Not much use for it today as it was intended for loose hay.

Anyway I'm 51, dw is 43, oldest daughter is 21, middle is 10, and youngest is 5. I'm not much good for heavy work any more, I have CHF, diabetes, and had a pacemaker for about a year and a half now. Feel better now than the previous 4 or 5. My wife has heart problems too. She had open heart surgery twice when she was seventeen. We do lead pretty normal lives, just get tired to easily and that can be frustrating when you really need to get something done. The same week that I was told about needing a pacemaker, my oldest announced that she has MS. Feel like we have a dark cloud hanging over us at times.

Our pets are now turning into necessities. Before the $4 prescriptions came around, we were spending nearly $8000 between the two of us. I could not get the medi-care help because I was to honest and told Soc. Sec. about owning land across the road. I had not butchered a chicken in 45 years, till about a month ago. We are switching from mini-rex rabbits to meat rabbits. A milk goat is in our future, along with a couple of feeder pigs. I've always had cattle but rarely ever butchered one of our own. I mentioned to dw that I would like to have a bee hive as there were no bees here. Long story short she was offered several hives and equipment from a widow lady who's husband owned an orchard. Don't know if I really want to jump off in the deep end quite so quickly, but if the price is right?

So in short we need to re-learn, refresh, some of the old ways and some of the new and become a lot more self-sufficient to survive. Memory has faded so much from when I was little and times were getting better all the time and being frugal was old fashioned, to now when things are going down-hill. I need to learn as much as I can about the things I mentioned above that we have little or no experience at. We have broke out some of the canning equipment that hasn't been used in a long, long time. So in some ways this old farm is going to come full circle. I think I'll have to draw the line at horse drawn equipment though. 

Bob.


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## MagsC

Hi all,
I am a 42 year old mom with a daughter (age 15).(Last child at home.) We are hoping to eventually move out to an acreage but I have come to the realization that might not happen for a while. However, I DO live on a large lot on the edge of a very small town. I have been here almost 11 years, this is the first year I have had a garden.(Mixed results, but I am trying!). I am also hoping to add to our little "farm" a couple of Nigerian dwarf goats, four hens or so and a rabbit or two.(I posted that in the barter board). I am really wanting to make do with what I have and become a little more self sufficient so looking forward to reading posts. Outside of that, I love books, being a mom and my dogs.


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## crow67

Hiya, my name's Trace and I've been lurking around here for a couple of weeks, and taking notes. I grew up farming with my parents but after I got married (23 yrs ago) I stopped. Now I would like to get back to that way of life. Hub has always like to garden (a couple of small raised beds). We don't have land enough to do a lot of homesteading (raising chickens and other animals) but that's what my plans are the future. We have 2 DD's (20 and 14), one dog (Puppygirl) and every once and a while a stray dog or cat will call us family for awhile.


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## Cande

Hello to everyone. I'm Cande and I too have been a member and reading off and on since Feb. I've finally gotten some time to read a little longer and post. We've just purchase our first "soon to be" farm. We (husband and I) both grew up gardening but also got away from it years ago. Well it's time to "git off the grid", way too much stuff going on everywhere. Grew up in the country, moved to a very small town, that has now exploded and now we're going back to the country. We're in the process of a move that will take us a year. Selling houses, building houses, moving our wonderful junk! We purchased 108 acres, but all it came with was a cabin built back in 1854. No plumbing and we had to pull the chimmy down. The chimmy was mostly built with mud and sand stone. It's a lot of work, but I love it and we want to restore it, but also build us a small modern off the grid cabin on the top of the mountain. Have a garden, a few goats, chickens and maybe a milk cow.
We have 4 grown children and 2 grandchildren.......as of now...... I think they are just getting started!! That's so scary in today's times.....

You all have already taught me so much and I thank you for that and I have so much more to learn and I can't wait.
Thanks for letting us become part of this great family.


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## K-Ro

Hi everyone, my name is Carol aka K-Ro, I am mother to 3 great kiddos and a wife to a wonderful husband - he has two grown kiddos too. We live on approx 20 acres in Texas. We try to grow the majority of our veggies and hopefully by next year the majority of our own meat (chickens, goats for now and maybe by next year pigs and a calf or two). I despise going to the grocery store and the prices are just out of this world.

We moved out here to where my husband grew up and the original cabin was built in the 1860's and they added on in the 1940's so still a very small house. We put the electricity and water in the house in 2005. 

We raise dairy goats for milk and pygmies for pets and meat. I love my goats. I am learning to make cheeses and have been making soaps for a couple years now and just love it. I also make cloth diapers for babies. My husband injured his back so is no longer capable of working and it drives him up the wall to be home all day and not be able to do the things he wants to do. 

My dad and stepmom just moved in with us due to their health so we try to help them out as much as possible and she wants to start off getting some turkeys to raise to eat.

I have been lurking for a couple weeks and this looks like a great site, I look forward to getting to know everyone.


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## cherokeelady

Hello everyone, I live in the Ozarks of Missouri, on a large farm. We have horses, chickens, turkeys, a large garden. We like to fish, hunt, camp, dance, horseback ride, wood working, crafting, I love to cook, sew. Right now it has been extremely hot today. All we did today was clean some land of rocks and trees till about noon and stopped. The heat index was 105!! So we came back the house, ate a light lunch and supper and it's off to bed we go....tomorrow is another work day. Hope to get to know you all and become friends.


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## Goat Servant

Cant remember if I introduced myself or not...my name is Nancy from NW Wa state. NTKM turned me on to you all. 
The only reason for "goat servant" is cause they expect me to cater to them but Im still learnin how not to !!
Im a grandma twice over..one grandson each from both children. Homeschooled dd several yrs, son didnt need it. 
We are now raising Boer goats and still learnin!!


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## emerald_2033

Can't remember if I introduced myself either...lol. I live on a mutilgenerational family farm in Western North Carolina. We have horses, dogs, cats, a duck ,French Angora rabbits and are looking for chickens now. We had some until a few weeks ago when they were stolen.... I'm Mama to 2, 14 yo ds and 11 you dd, married to my best friend for almost 17 years now. We homeschool our children and believe that the family is the most important part of society. 
I look forward to meeting folks and sharing ideas !
Andrea


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## Mousme

Hi all!

Since this thread very kindly asked us to introduce ourselves, here's my attempt at telling you about myself.

I am a single girl (nearly 30 now, so I guess "girl" might not be applicable all that much longer, although I'll always be seventeen in my head) living in Montreal, Canada.

Although I am a city-slicker, born and raised, going back several generations on both sides of my family, I've wanted to have my own small farm ever since I was a little girl, much to my family's confusion. 

A few years ago, having visited a friend's farm in Ohio, and then having another friend purchase some farm land in Ontario, I began to see the possibility that I might be able to have what I always thought of as a pipe dream. I wasn't sure how I'd pull it off financially, but I started thinking more seriously about having my own little place, and raising chickens and rabbits and goats and maybe a head of lettuce or two.

Then, just last year, I got myself a job working as a dispatcher for the RCMP. It's a job that has crazy hours, but it pays well enough that I'll be able to afford a down payment on a property within the next five years, which is a very exciting prospect.

In the meantime, I've started doing research on my own, so as to be as prepared as possible when I finally move. I know that no amount of book-learning will be adequate, but it's better than nothing, and it's all I've got for now. I'm inheriting a vegetable garden soon, and I'll be trying my hand at as many homesteading-related activities as I can in the meantime: canning, making as much of my food from scratch as possible, etc.

With any luck, when I move, I'll be mostly self-sufficient. I'd like to live as much off the grid as possible (that is, provide my own heating and electricity from renewable sources, have a grey-water recycling system, etc.), and grow/raise as much of my own food as I can. My friend and landlady ai731 pointed me to this forum: she and her husband have recently acquired a property in the same region where I'll be looking in a few years' time, which is great news. It's nice to know that I'll already have a small network of people I'll know once I buy a property.

I'm a little worried about starting up a homestead on my own, but since I have been single for a very, very long time and have very few prospects in the romance department, I figure I need to plan as though I'm going to be alone. What concerns me is that I'll be a fair-ish commute from my job, which might be prohibitive in terms of gas and other transportation: the commuter trains don't run reliably for someone like me who works very irregular hours. That being said, I'm going to go into this with my eyes open, and try to plan a way to get to work that's not going to cost me my dream.

For the moment, the hardest part is trying to deal with the nay-sayers (mostly my parents' friends) who are all trying to convince me that this is a terrible idea and that I'll never make it.

Whew! That got awfully long as an introduction. Sorry, I do tend to be long-winded.

Anyway, I'm very glad to be here, and I'm looking forward to getting to know the people on the forums.

~Daphne


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## mrpink

hello all I guess its time i introduced myself here (I have been lurking for a month or so). My name is Greg and I live in Georgia where i have a small (5 acres) patch of earth. currently I have chickens, ducks, two cats and one each of the following dog, rabbit, sheep, skunk, parakeet and rat. I like to garden and experiment with solar power my dream farm would be nearly self sufficient\ waste less with all wastes being utilized by something else. I don't really know what to say here as I am a quiet person who likes to listen and learn


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## ptannjr

Hello all. I am new here, signed up for ever ago but just got approved? Any way, i am a father of 3 with a great wife and a new addition as of yesterday in a Dog named Lilly. WE have just over an acre here in central Florida. WE are trying to get back to the things that our grand parents and the such new as basic, gardening, canning (i hope soon, right now my mom does some), raising chickens and other food animals. Taught the kids how to make home made butter the other day, they had fun. Any way this site seems to have a TON of information on it. Thanks and hope to learn and contribute to the forum


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## kyJeeper

Hello everybody, my name is Tommy. I live in south central Ky. I have 1.32 acres just outside the small town of Cave city. I am an organic gardener, and have 2 rabbits used for composting. Also have my mix breed black Lab"Cupcake" LOL. I just cut up some dried up tomato vines, and replanted some potatoes with eyes for a possible late fall harvest. I had ripe tomatoes June 14 the year usng old windows in the garden.


Anyway I was rasied 12 years on a 13 acre baby farm joining my grand parents farm. So I'm used to most homesteading practices. I've never had goats, or sheep though. I'm looking forward to doing more canning next year, and filling the freezer with meat. I'm into stretching the dollar, being frugal. I collect tobbacco farm tools, among other old tools. I'm very mechanical(maybe help someone here with their problems), a fair carpenter, some electrical, and a decent painter.


I had found Homesteading today by accident. Most likely God sent. Im a christain, and trying my best to stay one. I'm old time Baptist, and wouldn't change a thing. I mentioned about I have 1.32 acres. I'm tying to build up a mini-homestead out of it. My neigbor has a almost flat 1 acre tract next to me for sale. I still thinking on that one. I sometimes cabbage on scrap building materials, and have a fair amount accumlated for a garage, a garden shed with carport, and a chicken house. Keep in mind this mini-homestead is just starting. Lets see where I'm at ayear from now, God willing.


I also burn wood when the temps dip down around freezing. I have a free source of wood which is great. Also working on making my home super energy efficent. $58 Aug electric bill with airconditioning. 

I enjoy spending time with my twins "13 y.o." Zach, and Miranda which lives with their mother. I have supportive famiy, and freinds to help out sometimes when needed. We all just trade out work. This has been a long post I know. I feel like this is the 1st group of people I can connect with. Other groups flaming cussing, and other things wasn't for me. If any of my close by homesteaders need anything or just like to say hello just pm me.

Be good, and God bless.


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## ptannjr

Welcome aboard KYJEEPER. I am new here too!!


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## Tim1257

been a member for almost 3 years and just started posting.


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## DanaMO

Hi everyone. My name is Dana. Unfortunately, I'm not a homesteader, but I love to read all about it. I live in a high crime area of St.Louis, MO....with neighbors close together and right next to the busy highway. Ah well, I can still dream of living in the country. I've been married to Gary for 10 years and we have two 17 year old daughters and one 7 yr old daughter. I'm also the furmom to my yellow and chocolate labs, one toy poodle and an unfriendly cat. I enjoy gardening, canning and just living a simple life.


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## TVless

Hello, all.

I've been a member for 5 years and haven't posted a lot. I'd rather gather your 2 cents than give you mine. I learn a lot from you all. :clap:

I'm a work-at-home crafter, writer, artist, birth doula (non-medical birth assistant) and organic gardener. I've lived off-grid for a number of years in the past and raised various critters.

Interests include biointensive agriculture, alternative energy, cooking, hiking, early Christian church history, upcycling everyday items into useful things, and the Creator's awe-inspiring handiwork. 

God bless.


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## BeagleMommy

Hi, all! I'm Susan, mother to beagles and one baby human.
DH and I have just moved to our own piece of dirt adjoining my folks in rural Kentucky. We want to get goats and chickens, but just have good-for-nuthin' beagles so far 
I haven't been here long, but I am enjoying what I am reading!


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## farmer_nurse

Hi all! I'm Cindy and am very excited to have found this site and to be able to start posting here. I'm looking forward to meeting lots of new people and exchanging great ideas for living the simple life. I'm married and have 6 children (two at home and four grown and gone). We own and operate a small dairy farm...64 milk cows and a multitude of young stock. We also have chickens, pigs (on occasion), horses (2), dogs (3), & cats (too numerous to count, but 2 in the house). I've had sheep but couldn't figure out how to spin wool so we sold them. I'm also a Director of Nursing for the local nursing home. I enjoy gardening, sewing and craft work, cooking, reading and learning.


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## johncronejr

I am a 43 year old male living in Arkansas. My wife told me about Homesteadin Today (she has been a member for quite a few years) long ago and knew I would love the General Chat. However, I have not been able to post there since I have not made enough posts on the other boards. So I am on a mission to gain the ability to post on GC.

We did own a very small homestead in Heber Springs, AR, but family business complications necessitated us leaving. We miss our chickens, ducks, goats, stocked ponds (spring fed no less), etc...but hopefully when we both finish college (we both returned to finish degrees), we will find us another place to buy.


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## sassafras

Hi all, I registered a while ago and have been a lurker. But I've decided to make myself known and start participating on this site, rather than just mooching off the great posts others have been providing.

My name is Rowan and I live on a small 2+ acre farm with my husband and two year old daughter, Maya. We strive toward homesteading and sustainability ideals. Right now we only have chickens but we're looking forward to getting goats or sheep this spring. I love to sit by the fire with a good book and a nice cup of tea. My favorite is Sassafras (hence the screen name).

I look forward to getting to know all of you and learning from you as well,

Sassafras


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## madeleine

Hello All! I've been a member for a few months & posted a few times, I guwess I should introduce myself. My husband purchased 50 acres in central KY a few years ago & we're busy setting up our homestead/farm. I have 3 TN Walkers (2 mare & a gelding), working on building a herd of meat goats - boar/kiko (would like to add Spanish & fainting, & have 40 18 wk. old hens - hope they'll be laying soon. The chickens & my garden are all organic. I'm trying composting for the first time (lots of manure here!). I've gathered a lot of terrific advice by reading here. I'm new to this (was raised in a city) but I love the life I have now.


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## MontanaQuilter

Hi Everyone!
Been lurking around here until my membership was approved and now I'm ready to jump in here. What a lovely site! Thanks to all who keep it running! 
I'm a Mom of two great kids (oldest is 19, she was married this past August) youngest is 13 and lives with me full time. I've homesteaded and been somewhat self sufficient for years, raised all sorts of critters and LOVE to quilt, bake and read.
I'm looking forward to all the useful info I can glean from ya'll through this terrific forum!


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## KatSpradley

I live in NC near the SC border just in the mountainside. We have only lived here for about 3 months but so far it is a nice change to the high pace city life. We gave up a 3500 sq ft house for a 2000 sq ft (and probably could have gone smaller) to save on energy cost and begin a transformation to be better stewards of God's earth. We have enjoyed the various energy projects we have worked on including converting to use a wood stove, insulating, caulking, and restoring a 1950's home. I am a work at home mom to one little boy and teach business classes through distance education at a University full time. We have started building and fertilizing our raised beds so that we will be ready come spring to start our garden here. We were lucky that the folks before us did a wonderful job of starting some raised beds. We hope to one day install a few solar panels to start working toward supporting the local power company less and this winter I will start practicing canning soon. I look to this group as an example of what I can be someday but until then, I will just keep working at it.


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## firegirl969

I have been reading posts here, but finally had time to introduce myself. I enjoy the simple lifestyle due to necessity as a result of health problems. However, I have lived this lifestyle before and found it very rewarding. I just got sidetracked working long hours and supplying the "wants" of my family. Well, what a mistake that was!!! We own our small 14 X 50 MH located on my hubby's family farm of 18 acres. We have added a 18 X 14 screened porch onto it. We close it in with plastic in the winter and put old carpet on the floor to reserve heat. We added a large potbelly stove a few weeks ago,and it combined with reversed ceiling fans in each room, are able to heat our entire house. We have been able to store 8-10 months of food and toiletries. We have chickens and rabbits. We do raised bed gardening and have grape vines, a producing apple tree, and lots of wild blackberry bushes up the driveway. I pressure can and make jams and bread. We hope to add a worm bed in the near future and more fruit trees. In addition, we want to take our tax return and add a root cellar/storm shelter. We just advertised looking for a pig to raise, and my BIL raises cattle, so we will buy one when we can afford to. I used to milk dairy goats, but my new hubby does not like them so it is "still under discussion." His position is things have to get a lot worse for me to get a goat. He just doesn't know what he is missing. I used to make goat's milk soap and render lard. He did get me a lard can. I enjoy reading this forum and my favorite magazine is of course, "Countryside." I just renewed my subscription for two years as a Christmas present to myself. I homeschooled my four kids and my last kid graduates this May. We are Southern Baptists who live in rural south Georgia. We call our farm the Little Chicken Ranch. I look forward to joining this group of like-minded people.


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## Bramble

Hello all, I'm new here. My name is Lynn and I'm mom to 3 rambunctious homeschooled boys. I'm a former midwife's assistant and doula, turned fiber artist. Hubby is ex navy and has a big job interview tomorrow so please keep him in your thoughts. We're pagan but no problem with those of you who aren't  Currently we live in southern NH but if he gets the big job we'll be moving to southern OH where I'm looking at a nice little 10 acre plot where I hope to have a few icelandic sheep, angora rabbits, and a variety of fowl- guinea hens, ducks, and chickens (i like birds. and eggs lol). Otherwise will be looking at a little urban homesteading and spinning yarn for a few local fiber farmers (i've got the hookup for alpaca and cashmere!). 
I look forward to learning from all of you!


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## Joshie

Hi there!
My name is Laura. My husband and I have two kids. I'm a nurse and I work at home. We currently live at the edge of a small town. I've been dragging hubby and daughter to all sorts of open houses. I would love to move to a smaller house with more acreage and no mortgage. We have 2 1/2 acres now but it's in a neighborhood, not out in the country.

My health has been declining in recent years and I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to work, even sitting on my rear in my sunroom. My daughter has a lovely horse. We'd love to bring him home if we find the perfect little farm. The bad thing about bringing him home is that he'd need a friend.

We are taking our daughter to meet with the surgeon next week. They need to decide about taking biopsies of her thyroid gland. So, please pray for us!


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## OdinSon76

Hello everyone,
Thought i would drop a hello in here quick. I am Ruby_Jane's husband. She has been buggin' me to join for a while, so i would stop reading over her shoulder. I am not the most sociable person around, so you wont see me post as much as my wife (if that is even possible.) But i do enjoy a lot of the information that goes on in the forums. Thank for listening and hope to keep learning more.


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## Marie04

Hi, I've been reading for awhile and started posting a few weeks ago. I live in the upper Midwest - snow country right now.. My husband and I have three grown children and three grandchildren. Through the years we had cattle, horses, rabbits, chickens, cats and dogs. We now have 5 dogs to fill our 'empty nest'.  

I was reading this thread about the younger people who would like to learn the homesteading skills and it's wonderful to know that there is interest in the old skills. I don't think of myself as that old - I'm 57 and I know that seems old lol.. but when I got married it was considered normal to know how to sew (due to 4H), garden, can and freeze foods and cook from scratch... we also ALWAYS used cloth diapers and it wasn't until my third child in 1981 that I starting using disposables sparingly. 

Anyway, I was thinking that for those who live in the city, a good place to start is to learn how to do things like cooking from scratch, putting up foods by canning, freezing, sewing and crafts... and gardening even if it's just container gardening if you can't have a large garden. This was normal life not so long ago, especially in the country, which is where I live.

So when I'm reading it brings back memories of things I did every day, but got away from doing because of work and the change in the culture - ease of eating out being among the reasons...

I enjoy reading here, and post occasionally, and find it to be quite addictive!!!


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## packyderms_wife

I'm a professional fiber artist married to my wonderful husband of 7 years, will be 8 in March. No children, two dogs and two cats though. We live in town and are homesteading here for lack of funds to move to the country. 

Aside from being an artist I love to garden, can my own produce and meals. Dh and I love to camp, canoe, and go hiking and over all just be out in nature.

Kimberly - in central Iowa


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## packyderms_wife

Question why am I able to post replies in some forums but not others?

Thank you

Kimberly


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## AngieM2

You should be able to post in every forum except General Chat. That comes with time, helpful/good participation in other forum, and then one day - you can post. 

Angie


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## packyderms_wife

thank you Angie, when I hit the quote button to include part of someone elses convo, so the thread makes sense, that option doesn't work either.

Kimberly


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## Room To Grow

Hello I am Deborah, my husband is Alan. We just moved to Plainville Ga last Feb. We live on 10 acres. I just did a little gardening this past spring and my husband planted collards this fall. we love the peace and quite of living here. I am a Mother and Grandmother. My husband has 2 sons and I have 1 daughter. Together we have 10 grandchildren. I love to read things that teach me. And I love to cook. We live in a very small house, just big enough for us. So not much room to do alot inside...But alot to do outside. We are getting chickens this spring...Cant wait. And we have wonderful neighbors. Our neighbors are going to help us with our garden this yr...I am not that good at it yet. we are letting a friend keep there horses here in one of our pastures...We love to brush them done and give them treats. And they love it too. Hope to have cows in the near future. Thanks for reading.
Deborah


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## tubthyme

Hi,
My fiance and I are moving to a postage stamp size farm in Feb. We are rentiing a old farm house and 2 acres with a possibility of more acreage if we want.

There is an established, fenced in garden plot. 

We are palnning to have the garden as well as a small flock of chickens, a few rabbits and I would like to try raising few turkeys.

We are in the finger lakes region of NY .
Carol and Duane


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## WillowC

Hi, I am Willow and there looks to be more then one person named Willow here so that is why I used WillowC. I have been a longtime and sporadic lurker, however my friend talked me into joining as I am just starting my own website and thought this here forum would be a good place to get some good ideas. Once my website gets rolling along, I will post a link to it. 

My main and current interests include all things outdoors and photography. My dream one day is to turn my outdoors and photography passion into some type of business. 

Growing up, we lived in a rural area for a few years and had the requisite garden, chickens, ducks and horses so I do have some experience....albeit very rusty and mostly forgotten though.

I am not yet much into the homesteading life as I wish to be, but perhaps in the future when time, skills and most importantly money allows me to.

Until then, I will read through some of the posts, ask a lot of questions and keep learning!


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## Betty Jean

Hello, 

I have been lurking for a while and decided to go ahead and register. 

I have been married for 31 years to a wonderful man, and we have two grown sons. 

We live on a two acre plot, with an expanding garden and five chickens. 

I enjoy cooking and canning and recently learned to knit. I am knitting a scarf, that may be long enough to fit around my neck by Easter, if I am diligent. 

I am happy to be here. Thanks!


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## Dynamo

Hi all  I live in the suburbs in California with my wonderful husband, we're in our mid-twenties, planning on moving "to the country" once we save up some money. I enjoy gardening, cooking from scratch and making soap, and have successfully canned and knitted!

Looking forward to hanging around the forums!

Sarah


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## Cattle&Cupcakes

Howdy y'all!

My name is Megan. I'm a 25 year old who used to live in the San Francisco Bay Area, where I had somewhat of a rural upbringing due to owning/training horses my entire life. I moved to Dixon, CA when I turned 17, and at that time I lived on a 13 acre farm where we mostly grew our own food and had horses and dogs. 

I then moved when I was 20 to Sacramento, where I had to put the horses on the backburner, and started a career at a huge ethanol company where I worked in the tallest building in Sacramento! I moved out of the house I shared with my abusive ex boyfriend into a small apartment by myself, where I met the man of my dreams, who just happened to live in Kentucky. We met online (Believe it or not) at Farmers Only. He flew to Sacramento to see me, then I flew to Kentucky, and then after a few more trips we decided to move me out to Kentucky. I now live on his 250+ acre farm in a small town outside of Richmond. It's a dream come true for me. My boyfriend has literally been my knight in shining armor. He's my happy ending, and I thank God every day for him. We are both Christian, and are trying to find a church that suits us. We've been to one close to the house, but we found the pastor was hard to understand, so we're trying a different one next sunday.

What a HUGE change for me. I'm learning to do my grocery shopping once a week, and I'm getting better at talking slower! I have to concentrate on talking slower to people so they can understand me. I also am learning to cope with the cold weather. We heat the house with wood, so I'm running back and forth to the firewood pile quite a few times a day. On the farm we raise tobacco, and grow sunflowers and winter wheat as cover crops. 

It's taken some adjustment on my part to get used to the way things work out here, but I'm doing great, and I love living this life. I'm really excited to start interacting with all of you and learning a thing or two! My boyfriend is very interested in beekeeping, so I'm sure I'll be looking up information on that.

My SO's family is awesome. His father is a genius, and is building wood-fuel generator tractors. It's incredible.

My mom is a teacher at a Christian church in California, and my father is retired. 

My SO and I are going to be raising cattle come spring, and with any luck, I'll have horses again.

That's a little about me!


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## cherokeerox

Hi,
I'm new to this board and tickled to find it.
I live in East Tennessee at the very edge of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. My family is grown and gone off on their own and I live by myself in a tiny house, no running water, no septic system. You can learn more about my adventures if you wish at Persimmon Glen
I'm happy there are so many people posting here from all over. I have barely skimmed the top here and have learned a few things already!


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## goldenacres

Hello I am a thirty one year old Homeschooling, Homesteading, Working, Stay at Home mommy to a wonderful little girl. We live in central Rio Grande area of New Mexcio on a two and half acres up on a mesa. Between hail, flashflooding, wind and drought there isn't a whole lot going on right now, I am basicly starting from scratch. 
I am so glad I found this place and hope to glean as much knowledge as possible.


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## Triscuit

Hey yall!

I'm a SAHM to one living in the Texas Coastal Bend. 

Dd is 13, almost 14yrs old. We have homeschooled in the past but she is currently in a private Christian school.

Dh works a fulltime job and has a pool maint. business of his own that he works 2 days a week right now. 

I stay at home, in addition to the regular chores, I love to can and garden and I take care of all the billing/paperwork for dh. I also work for West At Home. 

I look forward to learning more/new skills from the folks here.


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## kisathoi

DH and I have both always had the inclination to be self-sufficient and believe that "can't" should not exist...it simply means you don't want to bad enough. When we decided hypnosis looked like a valuable tool to use for self-improvement, we both took the training and became certified Hypnotherapists. It is only now in life we discovered that there is an entire world of "homesteaders" out there "Wow, there are actually other folks like us and they even have a name for it "

Let's see...we were both raised in the country but are high-tech country kids (we wear the title geek proudly around here). We spent 3 years living in the heart of Silicon Valley and fled back to the country to spare our sanity, as well as our 7 year old...so now we're in the middle of nowhere in southern Ohio. DH is still a Sr. Software Engineer for Silicon Valley (as well as a Pilot, Ham operator, Minister, Mechanic, etc...) just commutes through a satelite connection into the office each day. 

With our Ds, we tried him in the local public school system last year (his First grade Year) and were really disappointed in the results. I worked as a volunteer all year, tutoring kids who needed a little extra help and it was just pitiful...had one little guy who refused to cooperate so I kind of gave him the lecture all ours got (we have 6 adult kids as well) "your education is the single most important job you will ever have"..his reply was "LOOK Lady, the only reason I am here is because they will lock my mom and dad up if I don't show up each day". I was terrified of homeschooling...worried I didn't have the skills needed but we couldn't accept the environment our son was in....so we were thrilled when we found e-schooling as an option. With our current school, our son logs in as a virtual student each day, has a physical teacher who designs his lesson plans, even has live, interactive lessons with his teacher and classmates each week. The school we chose is actually listed as a state public school system, so all our curriculum and supplies, our tax dollars have all ready paid for, so we aren't paying out twice. Our son is able to work at his own pace now...flying through math and science courses (which he has a knack for) and spending a bit more time on the courses he works harder for and is excelling across the board now. We also love the fact that, as a family, the 3 of us are together 24/7.

Let's see...I'm a traditional homemaker...home made meals, I can, sew, garden and I like learning new things all the time and putting them into use (my most recent endeavor was to study up on and build a 3' tall dry stack wall out of creek rock from our property, that I'm very proud of).

I found my way here after Ohio's recent winter storms left us without power or heat for several days and we decided we needed to make provisions to keep such things from happening to us again. I'm not sure we will ever be in a position to go completely off the grid, but with the state of the economy and the world in general these days..being more self-reliant can only help.

Anyway, I can ramble on for pages....Nice to meet you all.


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## Shamrock76

Hello all! My name is Michael, and I just wanted to finally introduce myself to the group. I've been lurking for sometime now trying to absorb all I can. My lovely wife and I have 4 wonderful children. We're from Alaska originally but currently reside in Florida, taking care of the In-Law's retirement home until they retire and move down here. (Fall 2010) We took this opportunity so that we might save some money for our homesteading plans. We're finally debt free so we should be able to put aside some by the time we're ready. Not a whole lot mind you, but hopefully enough. We know that we don't want to move back to Alaska, but the summers here in the deep south are for the birds...and the snakes and the bugs. We've talked a lot about where our perfect place might be. We're definitely Northerners, we look forward to a winter with snow, but we want 4 seasons not 9 months of winter like back home. We've come to the conclusion that Northern Michigan might be "It" for us. We're going to try and find a good 20-40 acres, and build a small fast cabin to live in while we take our time with main house. We look forward to all the good information here while we solidify the plan, we'll document the entire process when the time comes, and hopefully we'll get to be valuable members once we've had a few seasons under our belt. Thank You all!


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## PrincessFerf

Welcome Michael. This site has bucket-loads of great information.

As for seeking out your new homestead... the great lakes/midwest isn't too shabby (even if I do say so myself... a born and bred Wisconsin-ite). We have 4 distinct seasons and our bugs are generally small.


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## Snowpuma

I am a 29 yo Stay at home mom. I live in North Dakota with my husband of a little over ten years. We have four daughters 9, 7, 3, and 3 1/2 months. My husband and I really want to become more self sufficiant and learn all we can about things we can do to get there. We have 10 ac and an older home. We have four Lamancha goats two due to kid in March and this will be our first year milking and careing for the goats. We also have four horses and two hunting dogs we hope to breed this year. Been lurking for awhile and I am ready to jump in and learn all I can!


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## strawberrygirl

Hello everyone. I am a SAHM. I am married to a wonderful man, and we have two children (16 and 9). We live in northeast PA. We have been gardening and canning for roughly 18 years. Several years ago we started raising our own beef on a neighbor's farm. Some day we would love to own our own farm, but we are content with our two acres of land for now. 

We have been researching becoming as self-sufficient as possible, which is how I found this site. I look forward to learning from everyone!


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## Thales

Hello, my name is Thales. I'm in my early 20's, married to a wonderful wife coming up on 1 year. We are in the process of purchasing some land and beginning our own homesteading life. We are both very excited and this forum has been invaluable thus far.

I look forward to participating more and reading all of the GREAT information everyone seems to have.

Thanks!
Thales


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## mamamugsy

Hello. I'm from southeastern Idaho originally but live in Eugene, Oregon now with DH and 5 kids, age 10 years to 2 months. We have been married almost 13 years. We dream of living in the country but for now live in the suburbs and homestead as well as we can here. DH works full time and I am a SAHM. We have about 600 sq ft of raised beds, a small flock of backyard laying hens, and are gradual converting this city yard to focus more on edible landscaping. I do can fruit, jam, and some vegetables and am working on learning to do more. This year I am beginning an experiment to see if I can make my yard produce all our fresh veggies for the year. I will really try but expect to have to do some fine-tuning before having true success. I'm also excited to try yogurt and cheesemaking.


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## tinah

I figured I would introduce myself . . . . I'm 28, married, have two small children, and we sold the house and 7 acres almost two years ago when the last pregnancy was not going well. Although we have a nice rental, it's driving me crazy living in town, and I miss my 5 hens so bad it hurts sometimes. I also rehomed two horses, several barn cats, and one of the dogs. I have been lurking for a week or so now, and was inspired to start looking in the local area for property never expecting to find anything. . . . I should have known better. We don't have a whole lot of money, and it might take some creative manuvering, but I found 10 acres and a house in an area my husband and I have always loved, and the note would be about 200 less than where we are living now. We have to wait until the 6th to run pre-approval, and I'm having trouble seeing where we are going to be able to make the financial part go, but hubby is 100% on board with giving it our best shot. 
The house needs a roof sooner rather than later, and it's "only" 1100 sq ft, but it's a 3/1, and snug, with a front and back porch. We'd have to get rid of a lot of furniture, but I'd been wanting to do that anyway. Anyway, I'm probably not going to post a whole lot, but I am looking forward to learning lots!


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## suzieq

Hello! I guess this is the place to introduce myself so here goes!

I am married to a wonderful man for the past 19yrs. I have 2 children, 1 DD that is 18, and a DS who is 15. I am currently homeschooling my son and having a wonderful time with it!

My DH is a partner in a local motorcycle repair shop, and I work full time in Law Enforcement. 

I live in Central Florida where it is beautiful today! The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and there is a lovely breeze coming through the house. I lived in southwest Virginia for 6 years and loved it! We moved back to Florida to help my aging mother take care of her place. 
I like to garden (though I haven't had a vegetable garden in some years, I will be planting one this year), and love to read anything about gardening, animal care, and ya gotta throw in a little bit of historical romance 
I have 3 dogs, 3 cats, and a bottle pig( I think she is a yorkshire). 
My Chocolate Lab is certified in human remains detection. I belong to a group called LECaD (Law Enforcement Cadaver Dogs), we are a non profit organization that assists any Law Enforcement in locating missing persons.

I have lurked on this site for a long time, and have learned so much from everyone. I'm glad I finally decided to register so I can post too!


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## Micheal

And yes I do spell it Micheal - it's even that way on my birth cert....
After reading and skimming over all these posts I thought that I'd add my humble identity.
I and the wife of 45 years live in the West Canada Valley area, located in central New York. We live on 57+ acres of land and are both now retired.
I'm more in the "been there - done that" way of life at the moment. 
I've raised the animals (beefers, rabbits, chickens, geese, ducks, etc.) and even built their shelters. I've had the large 100'x100' garden. We've canned, frozen, dried, and preserved our efforts. I've put in hay and cut firewood. I've butchered the smaller sized animals and shipped out the larger ones for slaughter. I've also killed animals, wild and tame, to protect mine from harm. 
But at present my garden isn't one forth of what it was, the animals amount to one beagle/cocker mix companion, I cut firewood for supplemental heat, and in general am forgoing the rigers of the "homesteading" life, but enjoying the rural way just fine!:sing:


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## RedSawdust

[We also live (homestead) in N central Fl. We have chickens,turkeys, dogs and lots of goats.
If you are interested in raising some goats, please get in touch, I can give you lots of advice.

If you want to garden, goats will give you the best fertilizer you can find. Ed & MIllie


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## r93000

I just joined and thought to introduce my family and myself.

We currently live on the far SW corner of the KC Metro, as my husband had a job transfer in 2006. We are the "weird" ones of our suburban neighborhood, as we have a garden, and keep several big freezers in the garage for the meat that we raise on the family farm back home. 

My husband and I both grew up in SWMO near the Springfield area. I grew up on a homestead of 15 acres on which my parents still raise horses, beef, sheep, etc. My grandparents owned a 200 acre dairy farm that we spent a lot of time being the "hired" help. My husband's parents raise beef on their 120 acre farm. 

My husband and I were high school sweethearts and FFA cronies. We have been married 8.5 years. We have 3 children: Abigail 7.5; Wyatt 6.5 & Isabelle (aka Bella) 4. I am now a SAHM, but was a high school history teacher before our move allowed me to be able to be at home. I attended Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, MO. My husband is a 61m concrete pump operator- he's the guy that puts the concrete where it needs to go on those big projects you see: birdges, dams, watertowers, stadiums, etc.

I am excited to join this group and look forward to all of the wisdom available on here!

~Rachel


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## georgiamom

Hi, my name is Loralee as the name states from Georgia. I have been married for 20 years to a wonderful man who is in the Air National Guard for 25 years and works for the Air Force full time as a civilian. We raise meat goats for a hobby mostly to clean up our land and have rental properties. We have 9 acres of our on land and rent 15 or our neighbors land that she wanted cleaned up. We have 2 girls and 20 goats, 2 great pyrs and a duck who thinks he is a dog and two cats. I try to cook every night instead of eating out. Trying to build up my stockpile not doing good at it. I have been trying to help look after my aging parents who this past year moved back to their own home. They lived in our small trailer on our land next to us when my mom almost died. They are both in their 70's. Dad is a work aholic. I work fulltime but do most of the feeding of the goats (except the large round bales of hay ) and help with the rental properties (mostly the cleaning and painting when people move out) I raise rosemary, basil and other herbs in planters and I have a small garden (tomatoes, okra, squash only what my youngest dd likes). My dad supplies me with the rest for my freezer. Glad I found this place I hope I can gleen info for my goats and more. It looks great.


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## ThornFarmer

Howdy, My name is Tim. I have been married for 9 years, me and my wife Maggie have 2 girls ages 8,and 6 which we home school. We live on a family farm in West Central Texas. We own 400 acres and lease more land for cattle and our hunting operation. My wife and I enjoy gardening, farming, and just generally living as simply and as efficiently as possible. Great to find a site with good folks with the same interests.


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## WAFisherman

Hi. New here. Stumbled upon the site while looking up info on goats. We are starting up our own little mini-farm having fun as we go. When I say 'mini', I mean MINI. We only have about 2/3 of an acre 

We live in Washington state just on the outskirts of Monroe in Snohomish county.

We have a bunch of chickens, some ducks, and 2 Pilgrim geese (goslings) that should be here in a few weeks.

We also recently began raising rabbits for meat. We just started, so all we have now are our breeders. Next year we'll see how good we are at harvesting the meat...

We are trying to start a garden this year as well. Trying... I thought I'd give "square foot gardening' a try to save time\space. We'll see how it goes...

We have some new Olberhalse baby\kid goats coming. We go to pick them out Wed. Not sure yet if we'll end up with 2 or 3. Looking forward to getting the family into some raw goats milk.

Speaking of my family, I have a beautiful wife of nearly 13yrs. We have 3 biological boys ages 6, 7, and 9. We are also adopting twin girls through foster care. We've had them since birth. They are almost 2 now. The adoption will be final in 2 weeks! We have another foster daughter who is 14 who it looks like we'll adopt as well.

We are Christians as well. I grew up Free Methodist (runs deep in my side of the family), but currently prefer Calvary Chapel churches. We are helping start one up here in Monroe.

As my name suggests, I love fishing. I love WA state in general. Besides the Seattle area.... I'm into camping, fly fishing (any kind, but that's my favorite) for salmon, trout, and steelhead, hiking, and more recently, mini-farming.

Well, looking forward to learning from this great site and members here.

-Chad


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## magpiewench

Hi! I'm Magpie, wife to B, and mother to Polka (almost 2). We currently live in Durham, NC, but will be moving to Kinards/Newberry, SC next week. 

I lost my job last summer, and despite searching, I haven't been able to find anything that pays much more than minimum wage, which would not work as it wouldn't pay for daycare for Polka. Meh.

Anyway, we're moving into a cottage on B's parent's land (350+ acres)and are hoping to achieve a sustainable lifestyle, starting small and working our way larger. 

Initial plans are for a large-ish garden, a firewood business, and hopefully this year, but if not, definitely next year, a business selling cut and potted herbs. We hope to expand to dairy goats, bees, and possibly alpaca, but we need a LOT more information. There are already draft horses and 2 riding horses that aren't doing much currently since B's brother went into the Marines. Said brother is pondering doing something with cattle when he gets out, but I haven't been part of those discussions!

Hobbies include dying fiber, knitting, sewing, historical recreation, cooking, bread making, reading sci-fi, fantasy, mystery and romance novels. Husband does historical swordplay, reads military fiction of various sorts, and plays video games. Polka likes chasing pretty much anything that's round: soap bubbles, balloons and balls!

We try to prioritize local then organic, I'm a semi-crunchy, extended nursing, baby wearing, attachment parenting, pagan diy-er who tends to live in clutter, but that will HAVE to change since we will be moving to roughly half our current floor space.

OK, enough rambling 

Pls Note: due to previous problems with a stalker, I no longer use my real name much of anywhere online, nor that of my daughter or husband. I do however use nicknames that we answer to in real life.


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## DMD Farms

Figure it's time to say Hell-o
I've been hanging around, but never know what to say.
In my 50s served in the Air Force during Nam, lived my life working hard like most. Raised a herd of kids, mine, hers, ours..... we now have 9 grandkids.
Move out into the woods and back a few times.. Looking to move back onto 8.5 acres in a few years to garden, raise our own food, make soap and do the kind of puttering old men like to do. I like old cars and tractors.
I also listen to too much talk radio just ask my liberal minded daughter!!!
:lonergr:


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## Dovecall

I'm a 50+ homemaker, former teacher, homeschool mom, abstractor and landman. I've been married for 34 years and have two daughters. I like simple, frugal living on our little acre but would love to have enough acreage to have goats and chickens too.

p.s. I've been lurking here for several years and always wished I was registered so I could ask a question on threads, so I finally did.


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## Plain View Farm

New members here. My name is David and my DW's name is Ann. I do most of the posting for both of us.
We live in Central Virginia and have a little Poultry Farm going. We raise Chickens, Ducks, 3 different breed of Turkeys, Geese and Guineas. I found this Forum doing a search on Bourbon Red Turkeys and I'm glad I did. I haven't read through many of the posts here yet, but plan on perusing many. 

Have a Wonderful Day,
David & Ann


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## smunn

I live in rural Indiana with my boyfriend of 10 years. We have always dreamed of living in the country. We bought our place 4 years ago. 5 acres, huge red barn and 100+ year old house. Surrounded by cornfields, it is heaven. Our plan is to make this a self-sustaining homestead; raise chickens, grow a garden, etc. But for now however, he feels the house renovation is plenty. (Although, he did buy lumber from another old barn to fix up ours. So I wonder what will get done first.) 

I have two children, a son and a daughter. They have blessed me with seven beautiful grandchildren, ages 7 to 17. My children have grown up to be wonderful people and are my best friends. They both live in Indiana so I have plenty of time to see my grandchildren. The kids love coming to Gramma's house to play paintball and other things they can't do in the city. 

I also am the primary caregiver for my mother, who recently had a stroke. Sheâs come a long way from that frightful day and I am so proud of the work she has done to recover.

We have 3 dogs: a Yellow Lab (Penny), Bassett Hound (Julia but I call her Hard-Head) and a Yorkie-Poo (Nikki, she is expecting). Also, 6 (to 10) cats, just depends on the day. All are barn cats, except one. The house cat (Heidi) is expecting too! So next month, we'll have more dogs and cats.

We are an avid campers/adventurers. I have driven from Maryland to Alaska, we camped in the Appalachians, stayed in the Badlands and have seen many stunning sights. This great country has a lot to offer the adventurer. There is nothing like the smell of coffee brewing over the campfire in the morning. Since I had a heart attack the end of 2007, we have traded in the tent for a camper. I am also off on a new educational adventure going to school full-time. 

I am a sewing and crafts person. I make clothes for the kids and cloth dolls. Love being crafty. I find the time spent to be very calming. 

I was a member of this group a few years ago. Came back cuz I missed all the info and interaction. On another board (or maybe it was this one), we went to Arkansas to meet a bunch of fellow boarders. It was awesome! I am also interested in learning to garden better and canning. 

Things I love and/or admire: the smell of freshly cut grass, candles, incense, all types of music, learning something new, meeting new people, honesty, integrity, a dayâs hard work, sense of humor, a brilliant debate.

Things I donât like: brussel sprouts, yogurt, mice (thank goodness for the cats), a sink full of dirty dishes (no dishwasher), arrogance, closed-mindedness, injustice, wastefulness, intolerance.

Well, that's me. I am looking forward to meeting all of you. I may not log in too much as I subscribe to the RSS feed for the forum so I read the posts offline daily. 

~Till later~
Sharon


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## ole beachcomber

Hello All!

This is my first post here on board. I wanted to introduce myself. I live in eastern PA, about 1 1/2 north of Philadelphia. Originally, I lived by the shore in New England, hence the name Ole Beachcomber. 
I am in a more suburban area, on 5 acres of land. Due to numerous issues, I am unable to do as much as I want in terms of self sufficiency.So, I do what I am able to do when I am able to do so. Sure, I dream of a bigger, more off grid place, but all in good time. I am starting now, beginning where I am with what is available, aquiring the skills, attitude and know-how for that someday place. 

My interests include gardening, pottery, flea markets, cooking. My 2 cats are now in cat heaven, and they are sorely missed. 
Being in an area that is close to nature, we are blessed with a very active bird feeder, as well as many other types of wildlife. 

As my name here says, I used to beachcomb quite a bit. This was as much to pick up trash on the beach as it was to find treasures. I still pick up trash when I see it, so maybe you could also call me the ole roadside comber!!

I look forward to reading the posts, and learning from all of you more experienced folk!


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## Juniper

Hi, new here. 

I'm 25 (nearly 26). Married 7.5 years, mama of 2 little girls (5.5 years and 1.5 years). Live in the Midwest. 

Dream of living in the country but am making the best of living in a small, rural town. The only thing that would make it better would be if our town allowed backyard chickens!


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## vikav

Hi, I'm Victoria in NY, wife of 5 years, mostly stay at home mom (I do work outside of home every now and then) to a 3 y.o. little girl and a 10 m.o. baby boy. We also have a dog, a guinea pig, and very soon some rabbits. We live in a small town, so no real land here, but we have a pretty big garden that takes care of all our veggie, berry, and some fruit needs for a big part of the year. We eat organic, keep our house as non-toxic as possible, cloth diaper, and homeschool (unschool) our DD. We DIY most of our house remodeling and some furniture, which is really satisfying and saves a lot of money. Hoping to move and get a chunk of land somewhere south from here in the next year or two. I like to knit, cook, and read. Hope to return to doing stained glass when I'm done breastfeeding my kids. 

Love this forum


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## mrbean

I'm a 56 year old retired "gentleman of leisure". Been married to my better half almost 20 years. We both love to garden, both vegetable and flowers.
Two grown kids, three grandkids. No animals currently, but we're looking to have a few in the near future.
Glad to find a nice respectful forum....


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## ronbre

Well I read about this site on the permies forum and thought I would check it out so I'm really new. Today is my first time here and I haven't read a thing yet other than a few introductions.
I am going on 58 and have one husband (thank God) who has a serious head injury but still manages to drive and do some other things. I have a son who has moved next door to us (we gave him 5 acres) and will be looking after us as we grow more senile. We have lived on the land we have which was an original homestead by a celery farmer, for 38 years this summer and in 1975 I bought my first book on permaculture and subscribed to organic gardening and Mother earth around the same time. Over the years we have attempted to build up a good piece of earth and a nice home, our house burned late 2002 and we basically are starting over on the same land, different area so we lost a lot of our hard work, but never to late to start over.

I am a semiretired interior designer and have been a garden designer as well as teaching just about every craft and needlework system out there, self taught mostly, and book taught ..i am officially a BOOKWORM.

Right now we are in the replanting tree stages of starting over and I've put in about 30 trees already this spring and more are on order..and the rain and 39 degree highs are giving the new baby trees a huge boost here in Michigan...no early leafing out here ! Our daffodills are just barely opening..so we are way behind everyone else in the country.

Unemployment rate is through the roof as we are auto industry related all over the state..so times are tough but when times are tough people turn back to the roots. Hope to get to know many of you well..Brenda


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## Paula in Balto

Hi folks,

I'm Paula and currently live in Baltimore County Maryland, hence the creative name. I posted an intro on this site a couple years ago and thought (very mistakenly as I spend more time here) that one intro was enough. I have been a member of HT since 2005 though I've only recently started posting more. I had bad experiences posting elsewhere - nuff said.

We are hoping to purchase property in Southern PA this year... It looks that we'll get between 10 and 20 acres. The plan is to have a horsepower subsistence farm (two perchies are in our future). We don't plan to make money out of this, just save on groceries and put as little back into the pockets of the agri-giants and others, as possible. 

DH and I will be married nine years on 5/31! We're in our mid-forties so we kind of feel like we'd better do this now. Even though we started this plan about five years ago. DD from a previous relationship, will be 22 this fall and she's a horticulturist, so I plan to employ her expertise all over the farm! I home school our DS who will be 9 this summer. This is our third year and it's wonderful! I'm nervous about what PA expects as the home schooling requirements are more strict. We really enjoy what we have going on here in MD - it's actually one thing they do right!

As a family, we volunteer taking care of draft horses. Through this program, we've learned horse care and are supposed to learn to drive and use different types of horse drawn farm equipment. I'll have to keep you posted...

I love to cook, and try to prepare just about everything from scratch. I just made and used my first sour dough starter about 2 weeks ago. Awesome! DS said we should name our pet... This I just sort of avoided. Speaking of, we do have four fur kids - two Icelandic Sheepdogs and two rescued barn cats. They were kittens (10 years ago) when we got them and now they are well established fat and lazy, happy house cats.

I like to consider myself a tightwadder, but have a lot to learn! I just generally have a lot to learn... what happened between the time I was 18 and now?!

I hope that covers things for now!
Paula


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## dixon_yankee

I'm a late 30's mom of half a quiverfull of children  I was blessed last year to receive the Lord into my heart through baptism, and that is how I strive to run my household! We have a few acres here in the Deep South, and are planning to do some serious homesteading next year (we are new to the area). 

God bless!


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## dixon_yankee

Wind in Her Hair said:


> welcome dixon_yankee but I have to ask -why are you a yankee if you live in the Deep South?!?!!?!? or are you a transplant like me -I am originally from Texas but moved to Minnesota. I'm still a Texan at heart. (And I rejoice with you in your decision of Faith.) Welcome and don't be afraid to join in the discussions. We don't bite. Well, a few do.


I am a transplant :bouncy: I am originally from the Northeast but I moved here recently. I will forever be a Yankee, no matter how long I am here LOL! I try to 'mind my own' and may not post much, but it's not because I am afraid of biters...I have children!


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## whiskeylivewire

Hi my name is Nicole and I live in SW Missouri with my man and our 4 kids ages 9, 8, 7 and 2. I am trying to become a better mom and staying at home with them. I like to cook, read, write, listen to music, fish and go with the man hunting and trapping. I am really enjoying this site and I like the upbeat tone that most have. Thanks!


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## herwitsend

Hey everyone! I am Amy. I'm a 31 year old wife and mama of a 2 year old daughter and a surprise baby on the way ("due" at the end of the month). I am a natural childbirth educator. I have been lurking here for about 6 months. 

My husband and I have been trying to live a sustainable "country" life here in the suburbs and it isn't working out so well... We are increasingly unhappy here since we have had our daughter. We both long to live somewhere where we can let her run, where she can grow up with animals (she is seriously obsessed with animals), where we have control of our food chain, and where we can see the stars! I read the book_ Last Child in the Woods_ about a year ago and was ready to put our house on the market right then! We wanted to pay off our debt before a move, though, so we could afford a good chunk of land.

About 3 weeks ago, my great aunt passed away and left a home and 80 acres to her nieces and nephews. My parents plan to take their portion of the property, buy a few more acres and build a little (800 sq ft) cabin. My husband and I may have the opportunity to buy the house and a few acres (none of the rest of the family wants to live there). The house is a 1790's home that my great aunt renovated back in the 1980's. We are really excited about the possibility of getting out into rural life and having my parents close by. 

I'm sure that I will have lots of questions in the near future!


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## Breezy

My husband and I live on a "20 acre farmette", with our two children, 15 and 16. We have lived here for 15 years. 

I am currently a SAHM, my daughter has autism. I was/am a nurse. Not sure what path I will be on when I am able to return to work. My husband does work, though. (Not that I don't LOL!)

We raise the usual chickens, various poultry, sheep, goats and rabbits. We have a big garden and lots of woods. I can and freeze all that I am able.

I also have waaaay too many flower beds...
My other interests include artwork, and halloween. (I have a talent for costumes and paper mache) I also read quite a bit, but mainly focus on nonfiction or humerous fiction! 

Have been luking for a long time......I feel I know so many of you already! Will try to keep my posts reasonable, I tend to get wordy....


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## Bookwyrm

Hi, I'm Leah.

I am the mother of 2 girls 7 and 4 with one on the way at the end of this month. (The girls want another girl, and my husband wants a boy. )

Chris (My husband) and I run a small market garden farm, and we do no regular off farm work. Makes things a bit tight, but its fun (most of the time.) We work some of his father's farm and live on a small country lot not too far away.

We grow Asparagus, snap beans, tomatoes, sweet corn, squash of various sorts, a few strawberries (lost 70% of an already poor patch to frost this year) pickling cucumbers, red and white potatoes, rhubarb, and we make maple syrup.

My husband enjoys moose and deer hunting. He would go turkey hunting, but the timing of the hunt conflicts with busy market times.

I've always dreamed of having a self sufficient (to some extent) farm, but though Chris enjoys talking about it, he doesn't really want the extra work to go through with it, so mostly it's daydreams and what I can do myself.

Nice to meet you all, I'm looking foreward to participating in this site.


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## Charmeuse

We are heading to the country...goodbye city life.
My boyfriend's family lives on 40 acres in north Florida and we will be moving up there in a month. I have been living in the suburbs and city areas all my life. I have no problem with moving far out away from everything. So far we have figured out where all nearby shops are. They have 1 grocery store and his family raises chickens so that should help. Theres plenty of land for vegetable growing, but he said not all the dirt there is suitable for planting. Hopefully we come up with some ideas before we pack.

Anyway... country life here we come!

Angie


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## hecate

Hi! My name is Tracey and I live in SW Ohio with my husband Steve and a whole lot of animals. I have been a lurker here for so log it's embarassing but I thought it was time to post.
I own a small pet-sitting/dog daycare business and so at any given time I have anywhere from 10-15 dogs running around my house. We also have chickens and have 2 newly acquired bee hives (thank you thequeensblessing). 
A couple of years ago we decided we wanted to be more self-sufficient so we planted a garden and it snowballed from there. Growing up in suberbia I have no experience so Dh and I are learning as we go along. We are teaching ourselves gardening, canning, and basically living as simply as we can. 
Bit by bit we are turning our 5 acres into a homestead. We currently have a garden, some fruit trees and blueberry bushes but eventually we want to grow most of our own food. I have learned so much from everyone here.


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## katlupe

hecate said:


> Hi! My name is Tracey and I live in SW Ohio with my husband Steve and a whole lot of animals. I have been a lurker here for so log it's embarassing but I thought it was time to post.
> I own a small pet-sitting/dog daycare business and so at any given time I have anywhere from 10-15 dogs running around my house. We also have chickens and have 2 newly acquired bee hives (thank you thequeensblessing).
> A couple of years ago we decided we wanted to be more self-sufficient so we planted a garden and it snowballed from there. Growing up in suberbia I have no experience so Dh and I are learning as we go along. We are teaching ourselves gardening, canning, and basically living as simply as we can.
> Bit by bit we are turning our 5 acres into a homestead. We currently have a garden, some fruit trees and blueberry bushes but eventually we want to grow most of our own food. I have learned so much from everyone here.


Welcome hecate! Nice to meet you here. It sounds like you have done pretty good so far. You should post about your dog daycare sitting business on the home based business board......that sounds pretty interesting. Hope to hear from you alot on here! :dance:

katlupe


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## mellowguy

Hi folks,

I've been lurking around here for over a year now and finally decided to create my own user account. I learned a lot from all of you.

I'm mainly interested in exchanging with likeminded people and I'm starting to finally deal with preparedness issues, so that's very much what's on my mind these days.

My wife and I are 37, with 2 daughters (12 & 13), and we're Canucks living in Ontario. We're not really "homesteading" per se, but we're both from rural families, we live on 10 acres, we have a 1,000 square foot garden, we raise (a handful of) sheep with our kids and are a 4H family (both wife and I are leaders, both kids take clubs). Eventually, we'd like to quit the rat race while living off modest savings, a modest homestead and odd jobs.

Although my wife is in a rural mindset, most discussions we've had about preparedness have resulted in her giving me the "what's with the tinfoil hat" look, so I'll definitely be leading these efforts for my family.

A few things on my mind for the next 12-24 months, some of them in common with my wife and kids:


Get 6-12 months of preps
Create BOBs/GHBs for the cars
Cook more from scratch and eat healthier (we already eat much less prepared food than the average family)
Increase the size of our garden (grow most of our vegetables and a large amount of our fruits)
Help the kids increase their pumpkin patch and their sheep flock so they can earn pocket money
Increase insulation in our house. We're on heating oil, and I'd like our oil tank to have potential to last longer if SHTF
Setup an insulated above-ground cool room in our garage (the water table is too high for a root cellar)

I feel like I know a lot of you, and I'll no doubt be exchanging ideas in some other threads.


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## Wiste

I'm 28 and live in NW Washington but was born in Oklahoma. I've lived a on both coasts and traveled around quite a bit but I love the mountains here. My family is just me and the cat right now. At the beginning of this year I resolved to make some big changes in my life to improve my happiness and set myself up for the future I want. I started learning how to live frugal and have been saving a good chunk of my pay toward the future. My research in to frugal living eventually lead me to homesteading and now I'm stuck trying to resolve the two halves of my life. One half wants to get a college degree, get a high paying job, and start saving for retirement. The other half wants a farm with some chickens, a kitchen garden, and some day some goats or other smallish livestock. I love making things for myself with my own hands and labor; always have. I don't want anything grand, just something I can get by on.


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## CottageLife

Hi everyone! Been lurking, actually soaking up the information, for a few months and finally joined. My dh, pre-teen dd and myself live in upstate NY. We foster dogs for a rescue and have 2 dogs and 2 cats of our own. We have been learning about gardening a little at a time the past couple of years and fiddle with a small one trying to learn more (dh doesn't read anything on how to do them so I think some of this 'learning' could have been done much easier!)

I've had a small storage of supplies most of my life, but have gotten serious about prepping this year. I'm still building up our storage, and DH is building our BOB's. We'd love more land to have some farm animals, but that won't happen until dd graduates most likely due to our schooling choices for her.

Glad to be here!


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## RuralSerenity

I don't know how I missed this (maybe because I use the "new post" feature). 

So, here is a little about me. I am in the center of Missouri. Our neighboring town has a population of 87, yet I am only an hour away from Jeff City or St. Louis. I married my high school sweet heart in 1978. We are empty-nesters and moved into our dream home last year. 

This past year, both of our sons were married and our 3rd grandchild is due within a few weeks. Life is good!


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## LWMSAVON

Well I think it may be time I introduce myself being that I've been a member here since 2002. lol I left for a little while (after Carla Emery passed away - I was one of her Testers for her 10th Edition) and just came back recently. 

My name is Laura. My dh and I are originally from upper northeast TN near Bristol, TN. After we married, we moved to the Chattanooga, TN area. We moved to were we are now (outside of Chattanooga) almost 7 years ago.

W have 7 children. The oldest is 21 now, married and has a 2 week old baby... my first grandchild. My other 6 children are 10 years and younger. We are a homeschooling family and live on 5 acres in the country on top of a mountain. We used to own goats, rabbits, chickens, and some lazy cats, but now we just have 7 hens. Hope to add more critters back to the 'stead soon. 

We grow a vegetable garden, a separate herb garden, have grape vines we planted in 2003 that are just now starting to produce good. We also have cherry tree (young), apple trees and peach trees we planted last year along with plum trees. The fig trees we planted didn't survive and dh ran over my two small blueberry bushes with the riding mower. Needless to say, I was ticked. The blackberry and raspberry canes we transplanted to tame... didn't survive but there are a ton of blackberry canes around us where we live so we can try again while we keep picking the wild ones. 

I enjoy old skills such as home canning, sewing, quilting, cross-stitch, crochet, and candle making. I make glycerin soaps, scrapbook, and love to be organized. 

I love thrift stores and yard sales. They help me obtain my frugal goals. I love the motto from the Great Depression... "Use it Up, Wear it Out, or Do Without". I recycle and reuse items for other purposes in my home. I think most call it repurposing items now. 

We just recently switched to eating organically so this old couponing and refunding has a new learning curve when it comes to getting the grocery budget under control. I was used to walking out of a store paying 10 - 20% of original price for my groceries (food and non-food). The budget was $125 a week for groceries then as I would hit up a ton of sales for that week and would have money left. Dh converted a third bathroom we had into a walk-in stock room for me to put all the non-food items in such as cleaners, hba items, etc. It's stuffed. I can't even walk in it other than opening the door, stepping in once and then reaching in to get what I need. lol 

Here's a link to the youtube videos I made for the gals over on a couponing forum so they could see that I was a hard core couponing. I still am it's just harder to get those kinds of deals with organic products but I take advantage of sales and doubles coupons when I can.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_SUUvErKdQ[/ame] and [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whZvl3Q8eb4[/ame]

Those were taken back in Feb. and March and I am still very very well stocked. As the food is running low or out, I am trying to restock with organic items. 

I posted a thread the other day on couponing if you're interested: Laura's Couponing & Refunding Hints&Tips + Coupon Binder Method


Whew!! If you've made it this far, thank you!! Look forward to getting to know the newbies that have joined since I was last here as well as getting reacquainted with the oldies.


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## pfaubush

My name is Paula and I'm a 35 yo wife and mom to three kids that we are adopting through the foster care system. We live on 6 acres, much of which is a tree'd mountain side. It has always been our goal to live as self-sustained as much as possible. When my 6yo dd was dx'd w/ type 1 diabetes in Feb., we realized that it was even more necessary.

We have a 30x45' garden that we intend to at least double in size for next year, a small 'orchard' that I put in this spring. 6 chickens that should start laying next spring, and we just purchased a small rabbit barn with a total of 8 rabbits. My next venture will be a worm bed for the rabbit waste along with kitchen scraps for composting (I have a composter, but I'm terrible about turning it) and a greenhouse that we will be building out of used aluminum windows that I've collected for free (will be about 200 sq ft). Come spring we will also be adding 2 pigs and I'm trying to convince my dh that goats would be awesome, but he said something about it being over his dead body, though that's never stopped me!

I have also bred my Jack Russell and done some web design in order to fund all of this stuff. And they say homesteading is cheaper...I guess once you get going! I know I'm really enjoying it!!!!!


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## Janice

Hi,
I am janice from Portland, TN
We raise Boer goats,and TWH's.
I love the horses dearly and it's a sickness.....:happy:

I am living my life long dream with my grand daughter Morgan,she loves horses,any kind as long as she can ride,bathe them,braid there hair and even loves mucking stalls.
we have 12 and one on the way ,any day now.

Lori gave me a thread on here to look and see how to know when the mare is ready to foal, been tasting milk all day...........not to be,but it was real salty this morning,she has waxed over and tonight it was not salty but not sweet either,so I am waiting........:bouncy:

Janice





http://www.southernbellefarms.com


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## StevenB

Well, seeing as its been so long since I've been here all my old posts have been deleted, I reckon a re-introduction is in order. Heck, for that matter the forum here I helped moderate is even gone! New paint around the old forums and lotsa new faces, lookin forward to gettin to know y'all.

Hi, I'm Steven. Those of you that remember me know me better as 'Gopher'. Y'all that don't remember me feel free to call me Gopher as well.

I'm married to 'Squirrel', just past 22 years now, and we have a son named 'Chipmunk'. We live on an acre in the piedmont area of North Carolina. We have a couple of fruit trees, blackberries are getting back into gardening and we do a fair bit of dehydrating and some canning. 

I'm a graphic artist part-time and she's an elementary school teacher. Son is 12 and is growing up far, far too fast.

Later!
Gopher


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## SerenityMama

Hello I am Cris, a 28yr old SAHM of 4 ages 7yrs to 5 1/2 mths. My husband (YoungOne) and I have been married for just over 8yrs and dreamed of living in the middle of nowhere, in 07 that dream came true and we moved.

We have 54 acres off-grid that we split with my father in law and then we gifted some of ours to friends which are hoping to one day be able to move here. We have well for water and solar panels for power. We have 3 milking goats currently (2 of which are first years and still with kids) and a boer doe and buck pair for meat that we share ownership with some friends. We also raise chickens, ducks and as soon as the buliding is done rabbits. We are hoping to get another piglet soon too. We have a huge garden planted and are already planning next years. Since we have moved rural we have been learning all new stuff, we butcher our own animals, I make soap and lip balms and am getting ready to try salves and bath scrubs, we are learning how to can and soon dehydrate the garden. Everyday is a new lesson for us and our kids and I wouldn't change it for anything.

I joined here so I can meet others that may have ideas I don't (like how to get rid of crickets) and to find people with similar intrests to chat with since I don't get out much.


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## Smallhold

Yippee! After the change of server I could not log in here anymore. Have tried to from time to time and the page would never load.
Now suddenly.. I'm back in! 
So perhaps a renewed intro?

We live in the netherlands, have a BOL/holiday place in Germany in very rural area. Looking forward to going back there soon to harvest the giant pumpkins that grow fantastically there.
Glad to be able to check in here again.


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## Kezzie

It has been so long since I have been here that I forgot my sign-on and had to re-register. :shrug: I am no longer farming in WI - moved to Alaska a while back. Looking forward to getting re-aquainted with you all and meeting the folks who have joined since I was last around.
Sunny and 66 here today, very dry - absolutely beautiful! I have been reading about all the gardens. Ours was hit with a killing frost on Aug 10th. Woke up to 23 degrees that morning. The cold weather crops are still producing and the tomatoes that got nipped have all ripened nicely on every windowsill in the house. Fall is in mid-swing, the trees are beautiful, the weather sweet and in 1 to 3 weeks we will be in winter. :hobbyhors

Anyway - it is good to see all of you, especially the names that I remember from before!


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## Ezekiel's Garde

I've been posting on here for some months, but never formally introduced myself to the group, outside of the Goat forum.

So, I'm Amy. I'm a stay-at-home wife to a wonderful computer programmer. We were both raised in the country, but moved away when we went to college. We recently returned about 8 or 9 months ago (on our 11th anniversary!). We love it, even though we gave up a huge brand new house for a tiny old one. We have about 1.86 acres of slightly rolling ground in central Indiana. We got laying chickens this April, Alpine dairy goats this May, and have a huge garden out back that's the size of my suburban back yard! We recently added to the laying chickens a few weeks ago when we ordered some Splash Cochins, Buff Orpingtons, and Barred Rocks from Cackle Hatchery. In the spring, we're going to add guineas and geese, maybe some dual-purpose sheep (Leicester Longwools or Cotswolds, most likely).

In addition to being the homemaker and primary farmer, I also find the time to homeschool 3 of my boys, ages 8, 6, and 4. I like to knit if I have the time, and would like to get better at spinning. I read free e-books on my iPhone when I'm nursing the baby, so I get my literary fix then. I prefer classic literature, and most of it's public domain, so I'm good.  We're a Christian family, so the Bible is also a very important book to us. We read a chapter or two every day before we start school.

I have blossomed in the farming life. I love taking care of my garden, chickens, and goats (even the vetting, though I do dislike hurting them). I bake and cook a lot of things from scratch; I can, freeze, and dehydrate, too. Two years ago, I never would've thought I would've enjoyed it this much or been so happy.

That's because 3 years ago, I found out I was pregnant with our fourth child. I got appendicitis at 13 weeks (actually it was a slow burn for about 12-18 months prior), and had an emergency appendectomy. This was during my first year of homeschooling, and completely derailed it. The recovery was tough, but both baby David (didn't know his gender/name yet) and I survived. Then, when he was due in May, we found out I was positive for Group Beta Strep for the first time. Less than 24 hours later, he was born at home with my dh catching him because the midwife didn't get there on time. She showed up 5 minutes later, and took over. When she left, we thought he was okay, but he really wasn't. We took him to the ER a few hours later, and he never made it back home. I don't feel like going into details, but I know he is in heaven with God, and am so grateful for our faith. It carried us through. It is still tough at times, but we persevere. 11 months ago, we had our 5th son, Judah, who has been a treasure for us.

I don't know what else to say. I have had a kind of a shock today, as one of our church members (also a great uncle by marriage on dh's side) passed away unexpectedly, and it interrupted my train of thought. Dh called to tell me in the middle of typing this, and it derailed me. If you have any questions, you can feel free to pm or e-mail me.


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## Aesa

Hi, I'm Treasure (yes, really). I'm a stay at home wife and my husband is a website developer/designer. My husband has lived both in the city and the country, and I grew up in the city with short occasional visits to my grandparents' ranch in the country. 

I've lived in South Dakota all my life. My husband's family moved A LOT when he was growing up, so he's got a bit of everywhere in him. The homesteading idea has been a fairly new obsession of mine. I had a professor in university who has a homestead of his own, and after hearing about his life on the homestead and how important it is to be self-sufficient I decided that's what I want to do. After feeling so directionless for such a long time it was so refreshing to feel I had a direction to go in!

My hubby and I just bought a small acreage (about 5.5 acres) in the far southeastern corner of SD and we'll be moving there in a couple of weeks! I'm very, very excited and have been keeping myself busy researching different types of chickens and goats and planning my garden. 

We're both members of the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) which is a medieval reenactment group. It is one of our favorite things to be involved in in our free time. Many people in the SCA enjoy having their own small farms as well (at least around here), which was yet more encouragement for me. 

I've been lurking here for a while and am excited to get to know you all!


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## susu

Hi, I'm Susu(old *old* nickname from childhood & now my "grandma" name). I'm a stay at home garden goddess(actually, I'm disabled & cant work but I need a title) & hubby is a most gifted carpenter, desperately hanging on to the few bits of work there are around here, & a bamboo fly rod maker. we moved from the very lush N IL 14 years ago to the very dry SW CO where I've had to relearn gardening. we have 3 irrigated acres & a bountiful well so we've been able to turn this old dry gone-to-weeds patch of land into an oasis...still not midwest lush but it'll do nicely. besides a daughter, hubby & 2 most excellent grand babies we have 4 chickens, 2 dogs, 3 cats & we raise enough produce to fill our freezer most years. the unpredictable nature of living at 6700ft, some years are better than others given that we can have frost as late as early July & as early as early Aug. gardens are under covers for now but with snow predicted this week, its time to get the stuff picked, mater plants hung up in the greenhouse & can & freeze, can some more & freeze some more & some more & some more.....

nice to meet you all!


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## yugogypsy

Hi, I'm Lois,

My household consists of myself, my partner and 2 other male friends who each have a camper in the back yard.

We have a large garden, a sm. donkey, sm. horse, 5 mixed chickens and 3 cats.

We're farming (PLEASE don't laugh) ONE whole acre. We practice recycling and use all kinds of mixed lumber and windows in our construction, and I'm sure we're the only farm around with a potting shed made from a Mercedes cargo van.

My chicken house is just about 60% pallet wood, and the windows are from a camper and a trailer we demolished, the door was a gift with some other lumber.

We compost, use our twice weekly free newspaper as mulch (Biodegradable ink in it) Use a mountain of horse and donkey manure in the garden each year and grow everything from tomatoes to tobacco at least once.

My one friend and I have been at this 7 years now and we have a pretty good system going.

I do admit to growing flowers, in an area I call my "comic garden" because the planters are bathroom basins,wheelbarrows that died,old cooking pots and things like that. I do have a toilet too, but it needs to be put together before I can plant in it.

I have an herb garden and am planning on expanding it next year. We're also adding 6-8 more garden beds for extra produce to sell.

My new tenant finished my roadside stand for me, we'll paint it next Spring and see if I can make a few extra $$.

We're all on disability allowances except my new tenant, who works when he can and brings in groceries and pays his rent by maintaining my 43 yr. old house and helping in the garden, the barn and anywhere else he's needed, which is great.

We're an odd little "family" but we all get along and certainly can produce enough to feed ourselves during summer and put up for winter.

Each of us possesses a talent one of the others don't so we're all learning together as well. 

And we all cook, so eating can be an adventure. But its very handy when the produce needs to be put up.
I hope everyone is having a wonderful day.

Take Care
Lois


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## Mom2izzyemma

Hi, My name is Nikki and I have been married for 8+ years to Todd. We have 2 girls, Izabella who is 5 and Emma who just turned 2. We live in Alabama and we are fixing to purchase our first home. 
I help my Grandparents with their Garden so we have yummy home grown food to enjoy during the Winter months. I love to sew and scrapbook (when I have a chance). I am a SAHM but I do make and sell hairbows to a local boutique store. It helps me pay for my Coach bag problem. lol


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## survivalpro

Hi folks,

I am a long time off grid homesteader from a long line of homesteaders.

I live in Utah at the foot of the Uintah mountains in a solar and wind powered cabin I built myself.

I garden, raise rabbits and chickens, hunt and fish.

Hope to make some friends and share ideas!

heres my cabin video:

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJsDOD0dTQI[/ame]


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## ethermaiden

I'm here because... there are many reasons. I'm currently struggling with self-sufficiency in many ways- personally, spiritually, and economically. After 6 years I finally escaped an abusive relationship and have taken up residence with my best friend. While he's wonderful support in many ways, I need to learn how to live for myself again. Thankfully my BF* and our housemates (other friends of his, quickly becoming mine as well) is amazingly interested in homesteading and being as self-sufficient as possible. Unfortunately due to his profession off-grid isn't really possible, but that's OK for now. 

I'm here to learn, to share, to support, and maybe to get some virtual hugs. Right now I just need to feel like the world isn't such a hateful and hurtful place. 

So, hello from Everett, Washington.

*BF as in best friend, not boyfriend. Is this the right abbv or is there a different one to avoid confusion?


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## Mama~Bear

I'm 40 :grit:, married to a wonderful man, with three teenaged sons still at home. We have about 3.75 acres that are home to a mini horse, a rescue donkey, some chickens, some button quail, and three rescue dogs. I've been lurking on this site and decided to join in. I want to learn to garden and become self-sufficent and do all the things you would think my mother or grandmother would have past on to me.


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## goat milkin mom

Hi there! I'm a 45 year old mother of 6 children, ages 6 -27. We live on a small farm with 2 beautiful creeks running through it - about 30 acres. My dear husband is a Music Minister/Associate Pastor and I teach kindergarten, though I wish I could stay home and homeschool the children! I did get to teach them all as they came through school, though. We have been trying to become more self-sufficient since Hurricane Katrina. What a wake-up call. Your life can change in a matter of hours and normal services can be cut off for weeks! As a result, we now own dairy goats (what an unexpected joy and blessing they are!), beef, free range chickens, and grow our own food (I am also an "expert" in natural nutrition, 21 hours of college courses and countless hours of reading.) I grew up in the country where my parents were "homesteaders" when that wasn't even a word, so I already knew how to take care of myself. My parents are my walking encyclopedias for help with beekeeping, gardening, slaughtering animals, animal husbandry, etc, etc, etc... I make and sell goat milk soap on a very small scale, I make all of our dairy products (cheese, yogurt, kefir), I have a grain mill and make our bread, I am currently learning to lacto-ferment vegetables, I would like this year to learn more about spinning and making fabric. I know I will enjoy this forum, because I have been reading it for the past two days and it is, in the words of my teenage children, "totally awesome!":rock:


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## TsaLaGi Acres

We are of a small farm in Mo. right now (up for sale) hoping to move to Arkansas I pray soon. We have a small herd of dairy goats (23) mostly pb nubians and a stray breed here and there lol. We milk, make cheeses, jellies, soaps, garden and canning, freeze and dehydrate. We also raise chickens for our eggs and are awaiting march-april for our yearly purchase from Cackle of 50-100 chicks for butchering. Hmm..what else to say...We are working towards becoming totally self sufficient.When we get our place sold and move, we want to purchase a 2nd trimester Jersey cow for future milk and beef. Sell & trade our wares off the farm and essentially bring back the way's of yester year.
We are also looking to preserve breeds that are now critical or endangered within the breeds of livestock. I feel it is so very important to keep our heritage alive even down to plants and seeds!! I'm very NON Monsanto!! 
Our children..we have 5 between the 2 of us..3 boys 2 girls and 1 beautiful grandson!! All are grown and live out on their own. Life has become so different w/o out my babies.. 
I've been reading on this forum for a bit now and enjoy the level of respect that it carries (several don't) and comrodery. I thought that this would be a wonderful place to join and make fellow farm friends.


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## IronSight

Hello everyone,

I am not a homesteader, and may never be. I have been reading this site for months to pick up ideas on recipes, gardening, frugal living and practical alternative energy. I like the site because I get tons of information without all the weird gaia worship nonsense. I consider myself a conservironmentalist - I believe we have a very strong self-interest in managing the planet in a rational way without privileging nature over humanity like many environmentalists do. I do what I can within the limits of my circumstances and work towards changing those circumstances in the future. To knock on the other side - the folks who believe the environment is not a problem because god/Jesus will come to rapture also concern me. I believe in bottom up micro-level changes to solve problems, not by top down decree enforced from the barrel of a gun.

I am an avid target shooter and collector of military surplus firearms and vintage .22lr rifles. I like cats (and a few have adopted me) and simple things. I am married, pursuing a PhD, and looking forward to a life of yelling at marxists in the academy.

So, thanks for the site to the owners, and thanks for the community and knowledge from the members.


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## FoxyWench

i wanted to say hi:
obviously im new here.

im 24 and female and currently in CT.
i dont live on a homestead or farm right now but used to spend alot of time working the land and want that life back so bad.

im an animal behaviourist and up untill a yr ago worked as a zoo keeper, before that a vet tech.
currently im out of work and looking towards the "next step" as CT seems to have drained me dry and is done giving back in return its time to think about moving on.

im a dog enthusiast...ok well im an Animal enthusiast, if it has anythign to do with animals im into it lol...
im currently owned by 2 chinese crested, and live with 4 other dogs, a cat, and a bunch of fish...(didnt know they came in bunches did ya ) with my parents here in southwestern ct on about 1/4 an acre. they hope to add 5 hens in the spring...i hope to have my own place by then.

my dream homestead 5-500 acres about 1/2 - 1 hour from anything remotly close to being a city or large town (small country town would be fine) with either a little cottage/cabin, or even a nice little doublewide...eventually i want to have an earth bermed home built (or a monolithc dome completly below ground ) and have a herd of dairy goats, fowl of all kinds, mabe some pigs and of course be at least MOSTLY self sustained in terms of food and eventually power...
oh and of course...my dogs.

im pagan (not pushy) and a rennie, i love swimming and horseback riding (even though im still a complete newb to horses id love to have my own drafters one day) and camping...bonfires and enjoying the world itself...
i hate bright lights and pushy people...

hmm, my favorite animals thus far to work with: orangutan, gorilla, gibbon, Wild Dog, Wolf, pigs (they so smart!)
my least favortie part of the whole deal is plucking chickens, i can handle the slaughter but the feathers get everywhere lol.

Oh and i lake motorcycles and tattoos!

im a BIG girl with Bigger dreams...just gotta figure out how to bring them to life.

this is me...yes my pjs are hot pink with skulls with hearts for eyes...there also feety pjs! yup, im just THAT cool!









and the 2 loves of my life...
the nekkid dogs
Jasper: hes a 6lb hairless slate spotted, currently showing well but doesnt seen to realy enjoy it, will probably stop after the spring, id like to just get him shown as an "adult" a few times before we call it quits, hes taken best puppy, best junior and junior best of breed as well as reserved twice in only 6 shows!
hes also mildly insane and likes to yell at birds when they land in his yard!









and Ruby: shes my babydoll (and is realy a powderpuff), shes CGC cert and delta therapy certified she is also currently my acting service dog (im epileptic) shes 10lbs and ive never shown her, she doesnt like the noise.


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## woolfoodmama

Hi!

I'm a stay at home mama to four. I keep a small online business and maintain our 'stead. Not a conventional homestead. It's a lovely (I think) single family home on just 2 acres . Apparently there are some association rules that apply to our property...but I don't really know what they are and don't much care. Took a beg forgiveness stance long before the chickens arrived.

I keep a garden, think I should add _another_ clothesline this spring, put in a small orchard last year, and just generally try to soften the print I'm leaving. 

I joined a long time ago, but mostly lurked. Off to nose around more....neat place. 

Katie


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## pfaubush

I've been posting a little, but mostly lurking. Thought I would go ahead and introduce myself.

My dh and I have 6 acres in southern OR and are working steadily to improve our own sustainability. I am a sahm or 3 little girls that we are adopting out of the foster care system. We should finalize in a couple of months (they've lived here for almost 2 years) and we will then begin homeschooling. 

Last year, when my oldest daughter (6) was dx'd with Juvenile Diabetes, we became much more aware of what we were putting in our bodies. We already knew, but it came much more to the forefront.

We've always worked at moving ahead with the homestead, but now it is on the fast-track. I have the time, now that I no longer work and enjoy the work around here so much more. Both dh and I have some experience with different aspects of hs'ing so we have a decent foundation. This place has been very helpful and informative as well!


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## SueMc

I, like others just happened onto this site and am really impressed by what I've seen! One of the first posts I read was from Martin with his incredibly generous seed offer. 
About me: wife, mom, grandma (the reason we have children!), anesthetist by profession. My husband and I live on three acres on the edge of a small town. Over the years I have raised dairy goats, chickens, a calf now and then, a couple of lambs occasionally, and have always had a horse. Now I only have dogs, cats, horses and two mules. I know, a waste of good land but I sure love those mules! I've always wanted to have more property and be away from close neighbors. That dream was realized last year when we purchased 35 acres a few miles from us. The property is great, 13 acres in corn or beans, 13 left to wildlife, and the rest in timber, close to a lake. Unfortunately, there is nothing else so we will be starting from scratch, buildings, well, utilities, everything. We've got our old age project waiting for us which is better than sitting in front of the television. What's funny is that I've already got the locations picked out for a pond, garden, orchard, and the type of barn and chicken house I want, but have given almost no thought to a house for us. Priorities, I guess!!


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## Charly

Hi all...

My family is about to close on a home and 40 acres in SE Kansas in a couple of weeks. We are currently living in the suburbs of Kansas City. That said... I'm excited and nervous about the move. Have been a wannabe as far as living in the country for a long time, but have such a huge learning curve that I'm a bit nervous about the whole endeavor. I'm 46 and feeling almost too old to make this life change, but want to learn. 

My husband and I have two teen daughters. One graduates this year and the other has two more years of high school left. The oldest wants to stay here, but I just can't figure a way to swing that for her. So, I believe they will both be moving with us for now. 

If any of your folks are from SE Kansas, would REALLY like to find a mentor to help me on my path to becoming as self-sufficient as we can. We are actually moving to a community that has some Amish folks living about 5-10 minutes drive away. Heard they are buying land in the area in recent years. 

So... Get ready folks for all my dumb questions as I expose all my inadequacies. 

Looking forward to getting to know you and for your wisdom and knowledge!
Charly


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## Rainy

Hi, My name is Linda and I am in Kansas. I was raised out in the backwoods of Arkansas and I sure miss it.
I have called KS. home for 6 years now. My Husband and i are hoping that after my youngest son graduates to buy some land and go as much off grid as possible.
We love riding our motorcycle here there and everywhere,we enjoy gardening and we just bought an RV to travel in and to eventually and mostly live in the years to come.
I enjoy reading and learning all the wonderful things here.
Looking forward to getting to know you all.
Linda


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## Charly

Hi Rainy. Charly (Charlene) here - one post above yours
I too am in KS. Specifically in Overland Park for a bit longer, but closing on house with some acreage south by about an hour in a few weeks. 
I'm a newbie too. Wondered if anyone from KS was on here


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## emandeli

Hi there,

My name is Emandeli and I live on beautiful Vancouver Island, BC, Canada. We are a family of 4 soon to be 5 next month! We are moving to a nice slightly rural (for these areas) home on 14 acres or so...it is more in the country which we are looking forward to it. My three year old son is really looking forward to growing a garden, "planting seeds," and we are thinking we might dabble in having just a few grass fed beef cows. Looking forward to meeting you on here, and excited to meet people from all over North America!

Is there place on the forum to post pics of your home, or area, etc??


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## Lone Pine

Hello everyone!
Im a sahm of 2 boys, 1 girl. We have a small farm in eastern NC. We are trying to become more sustainable. I am so thankful for this site and all the wisdom of its members. We have 5.75 acres, 12 boer/dairy goats, 17 chickens, 1 roosters and 3 horses. We started with a small garden when we moved here 3 years ago it keeps getting bigger every year. We are wanting to become more self reliant and make our little place more sustainble. Its a work in progress! We love all the ideas and info we get here!


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## VA Susan

Hi I'm Susan. I'm a Christian and my husband and I live in Virginia. We bought our land almost 34 years ago and built our own home. We home schooled our two sons all the way through and now they're both grown. I do some house cleaning for people in our area and sell some of my calligraphy at craft shops. I recently opened a shop on Etsy but haven't sold anything there yet.
http://www.laurelcreekgallery.etsy.com/
My husband's an artist. He does portraits and still life.
http://www.billwysor.com


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## Rockyshore

Hi All,

I'm new here also. I grew up and still live in Central Indiana, but spent many years living on the East coast. I'm 42 and share a home w/my mother who has recently battled her second bout of breast cancer. Hopefully this is the last time we have to go through this. I'm a novice homesteader, but I get better everyday. I'm building our pantry and learing to can and garden. Small success are big victories in this area as I'm still trying to convince my family that this lifestyle is the way to go. I just take it one day at a time.


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## Momto5

Posted already as an individual thread and realized...duh!!!!Should have put it here.
Hi guys. Just a quick intro. Ive been lurking and absorbing for awhile now, and decided I better join. We live in a very, very small rural community in Upstate NY farm is about 3 miles from the house. 2 horses, 13 black angus (looks like we will be adding 3 babies), we just brought home 4 miniature donkeys 2 weekends ago and will be getting 3 Myotonic goats we have on reserve, the first weekend of June.
I am happily married (16+years) to a wonderful guy, we have 5 kiddos, ages 16-1. I am lucky enough to be a SAHM though have a Nursing degree and 2 associates degrees. 
We are a hobby farm, well some would say a sanctuary LOL not a farm, but it is what it is....
Thanks so much for all the info, you share here, it really helps. We are fairly new to livestock, (well I am anyway) so it helps to be able to read all this great stuff!!!
We garden...we hike, we camp, we swim in "holes", we travel quite often and are blessed to have a huge extended family who takes care of things when we are away. We eat as local and organic as we can and grow organic too.
Thanks again, glad to be here.


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## silvermoxy

I'm a 29 year old female who currently lives in the 5th largest City/Metro Area of the US. I'll be getting married to a wonderful guy come October. Currently no homestead, we're just renting a house with a tiny backyard, but the dream is always on my mind!

I know exactly what kind of chickens and cows I would purchase if we had the chance, lol, and I love these forums and am absorbing all the tips and advice I can.


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## LynnetteY

Hi All,
It was suggested to me that I introduce myself to the group since I am a new comer. I was on here years ago but it has been a while and the last time I was on under a different screen name. Some things have changed I am engaged to a wonderful man named Roy, and we are getting married in October. We are trying to start a family. He has 3 great kids already, 14, 19, and 22 years old. We have a black lab and a siberian husky. Max our lab is 11 and Lakota, our husky is 16 months. This is one of our family pics. The pugs are no longer with us. My ex husband and I shared joint custody for a while, but found it to be harder on the dogs the we had anticipated and felt it was best if they lived with him full time. His lifestyle is more conducive to their life style, so to speak. Hopefully this will help y'all get to know who I am and I look forward to getting to know all of you.


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## LynnetteY

I realize the pic I referred to is not her, I am having trouble uploading it.


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## jlrbhjmnc

I'm the mother of one and grandmother of two, one toddler and one soon to arrive (if I'd know then what I know now, I'd have had a whole bunch more children!). I'm in my mid-forties and married. Catholic convert. Until recently we lived at the beach and I had a busy and fun pet sitting business. We moved from coastal to western North Carolina to be near my now-grown (!) and married daughter and have a truly extended family lifestyle; we live in separate homes in the same neighborhood. This location also keeps us closer to Hubby's grown children and two grandchildren. I've always been interested in conserving the environment and taking care of what God provides for our use. The last few years homesteading has been an idea I could not shake, and I _really_ enjoyed our coastal lifestyle. But life has moved on and that's not our lifestyle any more! Right now we're a few miles outside of town on a little street of cookie-cutter homes with .72 acre. We are learning to take care of things ourselves after an entire marriage of picking up the phone and calling in a "professional." You would think no one else had ever installed a clothesline the day we did it, LOL. We were so happy to have completed a project together, with our own hands. Current goals include a slightly expanded garden (this is year 2 for us), canning some of the tomatoes, a successful compost pile and learning to do simple plumbing repairs. And we are learning the area's real estate, searching for the right piece of land for us, though we have to sell our old place and finish getting debt-free before we actually buy. We're taking things one step, one skill at a time. 

I am very grateful to have found this forum and appreciate the kindness and generosity on display here. THANK YOU to the owner and all who work to keep it going.


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## Suzyq2u

Hiya! My name is Suzy
Hubby, myself and our 2 girls currently live in Germany (hubby is military) with our 2 dogs one basset and one bloodhound, oh and a hand full of fish I've managed not to kill yet. We're across the pond for a few more months, just don't know where we're headed yet....wherever it is, we hope to be able to start a homestead of our own. Yup, we're dreamers  
Other than that, not much to tell. We've been doing a lot of lurking, figured it was time to break down and register.
Have a great week everyone!
~Suzy


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## scholtefamily

Hello! My name is Stacey. I have a wonderful husband, Sam, 5 great children ages 10 months to 10 years, 2 dairy cows, 50 chickens, 2 cats and 1 LGD. We are a Christian homeschooling family located in Beecher, IL. We bought our 10 acre farm fall of '09. Neither Sam nor I grew up on a farm and we are having fun learning as we go. Our cows are 100% grass fed and we strive to be very natural on our farm. We bought our cows a few months ago. Our interests as a family include, farming, baking(grinding our own wheat), cooking from scratch, herbs, drag racing, restoring classic cars and spending time as a family.

We look foward to getting to know you all better!


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## TexasAggie

I'll introduce myself on this site. I joined a little over a month ago. I was born during WWI and DW is a post WWII baby. We currently both still work (I work in hte field of emergency response to large disasters) and she mines data. 

We currently are in a city and on a small lot. We want to retire in 2011/12 and move closer to our 3.5 grandkids (2 boys, one girl). My DW grew up on a farm and doesn't want to live on a farm again, and I grew up in a small SE Texas city. I went to TAMU.

I want a property with 1 to five acres close to a city. 

I enjoy reading this site.

I enjoy gardening using Earthbox containers, hunting, working on 50 acres we have in east Texas but when we get to Houston, the grandkids take all of our time. As my DW states, work is interfering with our lives.

Thanks


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## msdaisy

Good evening, 

Heard about this website through my boyfriend, and thought it would be nice to join as well! I am in my mid 20's, and recently moved to Vacation Land!!! (aka Maine). We started our first veggie garden and compost pile earlier in the season, so I'm eager to learn more about those two things in particular . . . 

Well, nice to meet you guys, see you around the boards. :cowboy:

Ms Daisy


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## Mommyof7

I am a Stay-at-home and homeschooling mom to 7 children ages 1-10. We currently live in Arizona but desperately want to move back "home" to a large property in Oregon. DH is in the computer tech field and refuses to relocate without a lined up job so we may be stuck here longer than I would like.

I am loving reading all these tips and things and can't wait until I can actually put some of this to use. I know some people can "farm" in Arizona, but I have yet to even attempt to figure it out. Plus I don't want to get too settled because I am determined to move lol.


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## dinytcb

Hi everyone!
I have been a member for a while now and just realized I have'nt introduced myself. My user name is dinytcb. diny is short for Dianna and tcb is for takin care of babies. I am 57 years old, have 5 children and 12 grandchildren. I have a home daycare and my DH is retired. His income is fixed and mine comes and goes, so in the last few years I have learned to be frugal. We live in a small town in east central Indiana. I have a small garden here at the house and fruit trees and berries and a large veggie garden at my SIL country home. My Grandkids have chickens at their house, so they provide our eggs. I have relearned to can and just got a dehydrator. I have learned so much from these forums and I must admit I do have a little homestead envy. thanks so much!


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## 10kids

I'm Sally and I live in SE Washington. We "homestead" on 5 acres, and to us that means working toward living self sufficiently. We have a bull and a few cows, 2 milk cows, a boar and a few sows, and chickens for eggs and meat. We have a large garden, several berry beds and a small orchard. I can and sew. We eat what we raise/grow, except for the usual staples, mostly. We have 10 kids, ages 12-32 (not that it matters, but, 7 are adopted, sometimes I feel the need to say that so people don't take issue with me overpopulating) with 5 still at home, and 2 grandbabies. The major goal that we have left is to be off the grid. I love my life and appreciate finding this forum with like-minded people.


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## motherhen

Hi, I'm Adri. 3 years ago, my husband, Matt, and I moved our 5 children from our downtown victorian home in a large city to a 70s house in the country. We were ready for a complete change, but we compromised and ended up with less land than we wanted because we wanted a short commute to town because we knew that we would be doing a lot of driving for the kids and Matt's job. Once the kids are a older, we plan to buy more land further away from town. Matt builds exhibits for a living, mostly doing dinosaurs for museums.

We are slowly evolving and loving the process. I am sure our neighbours are amused by the "citiots" in the orchard, we learn a lot from them. We had 2 German Shorthaired Pointers and an elderly cat. First we got 40 something egg layers, and started to raise meat chickens and turkeys. Last year we purchased our first goat, a Saanen doe. This April, she gave birth to 2 beautiful doelings and they are doing great. Our property includes an apple orchard with about 40 trees and a 150 X 250 foot garden. In January 2009, we welcomed our 6th child, a boy, born at our new home. We dream of being self-sufficient, and savour every bit that we are able to produce.


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## nothingman

I'm still learning my way around this forum and thought I should stop in and introduce myself.

I'm from England, met a Canadian woman in Panama and ended up in Montreal! We're both city people, though I've never really felt comfortable in there. Too many people. Too much noise. I always wanted to be country :cowboy:

Now we've got 3yr old boy/girl twins and three weeks ago we moved onto my uncle-in-laws land in Gatineau, about an hour north of Ottawa. He's in a wheelchair and needs morning/evening care so my wife (his niece) provides the care and we both look after the land in return for no rent and use of the buildings, equipment, etc.

The land is 150 acres: barns, river, lake, forest, vegetable garden, hay fields. It currently houses 4 horses and seven assorted hens + a rooster. The chickens are leaving this week though to make way for our week old Barred Rock chicks that are currently living in a paddling pool in the spare room. We're picking up 4 Nigerian Dwarf goats this weekend, two does and two bucks. And within a couple of weeks we'll be getting a breeding stock of either Cali or NZ rabbits.

The plan is to become as self-sufficient as possible, right down to soap making from the fat of our goats. I'll be completely honest here, I'm a peak-oiler and believe we're looking at a very hard future. I wont push my thoughts at all though, I only bring it up here so that people can understand some of the personal decisions we are making, such as trying to feed our livestock from only what we can provide locally.

After all that, if you're still interested, we've started a little blog, mainly for my family in the UK to keep up with everything we're doing. I don't mention Peak Oil at all so don't be put off 

http://a-self-sufficient-life.blogspot.com/


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## Minelson

Welcome Nothingman! I have been watching your thread on the goat forum. I really like your barn. What an exciting adventure   Cant' wait to see the goat pictures!


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## TexasAggie

From a previous post, I am getting on in age so I may not be as hip as most of this board, so is there a listing of many of the abbreviations used on this board: dd, ds, etc.
Thanks


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## plath

I'm a 30something mom of one daughter and one little one on the way, due in December (gender yet to be discovered) in the metro-Detroit Michigan area. I'm a SAHM, and am really getting into very small scale homesteading, although we're definitely taking things slowly. This year we put in raised beds, tapped our maple trees and are building a chicken coop, so hopefully chickens next year, and we're looking into bees as well.
I'm an avid knitter, and hope to someday have sheep to shear so I can spin and knit the wool


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## Txrider

Ello all,

50 year old Texan here born and raised.

I'm single, never married, no kids. Worked so many different jobs over the years kind of a jack of all trades. Just me and a couple of old rescue dogs stuck in the suburbs where I never wanted to be.

I'm in Dallas now, but I'm closing next week on 11 acres close to Austin, close to family, and will likely be retiring down there debt free in the next few years maybe with the adjoining 10 acres if I can talk the owner into selling...

Anyway I'm here just looking for info on how to best prepare to make the best living off the place and produce as much for my own use as possible, maybe a little side income while I'm young enough to be able to supplement my savings, and get my retirement plans moving ahead full steam learning from others.

Texas aggie, the DH, DW, DD stuff is easy, it's just short for dear husband, dear wife, dear daughter.....


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## RebelDigger

HI to all of you! I am a 49 year old mother of two boys (men I should say). My eldest Robert is in the Army right now but about to get out. My youngest Chris now lives way up in Maine and prior Marine, Iraqi war vet. Robert has presented me with two lovely granddaughters Hailey age 9 and Victoria age 8. He and their mother are divorced but they live nereby so we see them a lot.

I live in Blue Mountain, Mississippi in a 118 year old Victorian house on a half acre lot. We own another home about six miles from here out in the country. It is a brick ranch style house on five acres with a pasture and barn. We rent it out at the moment.

My husband Charles is a retired electrician and I am a homemaker and I do a bit of sewing on the side of 19th century ladies clothing (mostly Civil War era). We are both Civil War reenactors and that is how I started sewing for money 9 years ago. I also maintain flower and vegtable gardens around the house, can, quilt a little and have chickens. I grew up in the country and learned a lot of useful stuff from my grandma like milking cows, making butter, making lye soap, gardening, canning, etc. I have also learned a lot about living off the grid from my research into 19th century life for the reenacting. For instance, I sew on a treadle sewing machine. I have an electric one but, actually prefer the treadle.

I am a Christian and a proud American. I still get teared up when the Star Spangled Banner is played and am unashamed of that fact. Let's see, what else! Of yes, my user name, I am literally a "Rebel Digger"--I graduated from Ole Miss (hence the Rebel part) and I majored in archaeology (the digger part LOL). I also garden and live in the South so you could say it is a double whammy!

Love this forum, have been lurking for a long time. Thanks, Maggie


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## tammyinbear

Hi all,
I'm a 47 yr old SAHM to a daughter, 2 four-legged sons (dogs, Duce and Pooh) step-mom to a son and daughter, plus 5 step-grandkids (but like my BIL says "the steps end at the door!). 
We live in Bear, Delaware at the moment, but have 55 acres in WV we'll be moving to in the near future. That move cannot come soon enough for me. I love it down there and though I'll probably be working harder, will be more relaxing without neighborhood kids messing will my garden! 
Tammy


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## froggyfarmgirl

Hi everyone! I'm Mika, a 30 yr old WAHM of 5 kiddos, wife to one very wonderful man. We live in Southern Indiana (about an hour south of Indy). We aren't homesteading yet, but will be taking over our first acre in a couple of months to start clearing it to build a pole barn to live in while we build a proper house. At that point we will gradually begin taking over the 45+ acres of land that is currently being sharecropped by a cousin. Part of the property is wooded, the rest we hope to convert to raising livestock. Although I was born and raised in the middle of cornfields, neither of my parents ever lived off the land more than a little bit of gardening. That even stopped while I was pretty young, so I'll be learning completely from scratch pretty much! 

I do sew (that's the WAHM part lol), and I'm a pretty good cook so I have those 2 skills pretty well down pat at least! I'm trying not to get too far ahead of myself and think things through logically. We'll first be building a compost pile on the edge of the property as that won't take any more attendance than coming by to drop off new additions every now and again. Then in the spring we'll get the barn built and can start keeping chickens and a garden. After that, well, we'll see how things go! Looking forward to learning alot! Anyone in this area want some farmhand volunteers? LOL!


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## Missourimom

I've been a longtime lurker and I thought I should go ahead and introduce myself. My name is Dana and I live in Missouri with my husband and two daughters. We don't have a homestead....actually, we live in the St.Louis city, so we're far from being homesteaders, but I absolutely love reading about the country life. It's a pleasure meeting all you finally.


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## MO_cows

Hello, all. I have been lurking for awhile and decided to register.

DH and me are both around 50. We are more "country living" than homesteading at this time with both of us holding down full time jobs. But dh wants to retire soon. So we need to become more frugal and self sufficient. We raise cattle and keep chickens. We need to do better with gardening and preserving. Looks like we can learn a lot here.


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## sdnapier

Hi,

My name is Sheryl and I live in Virginia on the coast along with a passle of cats. I love gardening and am trying to turn my yard into an urban farm. Have the (small) orchard started but no chickens or bees yet but hopefully soon. I really like this website and have learned a lot from all of you. Thanks so much!

Sheryl


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## katgen

Hi! My name is Katie. I've been lurking for a couple years now and have seen too many posts that I wanted to add to lately that I decided to join. 

I'm 33 and have been married to my wonderful husband for 14 years. I'm a SAHM and DH is a soldier in the USArmy and is currently stationed at Ft. Knox, KY. We have 3 kids. DS1 is almost 9, DS2 is almost 4, and our DD is 19 months. 

We are currently renting a house on 2 acres and DH is interested in getting chickens. I plan on getting a garden started next spring. I've been a huge fan of the tightwad thread to help me stay at home with our kids. 

I look forward to posting and asking some questions.


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## Sam'Shepherdess

Hello Everyone.

I've just signed on to this forum. My name is Diana and I raise Icelandic Sheep. I am a Shepherdess, aka Grass farmer. My most important job is to ensure that all ruminates have the right kind of browse, forage and grass to meet their needs. Also have guineas, ducks, chickens, a steer & heifer, LGDogs and farm cats. We live on 80 acres, the lower 40 are to be kept in woodland for hunting, the upper 40 we farm (no crops except the small garden) 

We are in the process of logging most of our upper 40 because the predator situation became so bad this winter; my losses were overwhelming. Not only did I loose sheep, but I lost my big male Pyr when he took off after what we believe was a large cat. At any rate, I decided that the predators were making more use of the woods than it was worth for my sheep, who love to browse and forage in the woodland. So we are now logging what we can off the upper 40, leaving shade trees. 

My husband, Jerry, is a truck driver, and dearly wants to get off the road and be home. I'm working on that honey! I also have a daughter who is also a truck driver and was just qualified for sea diving. Boy is she excited.

We are tied to the grid, and I hope to get some wind turbines and hook them into the grid. We are on a ridge top and have plenty of wind to share. I heat and cook with wood, raise as much food as I have time and skill to do. The rest I buy from a local organic gardener. I love reading, watching movies, cooking/baking, fishing & hunting, spinning, learning to weave, sing and dance. 

I'm Cherokee and my faith is that of my forefathers. We respect nature, all have a spirit to be reverenced. 

Ah well, ya'll will learn more about us as time goes on.

Our webpage is under construction:
www.ozarkicelandicsheep.com


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## Jill J C

Hello - 

My husband, two children and I live in the Hill Country in Texas. Beautiful country if I say so myself. I have enjoyed reading the forum and look forward to being able to participate. 

Jill


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## Lone Wolf

Well I am 26 years old right now I am a stay at home father due to me not being able to find work and the wife has. We have 2 kids Aryana 3.5 Ian 1.5. We are moving to South Dakota in February March at the latest. We live in Georgia right now and there are no jobs really. I hope by the time I am 30 to be able to buy some land or a ranch or small farm and start raising animals on our own my kids love animals and I want to raise them in a country setting and teach them the responsibility of taking care of things on their own.


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## grammea

Hello all,
Just joined and I am enjoying reading all the different posts.
I read quite a bit of the intros and have still not seen one post from Rhode Island.
I belong to a few boards one which I consider my home but no one from my state!
I am a 53 year old mom and grandma who stays at home due to disabilities.
I love to read,knit(though I'm far from an expert) and decorate my home in the country primitive style and live frugally and simply.
Looking forward to getting to know you all
Oh,how could I have forgotten the most important thing, I am a Christian!!!
God bless,
Helen(grammea)


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## siletz

Hello!
I'm a 38 year old wife and mother to 4 kids. We live in Siletz, Oregon where my husband pastors our small town church. We've been reading about homesteading and self-sufficiency for a long time now, but we just moved to our 4 acres outside of town and are needing to know so much more...fast! This forum has been a real blessing already, so thought we should join the group. 

Kate


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## homesteadorbust

Hello all,

I am a very soon to be 43 year old woman who now lives in Phoenix AZ. I have a home on two acres in the White Mountains of AZ that I plan on being moved into in the next year.

I lived in that area previously for 6 years and got the opportunity to garden, can, sew and well, quite frankly live frugally (very frugally). I had to move to the city to support my children and now long to move back up and become self sustainable. Goats, chickens, pigs, a garden, bees and possibly rabbits. I would love to live completely off the grid however that isn't a reality although I think it is good to know because I wonder if we all won't be soon anyway.

Anyhow, I am glad to be here to learn what I can and contribute when I can.

Happy holidays

Catherine
homesteadorbust.com


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## Mulegirl

Hi everyone!

Figured I should come introduce myself now that I've made a first post elsewhere--I'm a thirty-something professor and mom and wife who teaches for an online university. I'm currently living in the Lake Effect End of New York state, but will be moving home to Virginia as soon as our house sells up here (which might be soon--our realtor called to tell us we have an offer!). My mother still owns our family's 11 acres down there, and is willing to subdivide and let the husband and I build on part of the land so long as she gets to help by being daycare Grammy for our son. So soon, hopefully within a year or so, we'll be building a small dream-house in the foothills of the Blue Ridge, figuring out the orchard layout, and deciding what kind of livestock to get.

Looking forward to chatting with everyone!


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## twomeal

Wow. How intimidating to introduce myself when others have been here for close to ten years. Thanks for the warm reception on the board.

I'm LeAnn, I'm 28, married to a man who has the same goals in life as me, and we have a 6 month old baby boy. I'm in the Army Reserves and am currently deployed in Iraq for the next year. 

Since day 1 together, our dream has been to live on a little piece of property in the middle of nowhere, raise our own food, school our babies the way we choose, and just generally take care of ourselves in our own way. My husband is somewhat of a conspiracy theorist, and it has rubbed off on me. 

We have paid off all of our debt (save for a small student loan) and have very few bills. While I am away, my husband and son are living for free with my kind parents. We are saving every last penny in order to buy the right home for us when I return. We would like a few acres and a fixer upper house. Solar power and off-grid living is what we strive for. Having close to zero bills is my number one priority.

I'm really excited about the information I have found on this forum. The tips on raising animals and gardening are so far invaluable. I look forward to learning a lot from you all and having kinship with like-minded people.


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## violet_kelly

Hello, I have lurked here for a couple of years and have only posted a few times. I figured I should go ahead and get my intro into the books. 

I'm a 27 year old SAHM with a 1 year old daughter, Ava. I have always been interested in plants and gardening and within the last couple of years I have decided that I would ultimately like to be self-sufficient. I'm slowly bringing my husband into the fold.  

I have a couple of degrees (all plant related), but when we found out we were expecting, I decided that I would rather be a parent than hunt for a job in this terrible economy. We cloth diaper, breastfeed, and I make our daughter's baby food. This saves us tons of money!

We live between Austin and Houston, TX. Our house is a small, newer build and we absolutely love it! We got it for a steal from one of my husband's coworkers. My only wish is that we could have it out in the country on some acreage. I would love to be able to have a big garden with chickens. I quickly put in two raised garden beds that provided a small amount of veggies for us this past summer. Next year I hope to do better. I would like to get a couple of chickens, but I will have to get a variance on the city's rules.  We live too close to our neighbors.

I love cooking from scratch, gardening, reading, sewing, and being a mom. :happy:

Let's see...we also have one dog, a corgi, named Bindi and one cat, named Sydney. I also have a horse, a sorrel mare, named Red, but she isn't with us at this time. 

God Bless!


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## Sweetsong

Hi, 

What a great site! I found it, believe it or not, because I was looking for information on a new treadle sewing machine so I can sew when...well, you know. Really enjoy reading the posts.

I am 51 years old and I've been married for 29+ years to my dh who I met at family camp meeting when I was 16. We did not have any children, but we've had dogs (three currently, rather elderly, furry people). I am a secretary right now which I was NOT trained for, but I do have a degree in Home Economics.

We live in a small town, but we could get acreage from my father. We are still debating (arguing) about whether to get it or not as we just don't have the $$$$ to develop it. It is just that, farmland without trees, or any contour. I garden a little here in town, but just can't dig up that much with a shovel. LOL 

Thanks for reading.


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## GardenNut

Hey there,

Been on here a bit now; finally saw this float past on the "New Posts". I'm a SAHM of two boys, living on an acre in western WA. I garden and cook from scratch, lessening my dependence on the grocery store. I also knit, read loads, and am trying to figure out what my next "gig" will be.


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## Peggy

hello, 
have being reading post for about a year now. Love all the great ideas. 
am married to a wonderful man for 25 year this coming Sept. one daughter. two dogs and one very fat cat. 
someday hope to have a homestead with a few Chickens. I enjoy gardening and have several fruit trees.


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## GOOD tom

Newbie:

Hello everyone... name is Tom (hence GOOD Tom).

I am an urban cat and because of my wife preferences, probably always will be..... (hence GOOD Tom) 

I have always been a guy who like to be prep'd for anything, and that is what I am here for....

I will probably spend a lot of time lurking, reading.... and just absorbing information......

I will probably spend most of my time in the "survival and emergency" section and I might even have a few thing too add there.... from a urban point of view.

I, I, I, I, lol..... Well time for my commute! Have a good day!


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## Delicate

Long time lurker, been a little scared to join up but I've finally taken the plunge!
I'm a now-former city girl, homesteading as best I can on 20 acres smack in the middle of a sprawling city-suburb in Western Washington. Love the mix of urban convenience and country simplicity! I'm still learning and experimenting, having no experience with growing anything more than houseplants until 6 years ago, but I'm tough and I'll try anything and try again until it's the way I want it!

I'm a WAH mama of 4 homeschooled girls (8, 6, 4 and 3) and happily UNmarried to my partner of 5 years, whose job takes him away from us quite a bit and often for long periods of time, so often it's just us girls on our own.

Right now we have 3 acres in various berries which is run as a PYO operation in the summer, 1 in a pumpkin patch, a bit under an acre in a small orchard, 1/4 acre vegetable garden which is still under development but is highly productive, a small woodland (backing to the state park), a nice little 1/2 acre pond, and a creek. The rest is in paddocks and buildings for various beasties including an equestrian operation. We have goats, chickens, two Jerseys (cow/calf), horses, ducks, dogs, cats and fish. This year our new undertaking is beekeeping, and so far so fabulous!


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## RON L

Hello all, RON L here

We are Living in West Virginia! I am a Retired navy man of More than 24 years, I worked int he medical, Weapons and heavy Electonics and Missle techologys! I am a father of 3 sons, my Youngest is currently in Afganistan and my Middle son is in Telecomunications, My Oldest son lives in BNearby Va and is hoping to continue his colege education! I ahve a few small Busnesses and I work with my Wife who is a canver Survivor, we have what we need, we are Rich Beyond most! We Have LOVE and caringing for each other! While our bank account may not Impress many, we are sme of the happiest and Richest folks we know? I look forward to sharing with you all, learning and if the oppertunty presents itself maybe even teaching some of what we know and do? I'm s happy we found this Site and Special thanks to Christi/Lori and Rommys baskets for sending us the link!!!! 




RON L


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## katydid

Hi all. I've been loving reading and exploring this site, and thought I should say hi and introduce myself.
My name is Katie, and I'm a single gal, 31, living in NW Ohio and trying to take care of my small 20 acres while working full-time in nearby town.
I enjoy producing things myself and feel anything I can grow, forage, hunt myself in general is 1000% over what I can get in the stores. That said, I am still a long way from self-sustaining....sigh. 
My little piece of ground currently is home to me, 1 dog, 6 laying hens, a small flock of sheep, and an always variable small number of steers and heifers spring thru fall. (They overwinter at my parents farm.)
I may lurk alot but I'll try to chirp up here and there. There sure is a wealth of information here. Thanks all.


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## MyFullHouse

I've really been enjoying all of the information here!

I'm a 33yo homeschooling sahm to 5 kids (newborn to 12). Dh and I were raised in suburbia, but I spent all of my summers and many weekends "camping" (in as much as park model trailers count as camping) on a farm.
Our first 3 kids were born into apartment living, then we bought our house 5 years ago.

We only have a little more than an acre of property, but it's completely surrounded by woods, on a non-thru road, so it gives the feeling of being out in the middle of nowhere. We are a good 20-30 minutes from the nearest Walmart, so I guess that *is* the middle of nowhere to many people, lol.

Our "livestock" consists of 2 big, dumb dogs and 2 obnoxious house cats.
We hope to eventually get a larger house with plenty of land to raise smallish animals (chickens, goats, maybe sheep) and grow much more produce.

In the meantime, we plan to expand our Square Foot garden this year and learn more about preserving our crops. :grin:


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## deliberatelife

I've lurked here a long time (probably 8 years), and it's time I joined in. I grew up in Montana on a small farm and from the time I was very young I wanted to be a homesteader. I was homeschooled from 4th grade until I graduate from high school and I spent all of my free time learning how to make things by hand and how to grow my own food. 

Later I moved to Canada to be with the love of my life, got married and had three girls. We have been married for 8 years and our girls are 8, 5 and 1.5. Of course, we wanted to buy land but it's so expensive on the west coast of Canada where we live that we haven't been able to. So we started converting a 37' Blue Bird school bus and last year we lived in it for 6 months while parked at a farm as we converted it. That was an adventure! Over the winter we took a bit of a break, but we are just about to finish the bus up and move back in. The bus is named The Albatross. (If you're interested in how we are building the bus, we have a little Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/steampunkbus)

Our plans aren't set in stone right now, but we are thinking we will head back to Montana and try to find some cheap land, or really anywhere in the western US (it's nearer my family). Then we'll put the bus there and build. 

I have a blog: http://www.nicolefaires.com. It used to be called Deliberate Life, but my book by the same name was picked up by a publisher and I needed to change my address. Now the book is called The Ultimate Guide to Homesteading: An Encyclopedia of Independent Living.

I'm looking forward to getting to know you.


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## Marabunta

Hi all,

I've recently registered, but have eavesdropped on your interesting conversations for quite some time.

I'm a middle-aged fellow living solo in north Texas. Having done the city thing for a good chunk of my life, I've returned to my roots as a country boy. Not much land to work with as yet, but doing what I can with a small lake lot.

I've spent most of my "lurking" time in the S&EP area, since events in recent times seem to indicate trouble ahead. With the aid of info I've found there, I've got the one year supply stocked.

But since even a year's supply of stuff is exhausted after a year, I'm also working toward greater self-reliance - which means getting my small lot in shape for raising food of both the animal and vegetable sort. So I expect to be raiding your various knowledge-vaults even further. Thank you all for contributing to those stores of information!


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## josafeen

I have been married for 22 years to my best friend (we got married at 18 . We love Jesus, He is our all in all. We have three children, we live on 4 acres near placerville, we have 3 dogs (one is an indoor, italian grayhound, which throws the whole stereotype off, lol), some cats, some rabbits, some goats, some horses, 3 little pigs... oh some laying hens and pretty soon some meaties . Oh, i am recently a grandma! That's a kick. My youngest is 17, she is still at home, a junior in highschool, vp of FFA, she raises pigs for fair and barrel races and does gymkhana. 
My husband has a hardwood flooring business, and i am a graphic and product designer, for the scrapbooking industry. 
I love cooking, painting, reading, gardening, and have way too many unfinished projects it seems. I would really really love to get my home food system running smoothly. In my mind I see this small farm shangrila, with home grown meat and veggies, all working in harmonious permacultural bliss, with ne'r a visit to the grocery store. right. LOL. 
I LOVE this site!


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## Morakai

Greetings to all! I am a recently divorced lady, and though I am new come to homesteading, I do have some roots in it. My gram taught me how to weed & tend gardens, to can, pick berries & then make them into jams & jellies. I rode horseback and learned barn management as well. I have been very interested in how things were done before electricity, though have to admit that I know more from the 1500's than earlier Colonial times.  I am also relearning all my herblore that I lost, and getting back into my herbal pharmacy, and making my marinades. 

Short history... I am a country girl that had to spend most of her time in the city. My mom would move around alot, and mostly to cities. However, no matter where we moved, I went to my grandparents for the summer the day after school ended till 2 weeks before school would start. This is where my love of the country comes from. Grandparents had 40 acres in Northern Aroostick County in Maine. It was 14 miles from the Canadian border at the very end of I-95. This is where my love of doing for myself with the land comes from... My grandparents. 

In my early 20's I got cancer. I spent on average about 3 weeks of every month for over a year in isolation due to the type I had. Luckily, I have been officially cured, but not without it taking quite a few things. My photographic memory, as well as some memories. My stamina... Can't stand in one place for more than 7-10 mins without getting sick. And a few other annoying side effects. However, I am alive, and I *WILL* live my dream someday. So it is always a good day! 

Now that I am older, I am looking to find a way to be able to get to the land, and learn to live off the grid, and do so sustainably. This is my dream. To live on a homestead or something close to it. I am a 5th generation pack rat, though have to admit that we only save that which is still good. Which means I have MANY hand-me-downs still functioning that would help around a homestead. However, I still have much to learn. I know how to take items and process them for use, but I need more lessons in how to run a homestead, though I have been reading like mad, in between herbology classes! 

Thank you for your time, and I hope didn't bore you too much!  I also thank you all for such terrific reading, for I find many gems of information as well as inspiration! I look forward each day to learn something new! 

Sincerely from the late bloomer,

Morakai
currently in Florida


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## NataliaTwoDoes

I already posted my intro without realizing that there was a place for the intro, just another reminder that it pays to read directions before executing:teehee:. Okay so I am just repeating myself for parts of this BUT I am a married mother of three, was an avid Mother Earth News reader up until it started making me wish for more than I had the cash to support. I realize that building up to a self-sufficient lifestyle takes time and patience. Hopefully Ill be there by the time I'm 50, that gives me 19 years or so to figure it out from here. 

We live in Northern California in the foothill area near Sacramento. I like a lot about it this place but don't care for the Cost of living. We have a pretty supportive community which we are thankful for. 

I have about 20 chickens which were my first step towards my goal of self sufficiency. After a couple of years with chickens I decided that I may try dairy goats and I got to looking for good advice on maintaining them and found this website. I now have 5 acres (rent) my chickens,my dog, my cats, and two dairy goats that are set to be bred this coming Saturday to a 1/2 TX Twin Creeks NDG dairy buck. Im very excited about it. It was a chance meeting and the breeder seems perfectly willing to allow me to pick her brain as much as I need to. 

Anyway Im glad to have found this forum. Im looking forward to reading all of the experiences you all have in homesteading and the selfsufficient lifestyle.

Natalia


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## Panther

Hey all! I know I haven't posted here in AGES, actually over 3 years believe it or not.

What happened was that our dream of moving to a place in the country just wasn't happening and we were thoroughly discouraged to the point of giving up in despair.

BUT GUESS WHAT?!?!? Our house is SOLD and we move to our small farm June 30!!!!!

Can you believe it??? Sure there are issues...like we have to be out of our place in 3 weeks, so we will be living in a trailer for 2 months, but SO WHAT?! WE GOT OUR PLACE IN THE COUNTRY!!!

I'm going to make this forum my new home, as I have a TON of things to learn. I'm 45 and Mrs. Panther is will be 50 by the time we move. We have waited our whole lives for this, so I'm trying to look on the bright side that it's never too late to start Homesteading.

Looking forward to getting to know all of you!

Cheers!

Dave


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## r93000

I originally joined the group several years ago, but due to various circumstances I have not been around- other than the occassional quick peek 

I am a 30 y/o married mama of 3. The minions are: girl, almost 10; boy, almost 9; and girl 6. I am also a special education teacher in Colorado Springs. Fingerscrossed that I won't be making the drive anymore at the end of this contract.

We lived in a very nice townhouse (arg!!!) in the city for 11 months while we waited for our previous home to sell in eastern Kansas. After the longest year, we have been able to settle back into something more comfortable. We now have a lovely stick built rancher with 8 acres on a dead end road outside a small community to the east of the Royal Gorge. 

For a couple who grew up in the GREEN of the Ozark Mtns, this area is a whole new ball of wax. New plants, new wildlife, and new rules to learn and teach the kiddos. I am on the hunt for knowledge from all of you! We are going to get lessons from a neighbor on how to operate and maintain the swamp cooler. They looked at me like I was a nut job when I went up the road and asked, until I explained that where we were from you did NOT want to add more humidity to the air


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## amandak

Hello, I'm 26, been married for 8 years, and have three beautiful daughters aged: 7, 5, and 2. I'm a homeschooling mom, and a college student myself at Colorado Christian University online. I love homesteading, or more specifically, I love learning how to do things myself to better take care of my family. I grew up in a small town in Northern MN, and my parents owned a pizza restaurant, so I learned how to work hard but I was never required to do anything myself as far as learning new skills, tending a garden (though we had one a couple of years), etc. But I always loved the outdoors, hunting, fishing, and horses. I never would have guessed at the time that I would be as passionate about homesteading and self-sufficiency as I am. Since getting married, and moving to southern Ohio I've had to learn to be more thrifty, and have found that thriftiness breeds creativity. So I taught myself how to cook, grow a garden, bake bread, preserve foods, crochet, tend chickens, and recycle creatively. I also love to write, paint, do photography, web design, hike, travel, and learn to do new skills in general. I would probably try anything once. I love Jesus, and I have a passion for missions. My husband and I plan to attend a YWAM training session with out family next spring. To help raise funds for that I created a website called sharesteading.org with a vision to create an online community for homesteaders, to help make their websites, products, and farms more easy to find. It's starting out slow, but I'm trying not to get discouraged. 

Anyways, I love my life, and I love my family. I feel like I was born a few centuries too late, and so does my husband. We're old souls just trying to stay grounded even though we're surrounded by, and actively involved in, the technology available today. We're doing our best to walk towards self-sufficiency, and we're hoping to meet others along the way who feel the same way. I know that total self-sufficiency is probably an unlikely goal, but if we can surround ourselves with a community of like-minded people, maybe we could work together to help support one another in this wavering economy. I believe that everyone can contribute something great, even if it seems like a small thing at first.


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## Rainy

HI, I can't remember if i ever introduce myself here or not,so i hope its okay if i do.
I am Rainy(Linda) is my real name, i am 46, married to a wonderful man. We live in Kansas. I have two Sons, Nick is 15, DJ is 27. DJ is married and i have a stepGrandson .
We live in alittle town, that is not for sure about me... I have a clothesline in the back yard, ripped up half my backyard and its now garden and we ask the neighbors if we could have 4 chickens...LOL That's all me... i love it here and Thanks for letting me be a part of your lives.


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## SamanthaB

Hi I am Samantha (obviously, lol) I'm 28 year old full time mom, part time preschool teacher. I have a 2 year old (today!) daughter and have been married 5 years. We live on a little bit of land (3 acres) and are taking baby steps to become more self sufficient. We have 6 young chickens and 2 ducks. Hopefully going to get some goats and a cow sometime. We also have a pretty good sized garden. Anyhow I joined a while back but haven't gotten around to posting yet. Looking forward to getting to know ya'll.


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## alpacamom

I've posted here off and on for a few years, so forgive me if I did an introduction before and I'm forgetting.

I'm Paula, a 42 year old SAHM to 2 boys; Jonathan will be 14 next week and Nicholas turned 13 last month. Mike (he's 35) and I have been married 14 years, together 15, and met online in a chatroom. I met him IRL and moved in with him at the same time and we've been together ever since except for his 3 month TDY to Saudi Arabia when he was in the USAF. When he got out of the USAF, we moved to IL where he grew up and stayed there 8 years before moving to Iowa in 2006. We currently have a small, 12 acre farm in east central Iowa where we raise suri alpacas and chickens. We have 3 dogs (2 indoor, 1 LGD), 11 cats (7 indoor, 4 barn), 7 alpacas with one due any day, 1 umbrella cockatoo, and about 25 egg laying chickens with an additional 25 at a time that we butcher in the spring and fall.

We have a small garden area where we have been doing the square foot gardening for the past 2 years and are learning to can and freeze the veggies we grow.

I enjoy photography, animals, being a mom, living in the country, the internet, sudoku puzzles, and learning things. I also enjoy coming to this board and learning from everyone here!


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## LLD672

I am a future homesteading wannabe.. I have no former knowledge of country living or living off the land. I was raised in a midsize small town(Trailer Park) .
I'm trying my hand at growing a few things this summer in containers(tomotoes,Green and red Peppers,and pototoes.
Hope to make lots of new friend and learn lots of cool information.
LLD672


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## elderberryjam

This is my very first post here. I was born in 1964 (46 at the time of this post), and am a mother of 4. We are homeschooling our youngest child. My husband and I live on his family's farm in eastern Ohio. He is a full-time farmer, and I work outside of the home. I found this forum Googling elderberries when a friend asked me when they ripened, and I couldn't remember. I like making elderberry jelly every 2-3 summers, and my friends know this.


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## Ruralnurse

Hello,

I have been perusing this site for a while and contemplating joining. The main reason for my waiting is that I can see I enjoy it here and can see myself spending a bit too much time here! I have been attracted to this and other sites lately. I have realized at this point in my life I have accomplished much but have not felt fulfilled in my home life. 

In looking at what I am missing I have looked at my past. I was raised (one of five) by a self employed lumber jack/small rancher/farmer and a stay at home mom that made most of the kids clothes, canned, baked our own bread and could stretch a dime like no one. I and my little brother milked the meanest brown swiss cow known to man along with having all the other chores that farm/ranch kids have. We gardened, heated with wood that we harvested in the mountains, had chickens, cows, pigs, and rabbits. We had this life. And I am realizing that I miss it. 

I now find myself successful in my professional life and am overjoyed at the children I have produced. But I want more; I want what I used to have. So in trying to negotiate my way back to it, I have come here. 

A bit more details if interested: I love God, live in Montana (born and raised), have 6 children â 28 son, married, no children, lives away; 24 daughter, married one amazing 16 mo grandson and another due in Sept, just moved away; 22 daughter, engaged, just graduated college and moved 6 hrs away; 20 daughter, away in the east to college (home for summerâ¦yea!) just married a sailor; 17 son, homeschooling for now; 4 son, yea he was a surprise but a blessing, I am a nurse practitioner (FYI NPs are usually much more alternative and holistic minded than physicians), work full time, teach part time, have been separated from my husband of 29 years for 4 years (nice guy but try as I might I canât compete with Budweiser), live in a very small town, looking to buy property out of town, trying to fit more hours in every day. 

I hope to add to the discussions, relearn things I forgot, and keep the faith as I try to get back to where I was while keeping everything I have gained. 

Ruralnurse


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## Brownie

Hi, everyone! I have come to this site for a long time but it's very sporadic. I have had to re-register about 5 times because I can't remember my username half the time. Anyway, this site is always a good resource when I need info. I don't have a lot to contribute, so I usually don't say anything. But, I thought I would introduce myself in case I do decide to say something!

Anyway, I'm 27 and recently married. We are hoping to become pregnant with our first child this fall. I am a country girl who lives in the city. Hubby and I are planning to buy a house once we pay off his pickup (the last of our consumer debt) and can save up enough for closing costs. Probably about a year. 

I appreciate all the good info and advice that is shared here!


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## blynn

Hello! I'm 32, married to my dear husband for nearly three years. I have been a member of this site for a time, but was kinda depressed about our circumstances and couldn't even stand reading about homesteading for a while, it hurt too much. My husband and I were finally able to move from our condo in the metro area, and are now living in a 101 year old house in small town MN. We wanted land, but bought what we couple afford instead. We live on a 1/4 acre lot in town. The back yard is fenced with a big privacy fence and the houses are not close by, so we have a fair amount of privacy for town living. It's 100% better than living in our condo, which was something of a negative experiance for many, many reasons. For the last month or so I have been a stay at home wife, no kids yet. Just a four year old pug-zu who follows me around like my very own personal shadow. Her name is Muppet, which suits her perfectly. I have been working on putting in my garden and have a lot of container gardening going on this year as we were not able to put in all the beds we wanted to in the back yard yet. I have 12 tomatoes and they are starting to blossom, I am so excited! I have 'practiced' canning for a few years with farmer's market produce and things I grew in a garden on a relative's property, and I am very excited to hopefully be processing food from my own back yard this year! We also have a grape arbor that came with the house, and last fall I made some nice grape jam, looking forward to doing that again this year. I am trying to change my outlook in life and I am working on just being happy with what I have, and no longer thinking of the things I wish I had. 
I can't seem to stay away from this site lately, and really appreciate all the knowledge and stories from you all.


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## snowlady

Hello all. I have been lurking for awhile and just signed on. 
I'm a 46 year old married mother of 2 teenagers! 
I am an RN but have been working as a teacher's aide for a few years now. The hours are great! We live in the country but not really on a farm in Illinois. I enjoy gardening, needlework, reading, and canning. Last winter we purchased the surrounding timber and tillable acres so we have 17 timber, 17 tillable and 6 yard acres. That keeps me busy. We are cleaning up the timber and have some trails open for 4-wheeler riding. Glad to meet everyone.


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## CountryWmn

Hello everyone. I have spent a lot of time on this site over the past couple of years and have learned so much from everyone.

I am 44, engaged to a wonderful man and have 3 children. My oldest daughter married last year, son is in college and youngest daughter will graduate high school this school year.

My fiance lives in So. Central MO. where he has purchased a farm and I cannot wait to join him there.  

I just wanted to give a quick intro and thank everyone for sharing their wisdom and stories.


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## northstitch

I keep finding myself reading stuff on this site so it must be time to let you know a little about me.

I have been divorced for 4 years and I have 2 sons, 24 and 22. The oldest is married and are expecting in Dec. I am so excited to become a Grandma !! 

After my divorce I worked 3 jobs to make ends meet. That didn't really work out..Uncle Sam just took more and I was gone all the time and when I was home I was too tired to do anything. So quit the 3rd job (nursing asst) I work as an Aide in Spec Ed, been there for 11 years and I do personal care for Spec. needs girl. So now my plan is to be more self sufficient to make ends meet.

I grew up in a homesteading lifestyle ( as a kid I didn't think it was cool like I do now ). I like to garden, sew, drink coffee, camping, being outside, cook. Only have dogs for animals but maybe someday...!!!

Nice to meet you !!


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## RuffusWI

Hi Tom from WI. I used to own a 25 acre farm 6rs ago. Raised cattle,goats,chickens and pigs. Gave it up. Got into $ problems. Sold the farm paid off the debt. Bought a 5 acre fancy house in the woods. Complete with HIGH taxes and a big mortgage. I got divorced and I have the expensive home. After some soul searcing I decied I want to go back to the farm. Looking for a place now. But in the mean time I live frugal,cleaned out the old chicken coop and do what I can. Plan and Plan. Woodworker by trade and I plan on going on my own. I hunt- fish -trap. Want to learn about root gathering,do more gardening.Get back to raising my own meat.Getting into artsy stuff to sell to the tourists. Amazing what I guy can do do with a pile of junk, a welder and some PBR's! LOl


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## loghome mom

It's time to stop lurking. I've been a member since 2005 and this is only my 3rd post. My husband and I live in Northeast Michigan on 120 acres. We built our log home 19 years ago with trees we cut from the property. We have two grown sons - one lives in Chicago and the other in Asheville, North Carolina. Both great places to visit. Right now we have only horses (3 riding and 2 draft), but we have had beef cows, a milk cow, pigs and chickens. Our garden is huge and getting bigger every year. We love to learn and are interested in everything homesteading!


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## andabigmac

Hi there. I'm Dawn. I'm 41, married and have two sons, 19 and 23. They are both in college. I'm originally from Washington state. I live in the high desert of Utah. People come from all over the world to visit my area and see the natural beauty. I personally am sick of rocks. Dh and I are saving for a place a little greener and bigger. 
We have a little over three acres and way too many animals on it. We have horses, meat, dairy and a fiber goat, guinea hogs, meat and egg chickens, ducks, turkeys, a goose, bees, fish, 3 dogs and 1 and 3/4 cats. I have huge gardens that grow more weeds than vegetables (at least this year). I love to knit and would love to learn to spin. My dh and I try to grow all of our food that we possibly can. 
I'm usually a pretty big smart alec. If you read something I post and think "Is she serious?" I'm probably not.:teehee: Its nice to be here and I hope to keep learning from all of you.


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## gotmules

Hi, I live in central Missouri with my husband of 33 years, Richard. I have been working on the basics ( planting fruit trees, starting a garden, building chicken house), and hope to hone my homesteading skills. I have lurked for a while, and gotten many great ideas from you all. Our sons are grown, and dont live nearby, but that may change as the economy deteriorates. planning for the worst, hoping for the best.


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## TenBusyBees

Hi. We're a family of 10 and we've always had the dream of having a place where the children could run, play and be children. That dream became a reality last year when we came across a honey of a deal, a fixer-upper on 20 wooded acres. We're in TX but it depends who you talk to whether we are in north TX or central TX.

The dream has now evolved into homesteading and self-suffciency. So...here we are, learning as we go.

TenBusyBees


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## simka2

I am a 30+ mother of 4 great kiddos! dd10, dss 9 and 9, and ds6. We recently relocated from Mo to Tx and have found a 210 acre ranch we will be moving to in a few weeks.

I have trained horses, managed large horse farms, and been a riding instructor for many years. I stopped when dd began showing in earnest and we made the decision to homeschool our children. 

I come from a large family of artists, in fact my mother is a talented fiber artist for whom I do piecework on occasion. One of the things I am truly looking forward to in this move is devloping my own skills in fiber production.

I look forward to getting to know you all! I am very active on another forum, am not a troll, and if anyone has suspisions I would be happy to link you to that forum. They'll vouch for me! :thumb:


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## mikec4193

Hi Everyone
I wasnt sure what I was supposed to do here but I will give it a shot. I am 50 years old and married to a wonderful lady since 2009. We are trying to become more self-sufficient than we are now. Between the two of us we have 5 wonderful kids. My son lives in NE Kansas and my daughter lives in Rochestor NY. My wifes kids all live within 45 minute ride from us.
We currently live on an almost 2 acre parcel of land in upstate NY....it used to be country but the powers to be wanted it to be a new high-tech town so we currently have 11 roundabouts with 14,000 people calling this town home. The new Tech-Park is causing nothing but more pollution and traffic congestion. There are also 3 new high-rise apartments being built as we speak.
I am currently looking at 6 more years in this area and then we will be moving hopefully to the mid-west part of the country. I am hoping to get a semi-decent pension from the county job and hopefully get our money back on our 2 acre patch of dirt when it comes time to move out west.
We currently have at least 3 different veggie gardens and each year they are growing insize. Also we are getting a woodstove up and working so we can wean ourselves off of the whole oil thing.
I am sure how much I will post because I am in a huge learning curve with all this stuff...


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## amygrimis

Hi all, I'm Amy (30), married for almost 7 yrs and mom to a 5 yr old (in a week!). We are a former military family and own a house back in TX that we can't sell because the market is so bad. So, we are renting a place near Flagstaff, AZ, and are moving in over the next several weeks. DH was raised with a lot of self-sufficiency and bartering where I was raised with none of that. His parents will be living with us and we're all excited (even my family who will be a couple hours away) to get our gardening under way. I'll be looking for lots of advice as I learn how to do all of this! I am a treehugger, so it's a lifestyle I've been wanting for a long time! lol


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## LariatLady

Howdy all! Victoria aka Vic aka Tori here. I registered back in '09 but totally forgot about it. Went searching today for a Homesteading Forum and came across HT, then realized I was already registered!! :hrm:

Let's see... I'm a 52 year old country gal stuck way too close to the big city for my taste. I came from a 55-acre farm in Middle TN that was heaven-on-earth to me. Loved, loved, loved it but after my divorce, couldn't get a job close enough to make it worthwhile. Didn't want to lose the farm, so I ended up getting a job in Atlanta, where I spent the weekdays and then returned home on the weekends to mow, feed, and clean up. The plan was to work the Atlanta job until I could find something close to home... but I fell in love and here I still am. The good news is, the farm is leased out and we bought an eight acre homestead in the Cherokee National Forest at the beginning of the year. YEEEEHA!! :sing:

I've been married almost 29 years ... collectively. hee hee







Fifteen years the first go-around which produced my two precious sons. Ten years on the second go-around. The third time is the charm... we'll be married four years in January. Wooohooo!!

We are looking forward to homesteading-off-the-grid. We already purchased a 38' park model travel trailer to live in on the property until we decide where we want to build and what we want to build. So far we're toying with the idea of either a cabin or an earth berm home.

We got our first set of solar panels that we use on the travel trailer but the trailer is still at a private campground. We need to prepare a place to park the trailer at the property and haven't had the time to do that... or remove the massive tree that fell across our driveway! Oh joy. The fun has begun and we're not even there yet! lol.









We have a wonderful spring fed creek that runs into the Hiwassee River that has the cleanest, purest, best water ever! Had it tested and was overjoyed to learn of its quality.

We want to get a few goats for weed control and for milk to make goats milk soap. Also would love a few hens. I miss my fresh eggs right from the hen. Now I have to drive 20 miles to get fresh eggs.







Since my diet consists mainly of raw fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds, I don't have to worry about processing any animals. Phew!









What we are really excited about is our plan to use the property as a ministry to provide a transitional home/shelter/sanctuary to people who have been displaced due to abandonment, domestic issues, or economic conditions, and those who have no place to go or nowhere to turn an opportunity to regroup, refresh, renew in a Christian environment. We would also teach them how to draw near to God, and how to be self-sufficient and self-supporting.

On a personal note, I enjoy making natural soaps and cleansers, shampoos, body lotions and lip balms. I enjoy gardening and can't wait to plant fruit trees along the creek. I am into natural healing and am eager to learn what wild edibles are growing on our land. Hubby and I both enjoying riding out scoots. This is just a glimpse of what our preliminary plans are. I'm just so eager to get out there and get started. Heck, I'm not getting any younger!! lol. 
I love to read others' experiences and look forward to forming friendships with like-minded people.









Oh, and as you can see, I'm an emoticon freak! lol.


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## LariatLady

amygrimis said:


> Hi all, I'm Amy (30), married for almost 7 yrs and mom to a 5 yr old (in a week!). We are a former military family and own a house back in TX that we can't sell because the market is so bad. So, we are renting a place near Flagstaff, AZ, and are moving in over the next several weeks. DH was raised with a lot of self-sufficiency and bartering where I was raised with none of that. His parents will be living with us and we're all excited (even my family who will be a couple hours away) to get our gardening under way. I'll be looking for lots of advice as I learn how to do all of this! I am a treehugger, so it's a lifestyle I've been wanting for a long time! lol


Hi Amy,
My son is active military (Navy) and is being transferred to Ft. Worth. Is your house anywhere near the Navy base?


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## WhyNot

Hello!
Been hanging out for a while and thought I would introduce myself finally. My name is Karen and I live in northern WI, although right now I'm visiting friends in Arkansas. Been looking at areas to settle down here and feeling out the real estate, etc. Hope to be on my own homestead/farm in a year or so.

Currently I own and operate a small diner up north that runs through the summer so I have winters off, I also do field technical work for various companies as a contractor when the mood strikes me. I've done a lot of things in my life, even though it might seem highly unlikely given that I am 37, I've done many things in many fields but some for not very long. I tend to pick things up very quickly. I've worked on ranches out west mostly breaking horses, and up north as a guide. Horses are a passion of mine although I've only worked with other people's and haven't been able to have my own....YET! I've participated in several fairs and rodeos in the wagon and draft area, spent a summer working thoroughbred's out west and even went to school for eqine training but, life had different plans than I had at the time. Or I should say, I let life guide life instead of myself. Which is something I no longer do.

I've been on a construction crew that traveled the states putting up Holiday Inn Expresses lol, in the Army for a short while, drove semi cross country for a couple of years, owned and operated a computer services and retail shop for ten years before I gave in to the stress and sold out, owned and operated a pet store for about a year after that hoping it would be less stress. It was less stress but, first full blown retail foray and I made enough mistakes to cut my losses and again sell out. Worked in many a restaurant and bar...and now here I am LOL With a restaurant and two houses to sell so I can get to the business of living on my own farmstead/homestead/sanctuary.

Been divorced since 1994 and raised a beautiful, intelligent and caring young lady who will be 20 this coming year and works as a nurse's aide in a nursing home. I am very proud of her and very proud that she is such a wonderful, caring and compassionate young woman. She amazes me. I could not do what she does. She fascinates me. Last year she got her first apartment and this year she was able to pick out and pay for her own vehicle. She models a little bit and aspires to be a tattoo artist and is already an excellent artist in her own right.

I currently live with my mother, who will probably be with me until...she isn't. She is just as excited as I am about a life change and farmstead and moving away from such cold winters. I'm not so sure about the snakes and what all else that are here that are not in WI...she's not very excited about that LOL! But we are both looking forward to selling the rest of all that we have and preparing to live out this dream.

As far as sustainability goes, I love to garden, it's something that drives my creativity as does canning and organizing. I grow and can/freeze most of our food and share with those that do the same. I actually find it a lot of fun. We don't have any animals right now where we live as we live in town, so just the dog but I do plan on having chickens, rabbits a dairy goat or two and of course a horse at some point. I don't do much hunting up north but that is mainly because I know so many hunters, we strike up deals. I have a group of five hunters that I skin and process for and in return they give me one of their deer. I also have another group that bring me all the Canadian honkers I want because they love the hunt and their freezers are usually full by then. I trade them pies for goose 

Absolutely love to fish and have been known to catch bluegill with orange peels However, I am not driven so much by fishing that I ice fish LOL..winter that is that cold deserves to be spent by the wood fire having a little peppermint hot chocolate and reading. I have, however, finally purchase a long loom for knitting. I have some issues with my hands and arms which makes crocheting and knitting quite the painful experience but I've always want to do be able to do it. So I'm very glad for things like looms and etc that I don't have to plug in and can still create something. I've only been working with it for about a week and I really enjoy it, it's very relaxing and the possibilities of what I will be able to create are exciting to me.

Looking forward to reading more and having some great conversations here.


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## LariatLady

WhyNot said:


> Hello!
> Been hanging out for a while and thought I would introduce myself finally. My name is Karen and I live in northern WI...


Welcome Karen! Wow, sounds like quite the adventurous life ya got there! Looking forward to reading more. Be sure to keep us posted. 
Tori


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## Coloneldad5

Hello, I am David and having just bought some land (great farm land) and built a house on it. I am looking to develop it into a small "micro" farm where I can support my family. Not so much for economic gain, but as a self reliant farm. I do hope to be as completely self reliant as possible, but still tied to the grid (just not dependent upon it). As I am currently overseas with the military I am unable to do much but should be home in time this spring to start working in earnest. 

I have lots of plans for my little "Homestead" but realize that it will take time and work. This spring I hope to get the start of the garden in, even if I have to spade it all myself. This will be a new experience for me and my family as we have pretty much spent our lives in the urban setting. I do have a fairly decent past experience in family gardening which I hope to build up significantly. I realize that while a few basics carry over their is a great deal I'll have to learn in the coming years. I am hoping that folks here will be a great assistance in allowing me to learn the easy way versus stumbling through it all on my own.

I do enjoy the outdoors and have always wanted to live away from the cities/towns in a much more rural setting. However as my father was very much the urbanite and then I got caught up in life's work and such I never quite got around to it although I successively moved further and further out as time went on. Now I find myself in the middle of the rural setting to which I look to with great trepidation and eagerness. 

Thanks all in advance for your help and friendship.

David


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## Murramarang

Hi all

I am Gaz - a married 48 yr old Australian who has just bought 12 acres in Maine with a small farmhouse. We have two small children (4 and 1) and want to try and turn the farm into a wonderful place for them to grow up - and a opportunity for us to have horses and be a little more self sufficient.

I am a geologist by training and a school teacher by trade. 

I am looking forward to learning and sharing with the good people here


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## LariatLady

Coloneldad5 said:


> Hello, I am David and having just bought some land (great farm land) and built a house on it. ... Now I find myself in the middle of the rural setting to which I look to with great trepidation and eagerness.
> 
> Thanks all in advance for your help and friendship.
> 
> David











Hi David. This is a great resource for valuable information.

We also have property that we want to homestead but, unfortunately, still stuck working in suburbia at the moment. 

Suggestion: a wonderful person I met on HT told me about evernote. I use it to keep track of all my ideas for my homestead. Since you are still overseas, you could use it to share ideas/plans for your homestead with your significant other. Then, when you return, you'll have all your notes in one place. Check it out. It's really cool.


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## LariatLady

Murramarang said:


> Hi all
> 
> I am Gaz - a married 48 yr old Australian who has just bought 12 acres in Maine with a small farmhouse. ... I am looking forward to learning and sharing with the good people here


Hi Gaz!







Your place sounds wonderful and will most definitely be a wonderful place for your youngins to grow up! You should post some pics! Look forward to hearing more about your adventure.


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## Rope

Hello 

Thank you moderators for the welcome to your forum and to everyone else for being a part of this forum that make it what it is. 

We have been browsing around her a bit and like all the different topics and discussions and how many of them are areas of interest to us. 
Laurel and I live on 118 acres in central Mo. It has been home from time to time though we have found ourselves living in North Central KS and wintering in warmer places for several years. She is the smarts of our team. Nurse Practitioner, Duke alumni. She hates it when I brag about her, but I do anyway. I am the muscle and the hands. I dig the holes, build things and work full time in auto parts. 
After many years of trying, a few years of giving up we finally had the most beautiful baby girl that is now almost three. 

So we are now really old parents and decided we had better grow up and settle down on the farm. Get back to some of the homesteading farm values that we want our daughter to have. We purchased a Holstein cow for milking, Laurel is making the butter and learning how to make the cheeses. We have bees ordered to arrive in the spring. Considering goats and maybe a pig or two, or maybe expand the milk herd and focus on dairy and bee's. 

We have learned a lot already, have more to learn then we ever will and so much to do that we will never run out of projects and enough to keep busy and happy. 
Life is good. 

Thanks again for the forum 
Allan


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## Calla

Hello!

I'm excited to have found this great forum and looking forward to learning as much as I can from everyone here. 

Being self-sufficient (as much as possible) and having a simple life really appeals to me. Right now I live in western PA, but I am a native Vermonter and own a decent size wooded property deep in the woods of VT that I hope to go home to in the next couple years. Its just raw land right now so I have a lot of work and learning ahead of me. :grin:


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## Caprini Hill

Hi! I'm Kristin. I'm 48, married with one 9 year old son. We live somewhere between suburbia and farm country in eastern CT. We currently have chickens, ducks and one goat. We're getting two doelings in April. I work in our school system as a Speech Pathology Assistant. My interests, besides the outdoor animals, include our dogs and cats. We have a pet rabbit and a fiber rabbit. I am relatively new knitter and would love to try spinning. I love gardening and cooking. My son has numerous food allergies and I eat a mostly Paleo diet. We are involved in Cub Scouts and 4-H(that's new for us!) We like to camp and hike. I'm trying to do more canning and fermenting. I make kombucha, kefir and yogurt now and want to try sauerkraut and kimchee. When we had our first goat I milked her and made cheese. We don't have a doe in milk now so I don't make cheese as often. We'll breed next year and I'll try to buy goat's milk when I can. My son is allergic to cow's milk but not goat's milk. 
I am home this afternoon due to a snow storm. My husband teaches and all of us had an early closing. That is one of the best things about working in a school, when we're all home together on our little homestead.


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## Bambitski

Hi, my name is Bambi. I am a wife and mother of three children. Very much spaced apart. LOL My eldest is 22, middle is 13. and youngest is 5. I raise rabbits, chickens, dogs, cats, a bull, two new heifers, and my three does who have just kidded and one due to kid soon. I raise a big garden every year, and we try to raise some piglets every year for the freezer. One day, I will depend on the store for VERY little. It just takes time. I am hoping to be approved to post more on this site. I have posted questions and comments, but nothing has come up yet. Hopefully soon. LOL Have a wonderful Spring all!!!!


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## Papa

Just figured I would get the mark of the beast off the replies total :bored:


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## rhelynn

I am Marie, 'rhelynn.' We are late thirties started our family late and our only child is now four years old. My husband and I are both very scientific types although my work right now is simple plumbing at a retail store. He is working through some health problems and a stay at home father. Little girl goes to school one day a week for her speech therapy and we are homeschooling her in other things as she seems to be ahead of the game on some things yet far behind on her actual speech. We live in West Tennessee and are interested in doing a lot more with our farm homestead. As little girl gets a little older, it is becoming easier again to dream big dreams here. I work full-time in the city right now but also have a very large garden. We did have goats and chickens here at one time but feel that we cannot provide them as good of protection from wild creatures at the moment, so that will be a bit longer in the future before we do that again. I hope to feed them from garden produce at that time.

I am very interested in heirloom seed saving, producing 'landrace' plants for our area and using as much food production as possible. I have a lot of different heirloom beans for our garden this year, and am trying to separate out some field corn for trials!


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## lexa

Hi, 
I am Lexa (short for Aleksandra).
I have been reading on this forum for several months and now start to get this feeling that I know people on here. Time to join and introduce myself. 
I am a mom, a gardener, a pet stylist and farmer wannabe. I see a smallish farmstead with goats and market garden in my near future. I am trying to learn as much as possible right now, but do not get to practice much since at the moment I live on campus of small private university in Germany where my hubby does his post doctoral fellowship. Hopefully we will be state side by the next year and on the land in couple years. In the past I had a garden and kept chickens for eggs and meat in our 1/2 back yard. 
I also have two little girls 1 and 5, who like to help me in the community garden.


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## opportunity

I'm 30 married 7 years to my wonderful husband. We have a 2 year old son Ben who helps with all the stuff around the place. We have 30 mama cows, angus, highland, jersey and the mutts that result. I also keep chickens but the numbers are ever decreaseing between the wildlife and the dogs.
My husband is battling brain cancer so more of the outside work is my responsibility so I'm staying home even though I just finished my masters in environental engineering in December 2011.


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## GrandmaKitty

Well, lessee... 

Mom was raised on a farm in PA and moved to Indiana. Dad was raised Amish but turned from it when he put a motor on his bicycle to get to work 5 miles away and he was shunned by the church. Somehow they found each other and raised a family.

I grew up with siblings in a small town where I learned to garden, can, etc. I like to think that I grew up "preparing"... it was called common sense then.

Hubby and I and our kids have had chickens, ducks, and turkeys. Garden area is very limited, so I go to a local farmer's produce auction to buy produce when I want to can, freeze or dehydrate food. 

When Hubby came home and said something about a thing called "Y2K", I fired up the computer and ended up on a survival site. I've played on the internet since then, so if it's there, I can usually find it.

Not sure if I'll fit in where there are more guys... they have a whole 'nother way they play online. eep: But I'm pretty good at easing the fears that women have with patience. 

**Looking around to see if I know anyone else**


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## Hztd0m

Howdy yall. My name is Judd. Married to my wife Krissy and the boy Anthony is 12. We are living on a small 5 acre plot in Venus Texas. Both the wife and I are from the sticks and we are finally getting back to it. I'm really looking forward to digging through this forum.

Just a little bit of what we want to do. I'm going to fence off the back three acres, but I have yet to solo a barb wire fence. Looking for some tips and tricks for that. We would like to raise 1 calf, again I will be reading up on this. And last for now, a chicken coop with a dozen or so chickens. I have read about meat and egg, we definatly want egg chickens, looking for some guidance on what kind for each type. 

Can't wait to start chating and getting this farm started!!

Thank you.


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## tom_the_chemist

Hello,

Long-time lurker who finally decided to jump into the discussion.

I am 27 years old and have lived in Michigan my entire life. I was born near Detroit and my parents moved to the central lower peninsula when I was six months old. Grew up in a subdivision but always wanted to be on a farm. I actually wanted to help do milking chores when I would go visits friends' houses when I was in kindergarten. Some of the best memories of my childhood were spent at my paternal grandparents. This, along with the drive for self-sufficiency pulled me toward the purchase of a rural farmhouse on 2.5 acres nearly five years ago. Throughout high school and college I worked on numerous farms baling and stacking hay and straw.

Have been married for five years and have a son.

Graduated from a four year university with a Bachelor's degree in Chemistry in 2007 and have worked for the same company in the chemical industry since 2004. At this point, I am nearing completion of a Master's of Engineering degree in Polymer Science and should be done before the end of 2012.

About our home: House was built in 1900 and sits on 2.5 acres. We have a small shed, and a chicken coop and barn which both need work. The chicken coop I definitely would like to fix-up since it is large and has a nice concrete floor. The barn has a lot of character as well, but I don't see how it fits into our plan, especially because it will be so expensive to repair. Last summer I installed an outdoor wood boiler to heat the house and the hot water.

Future interests: Would like to start raising chickens and increase the number of fruit and nut trees on our lot. Furthermore, I would like to purchase another 10 acres to graze a small number of sheep, pigs, and a couple cattle. Also have contemplated starting a crop share and purchasing a hoop house. Who knows, maybe even honey bees. All of these ideas will be acted on in due time. I would like to accomplish all of this without going into debt. We recently completed Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University and would like to stick with those principles. 

Thanks for reading. God bless.


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## mama2cntrykids

Jumping in here:

I'm new to the forums and have really enjoyed reading them. I am a homeschool mom of 4, with a step son who will be a senior in public school this fall (so 5 children in the house). After step-son graduates, he will be going to basic training (he's already signed up).

My kids are ages: 11.5 ds, 9 ds, 6 dd, 13 month dd. We live on 5.5 acres with three outbuilding and love it. We have 2 dogs (cocker and rotti), 2 cats and 14 chickens. We would love to have more animals, but we're not sure where the Lord is leading us right now. 

My dh has a job that's 2.5 hrs. from home, so he's only here on the weekends. He's looking for work closer to home, but so far...nothing:awh:. I guess I need to thank God that he even has a job, right:bouncy:?

I was thinking of raising meat goats to sell to the local auction barn, but at the moment, it's not going to happen. Some day...

So, that's us. If there's anything else you'd like to know, please ask!

I look forward to learning more and to getting to know you!


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## meredeth

Hi all! I'm Meredeth. My husband and I and our children (3) have recently moved to the country in middle TN. We have been excited to plant our biggest garden yet. We have a few acres here and are trying slowly but surely to inch our way off the grid. This year our focus has been on growing (or sourcing locally grown) and preserving as much of our own food as possible. We are hoping to start adding animals next year. 

We are excited to have found this site (thanks to a friend) and look forward to learning with and from like minded folks.


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## ketthes

Oh good, I can finally reply!! 

Hi everyone, I'm Nancy, just found the forum a couple of days ago and joined up. I live on a small acreage in Minnesota, have been in this house all my life. DH and I have been together 20 years and have two kids, 12 and 8 yo. It's really special to me to be able to see my kids grow up where I did!

I work full time outside the home which eats up a lot of my time, unfortunately. I have wanted to be more self-sufficient by growing our own food but my parents never did any of that so I never learned how to can things. I am raising my first flock of chickens this summer (I have 15 red rangers and 6 gold star pullets), the rangers will be in my freezer next month and the gold stars will hopefully be laying eggs this fall.

I am also a master gardener but my focus has mostly been on flowers. I want to add in more garden vegetables (besides my jungle of tomatoes) and be able to preserve a lot of it.

I also keep myself busy with all my various projects - I always have way too many irons in the fire! I dabble in making soap and lip balm, sewing (just bought a sewing machine last month and have been learning on my own), refinishing old wood furniture, rosemaling, and of course always planning and dreaming of my next garden project. 

So that's about it - nice to meet you all and I'm looking forward to getting to know you better!


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## majiksummer

Hi, I'm Dani, I've been reading and lurking for a while and decided to join. We live in eastern Montana, we moved up here for oilfield work but my husband switched jobs and now he's hauling cattle and we live on a feedlot. In a house! We spent our first year here in a camper like most people up here and we're so thankful to finally have a house! I have 3 step kids who live with us during the summer, and love them to bits. None of my own yet, not in a big hurry either! 
My husband drives truck, I wait tables and we're hoping to be able to have money saved up to move back to ID in a few years and buy our homestead and run cattle, have some pigs and chickens and ducks and geese and my horses and dogs and goats and rabbits and a garden and orchard. We love animals (duh lol) and would really like to support ourselves completely with cattle. I am lucky to have found someone who has the same goals and dreams in life, we are very much in agreement on what we would like to accomplish in life. 
I'm excited to learn more and get to know everyone here!


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## AtomicFarmer

Hi everyone! I'm Jason. I live on a roughly 200 acre farm in SW Pennsylvania. Married to a great lady and we have a happy, healthy 4 year old boy who is probably already smarter than me. My wife is a homemaker/farmer and I work off the farm as well as doing farm stuff too.

In the last few years we have learned to can, garden,and gererally become more self sufficient and less dependent on others. I'm not a doomer, but I can see that stuff is getting more and more expensive all the time and the more we do for ourselves the better off we'll be, financially and otherwise.

I was introduced to this site by majic99, who is my neighbor.

I am glad to have found this forum and look forward to learning and sharing with all of you.


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## boerboy

Hi I am Sugumar, we are in our thirties, son 8 months young moved to our new 5 acre farm house two weeks ago. Neighbor helped to bush hog the badly weeded 3 acres. Need to bush hog more and fence the entire land before spring.

This website is full of information and good people 

We are planning chicken, ducks, rabbits & meat goats. But one step at a time!

Planning a green house, grow lots of greens including mint.

Planning 3.5 acres of pasture for the free range chicken & goats.

Hope to grow along with you all


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## anita_fc

Hello from Idaho! I've read the goat forum frequently over the last couple of years. I thought it was about time I introduced my lurking self and became a little more active. There is a tremendous amount of knowledge and good will on these forums!

My name is Anita and I've been married to my soul mate, Danny, for 11 years. We have known each other for more than 30 years, but we didn't get together until 2000, so we're essentially elderly newlyweds. :kiss: We live on a small acreage (just under 2A) in southern Idaho. Danny grew up on a farm, and I grew up in a big city in southern California, although I've lived in the country most of my adult life.

We raise and show Pygmy goats. We also have two elderly Shetland sheep (the last of our original 8), a 30-something Appaloosa mare, and four livestock guardian dogs. The older two Great Pyrenees ages 10 and 11 and are retired. The younger two are Akbash dogs, ages 1 and 6. They protect our critters from coyotes and stray dogs. We have cougars in the area, but generally not near our place. We also have four other house dogs :gromit: (German Shepherd and Shelties) as well as two cats.

I am retired, and Danny is a retired police sergeant who now drives over-the-road truck. He plans to retire in two years, which should allow us to do much more with our property.


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## GunkGirl

Hello there!

I have mountain cabin on 3 acres at the bottom of the Catskills. Unfortunately, it's also on a pretty steep slope. There is some viable, leveled land but it's covered in boulders. One day I'll have it cleared for my dream of raising a flock of sheep, but before then I'm focusing on smaller projects that I can work around grad school. My next big project is putting in some apple trees and searching for a used apple press for homemade cider.


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## chauat

Hello,

My name is Anuwattana I'm from THAILAND


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## Crazy Farmgirl

Living my dream of resurrecting my family's 120 acre farm with my 3 sons (19,16 &16) and very supportive boyfriend. Currently I have 30+ head of grassfed Hereford and HerefordX cattle, 35 goats (boer and dairy crosses), 7 hogs, 100+ chickens (egg and meat), 4 obnoxious geese, 5 horses and 3 dogs. I grow a large garden every year, do all my own hay and am co-owner in a landscape/lawncare business with my dad(endless supply for my composting) . I enjoy hunting, fishing, shooting, gardening and horseback riding. I could easily be a hermit as I despise crowds and most days prefer to be with my animals instead of people. 

Looking forward to gathering and sharing information here, love the diversity of categories and people here.


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## Christine81

My name is Christine. I live in the Midwest with my son (6) and husband. We live in town and work full time, so truly homesteading is not possible for us right now, but I am keenly interested. DH grew up on a farm, and his interest is a little less than mine, lol. His parents still own the farm, but rent out the crop land and don't have any livestock. We have a huge garden on their property every year, and my FIL is my homesteading/prepping partner in crime. :gaptooth:


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## britlitgal

My name is Heather. My husband and five kids and I live on five acres in Ohio. Currently we have laying hens and turkeys, and have raised pigs in the past. We also have one very talented mouser of a kitty and two rottweilers. 

We have decided to step up our preparedness after this most recent election, and so are acquiring hand tools and other things at a more rapid pace than we were. We also hope to build a spring house around our year-round spring and a small barn so that we can have dairy goaties.

It is wonderful to be here! Blessings to you all.


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## ansinfamily

My name is Jodi. I am 34 years old. I am most recently a vet assistant but have decided to stay home due to illness and wanting to be closer to family. I was a dog obedience trainer professionally for 13 years and also previously had a 200+ head rabbitry. My husband and I just bought an abandoned 12 acre farm that we plan to revitalize and hope to raise our own food. We live in Savannah, Tennessee with our 3 kids: Taylor-almost 17, Audrey- 2 1/2 and Aiden- 8 months. We have a lot of work to do to get this farm back to animal ready. I started a website and blog to track our progress as we go.
Glad I found this forum, awesome info available here.


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## coffeehelps

Hi! I am a mother of three. Hubs and I have been married for 17 years now. I stay home and he hauls livestock. We currently live in town, but are hoping to buy a home this spring in the country. I grew up on a farm and miss it. I enjoy reading, cross stitching, cooking, fishing, and I feel like I am forgetting something. I am a closet weather nerd. I really feel like I am forgetting a lot.


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## redjack12

I'm Kristin, and we are in Chester, TX. We raise Nigerian Dwarf goats on my husband's family land. We are aiming for good show and production quality. I am a raw milk person. It helps my mood and allergies. I also trained a 4H project wether and a Boer doe (who it turned out had some prior training) to pull a wagon. I traded some horse training this fall for a 2013 Nubian doeling. My middle daughter is into 4H (wants an AI tank for Xmas) my eldest is a writier in college, and the baby is 4 and wants to get out and help with the Icelandic and her donkey. Our Icey has more of a bossy attitude than other iceys, so I have to tweak her a lot with NH. The youngest daughters are able to do almost all of the riding so I can concentrate on the work and driving training. Our small standard jack that we would like to geld is pulling a cart, and will hopefully get more useful after I order his collar. We trained him from wild a year ago in Nov '11, and the middle daughter did all of the "firsts" with him. We are thinking of adopting a certain untrained, pony size Arab to train to replace Red Jack, the icey. I will probably give the forum a chance to try to talk me out of it before it is too late. Daughter's dream, Black Stallion, etc. 

We are trying to get a garden going. I'm not having much luck keeping the farm cats out of it and keeping it alive. I had prior gardens for 19 years or so (postage stamp). I started gardening as a Junior High kid, and kept Bantam chickens as a child, as my own project, along with a pony, so I have been trying to do the homesteading thing for a long time. I want to use the donkey and maybe the Dexter heifer we are getting in 2013 to help us grow some animal feed and maybe help grow our own. I know some about the training and equine side, but could use help on the farm info side. 

I am an Orthodox Christian and attend St. Jonah of Manchuria ROC, which is quite a drive.


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## cpeyus

Thanks to whomever from HT admin sent the "you haven't been here in a while" email...I haven't logged in since Feb 2008.

For quite some time, just hearing "2008" would cause me to shudder, but with the safety & healing of time past, I recognize it as a year of change & growth.

Our family has enjoyed continued blessings. Our oldest fully recovered from a near-fatal vehicle accident & enlisted in the Army, and is stationed at Fort Drum, NY. He spent a year in Afghanistan & we were obviously relieved at his unit's safe return. In May 2012, he brought a wonderful young woman into our family & I couldn't possibly BE more happy...right? Wellll, they recently shared the exciting news that in May of 2013, I shall add the title of Grandmother to my resume! I can hardly wait to be a Grammie!! Her family is from a town only about 6 hrs from me, and they plan to live down there, so I'm glad they won't be living across the country.

Our youngest is almost 18 & is looking forward to graduating high school in June. He has a sweet girlfriend that we all love. Plans for after high school are either college, or Army.

Hubby & I have settled into the newest phase of life...he's retired (involuntarily, but even THAT was a blessing in disguise). We are both able to stay home and take care of home & property & finish raising our youngest. We were able to buy a motorhome & take a cross-country roadtrip with our youngest last summer ~ amazing! We (mostly I) are bracing ourselves for upcoming potential empty nest!? 

We've added several trees to our mini-orchard & had a tiny, but successful garden this year. Maybe next summer I'll stay home long enough to DO the garden I dream of!

I now have 2 nephews & a niece that are just little bits of joy for their Auntie! My sister has a wonderful life-mate (fiance?) and they are doing a superb job with those kidlets. After living with us for a year, they are now in home only 3 doors down.

I am blessed! I look forward to being back here on the forums.


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## opalmoon

Hi y'all. I am a 35 year old wife and mother of a teenage son.:cute::rock:


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## Tracy Rimmer

Welcome, Opalmoon!


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## huntertibbs

Hey everyone, I'm 25 and married for 5 years with one little boy who just turned 2 and an 18 month old yellow lab. We currently live in an apartment in West Jordan Utah but we are saving money for our dream life. I was born and raised in Colorado by my grandparents who had a huge garden and some chickens. My brother and I made money by doing odd jobs for local farmers, we have family in the San Luis valley area that raise cattle and that has always been one of my interests. That's about it for now I guess, thanks


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## GrammaBarb

Hello, Folks,

I'm new to this forum, and really like what I've seen! Let's see: introduction. OK, I'm 66 long years old...yes, I was there when the crust of the Earth was cooling! My husband passed on last January, and I am adjusting to being here and doing for myself. With friends, my two dogs and cat, and my family, it seems to be working. 

(One odd thing is saying "I" rather than "We".) So--ahem--"I" heat with wood and cook on a wood cook-stove, but have an electric back-up for when it gets really warm. I (there it is again) live on about an acre, which doesn't seem like much when one is young, but the land gets larger as one achieves maturity! I'd love to get completely off the grid, but electricity is also very convenient at times, and I love a full couple of freezers. I can food, of course, and can honestly say that I "know" my cook-stove at last, and baking bread no longer has me worried.

I am an avid reader, and the house is overflowing with bookcases full of books. I'm also a retired print shop owner and former Graphic Arts instructor at our local Community College. From my parents, Depression Kids that they were, I learned to be frugal, to honor Country and service thereto, and that if the flag goes by, the hand should be on the heart. 

Oh, dear, I seem to be writing a book. I'm Irish and the words seem to flow endlessly. My home began life as a loggers cabin in 1930. We added a large pole barn in 1975, and in it I keep all sorts of things, including my hobby: old motorcycles! Seriously. Be it British or BMW, if it is old and interesting, it has a home waiting! I've ridden all over the country, save only New England, and it's on the list.

Most importantly, I have a 36 year-old son and twin Granddaughters, aged 11, who are beautiful, brilliant, perfect in every measure, but I confess to being just a bit prejudiced in that regard.

Oh, and I do appreciate the attitude of this forum. I honestly believe that profanity is the last refuge of the ignorant, and is the bane of most computer sites. This is nicely refreshing!

Have a prosperous, safe and delightful New Year, Everyone!

Barb


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## 101airborne

Hello all, My name is Don. I'm a 52 year old married guy, New to the forum. So I hope I'm in the right thread. I grew up in western Ky. Learned a self relient/ self sufficent lifestyle from my parents and grandparents. I'm prior service Army with 18 years service. While I live on 1 1/2 acres on the edge of Evansville We are currently looking at 75+ acres about 70 miles from here hoping to build and attempt to live as much of a self relient lifestyle as we realistically can. Hope to learn a lot from those here.


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## pattycake

Welcome 101airborne from a fellow Hoosier!


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## beardedpiper

Hey all from up in Canada  My name is Roger and I'm a 26 year old married man. My wife and I rent a farm house in eastern ON. The self sufficient way of life has intrigued me and my wife for sometime now. We put in a tiny garden last year and I mean tiny  The only plants we had was tomatoes and green peppers. Well I plan to really expand it this year. I also plan on getting my hunting license and take my PAL course. I'm am so happy that I found this site it is full of information for newbs like myself. Happy to be here and to talk with like minded people about this wonderful way to live life!!

Cheers


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## Thejim94

Hello, 
My name is Jim and I live in South Mississippi. I own 102 acres that is mostly wooded but I am building a little homestead in the middle of it. Last year was the first year to can and I fell in love with it! I am still in love with my wonderful wife of 19 years and we have two daughters (13 and 14). I am about to be 40 years old this year. I have chickens, rabbits, and one hog. I love the idea of being self reliant and not depending on anyone for our survival. I'm mostly a "learner" on these forums so I really don't post much. Maybe I can change that. I'm really into the "old" ways of life. How did the old timers do things? 
Thank you for your time.


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## growinboys

Hi,
I'm a 29 yr old, born again Jesus follower. Blissfully married to Boss for 11 years and raising our 4 boys (8,6,3 & 1) on our tiny homestead on the outskirts of suburbia in southern california. I (1/4 first nation) was raised in a rural area of San Diego county (a townie) and Boss grew up on a 600+ acre dairy farm in Indiana. For now, The Lord has us here, where my husband has been an ap at our church (a calvery chapel for those familiar) for the last 9 years. It has been a tremendously blessing and fruitful season in our lives so far. But we are both itching to run back out to the sticks. All in the Lords timing. 
For now, I knit, sew, quilt, garden, can, prep and care for 6 hens and 2 pygmy goats on our 1.75 acre plot. We both grew up hunting and I've recently gotten back into bow hunting with my dad and brother. 

I look forward meeting you all and gleaning valuable wisdom and encouragement while passing along what I've learned to those "younger" than myself.


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## pattycake

Welcome growinboys! We will look forward to your posts. What part of Indiana is your husband from? I am a fellow Hoosier.


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## growinboys

pattycake said:


> Welcome growinboys! We will look forward to your posts. What part of Indiana is your husband from? I am a fellow Hoosier.


Pattycake, thank you for the welcome! He is from Crown Point near Gary. His parents and grandpa are still on the farm there.


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## Pony

So many new folks!

Happy New Year! Welcome to the best homesteading forum on the 'net!


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## pattycake

Growinboys , we are rural just about 30 miles south of Indpls. We have been here since 1976! Welcome to the Forum!!


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## Kaygee

Hello everybody, I am 24, live in Northern California and my parents just gave us a piece of the property to use as our own and to share with them on a 26 acre parcel. I would like to homestead the property. I am not doomsday prepping or anything like that, but i agree with the general feel of possible "harder" times ahead, and i would like to have already transitioned myself and my new family to a more self sufficient lifestyle.

I personally have a few skills i have acquired over time, including general construction with stud and frame, Slipform stone masonry (although amateur, it doesn't look bad). I also have grown up knowing agriculture my entire life. I have worked at a nursery for the last 4 years and have helped many many people create beautiful and bountiful gardens. That being said, all of my knowledge in agriculture is just to diagnosing plant problems, and setting people on the right track to not fail with organic or chemical choice. As to what to plant, when to store etc, i have no clue.

Anyways, we look forward to talking to the members of the forum, you all seem like a great group of people, my wife and i can't wait to trade knowledge.


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## SadieG

Hi, I'm also new to the forum, and so far I really like what I have seen. I have a lot to learn, and this looks like the best place to be!

I am married to my best friend, 38 years today. I'm a mother of two, and a grandmother of two, with another one who should arrive late May or early June. I'm also "mom" to our 4 legged child who really does think she is human. I'm very active in my church and truly enjoy volunteering for whatever is needed.

I noticed several Hoosier's recently posted, we reside in central Indiana. Not on a farm, but very close to farmland. Our little plot of land is just under an acre, just enough to do what we want and still have some room.

I have many interests and hobbies. Someday when I get to retire I will have time to work on them all full time. For now, I am content to do what I can, and learn all that I can!

Thanks for the great site, and great rules. I did read them :grin:


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## JamieCatheryn

Hello, I'm new here. My husband, 3 sons, and I live in southwest PA, just moved to our 2.5 acre place 2 months back from KY, my husband got a job as a cell phone store manager in the town near here. My boys are a newborn, 3 yrs, and 6 years old. We homeschool. I grew veg gardens back in KY for several years, but just a small backyard. Once things melt outside (the snow has been constant here!) I'll be making an orchard and enormous veggie garden here. Late spring we may build a coop and get our chickens.


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## pattycake

Welcome Jamie!!


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## Sunflowerhill

I'm a newbie... but I'm not really new. I have been on this forum for a couple of months or so. I am 47, married and the mother of a 24 yo son, a 22 yo son and a 21 yo daughter. I work full time in medical records at a home health agency and my husband works as a bi/vocational preacher who works at beautiful state park. I am a Christian and I love my family, horses, gardening, reading growing flowers, canning, landscaping, homesteading, garage sales, Christmastime, Diet Pepsi and the smell of rain! I am in southeastern Oklahoma. Today my husband and I planted onions, radishes, carrots, turnips, winter peas and celery. I am SO excited about my garden and canning this year! I love this forum~


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## pattycake

Welcome Sunflowerhill! I love your user name!!


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## KarenBaby

Hi, I'm new to this forum - found it by doing a search for homesteading - was actually looking for just such a place to find folks who would share ideas with me! 
We are from Wisconsin - the land of cheese, beer and the Green Bay Packers! :clap:
My name is Karen (the 'baby' comes from my friends teasing me about how I baby talk my critters - Angel Baby, Fly Baby, Cali Baby, etc) - I am 45 yrs old - married to Keithy Boy (yeah, I labeled him with that moniker!) who is almost 43 yrs old. We've been married 10 years - gosh, that long?! Been together 13 1/2 years. I have two children from a previous relationship -a son that just turned 18 and a daughter that just turned 16 - after 14 years of not wanting to be a responsible daddy, their dad decided the best way to not pay child support was to convince the kids the grass is greener at his house - yeah, I'm bitter about that (I try not to be but there's a lot of history that cannot be erased) - they still live there but they now know the grass in not greener there - but I won't let them move back unless they get the kahunnas to tell their dad they want to come back to my house. 
Anyway, child number three is a product of Keith and myself - she is 9 years old and has autism. Anybody familiar with autism knows that there is rarely a dull moment in my life - so look forward to many many laugh so you dont' cry stories about my Morgan! She's priceless!! :angel: 

A little history about me and mine: I have an Associates Degree in Animal Health and worked as a vet tech for several years before getting burned out on putting healthy animals to sleep - so I took the time to start raising my children and never went back to vet tech work. I've worked in factories - thinking that I wanted a job that I didn't care about - thing is I was raised with a sense of pride in my work (thank you to my dad) so I cared about that job too. Now I work part time as a CNA at a nursing home in the dementia ward - fun at home AND fun at work! Seriously, demetia folks need somebody who understands that just cuz they can't always express themselves doesn't mean they are not in there still. 
Keith is a union bricklayer - been laid off way more that we like in this economy. 
We bought our 25 acre homestead in 2004. Our farmhouse is brick and it was built in the late 1800's - straight and true but windows are old and layout is senseless! All things come in time, right? We have an old dairy barn with the rock and mortor walls and huge mow - walls need attention from my bricklayer hubby - more like a major facelift! 

I've had all sorts of critters over the years - from squirrels to horses to rabbits to poultry. Now we raise our own pigs for butcher, steers for beef, and chickens for eggs. We also have goats - boer goats and a variety of different breeds of dairy goats that I milk for our own personal use. We have four horses - we used to barrel race and trail ride but with Keith getting laid off and me not working so much, it just got too expensive. We have guineas also because we have major tick problems if we don't keep a flock of guineas - I call them my 'tick picking patrol'. 
I hobby breed miniature dachshunds and pugs. I plan on building a kennel - so we can get away once in a while and still have friends willing to critter sit for us. Not too many people want to let the dogs out, let the dogs in, let the dogs out, let the dogs in . . . you get the picture!

I dream of gardening but quite frankly, I do better if it has fur than if it has leaves. My hubby and I were walking through Menards when they had just put out all the big potted plants (like 10ft tall houseplants!) - I paused to admire them and my hubby says,"so how long do you think it would take you to kill one like that?" I just couldn't get mad - he was right.
BUT I have had a garden a couple times here - and the soil so wants to grow things that we harvested plenty despite my vegie handicap!! Imagine if I actually took the time do really do it right?! 

We harvest our own hay for our critters - but buy our grain. Would save alot of money if we planted more grain crops but that might mean more equipment and that means more money . .. well, maybe someday.

We would love to live debt free but with the mortgage and not wanting to sell this place and try to buy a smaller place, we're stuck with a mortgage for awhile. Someday! We do drive vehicles that are paid for and hubby does almost all the repairs on them - he's been working out of town (3 hours away) so he has time constraints with vehicle work. But our insurance is cheap and if a vehicle croaks, we deal with it. 

Keith isn't as much in the homesteading mindset as I am. He thinks that a job with a steady paycheck is security. I don't think trusting to get your living from somebody else is security at all. 
But one thing at a time - this year my chickens will pay for their own feed and the feed for the guineas through the winter (they forage during the warm months). 
I think the best way to get the goats to pay for their feed is to make goat milk soap and sell it. Haven't tried my hand at making it yet - but I do love to use it (went to a class on goat milk soap making and got hooked on the soap!). Much easier to sell what you believe in!

I am seriously concerned with our modern source of food. Especially with my daughter's autism. I think we are slowly being poisoned :yuck: - and eating more natural will help us all heal ourselves.


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## KarenBaby

I would like to add that I would like to learn more about gardening and preserving the harvest from my garden here.

And I'd be glad to share my critter knowledge


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## StoneHavenS

Hi! My name is Misty and I am new here. I am a wife and stay-at-home mother to two little girls -- ages 3 and 1. We are Christians.

We have been in our current house for just under a year, but we started a good sized (for us) raised bed garden last year and expanded it this year. We hope to grow a significant portion of our produce this year.

I also have some chicks brooding in my extra bathroom -- 16 total: 7 black australorps, 3 barred rocks, 5 araucanas, and one lone buff orpington. We had a coop in our last house, and my hubby is fixing up a corner of his shed lean-to for them to have a cozy coop. 

We also have two dogs (a pomeranian and a lab) and a tortoise.

I do a lot of cooking and we are working towards eating more nourishing foods -- lacto-fermenting, sourdough, etc. I also sew a lot of the girls' clothes and I do some knitting and crocheting. Hubby does a lot of hunting (venison anyone?) and fishing (Alaskan salmon and halibut!). 

Well, that is pretty much us! I am excited to get lots of ideas and advice here at HT!


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## preciouspup87

I suppose itâs time I introduce myself. I found this site a year ago and have been lurking for months.
My name is Katie, Iâm 22 and I live in north central Illinois. I live in a city that doesnât even allow chickens, so Iâm a long way from the homesteading lifestyle I want. I hope to eventually move to either Oregon or Washington and plan to have a large garden, fruit/nut trees, chickens, ducks, rabbits, and goats (even though I have yet to try goatâs milk or meat). My grandparents live on a little farm, about an acre. They have chickens and a garden. (Had more before I was born and when I was little, but I barely remember.) I wish I could just absorb all their knowledge and regret that I just started asking about things in the last year. Iâm in for a learning curve with livestock. I know when tomatoes are ripe, but that is the extent of my gardening experience. Then thereâs the fact I canât cook. (Growing up, pretty much everything came out of a box. I can do hamburger helper just fine.)
So thatâs why Iâm here, now for a little more back story. I live with my mom, who lost her job in 2009. After failing to find any jobs available that she was able to do, she started the process of getting disability. For 2.5 years I supported the both of us through the appeal process until she got approved. It was a difficult time. I was working and going to school full time. The first semester I had weekends off, but then certain classes I needed were only offered once during week so I had to rearrange my schedule. I worked at a no kill animal shelter for 3 years. I loved the animals, and it was doing a great service, but by the end I was burnt out. At the time, I didnât know compassion fatigue effected animal care workers and it probably didnât help that I never really had a day to myself.
I completed my Associates at my community college, though it took a little longer than it should have to get all the classes required for my major. This is the first semester Iâve had off since graduating high school, and this summer I transfer to a university to complete my Bachelorâs in Biological Sciences. The wish is to become a mixed animal veterinarian, but being a B student and with the couple Cs in my first college years I know Iâll probably never get into vet school. Maybe itâs a good thing, with rising student debt and the falling salary of veterinarians. Anyway, I hope to work with animals in some way though; Iâm not all that much of a people person. 

I don't have much to say since I don't have land or stock, but I'll be around trying to learn.


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## farmallmom

Hi everyone, I just happened upon this forum. This seems to be the place to write an intro!
I am a 30 yr old New England mom of 4 kids ages 7, 4.5, 2 and 3 months. I have been married going on 8 years now. 
I've been involved in agriculture for 17 years now. I started in FFA and 4-H in HS. I've worked on a number of farms and done a number of jobs, including working with horses, beef cattle, sheep, pigs, dairy cattle and chicken.
We live on a mini-homestead of 2 acres raising belties, herefords, jacob sheep, soon to be chickens, 3 dogs, 2 cats and a horse that is boarded. I also like to garden, can, knit, sew and am learning how to process/tan hides.
We will be slaughtering our own chickens this year and hopefully lambs too. I am buying a dairy heifer this year to eventually milk. (I had to sell our family cow a few years ago).
We are into the self sustaining/reliant lifestyle and continue to move forward in that direction, gaining skills and knowledge as we go.


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## Tobit

Good morning. My name is JT, I use Tobit as my screen name on various homesteading and outdoor related forums as it is a variation of my middle name and I also use it as my trail name when hiking and backpacking.

I am single, 40, and a bit of a recluse. Well, recluse may be a bit extreme but I am definitely a bit socially awkward except on forums that interest me. I live in New Hampshire where I was born and raised. I also own 5-acres of oak and hickory covered land in Texas County, Missouri. 

Since first reading Thoreau and Meinecke's "Your Cabin in the Woods" as a teenager, and the journals of Harlan Hubbard later in life, it has been a dream of mine to live a simple, self-sufficient, lifestyle in the woods. Unfortunately, I was sidetracked in life due to major hyper-activity and attention deficit issues that began in my childhood and lasted into my 30's. I was once in so much debt and confused with my life, I never thought I'd survive into my 40's.

Thankfully, by my mid-30's, I was properly diagnosed of having bipolar depression and, finally, was getting proper treatment that, knock on wood, seems to have been helping considerably. I managed to get out of debt last year and started heading down the path to my dream earlier this year by buying my 5-acres of land in MO.

It will still be a few years before I can move to my land and start building my homestead. I want to get the land paid off as much as possible before I do any serious construction. My parents also have some health issues that are going to keep me close to home for a bit, they both take a fair amount of my time at the moment. In the meantime, I am trying to learn all the skills I will need to do most of the work myself. I am reading books, researching online, and also, beginning in July, taking some classes in a few related areas. I have a good idea of what I'd like to achieve on my land but they will have to remain dreams for a bit longer.

I am glad to be here. Sorry if some of this was TMI but feel some understanding some of my background will better understand me as I begin to contribute to the forum. I hope, despite my depression, to be a positive addition to this community. I will likely be a lurker initially but will contribute in the topics I have the experience in.


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## Carroll

Welcome, Tobit! Despite my last few posts on hugelkulture as an answer to drought, I'm usually just a lurker, but you'll find that the community is extremely friendly; since I'm up late, I thought I'd extend the typical response to newcomers . . . .

And no worries about TMI -- everyone has 'stuff' !


carroll


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## Lostinthewoods

Hi, I'm as good as 42, mother of 2 awesome kids, widowed in 2007, retired from the US Army in 2009, and moved "back home" to 34 acres of dreamland in Minnesota in 2011. 

We're moving slowly in the homesteading thing. So far we have laying hens, newly acquired rooster, a lop-eared bunny (pet), 2 dogs, 2 cats, a barrel composter, and 2 years worth of failed gardens.

I plan on working harder on the garden this year, as the rest of 'life' seems to have slowed down since the move. I have already started many seeds in anticipation of the snow melting one day...possibly. I'm hoping to establish some perennial herbs for home remedies and use in cooking, as well as learn to use the wild things God's given us.

It's difficult to go this as the only adult, and I'm interested in hearing how other singles manage to do all the things that need to be done by themselves. I'm also very interested in moving toward the sustainable life and learning more about alternate/renewable energy possibilities.

I look forward to connecting with others that have some of the same aspirations.


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## Tacoma

I am a FloridaGal living on 10 acres with my husband. As a retired high school horticulture teacher, I grow a greenhouse garden almost year round of vegetables and flowers of many sorts. I play the hammered dulcimer in a Christian Celtic group. I am learning many things on this forum and will be posting pictures of my vegetables soon.


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## Tobit

floridagal and Lost, welcome to the forum. :thumb: I am fairly new here as well.


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## Lostinthewoods

Thanks Tobit! Then welcome to you as well!


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## sheepgurly

I'm new here as well  I'm 29 years old, Christian, married to my wonderful hubby for 4 years and a stay at home wife (no kids yet). We own a 160 acre farm. I'm just getting more into gardening this year and just started seeds for the first time! Our frost date up here is mid-May, we still have snow on the ground, so I have a bit of a wait yet to get really gardening.

We have a flock of laying hens and a rooster. I plan to let some broodies raise their own chicks when it warns up. I also have 20 bred ewes due to lamb in June. I am really excited for our first lambing season! We have 2 dogs (lil house mutt and a Great Pyr for my sheep) and 2 horses (Arabian geldings. I do endurance rides with them).

Hubby and I both grew up on hobby farms with livestock. I went through 8 years of 4-H. I think our next project is getting some weiner pigs to raise for butcher and a milk cow for me. I love animals (especially horses and riding), gardening, holistic and healthy living, canning, camping, fishing, cross country skiing, anything outdoorsy really. Hubby loves hunting and I may join him more starting this fall.

I think that's about it  I will have a lot of gardening questions this year as we plan to expand and produce more of our own food! I'm nervous/excited...I've only had small gardens and flower beds before.


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## Hyperborea

We just bought our homestead a couple weeks ago and are so excited about our fixer upper house and those 40 acres way up north by the gichie gamie. Moving from city to "way-out" in June, just in time to stick some plants in the ground as frost date there is so late. It will be a perfect place for the boys to grow up and I am plotting to find a great pyrenees playmate for them to fend off the wolves, bear, and scare the moose too!
Have been reading a bit, and looking forward to learning more tips to help us get up and going.


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## MsAnthrope

Hi everyone,

Just stumbled across this place and I'm excited to get to know some people with similar interests. I'm 44, living in a rented off-the-grid house in rural New Mexico. I recently moved here from suburban Maryland (right outside of DC), after retiring early from my job as a professor due to chronic health issues. 

I grew up in NH, where my parents and I built an off-the-grid homestead, with a huge garden, chickens, goats, and a horse. Since then, I've lived in places throughout the U.S., and had a few small gardens of my own while I attended college and graduate school and started my career. Over the last several years, I radically re-imagined my life and decided to simplify and get back to where I started from--on a homestead of my own. 

I've been here in New Mexico since last summer, renting a great house with a garden, with the idea of transitioning to my own property. Though I'm loving it here, I can already see that homesteading in the southwest is problematic--there's not enough water for agriculture and livestock, and the conditions are only going to get worse. 

So now, though I'm still browsing for land in Southern Colorado and Northern New Mexico, I'm also looking in Maine (where my dad and brother now live). I hope to find a place with at least 5 acres, a livable house, and a drinkable water source, probably making the move next spring, along with my partner, my mom, and our dog and cats.

In the meantime, I'm planning on staying here in NM this year, planting a garden, and enjoying the beautiful scenery. I'm itching to get some chickens, bees, a few goats, and a horse, but I'm trying to make myself hold off until we know where we'll be settling. 

I've got a blog about my adventures in trying to move toward a simpler life while coping with chronic illness. http://misanthropicidealist.blogspot.com/

Drop on by! Looking forward to getting to know you!


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## Chook

Hi All,
I'm a mum from Australia. I home school my youngest - 16 year old B/G twins and 17 year old G/G twins - and have two adult kids who have already flown the coop. We live on a half acre until we sell and move to a bigger property which we can't wait to do! With our wood fired stove we can/bottle what we get from our gardens or buy in bulk when possible, make cheese sometimes and soap for friends as well as for ourselves. Since we live in the central west of NSW we get effected by droughts, fires and floods which can be a real pain and an interference when trying to be self sufficient!! I love to recycle too and am making mats out of old t-shirts at the moment.
I can't wait to learn more about homesteading and if anyone wants to know about things here in Australia please just ask and I will try to answer!


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## ol country girl

Hello from Southwest Virginia,
I am Sue and I love living out in the country. I have always been interested in the way my ancestors lived and happened to come upon this site. I am 43 yrs old and have recently got married in October of last year to a wonderful man. I have helped my little brother raise goats, I have raised chickens, garden, have had pets most of my life mostly cats and dogs. My husband and I do not have children as of right not but pray that one day we will. It is great to be a country girl and enjoy God's beautiful creation. I love photography (nature and landscape), my husband and I love fishing, hiking, camping, learning about wild plants and there medicinal purposes along with which ones can be eaten. I enjoy Mother Earth magazine along with other magazines that teach about homesteading, raising livestock, etc. I worked in Health Care System for 20+ years as a nursing assistant but I am ready for a change in career hopefully I will find that career that I will enjoy. I have just taken up weaving as a hobby recently; I built a frame loom and am learning to weave but mostly teaching myself with help from the internet. I love gospel music whether it be bluegrass, traditional, soul, messianic jewish and southern. I also love to cook in which I surprise myself with new recipes which turn out to be very good; just do not ask me as to how much that I put in my recipes because I never measure. LOL!!! I am looking forward to learning more about homesteading.


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## 5crazyKids

Good morning!
DH and I and our 5 kids live in southern Idaho. We have 93 chickens, 3 pigs, 5 goats, 2 dogs and 2 cats. The pigs are leaving us in the next two weeks along with several of the chickens. We have 6 acres and grandma and grandpa have their own house on our property. Grandma has a huge greenhouse and grows tons of herbs and veggies for all of us....and feeds the kids cookies every time they set foot in her house  Raising our own meat is new to us but we are excited to have home raised chicken and pork. Eventually we will get cattle, but we have to wait for pasture to grow in


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## spruceglen

Hi, My name is Brianna, my husband is Ezra. We live in rural, upstate NY. We're Christians, in our early 30's, we have three elementary children that we homeschool. We have a small business that is located in a shop on our property. We have 140+ acres that we're starting to "you-can-farm," haha... My husband goes to the cattle forum a lot, I'm just here because I'm a girl from the suburbs who has NO idea what she's doing, short of weeding and raking!


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## areallynicegirl

Hi I'm Patti, wife and mom to 5, ages are 3, 10, 12, 14, and 17. We recently moved to the Boise area and we are looking for property, maybe ten acres or so, to raise some animals and grow some food. I really like the tone of this forum, it seems to be very positive. I have reading threads this afternoon and have already learned some really great things and looking forward to learning a lot more!


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## BanTam

Hi! I'm Tammy. My husband and I have lived on our 6+ acres east of Austin, Texas, for 30 years. With the exception of a few chickens, a small garden and a 35 year old horse, we haven't done much with it. 

For a while now, I have been daydreaming about making our land a more productive and useful space. My interest (lately) has been in goats; mini-Nubians, mostly. Although, Angora goats are soooo darn cute! Honestly, I know very little about goats in general but they pull my heart strings. 

With the idea of retiring in a few years, I'd like to start making changes now toward (at least partial) self-sufficiency that I can build on when that time comes. 

I look forward to learning from everyone.


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## mamasky

Hello! I'm Lindsey. My boyfriend and I and our 5 kids (4 from my first marriage and one together) bought our first home about 6 months ago. We're on 2.6 acres in a little fixer-upper. We moved from a suburban sub-division that I loathed. We're still in something like a development but it's just 20 houses on 2 dead end streets with 1-3 acre lots, surrounded by dairy farms. 
Anyways, I've got 4 boys (ages 11, almost 5 year old id twin boys, and almost 2) and one 8.5 year old girl. We're slowly trying to clean up the property and work towards self sufficiency as much as possible. We're zoned agricultural but supposed to have 3 or more acres to have farm livestock. Our chickens are due to arrive sometime this week, 6 hens and 2 guinea fowl to help combat the insane tick population here.
I've got 3 raised beds planted, strawberries in a barrel, and mature apple and pear trees already on the property. 
Most of our property is heavily overgrown and will take some time before it's all functional. As you all probably know, everything takes longer with littles running around "helping". My older 2 are active in sports and scouts, my twins are in preschool, my boyfriend works FT days and I work weekends so our time is limited but we make do with what we can.
I'm glad to have found this forum. I had been doing a bunch of reading in the other forums but this seems like a great fit for my parenting style so I'll likely be active here.


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## MichaelZ

Hi, my name is Mike. I live in a rural area of northern Wisconsin with a wife and 5 kids, 1 of which is an adult now in college. I was raised in the country so I can relate to most of what is posted on this forum. I am "old school" probably because I was raised by depression era parents that were frugal and hardworking - some even make fun of that trait in me but I think our current "throw away" society could use a lot more of that type of thinking. My faith is the most important thing in my life, followed by my family and then my career.


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## Monty Craig

Hi folks, my name is Monty. My family is from Indiana, and I am doing all of the research I can on Homesteading, as I long to get back to a simpler life. I hope to build a Cob home on a few acres, and raise chickens, rabbits, and maybe a goat or pig. (still learning) I plan on raising a big garden, and using solar power with maybe a propane generator as a back up. Big dreams, but hey! A man without a dream will perish... I look forward to getting to know you all.

Thanks,

Monty


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## mrskamel

Hello and Happy Fathers day to all the Daddy's on here. I have been lurking around for a while and past time to introduce myself.

I am a wife, a mother of two boys (12&9) and person who is looking to get more into a simple life. We do not have any animals as we currently rent. This is the first year really having a garden since 2007. I learned to garden from my father but he used chemicals. That leaves me to wanting to grow organically. Hoping that I will gain a wealth of knowledge from all of you.

Hello to all the other newbies as well.


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## UrbanHouseMouse

Hi, Im Mouse. I was here for a long time under the nic "Ninn". Life slapped me down hard for a few years, and somewhere in one of a half dozen rounds of moving house, I lost my log-in information. So, Im back, under a new nic that more accurately describes me currently. I'm still "Ninn" to 14 grandchildren (yep. there are more ). I left the small town I lived in and moved into the city to be closer to better medical care for myself and Dh, who is now a dementia patient. My dream of going off grid and living the ultimate in peace and prosperity has fallen by the wayside in favor of secure medical care and being in walking distance to what we need. (Neither of us drive any more and Im only 45!)

Im still heavy into my crochet, and I'm working on a few projects now, including a website for crafters who love working on christmas items all year long. Due to some medical issues, the site is, of course, 6 months behind, as is the rest of my life. I'm catching up though!

I live in upstate NY, and have my entire life. Except for a year in Lake Placid and a vacation in Venice, CA, I've never been more than 100 miles from home in my life. Urban or Rural, it's always been the same area. 

My current goal is to organize our 2 room apartment and make it more user friendly, as well as maximize storage space for prepping. I look forward to renewing old friendships, making new friends, and learning new skills from the folks here.


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## Pony

Ninn! I remember you!

Sorry that your life took such an unexpected turn, but glad to see you're back. {hug}


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## ArkyMack

:::waves:::

My husband and I are retired/disabled, and just moved back to my hometown in NW Arkansas. We lived on the edge of Petit Jean state park in central Arkansas for ten years.
I don't know that I'll have much to contribute, but enjoy reading the boards. I don't like lawn, love plants and woods, and putter around the place, trying to make more things grow. For me. My DH doesn't like many veggies, and will mow my flowers if they aren't marked. Somethin' wrong with that boy.


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## Pony

Welcome aboard, ArkyMack!


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## scubacoz

Hi my name is Kathy and I am 63 yrs young. My DH and I have been married for 43 years. We have 3 children Ages 38, 37 and 34. And we have 6 grandchildren ages 18. 10, 8,6,16 and 3. We are Christian and love our church family! We live on 13 acres in Texas and are currently in a drout. My hubby put up some rain barrels so I can have my garden and will be able to water them without using our well water. We have 24 mini Nubians ( dairy goats) and I am currently bottle feeding 3 baby goats. We also have a donkey to protect the goats and 18 chickens! We have 2 Catahoula dogs, and several small dogs, a Papillon, Chihuahuas and a Pomeranian several of them are rescues! I am a retired Labor and Delivery nurse and spend a lot of my time with my animals. Once gardening season is back I plan on doing alot of canning. Once I get giant milk I will be making soap and lotion. It's great to be on here!


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## BBDulcie

Hi, I'm a 54 yr old mother of three sons (30,26,& 20), my husband and I have been married 31yrs. We have 25 acres of prairie that we currently rent to a local farmer, and live in a nearby small town in a 1886 farmhouse that sat empty for 3 yrs before we bought it. The house has good "bones", and we are slowly fixing it up. We had hoped to be living on the land by now, but one of our sons had a bad hiking accident 7 yrs ago (we nearly lost him and thank God for skilled friends and the kindness of strangers!!). He recovered quickly (1 month in hospital 2200mi. away, 2 months at home). He did have insurance, but we are still recovering financially.

We presently have a small flock of laying ducks. I love chickens, but the ducks fare much better in the winter! We also have a border collie/pointer mix, 2 indoor cats, and a few 'shared' outdoor cats. In the past I've had a draft pony, chickens, rabbits (meat & wool),and helped a friend with sheep.

We are very frugal and try to do things ourselves when ever possible. As we grow older, we are adjusting our dreams for the farm. If we are realistic, I think we can still succeed. I look forward to sharing with folks here. I've been lurking for quite a while.


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## Belldandy

I don't know if I even qualify.

I live in the 'burbs, on a half-acre. I own no livestock. I haven't even grown vegetables in a couple of years 'cause we have a sun problem....as in, not enough. Right now I am trying to sprout some lettuce seeds. 

But after reading the entire January, December, and most of November Tightwad Tips threads...I had to join.

Just something about it that tugs at me. I laughingly call myself a Black Belt Tightwad, though I fall far short of the awesomeness I see here.

I have a thing for jars, for re-using 'stuff' that's lying around, for inventing a new use for other things. It makes me happy.

I found this forum by accident, looking for instructions for the Cat's Eye Lace knit stitch. 

Married, no kids, living where it snows too often for my liking. We're getting more later in the week. 

Now back to reading the archives!


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## Pony

Belldandy said:


> I don't know if I even qualify.
> 
> I live in the 'burbs, on a half-acre. I own no livestock. I haven't even grown vegetables in a couple of years 'cause we have a sun problem....as in, not enough. Right now I am trying to sprout some lettuce seeds.
> 
> But after reading the entire January, December, and most of November Tightwad Tips threads...I had to join.
> 
> Just something about it that tugs at me. I laughingly call myself a Black Belt Tightwad, though I fall far short of the awesomeness I see here.
> 
> I have a thing for jars, for re-using 'stuff' that's lying around, for inventing a new use for other things. It makes me happy.
> 
> I found this forum by accident, looking for instructions for the Cat's Eye Lace knit stitch.
> 
> Married, no kids, living where it snows too often for my liking. We're getting more later in the week.
> 
> Now back to reading the archives!


LOL! There are no criteria for "qualification" here - other than a desire to become more self-sufficient, and a willingness to learn and share. 

I grew up in The City (Chicago, to be exact). Who'd have thought that I'd wind up on a farm in the Ozarks? Well, I always knew I'd get here, it just took a long time.

You'll learn as you go (check out the gardening forum for ideas on how to get things growing, the rabbit and chicken forums for how to raise livestock in the 'burbs, etc). 

Glad you're here!


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## Belldandy

Thanks!


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## Lilandra

I got lost and now found my way back here 

In a nutshell, I'm Steph from Iowa. I raise children, chickens, flowers and sometimes tomatoes and other vegetables that grow in what is referred to as the weed patch. Which is really embarrassing since I am a Master Gardener volunteer at the extension office.

happy trails and warm weather wishes


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