Fun thread: Share the good stuff in our lives? Fun things we plan to do?

pigless in VA

Well-Known Member
It's roughly 80 acres. Yes, it is definitely a dream come true for me. Maybe I will even have pigs again. That photo shows the back of the farmhouse from the front pasture which we named for my brother in law who is gone. The back meadow is named for my late husband. There's a river which runs roughly north to south behind the house.
 

Ironbutterfly

If focused on a single leaf you won't see the tree
Pigless, I love your farm and sounds like you are getting your slice of heaven.

Son seems to be doing better since he moved down state, no drama for about a month. I have had a nice break in the storm which has been going on since summer.

Hubby and I are going to Nags Head in April. In Sept 2nd son is getting married so we are looking forward to the wedding.

Other than that, just enjoying down time and not running on adrenaline, not having to wonder if I am being scammed or not. Pray that it continues.
 

Lil

Well-Known Member
I did something big and rather scary. I bought a farm.

How exciting! I grew up on a small farm, we had cows and pigs and chickens and a few hay and grain fields, and I miss it! Maybe it's a function of age...I certainly didn't want to be a country girl until I hit my mid-40's or so. I don't want a big farm now, but even 4 or 5 acres, with an orchard and some chickens would be sooo nice. A little homestead.

Well everyone, it looks like Jabber will have his hunting land!!! We have an accepted contract on 17.2 acres of woodlands and we should close March 1. We're trying not to get too excited, since it isn't over until we have deed in hand, but we kind of are. It's not something we can live on...too far from work and just bare land, no utilities or anything, but I must admit I'm thinking of things like wild blackberry patches and mushroom hunting. I may have a forest farm. :)

Fingers crossed it works out.
 

Lil

Well-Known Member
Well no one's posted after me here - but I'm going to update anyway. :) Jabber and I took advantage of Missouri's weirdly mild weather this weekend(Almost 60 in February! And today it's 30 - at the moment - and dropping with a low of 11 forecast. Crazy.) and took a drive down to our soon-to-be property. We had a lovely hike for a couple hours, trying to find the property lines. (I think a call to a surveyor is going to be 1st on our To-Do list.) We discovered what I think are lots of wild black raspberry brambles, what I'm sure are wild blackberry brambles, and a wet-weather creek running through the property. Jabber was quite pleased to find deer poop. :yess:

All in all, it's a lovely little piece of land. Going there was good...I've been a bit worried about the purchase. It's a lot of money for land 45 minutes away that we aren't living on...okay actually, it's a really good buy...but even cheap real estate isn't cheap. But seeing it again makes me happier with our decision to buy.

Jabber bought me a wild mushroom book. I'll have my own brand of hunting to do. :D I'm looking forward to spring!
 

InsaneCdn

Well-Known Member
what I'm sure are wild blackberry brambles, and a wet-weather creek running through the property. Jabber was quite pleased to find deer poop.
Hooray for you... I'm green with envy. CREEK besides.
I'd also love the deer... but not in Jabber's sights.
:angel3:
 

Jabberwockey

Well-Known Member
I'd also love the deer... but not in Jabber's sights.

I prefer them on my plate!! :bigsmile:
But I guess they have to be in my sights before they are on my plate. For the record, I don't trophy hunt. Wont turn down a trophy buck if he walks in front of me but Im trying to put meat in the freezer.
 

InsaneCdn

Well-Known Member
but Im trying to put meat in the freezer
I'm actually not anti-hunting, when it comes to people who make use of it for food, specifically. I come from an area where hunting is common, and lots of relatives hunt.

But. I'm a bit partial to deer. We live in town - like, right in the MIDDLE of town. And we have deer sleeping in our back yard, and walking past our living room window at 2 in the afternoon... DEER are "wild pets". If you want food, go shoot a moose, or an elk, or some antelope. All of which are better eating than deer are anyway...
:grandpa:
 

Jabberwockey

Well-Known Member
Sorry, but we seem to be lacking on the wild moose, elk, and antelope around here!! Seriously, white tail deer is the biggest game animal around here. I've never tried moose, elk, or antelope before. I've heard that moose and elk are really good though.
 

InsaneCdn

Well-Known Member
Moose is the absolute best. They are huge - so they aren't too worried even about predators. Wolves and bears can take down a young one... or one that is sick. But otherwise... moose just lumber around wherever they want to go, eating whatever they want to eat. Feed mostly on marsh grass, so more like pasture-fattened beef. Really tender. Hubby says if son ever gets a moose tag and a moose... we will buy how ever many freezers we need to contain the meat!

So how about we make a deal. If you have to shoot your deer, I'll forgive you. And if you ever come up HERE to hunt, you won't hunt MY deer... Deal?
 

Jabberwockey

Well-Known Member
If you have to shoot your deer, I'll forgive you. And if you ever come up HERE to hunt, you won't hunt MY deer... Deal?

No problem whatsoever! I see no point in going out of state or country to hunt something that I could get here at home. And its not like I don't consider deer to be beautiful animals. If I hit my limit early, I could still spend time in the woods just watching them.

Wont get started on the ones that are in our back yard....at 2 am...eating our garden and plantings...bastards.
 

InsaneCdn

Well-Known Member
Wont get started on the ones that are in our back yard....at 2 am...eating our garden and plantings...bastards.
:rofl:

We are planning a garden this year. The first step is... to build a "shelter" for the garden, using snow fencing - including a "roof". To keep out... the deer, and the rabbits, and whatever else might come along. Otherwise, we'll just be feeding the deer.
 

Jabberwockey

Well-Known Member
The first step is... to build a "shelter" for the garden

Oh, we know and understand this concept. Due to a small yard, our garden was literally a 3 foot by 6 food raised bed with a trellis at one end for the green beans to grow up. Just wasn't worth the effort to build an enclosure for such a small garden. Not like we were getting much out of it anyway.
 

Nancy

Well-Known Member
Pigless I am jealous, I always wanted to live on a farm. I'm a bit too old to do that now. How will you survive with no wireless?

Lots of fun things going on here, niece is getting married in June so we have a trip to Maryland...stopping in Difficult Child first for a couple days with other family members. I will be a fun time with everyone together. Then in July my daughter is getting married and we get to do the whole thing again. Showers, rehearsal dinners, everything that goes with it.

Having our deck replaced with pavers for a patio and really looking forward to that. Getting one of those gas fire pits and new furniture and plan on spending a lot of time enjoying the outdoors. Been busy painting rooms and other remodeling projects.

Oh and the big one....Difficult Child daughter moved back home. We were hoping she would leave the boyfriend for two years now and she finally made the split. She came home with nothing though so she will be here until she can save money to buy some furniture and find a place of her own.

This winter has been unusually warm and I am enjoying it very much.
 

Lil

Well-Known Member
We are planning a garden this year. The first step is... to build a "shelter" for the garden, using snow fencing - including a "roof". To keep out... the deer, and the rabbits, and whatever else might come along. Otherwise, we'll just be feeding the deer.

Just wasn't worth the effort to build an enclosure for such a small garden.

I beg to differ with the husband!

Every spring when I'd plant my (4x8) bed, I would have stuff dug up by squirrels. I hate them. So finally I bought PVC pipe and elbows and made three "wickets" 4 ft long by 3 ft tall, stuck them in the bed using little rebar stakes to hold them up, then stretched bird netting over the whole thing. The bushy-tailed rodents went under the sides, so I took landscaping blocks and edged the entire thing, over the netting. Once stuff started coming up and getting big enough that I'd have to take the cover off, I'd put tufts of dog hair (I got a bag at Petco's grooming salon) all over to try to repel them. It looked like the garden was covered with hamsters! When the deer would start grazing, I'd hang streamers and wind chimes trying to scare them off. The last time I took the netting and draped it from the trellis top all the way to the bottom of the bed, then hung wind chimes from the netting so they'd make noise.

We're in the middle of town too! My battle with the critters is the stuff of legend. LOL
:warriorsmiley:
 

InsaneCdn

Well-Known Member
We're in the middle of town too! My battle with the critters is the stuff of legend. LOL
We don't have squirrels to deal with, thank goodness.
Deer, porcupine, raccoons, cats, birds - those are our biggest pests.

We have a material called "snow fencing" - plasticish stuff, by the roll, about 4 feet high. Wouldn't keep a squirrel out - holes are too big - but lets lots of light and water through. We either have to do double-height, OR create a framework, and do all five sides (including top) - otherwise, deer just jump in, and back out...

Birds, well... other than noise makers and netting, not much you can do.
 

Jabberwockey

Well-Known Member
I think I know what you're talking about Insane and no, it wouldn't work for squirrels. Resourceful little bastards. And Honey, I was referring to going full bore and building a complete enclosure just shy of a green house. Although the green house would be easier.
 

Tanya M

Living with an attitude of gratitude
Staff member
We too gets lots of wildlife in our backyard, deer, turkeys, raccoons, opossum's, even the occasional coyote, lots of squirrels, chipmunks and rabbits. I have also had ducks and geese. There is a creek that runs in the woods behind our house.

We have a raised bed 4 X 8. My husband put poles in each corner and then attaches some plastic netting to the poles. So far it works pretty good keeping the critters out but it make it more difficult to weed and harvest.

Last year our tomato plant was huge but was late producing as we had a very late spring. We did get some wonderful fruit off it but still had lots of green tomatoes in the fall.
 

pigless in VA

Well-Known Member
Nancy, I can survive without internet for short periods, but when we move I will have to get it.

Jabber, I see your deer poop and raise you a bear poop. So far we've seen 2 grown bear and 3 cubs. We also have golden eagles and turkeys. We have an electric fence around our garden.

Bingo spends most of his time racing in between groundhog holes.
 
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