| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| vintagediva1 |
Posted - Mar 03 2010 : 05:44:39 AM
Are any of you gals doing the farm/country life on your own?
I mean without a hubby or man around.
I am widowed and my single sister lives with me. We are in our late 50s and want to move to the country. What do ya think. I NEED some chickens. And some self sufficiency.
Michele
www.2vintagedivas.etsy.com
www.sissyandsisterstitch.etsy.com
www.sissyandsisterstitch.artfire.com
Love that good ole vintage junk |
| 25 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Room To Grow |
Posted - Jun 11 2011 : 1:18:32 PM
Alee I have one of those DH too. But this yr he had to help out because I wasnt able. But we are just doing a garden now, no animals yet. We are looking for another place bigger inside so people can come and stay if they want and not have to get a hotel room. I would love to have the same amount of acreage we have now (10acres, but not sure. I will be the one that does it all...except DH will do the building...so he says..lol
we have moved to our farm...and love it |
| justbe |
Posted - Jun 08 2011 : 07:12:22 AM
I believe in you gals.
Kris
www.krishundt.com
Farmgirl #1761
“Not all those who wander are lost.”
- J. R. R. Tolkien |
| owwlady |
Posted - May 30 2011 : 11:55:42 AM
Have you ever read Gladys Taber's books? She writes about her and her best friend Jill doing exactly what you're trying to do. Your library should have some of her books...The Road to Stillmeadow...The Stillmeadow Calendar...etc. I read them over and over. There may not be things like directions for building specific items, but you'll find lots of country wisdom in her books and encouragement that it can be done. |
| SusanScarlet |
Posted - May 29 2011 : 11:03:24 AM
Rea231 "There is no better feeling than independence when you have been in a bad relationship."
Amen
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| walkinwalkoutcattle |
Posted - May 28 2011 : 3:13:08 PM
You can TOTALLY do it! Especially with the help of other farmgirls! There are so many wonderful ideas here! Everything from how to start a fire to canning meat!
Farmgirl #2879 :)
Starbucks and sushi to green fried tomatoes and corn pudding-I wouldn't change it for the world.
www.cattleandcupcakes.blogspot.com
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| Tall Holly |
Posted - May 28 2011 : 1:09:30 PM
If you want a piece of land it is the best. We barter for jobs we need done. For example we raised pigs and traded one two years in a row with a man who has a back hoe. He put big cement blocks in our stream so I can build a bridge and last summer he cleaned out our pond. I think that was a bigger job than he anticipated but it is done. A neighbor that logged a property we manage cut 6 pine trees for us and dragged them up to the field. I diod pay for them to be milled and now have enough wood to make a greenhouse and many other building projects. I have never built a green house but I have been collecting glass from the sides of the road where people leave them with free signs. I found a pattern on line for the corner joints. A neighbor who wanted manure has the plans for the corners and will build the patterns for me. Although his wife says he is not good at reading plans but he does work at a school with a wood shop so the shop teacher will help him. The greenhouse will be like a log cabin but with glass on the front. I do have a tractor so that is how I will manage the heavy lifting. We bought the tractor 5 years ago and it was the best investment. I do not know how we lived and managed without it for so long.
Yes, if you want to you can live on the land without a man.
Holly
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| Ca-Reds |
Posted - May 27 2011 : 3:25:33 PM
I'd say GO FOR IT!!!
"Plan ahead, it wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark!" |
| Lorraine Michelle |
Posted - May 26 2011 : 07:21:50 AM
I have a small hobby farm with 20 so chickens, 20 or so ducks, 2 goats.
LorraineMichelle
Chickens are like potato chips...
You can't have just one! |
| patchworkpeace |
Posted - Jun 08 2010 : 05:06:10 AM
You can do it!
Success is measured not by the position one reaches but by the obstacles one has to overcome to reach it. Booker T. Washington |
| Rxgirl |
Posted - May 29 2010 : 11:07:46 AM
I say go for it...you can do anything you put your mind to!
Dana
"He who throws mud only loses ground"-Fat Albert |
| homsteddinmom |
Posted - May 25 2010 : 04:32:43 AM
My dh works full time and works alot of hrs. So i do alot myself but there are somethings that i cannot do. I am partialy handicapped so have a hard time walking sometimes so some of the hard physical stuff i just cant do anymore :(. I was born and raised on a farm and we all had to do our share so this sint anything new to me.
Homesteading Mom in East Texas. Raising chickens, Rabbits and goats here on my farm! |
| grace gerber |
Posted - May 24 2010 : 6:57:37 PM
I purchased this place 14 years ago after my husband passed and I had two young sons. I grew up in town but always loved animals, land and like doing things my way. We had two llamas and a few chickens when we got here. By the end of the year I had 75 animals and was learning the fiber breeding and fiber arts business. Now I am not saying that it was a breeze but if you have a desire you find a way. When we started my boys could bearly carry a gallon bucket of water so for many years I was the muscle, when they grew we had 6 hard working hands but for the past four years it is only my two hands. It can be done if the desire is there. I went to college to learn the LAW and became an Exotic Fiber Breeder and Artist - go figure.
Life is hard work but tons of Love here at the Funny Farm...
Grace Gerber
Larkspur Funny Farm and Fiber Art Studio
Where the spirits are high and the fiber is deep
http://www.larkspurfunnyfarm.etsy.com
http://larkspurfunnyfarm.blogspot.com
http://larkspurfunnyfarm.artfire.com
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| katalind |
Posted - May 24 2010 : 12:59:02 PM
I think you should go for it. Nothings better than a farm girl life - man or no man. |
| Rea231 |
Posted - Apr 05 2010 : 01:56:00 AM
Some of the best advice I can give anyone on their own is to find something you do well and enjoy and barter this service for the things you find difficult... for example I cook. I have had a small catering business for years, I just catered a wedding and bartered partial payment for next winters supply of firewood.(my primary heat source)
I also enjoy canning and preserving, I do this on shares for many things with neighbors.
I work with a butcher about 60 miles away...I spend a few days working with them in exchange for meat also!
As for the slug with Vodka in hand...Financial insecurity is scary for sure but I am sure you can make it work. When I first left my ex I was forced to work several jobs to pay the bills because he chose to leave the farm but I did it and so can you.There is no better feeling than independence when you have been in a bad relationship.
The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery. |
| gwennym |
Posted - Mar 29 2010 : 10:39:09 AM
Michele--
I moved to Southern Illinois from Northern Illinois about 4 yrs ago and bought a home and 6 acres with my, then, sig. other. We've since had a relationship collapse, but still live together (me for expenses, him, well, who knows...). I do IT ALL ... housework, cook 6 days/week (he does Thursday), mowing, gutter cleaning, fixing the mower, feeding/watering/caring for the animals, mending fences, building chicken coops, planting, weeding ... jeez, pretty much EVERYTHING here, although he does the pool maintainence. Otherwise, he's inside watching politics and/or sports on tv with an ever-filled glass of straight vodka. Suffice it to say that I've done it in middle age (late 40's) and will continue to have a country life either with the bum or without. Preferably without, but finances keep me from finding my own homestead.
Good luck and JUST DO IT!
Gwen |
| debtea2 |
Posted - Mar 09 2010 : 7:11:32 PM
jo
lots of luck and enjoy the journey
sounds like you will do just fine
inch by inch we find our way
jersey farmgirl |
| Rea231 |
Posted - Mar 08 2010 : 06:49:15 AM
I am 45 and divorced last year. I have 10.5 acres and am doing it on my own. I always did the garden and that stuff on my own but I have had to shovel the roof and clean the chimmney and many other things I took for granted.It is a major adjustment and I have had to ask others for help at times but this website has been some of the best encouragement I have found. Welcome!
The art of teaching is the art of assisting discovery. |
| Chives |
Posted - Mar 07 2010 : 5:50:53 PM
What is the harstine farmgirl chapter. Is that part of mary jane or something else? Vicki |
| JoAtHarstine |
Posted - Mar 07 2010 : 5:20:27 PM
Hello, everyone!
LindyFran and I are the Harstine Island Farm Girls chapter, located at the south end of Puget Sound just north of Olympia. We're trying to take an old 8-acre dairy farm and turn it back into a productive farm. We're both experienced gardeners but we've never undertaken a project of this size before. So, yes, we'd LOVE to have some help. There's room for two or three more farmgirl types -- experience not required. We're all learning here. Just bring your enthusiasm!
We'll be starting with herbs and veggies and flowers in raised beds, selling at the local farmers market. Maybe we'll get some goats and chickens later. This is a lovely area, with a marina nearby, and a lot of wildlife, too. The weather is mild year-round and I'm sorry to say we haven't seen a snowflake all winter!
Now that the rainy season is over and the planting season is nearly here, I can't wait to get my fingers in some dirt! If you're a wanna-be farm girl, you'd be welcome to join us. I'd be happy to send pictures. We live in one big modern farmhouse with private rooms and all the amenities, including a piano and a big-screen TV. Am so happy I found this wonderful site, and all the fascinating farmgirls on it. Thanks to MaryJane for making it all possible, and showing us how to go country with style! |
| lindyfran |
Posted - Mar 05 2010 : 2:52:23 PM
quote:
Originally posted by vintagediva1
Are any of you gals doing the farm/country life on your own?
I mean without a hubby or man around.
I am widowed and my single sister lives with me. We are in our late 50s and want to move to the country. What do ya think. I NEED some chickens. And some self sufficiency.
Michele
www.2vintagedivas.etsy.com
www.sissyandsisterstitch.etsy.com
www.sissyandsisterstitch.artfire.com
Love that good ole vintage junk
Lady who owns a farm that wants it to be nurtured,cared for & a real working farm |
| vintagediva1 |
Posted - Mar 05 2010 : 11:58:26 AM
Thanks sisters for all the encouragement.
Hopefully this dream will become a reality within the year.
I am praying on it constantly
Michele
www.2vintagedivas.etsy.com
www.sissyandsisterstitch.etsy.com
www.sissyandsisterstitch.artfire.com
Love that good ole vintage junk |
| gr8tfulmom |
Posted - Mar 04 2010 : 11:04:05 AM
quote:
Originally posted by solilly
I'M with a lot of the other girls. I have a hubby but a lot of the things I want and need he can not understand so it is just better to do it myself. He does the tractor and wood cutting work I do the hole digging, some planting, pole tying, picking, cleaning, freezing, yard work in general. So we don't always need a man and any way most people will help for a free meal. Lilly 
learning the life I always wanted.
Very well-put and similar to our place 
adding to the choir of 'you can do it'
Farmgirl sister #779
http://symbioticstitches.blogspot.com/ |
| 1badmamawolf |
Posted - Mar 03 2010 : 6:31:19 PM
Here's my 2 cents: If your dream is to be in the country, own alittle land, have a garden and some chickens, well I say go for! Aslong as you are willing to give up some blood, sweat and tears, ask for help when you really need it, start small and easy and build up to what you can handle, and remember, farm life is 365 days a year, no matter the weather, or if your are sick, this life waits for no one, you become apart of the earth when farming, no matter how small your farm is. I am a widow, for going on 3 years now, my youngest son, his wife and their son, my grandson live here and work the place with me, but that wasn't always the way, my son did 2 tours in Iraq, and was not here for awhile after his Daddy died, and when my hubby was alive, before he got sick, he worked off our place 5-6days aweek as a diesel mechanic. So I did alot on my own, cause alot of time, it had to be done RIGHT NOW. I hope what you truely want, happens the way you want, and sooner, rather than later.
"Treat the earth well, it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children" |
| Faransgirl |
Posted - Mar 03 2010 : 3:29:27 PM
My sister and I want to go it along too. I have a husband that works away from home most of the time so he isn't there to help out. We have replaced the hot water heater in the attic etc by ourselves, he was in Russia. My husbands family is not long lived, most of the men have died in their early 60's. (not that I am wanting him to die mind you) but we have to think ahead. I will have my own land and farm house at some point and if he is there great, if not well we will handle it. I have three daughters that feel much the same. My middle one has even repaired her boyfriends car for him. We girls can do anything. I learned working with horses, that if you think smart not strong there is nothing you can't do.
Farmgirl Sister 572
When manure happens just say "WOO HOO Fertilizer". |
| SuzieQ |
Posted - Mar 03 2010 : 2:24:01 PM
Michele, you can go to youtube and search homesteading and learn multiple how to's from canning to making a potato hoe to raised beds. I have learned how to knit and can from those sites. Research reasearch and then some more. I have seen sites on the computer about farms that do internships for a year and you learn lots of homesteading, gardening, and animal care. good luck |
