The Old Folks Home - Page 2

well, I'm not exactly a kid.. I'm 26(maybe a kid in the eyes of our older folk).  Probably a hair less than the median age of this community.  I live in my parent's home but they are both retired and travel or stay at one of their vacation homes.. so I don't see my parents much more than four or five days a month.  But it is a real problem, I am one college term away from my degree and am thinking about where I will live as my own place.. I'm sure it will happen within the year.  I just have a sad feeling that I won't be able to live in a location where I could afford to pay the mortgage and property taxes to support my poultry hobby.  My parents are gone so much traveling they also couldn't support my birds.  It's just a problem I have no answer to yet.. and am fearing the worst.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cupman 

well, I'm not exactly a kid.. I'm 26(maybe a kid in the eyes of our older folk).  Probably a hair less than the median age of this community.  I live in my parent's home but they are both retired and travel or stay at one of their vacation homes.. so I don't see my parents much more than four or five days a month.  But it is a real problem, I am one college term away from my degree and am thinking about where I will live as my own place.. I'm sure it will happen within the year.  I just have a sad feeling that I won't be able to live in a location where I could afford to pay the mortgage and property taxes to support my poultry hobby.  My parents are gone so much traveling they also couldn't support my birds.  It's just a problem I have no answer to yet.. and am fearing the worst.

Geez, have you thought that maybe staying with your parents maybe the best option. Getting a good job isn't the easiest thing and being able to save money by living under  your parents roof isn't a bad thing. 

We are not that many generations past 3 generations living together--and in Holland I know a family with a large house that had unmarried children living at home. Mind you the all work very hard, and share the load.

You would be able to keep the chickens and help with the upkeep of the house. I'm sure they love having someone live in the house while they are away.

On another note, THanks Wisher for inviting me to the thread. You were talking about vaca. Well many years ago we realized that having a small farm meant someone stayed home. NOw with kids DH and I do different activities with the kids while the other parent stays home. On Friday DH and the boys will go camping for a whole week ! YIPPEEE!!!  My work load will be cut in half immediately!!!  A vacation for me too!! I have all kinds of plans--paint the house, paint the kitchen drawers. Make nest boxes. I love being at home--I don't need to go elsewhere for R&R usually.

Having too many horses and too many sheep and too many birds--no one would do that kind of work around here. 

Yeah nothing is certain yet... However, I live in Oregon.. we have no sales tax.  The money not gained in a sales tax is made up with an ehanced property tax.  So we pay a little more here on our property but don't pay it in sales.  I honestly have a lot of what-ifs to explore so we will see.. nothing is definite yet.

I am in a bit of a different situation -- no children -- but we have found it difficult to avoid taking in stray dogs that are often dumped out in the country.  So that has been an expense and we hope to be down to only one outside dog in the next few years.  We are very tied down by that.  I've only just started with chickens this spring -- I figured I was tied down already and have wanted chickens for ages.  That said, I can't have as many chickens as I want for a variety of reasons, so that is forcing me to keep the numbers down.

Wisher, that's too bad about your losses.  I can remember when coyotes were unheard of in Alabama.

Ah, watermelon.

Wisher--always tough to loose a chicken. We have fox--hadn't ever seen one until DH chased it out of the yard and up and over the fence. The point was to make the chickens not worth the effort.  DH purposely scared the fox half to death!!!   Wish I had been there to see it!!

I have plenty of coyote--DS chased off one with a hen in the mouth. Good riddance to that hen if she doesn't have the sense to go into the coop at night for lockup. 

Fencing can help with contolling patrolling  prowlers, say that 5 times fast!  I put up a perimeter fence and that coyote hasn't come back into the property that way. More fencing to do.