First I wanted to say: I'm so glad to hear that Beth's MRI was clear. I've been praying for you both since you posted.
I've been reading and catching up on the news for the past month. Hope to be more active around here in the future.
Anyway, I have a request for help to toss out there to anyone that might be able to help or know of someone.
As I mentioned, we lost our private drive due to the recent flooding. We live off grid on an old family property (6 generations), no well or septic, yet, so we haul everything up and down our little mountain side. We have been walking in an out since the flooding and have tried to figure out if staying for the tough mountain winter will work.
So...long and short of it, our answer has come in a disappointing way, but it's an answer.
We happen to have neighbors that are not thrilled that we moved up here full time a few years back... and turned the property back into a little farm adding chicks, ducks, goats, another dog, cats, etc. You know, a small little farm on acreage up in the mountains...something so many people dream about...and we have every right to do!
Our neighbors have been difficult, to say the least (calls to sheriff when we shoot a gun, health dept b/c we have so many animals that must be contaminating their wells...and so on) The complaints have been numerous since the flooding, no one has anything better to do these days I guess than to keep tabs on what we are doing (we finally made an appointment to have the health dept out to see our place and put an end to the calls) and when that blew the complaints out of the water they found something else to work...
With the road missing, imagine 2 cars being swallowed up in the largest section, we have needed to cross private property to get down to the highway. This place is a vacation home which isn't used much at all.
The full-time neighbors called the property owners and complained that we were crossing and they called us and promptly refused us permission to cross. We now can not walk in or out and therefore need to leave until the road is fixed in Spring.
The reason: they don't want us to wear out the lawn (which I understand) but then the kicker reason?!?! They were up here last week and our dog was barking too much and Okay, I admit it, it's true, he barked a lot that particular day. In fact, he was barking a ton...a bobby snuck in and grabbed one of our ducks
...of course he was barking! But "his barking is bringing their property value down" and they just don't like us having him here...
Huh? THAT'S a reason to be unkind and make life during a disaster more difficult for a family?!?!?
)
So, it's really hard to teach my children to be kind to our neighbors and not be poisoned by their venom when I feel like shooting my guns more often and dumping my barn muck on their lawn to give them real reason to complain...
We have just come to take it as an answer to our looming question: can we really keep doing this without a road all winter.
Anyway, sorry, got distracted...Obviously, I have farm animals I need to re-home; its not just easy to pack up and leave. We have a family who winters in CA that have offered us their house, but no animals except our one really old dog is allowed.
Is anyone able to take some chickens and ducks, I have a home for most of them (it's a little much for the family that is taking them to take them all, but they will if need be). I think I have a home for the LGD and our cats, but if another possible spot for back up is available that would be great too.
Most importantly, I can not find anyone who can take the last two goats, they are doeling kids (who are weaned). One kid is actually for sale, maybe both, but right now, I'd just like to find someone willing to house them for us.
So, that wasn't so short of a story. Sorry, when I got going it was a little hard not to stop, and I'm SURE many of you totally understand the troubles of neighbors who don't like you. Or maybe not, I wouldn't wish that anyone had neighbors like these people!