Homesteaders

[boskelli1571]

Well now all this talk of the flu. I haven't gotten my shot yet, but I do have a sore throat from nasal drip I think. Since I've been getting the flu shot I don't get sick as much. I'm real susceptible to colds and stuff like that. Missed a whole month from work one year.

One of the things about that musterol stuff was the fumes went right up you nose and you'd be coughing and gagging. Not everything from the old ways was so good. Put to much and you'd get a nice burn.

There were eight kids in our family. My mother had to deal with them by herself since my father took a hike. We survived. My Aunt and Uncle I think were between living places. We lived in a farm house so it wasn't too bad. I was little so there's a lot I can't remember.

Moon - we did sweat for sure. One thing that I think might have helped keep us healthy would've been to bath more often. Once a week is not a good. As kids we weren't taught any better. When I left home things changed. I don't know why my mother thought that was sufficient.

We were poor but I think she grew up even poorer. She said she was born on the Erie canal and they had to break the ice to get water to bath her. I've some newspaper clippings and from what I read I believe her. She's passed away long ago so I can't ask her.

Wow! I love to hear stories from back when. We are veritably spoiled these days and tho' it's good in some ways I think we have lost much in the way of knowledge & appreciation. I remember the old hot water/Vicks with a towel over the head to clear the sinuses - it certainly worked well - I still use it! We used Kaolin poultice for aches/pains and rubbed on Dr Sloanes liniment for bruises and such.

 

[chicken-lady13]

My mother- in - law said when she got the word that a neighbors kid had the chicken poxs she would send her 5 kids to go play with them, so they would catch it and get it over with. Every one of them caught it except my husband. He has never had them even when his kids had them. He is 37 now and still has never had them. I guess he is immune to them or something. Well at least I hope so for his sake .They say it is really rough if u get them when your an adult.

 

[dysaholl]

Alright I'm going to add to this thread! I purchased a small hobby farm outside of a small town in Southwestern Ontario Canada. We are just shy of 4 acres with multiple out buildings. This little gem was neglected to say the least (a bank sale). I'll just state now that my husband and I are both a bit impulsive or ambitious, which ever way you would like to look at it.

The journey started with purchasing 25 Red Sex-link pullets....and now a mixed flock of Rhode Island Reds, Red Sex Links, ISA Browns, Leghorns and this weekend Light Sussex. We incubated and hatched our first set of chicks last week whom are residing quite nicely in my livingroom(of course in a brooder)!

This year's goal is to be more self sufficient. Expanding my garden will be the next goal since I read that thread that you can supplement 75% of the feed of your chickens from your own garden. However, my husband would like to put up a small greenhouse and maybe venture into offering our community a box program. Does anyone have any insight into this? Has anyone taken on that adventure?

 

[CedarAcres]

I have to say, growing in a greenhouse is very rewarding! We start all our plants in there and I also sell all our extras. We're planning on upgrading the size of ours in the next couple years. As for fixing up your property, our farm got pretty neglected as one of my family members got older. His health took priority and all the maintenance & upkeep just went out the window. We were then hit pretty bad with three storms that really caused a lot of damage. When it came to fixing everything back up it was VERY intimidating. Just make sure you pick one task at a time so you don't get overwhelmed. It is also nice when you actually see progress, rather than splitting your time on 20 different things and it seems like nothing gets finished.

We started with just clearing all the extra trees and opening up some areas. We did most of this ourselves except for the 45 large ones right around the house (one of which fell on my car, that I only owned for 5 days, right before they came to cut the trees down). That was the biggest task but we simply couldn't deal with having trees falling on the house or cars again. Then we moved to the chicken coop area, where we also had a lot of trees that fell.

It's really suprising how quickly things can get over grown and get that neglected look. The good thing about fixing up a property is that you can really do everything exactly the way you want to, even if it takes a bit longer.. Just keep your final plans in mind if you get frustrated! We had a lot of moments where we just felt like we'd never get there. But now that everything is looking so much better, I'm so glad we decided to keep the property (we were originally going to move to a different property).

 

[newbie32]

Alright I'm going to add to this thread! I purchased a small hobby farm outside of a small town in Southwestern Ontario Canada. We are just shy of 4 acres with multiple out buildings. This little gem was neglected to say the least (a bank sale). I'll just state now that my husband and I are both a bit impulsive or ambitious, which ever way you would like to look at it.

The journey started with purchasing 25 Red Sex-link pullets....and now a mixed flock of Rhode Island Reds, Red Sex Links, ISA Browns, Leghorns and this weekend Light Sussex. We incubated and hatched our first set of chicks last week whom are residing quite nicely in my livingroom(of course in a brooder)!

This year's goal is to be more self sufficient. Expanding my garden will be the next goal since I read that thread that you can supplement 75% of the feed of your chickens from your own garden. However, my husband would like to put up a small greenhouse and maybe venture into offering our community a box program. Does anyone have any insight into this? Has anyone taken on that adventure?

Sounds like you have a plan!

 

[MoonShadows]

I have to say, growing in a greenhouse is very rewarding! We start all our plants in there and I also sell all our extras. We're planning on upgrading the size of ours in the next couple years. As for fixing up your property, our farm got pretty neglected as one of my family members got older. His health took priority and all the maintenance & upkeep just went out the window. We were then hit pretty bad with three storms that really caused a lot of damage. When it came to fixing everything back up it was VERY intimidating. Just make sure you pick one task at a time so you don't get overwhelmed. It is also nice when you actually see progress, rather than splitting your time on 20 different things and it seems like nothing gets finished.

We started with just clearing all the extra trees and opening up some areas. We did most of this ourselves except for the 45 large ones right around the house (one of which fell on my car, that I only owned for 5 days, right before they came to cut the trees down). That was the biggest task but we simply couldn't deal with having trees falling on the house or cars again. Then we moved to the chicken coop area, where we also had a lot of trees that fell.

It's really suprising how quickly things can get over grown and get that neglected look. The good thing about fixing up a property is that you can really do everything exactly the way you want to, even if it takes a bit longer.. Just keep your final plans in mind if you get frustrated! We had a lot of moments where we just felt like we'd never get there. But now that everything is looking so much better, I'm so glad we decided to keep the property (we were originally going to move to a different property).

I love working on our property, and there are so many things I want to do. Sometimes, when I look at everything that needs to be done or I want to do, I feel overwhelmed to the point that I don't do anything. Then, I have to remind myself that a journey begins with the first step. When I go outside with that mentality, I usually get a lot of work done. You are certainly right, it's nice when you see progress...even a little bit at the end of the day!

 

[kentuckychicks]

Just put 58 lbs of ground deer in my deep freeze! Happy dance! Processed at 23 cent a pound! You won't find meat that cheap at Walmart my friends!

 

[sepaditty1]

That's a lot of meat! Good for you.

 

[dysaholl]

Sounds like lots of work! However it is rewarding. We were lucky, we have flatland and it is clear. I will be planting some fruit tree this spring in hopes to eventually produce some goodies. I'll have to post the progression of the farm one day. Our biggest problem right now was the state of the farm house. Slowly but surely that's coming together.

The rundown farm house


Our new pine flooring (great idea in theory, however takes multiple coats of finish - we did 6. I love the knotty look though!)


Last year's attempt at a garden. It did produce an amazing bounty! This year I will plan this one out a bit better.

 

[CedarAcres]

Looks like lots of potential! That floor looks great! I love that style. Make sure you take before/after photos! It is so great to look back at them and see how much work you've done.