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Bob -
I share your sentiments completely. These ladies are indeed deserving of all
respect and admiration. Truly amazing!
Regards,
Sandy

On Fri, 14 Jul 2006 07:12:28 -0700 (PDT), bob ford wrote:

> 
> Reading and writing are diiificult for me presently.  
> I have enjoyed what I could see of this conversattion.
> 
> I wish I had the intelllect of these women when I was
> a bit younger....as ever bob ford
> 
> --- Lynn Wigglesworth <lynnw AT chilitech.net> wrote:
> 
> > From: "Viking" <erthnsky AT bellsouth.net>
> > > Are there things I miss?  Sure.  I miss being able
> > to go to specialty
> > > grocery stores on a whim for something exotic like
> > Dungeness crab.(well,
> > > it's exotic in these parts, anyway<g>)  I miss
> > things like being able to
> > > call Dominoes on those days when I just don't feel
> > up to cooking.  (I'm
> > > hungry right now, can you tell?)  But do I regret
> > moving here and living
> > > this life? ABSOLUTELY NOT.  I wish I had followed
> > my heart earlier in
> > > life.  I wish I had made the jump you are about to
> > make when I was 25
> > > instead of 35.
> > 
> > Bev; Once again you've said all the things I was
> > thinking. City folk don't
> > understand the luxury of being able to pee in the
> > backyard instead of
> > having to take off muddy boots to go in the house
> > :-). I was 40 when I
> > made the move...should have done it at 25!  It's not
> > an easy lifestyle,
> > but I'm happy with it. I was miserable as a yuppie
> > (are yuppies still
> > around?). Today I'm healthier and happier than I've
> > been in 20 years. I
> > know what you mean about always being 'different';
> > even today I've joined
> > some internet groups of non-homestead people. They
> > can't begin to fathom
> > my lifestyle, and I don't even try to explain it
> > (they keep telling me
> > that I need to take a long vacation somewhere nice.
> > Bwwwaaaahhhhhaaa.. I
> > can barely pay the electric bill, and who's going to
> > weed the garden, take
> > care of my kids, put the cows back in when they
> > escape, gather the eggs,
> > let the dogs out, harvest my stuff, and go to the
> > Farmers' Markets to earn
> > my living for me? Farmers don't get a vacation
> > plan).
> > 
> > I have a couple extra challeneges...2 kids who hate
> > farming but still like
> > to eat and buy 'stuff', and no one to help out. I
> > never did get much farm
> > help, but now I have to do it ALL by myself. 
> > Dragging myself in to make
> > dinner after working all day getting the beds
> > prepared and planted was a
> > real challenge this spring...add a school event in
> > the evening, and I'd
> > have to prop my eyelids open to pretend I was awake!
> > That's one truism
> > I've learned about farming...you work hard, and if
> > you sit down, you fall
> > asleep.
> > 
> > Things have settled down now, with the planting done
> > and the kids out of
> > school. But the biggest problem is money; it's
> > ironic that I worry so much
> > about money, because I'm one of the least
> > materialistic people I know. But
> > I'd fight like a mother bear to keep the farm.
> > 
> > Homesteading is the perfect 'retirement plan'
> > because there is a steady
> > flow of retirement money. If you do have  income,
> > from retirement or one
> > person working a 'real' job, or you have a lot of
> > savings and can buy and
> > setup your property for cash, homesteading is fun.
> > You don't HAVE to earn
> > any money from the homestead/farm so you can
> > experiment, play around with
> > ideas, etc. You can actually take time off to be
> > sick or injured without
> > losing the farm (you might even have health
> > insurance!).
> > 
> > We never had much money to begin with (we were poor
> > yuppies), but when I
> > divorced, I had to give my ex a huge chunk of money
> > so I could keep the
> > farm (we didn't have a large mortgage and the farm
> > was assessed at almost
> > double what we paid for it, so there was LOTS of
> > equity to split in
> > half...I refied and my mortgage payment more than
> > doubled) so I still need
> > money. I've been living on child support and what I
> > can earn from the
> > farm, but that just isn't cutting it. I have to
> > figure out how to make
> > more from the farm (my goal is to gross $10,000/year
> > from the farm, so
> > it's not like I'm looking to become Conag); if I
> > can't, I'll have to get a
> > 'real' job (there are only minimum wage jobs
> > locally, so that's a full
> > time crappy job...I'd rather farm). I'm constantly
> > living on the edge...if
> > I get sick or injured or my 17 year old truck dies,
> > I don't know what I'll
> > do. I just have faith that things will work out, and
> > so far they
> > have...the solutions have come along just when I
> > need them.
> > 
> > I can't cut expenses much more...we're living one
> > step above Ghandi now
> > (well, by American standards). As things wear out or
> > break, I'm not
> > replacing them, so our material 'stuff' is
> > dwindling. Not that I mind, but
> > I feel bad for the kids, who didn't choose this
> > life. They are great about
> > it and don't complain (much).
> > 
> > Lynn Wigglesworth
> > Peasant Farmer
> > Tioga County, PA
> > 
> > 
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> > 
> > 
> 
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