Homestead mailing list

[Rob <becida AT comcast.net>]

When we bought the 12 acres of trees in northern Minnesota I was 
still in the Coast Guard, stationed at Chicago (10 hr drive).
The place had about an acre on one corner that was part of a hay 
field, this was good as it gave me a place to operate off the township road.

The first thing I did was get two truck loads of class 5 gravel 
spread as a driveway off the twp road. This turned out to be one of 
the smartest things I did come that first spring (mud season).

My regrets were-
1) Getting an old mobile home rather then have a pole barn built and 
put an apartment inside that. I ended up having to rewire and replumb 
the mh anyway. The mh was supposed to be temporary, it turned out to 
be a long temporary .
2) Not building a shop as my first project, or the above mentioned 
pole barn and using half of it as a shop.
3) Not buying a tractor when I started and could afford it. After I 
got out of the CG there was never enough money for things like that.


Rob
becida AT comcast.net
Washington state

Homestead advice-

Buy a house. If you have a house, buy land. Pay for the land with 
city jobs, prepare your family for a rural lifestyle, accumulate 
tools and skills. When the land is free of debt sell the city house 
and go make a good life.
-Gene GeRue