I know that new people find us once in a while, so here is your chance to jump in and introduce us to yourself and your family. Feel free to join in at any time. Many people do use a fake e-mail and that is OK too!

-- Melissa in SE Ohio (me@home.net), April 01, 2002

Answers

Ok, I'll go first. As you can see we live in southwest VA. We just moved here 2 1/2 years ago from central VA. We are a family of 4- one daughter is married. We are Christians, so I have been "enjoying" the controverial threads. We have had a garden for as long as we have been in the country (12 years) and have raised at one time or another the following: horses, milk goats, chickens, ducks, sheep, children, assorted cats and dogs. The ones that we have been the most succesful with are the children! At our "new" place we just have chickens. I tell everyone that asks that all I want to raise now are my kids and good homegrown food. We are vegetarians and enjoy lots of ethnic foods. I have been taking classes at a comm. college on organic gardening and it's been great. The country is a wonderful place to be!

-- Lynelle SOwestVA (X2ldp@aol.com), April 01, 2002.

I guess I should jump in and introduce myself too! I have been a regular on Countryside for a long time now and have lurked here for quiet a while. I enjoy the people on this forum, everyone is so friendly and Melissa does such a great job!! I can relate to most of what is talked about here, I have a wonderful family. I am lucky enough to be able to stay at home, although when I had a full time job I had regular lunch hours and breaks! Now sometimes I get wrapped up in a project and don't stop for a break til 2 or 3. We raise Quarter Horses, Border Collies, sheep for wool, chickens, ducks, pigs, guineas and have lots of cats. I like to spin and dye my wool, I raise a big garden every year and can or freeze what we need. We are avid foragers of morel mushrooms, sandhill plums, wild grapes, echinacea, lambs quarter, cactus pads and fruit, etc. I am also an avid hunter, deer, quail, dove and pheasant. We only shoot what we will use, and I do the processing myself. I guess I'm an outdoors person! I do love to read, play my guitar, fiddle, banjo, dulcimer and the piano. I love music! I'm getting quite a collection of wood working tools too. I love getting a new sander or saw for my birthday. Sorry this is getting too long! We have been out in the country forever and love it. This is a great forum, thanks to all of you good people and to Melissa for making this a nice place to visit! Best wishes.

-- cowgirlone in OK (cowgirlone47@hotmail.com), April 01, 2002.

I feel like I'm taking a bit of a plunge here. I usually just read and comment only if I know for sure I have something valid to contribute. My name is Toni. We live on the West side of Washinton state. I grew up on an Island in the Puget sound that has since been bought up by the very wealthy. Now, we're out on a Penninsula and I love it here,much more like my Island home was when I was a kid. We have two children still at home(daughters), a son and wonderful daughter-in-law, and one very loved grandson. I use to do home health care until an injury four years ago, now I raise and sell poultry and eggs. We love our home, it's never dull around here. I do some crochet, sewing, and rug braiding. At times, we've had gardens, and would love to put one in this year. I think the thing I love to do the most in the world is chase my ducks and geese with my two year old grandbaby! He shows great promise at being a homesteader! Thanks for being here, it's been a blessing to find a forum that believes in home and family! God bless! Toni

-- Toni (anothermother@hotmail.com), April 01, 2002.

Hi folks,

I don't get on the computer much anymore - don't find the time it seems. Stan and I are full time homesteaders, I guess you'd say - doin' our best to keep the oxen's heads above water as we and the wagon try to make it all the way across this here highwater...churns hard every spring, it seems, wantin ta drag us under a time or two...

Just pleased to be able to check in once in awhile and meet you all and hear of your lives.

Stan and I live deep in the southern Cascade mountains. We're older folk, never had us a passel of children (though we always wanted 'em - you know, six sons around the long table bowing their heads - I always had visions of that...)

But we're happy and content with how the Lord has guided us and led us. It's been a lot of years under our belts (together) and many of those years have been homesteading years. Thankfully - that's the way the good Lord led us and I'll never regret a single day, I don't think, when the roll is called up yonder...

Anyway - I'm a spinner and weaver. Of mohair. Yes, we have us a large herd of angora goats and we try to market their fiber. Colored angora goats have been our main focus in the past few years - and this spring we should have a tremendous amount of color hit the ground. "Hit the ground" - by the way - is a term that the sheepherders have always used when referring to births in their flocks. Perhaps the cattle folk use it too when calves are born.

Just pleased to introduce myself here - you may hear from me again on occasion, though it's not easy for me to get to the computer these days. Husband works on web pages for different folks and I'm keeping myself busy at the loom or sitting at the spinning wheel. We're also trying to build a big barn to completion - which takes most of husband's time these days.

Yesterday that yellow orb in the sky shone brightly on green Oregon and you'da heard the steady whir of sheep shears had you come by the place. We spent hours in the barn with kid goats - they were first to lose their lustrous and soft fleeces. The big goats will have their turn soon. Yes, we're a bit late with the shearing. I was real afraid we'd see some matted mohair (matted at the base) - but it looks like we caught it on time.

Well, best be off. You all take care, and again - glad to meet you.

Alexandra

-- alexandra (singingfalls@tymewyse.com), April 01, 2002.

I've been enjoying the forum for about 3 months now...so,I guess it's time I introduce myself also.

We live in central Texas on a beautiful ranch....creeks,ponds,woods, and pasture as far as the eye can see.Husband Marc and I have 2 children(boys age 9 and 2),dogs,cats,milk goats,chickens,pigs, rabbits,cows,and guineas....I may be forgetting something...lol

We have a large garden every year,and just finished planting everything this week.

I am an avid hunter(along with hubby and oldest son).We hunt deer,wild hogs,etc. We also love to fish,and spend alot of time down at one of the ponds fishing for bass.

My hobbies are painting outdoor scenes,wildlife rehab, and carpentry. (Like cowgirl in OK,my favorite birthday present was a radial arm table saw...lol) I am currently working on a 12'x12 treehouse for the boys,about 20 ft up in 2 trees. It features a trapdoor,railing around the "house" part and is cable suspended to move with the trees.

Ok,that's more than you ever wanted to know about me...lol

-- Johna (in central TX) (marcnjohna@aol.com), April 01, 2002.

Welcome everyone. You all are so talented and busy and it sounds like you have such interesting lives. Feel free to join in at any time. Then I don't feel like I am on here all by myself!!!!

-- Melissa in SE Ohio (me@home.net), April 01, 2002.

I too should introduce myself. We're Sharon (me, 29), Eric (32), Eli (2) and Simon (4 mos), and we moved to 27 acres in Central NY about 9 months ago. We're new to most of this stuff, although I grew up around farms - still, I didn't pay too much attention until one day I woke up and realized that this is what I've wanted all my life. Soon we hope Eric's grandparents will come and join us, as they want to retire to our farm when they aren't able to keep their own home any longer.

We are religious Jews, so we're in the midst of our big holiday season and trying to arrange our farm around Jewish law and practice. It is a wonderful venture for us, and a real joy.

We put our first chickens in the deep freeze this spring, and are contemplating turkeys and more layers soon, and maybe sheep, but money is tight and critters cost, so we'll see. We had a tiny garden last year (we didn't get here until late June), but this year we go all out. We're living as frugally as possible and hoping for the day when Eric can stay home with the kids and I can support us (both of us are college Professors, and he's the patient one with the homemaking skills - I get antsy after a while). I'm the garden girl, he's in charge of the orchard, and we both are loving country life.

Nice to meet you all!

-- Sharon in NY (astyk@brandeis.edu), April 02, 2002.

I have been reading here for a few weeks so I guess this is a good time to introduce myself. I live on 40 acres in Southeastern Oklahoma with my husband and 2 teenage children (homeschooled). We have a horse, 4 dogs, and 3 cats. We are going to be getting chickens soon and are going to plant an orchard. We are not real homesteaders (at least not yet) but I love to read about it. Our goals are to spend the next 10 to 15 years getting this place in really good shape and develop an orchard that will produce enough for sale to pay our taxes and insurance on this place. We are already debt free. My husband should be able to retire early if we stay out of debt and make enough here to cover taxes and insurance. We also hope to produce a good portion of our own food. Our plans this year include building at least one raised bed, complete with automatic watering system. We would ultimately like at least 6 of these beds. I also want to put in an herb garden. We would like to plant at least a few fruit trees this year. Today I am going to pick up 200 seedlings from the Oklahoma dept. of Agriculture, Forestry services. We live on heavily wooded land already but would like to add some pines and redbuds, as well as some pecans. Well, I guess that is enough for now. Good to "meet" y'all!

Deanna

-- Deanna Piercy (dpiercy@adacomp.net), April 03, 2002.