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Post by trailboss on Oct 10, 2019 18:41:30 GMT -5
Great thread, there is nothing like enjoying the fruits of your labor in the way of livestock and agriculture.
Fresh eggs, and garden vegetables are the best.
With all your spare time a milk cow should be next...you can make butter, cheese, and Ice cream.
I am with Tosh, my Yorkshire’s were like friendly dogs... it was heartbreaking on the scale of Old Yeller or Where the red fern grows.
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Post by dervis on Oct 11, 2019 8:13:04 GMT -5
Sadly not enough pasture for a cow yet. Trying to talk the property owners behind me to sell me about 10 acres out of their 5000. If I could get that 10 I would start rotational grazing with cows. They are not interested in doing such a small land deal currently. I do have enough room for a few milk goats , so that is on the to-do list.
The trailer I am living in is really starting to show her age. I have the best burglar system , because if you don't know where on the floor is safe you will fall through! Some of the rooms I think the only thing holding them up is the paneling. The roof does not leak.... in the rooms I live in. So... No new projects or animals until can get the house done. Milk animals and their delicious cheese and cream will have to wait. Waiting is not a strength of mine.
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Post by oldcajun123 on Oct 11, 2019 8:16:40 GMT -5
 Travis did you talk to them about leasing , in the South people who want to keep their land but want a little cash ,lease their land, maybe you could work out a trade for milk and eggs.
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Post by dervis on Oct 17, 2019 8:07:23 GMT -5
That is a great idea. I will reach out to them. They actually grow cotton for Wrangler and some other companies it is a large corporation in at least 5 states with thousands and thousands of acres. I just think they don't think on the small scale sustainability that I do.
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Post by pepesdad1 on Oct 17, 2019 17:19:16 GMT -5
Sadly not enough pasture for a cow yet. Trying to talk the property owners behind me to sell me about 10 acres out of their 5000. If I could get that 10 I would start rotational grazing with cows. They are not interested in doing such a small land deal currently. I do have enough room for a few milk goats , so that is on the to-do list. The trailer I am living in is really starting to show her age. I have the best burglar system , because if you don't know where on the floor is safe you will fall through! Some of the rooms I think the only thing holding them up is the paneling. The roof does not leak.... in the rooms I live in. So... No new projects or animals until can get the house done. Milk animals and their delicious cheese and cream will have to wait. Waiting is not a strength of mine. Reading that, I thought we were neighbors, or you were living in my house. Got an old one, too...had to redo the whole inside and replace the floors, had to coat the roof, and have to do it again when it gets a little cooler. But it is paid for and is home and we are comfortable in it. Rich in blessings, but poor in material stuff.
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Post by dervis on Jan 22, 2020 15:27:23 GMT -5
   Hope everyone is doing well! I have been working a good bit for a few different people so have not been on as much. Have been smoking through my cellar at an impressive rate though. Trying to stay busy for other people so I dont' spend money on my own projects. Hoping to get the concrete slab poured for the future house by spring. Freezers are still full , been enjoying all that summer work now on my plate every night.
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Post by oldcajun123 on Jan 22, 2020 16:17:21 GMT -5
 My wife is gonna love the color of that Chcken Coop, I do too. Don’t be a Stranger.
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Post by Ronv69 on Jan 22, 2020 21:01:27 GMT -5
How are you going to cook the kittens?
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Post by Deleted on Jan 22, 2020 21:44:40 GMT -5
Good looking chickens and please tell me the paint was on clearance.
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Post by Goldbrick on Jan 23, 2020 12:12:36 GMT -5
That surely must be a"miss mix" color in the chicken coop. this is a great thread. I cleared off the vines and waste from last years garden,last week. and If I catch a few warm days, I think I'll till the whole plot under before we get any snow. Now that I've retired, we're planing to grow our own seed beds this year; I've built the potting bench ,but the mini greenhouse unit is still in the planning stage...time grows short tho, spring is just around the corner.
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Post by dervis on Jan 23, 2020 16:20:09 GMT -5
The paint was left over from a woodworking project a lady hired me to do. Building her young daughter a light up purple bed frame. She paid for the paint but didnt want the rest of it. There are a few purple projects around the place now. Chickens dont mind so far.
Good to hear you are going to start some seeds Goldbrick! Planting something is proof that you believe in tomorrow. Never a bad thing.
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Post by Goldbrick on Jan 23, 2020 18:11:09 GMT -5
Dervis, you think and write like someone from a time long past, also the work ethic is off the charts by todays standards. So many kids today don't have any idea what it takes to produce the food they eat.
so many folks fail to see the natural wonders all around us each day...a simple backyard garden gives us much more than just food!
well done, and keep up the good work!!!
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Post by dervis on Feb 21, 2020 10:15:23 GMT -5
Hope everyone is doing well! Been an adventure so far this 2020. Not much going on for projects. Have just been eating eggs and daydreaming about the future gardens. Cold outside still but the trees can feel the change, some are already starting to bud out just a bit. Their excitement just cant be contained, like mine. A few of the more excited trees even had enough buds that I could feed some to the rabbits. One of their favorite treats at the start of each year.
Kitchen sink stopped draining and then with the added weight of water started leaking. My father retired for the 3rd time a few months ago and was all to excited to help redo the sink and pipes with me. Cooked him a big breakfast and played a little dumb being sure to ask all the questions. He likes best to tell people how to do things so it helps to play a little dumb. No pictures as the temporary fix for the sink drainage , although it is a proven method, is not exactly up to the standards of the city council. It will work fine while the new house is being built.
It would be easy to see a broken sink and shoddy repair work by previous owners as a hardship. Instead I am happy they did such a bad job. It was , as most things are a blessing. A day working in the sun with my father. There is nothing on this planet I would give in trade for that. The goal of the day was to fix a sink, the memories made were plain things , very simple and very priceless.
Wondering how many other things around the place could randomly "break".
The dog shelter I work at when Im not doing anything else is full up currently. So have been having a few dog sleep overs at my house. Not exactly having heat is easily replaced when you have 4 dogs on the bed. So wrangling dogs, planning a house, working a job, working at dog shelter, moonlighting at other peoples houses doing repairs.
Life is a beautiful thing and I am blessed not to be wasting a second of it. I hope you all are equally as blessed.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2020 10:42:50 GMT -5
Sounds like a good all around day to me. Have you been back to the free brick land as bricks always come in handy.
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Post by Ronv69 on Feb 21, 2020 11:58:07 GMT -5
Good job all around! I just heard from a Wall Street expert that all there is to farming is "dig a hole, drop in a seed, and cover it with dirt". Anyone can do it. 🤯😈😉
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Post by oldcajun123 on Feb 21, 2020 11:59:06 GMT -5
 You’re a good man and a good son.
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Post by Legend Lover on Feb 21, 2020 14:48:58 GMT -5
 You’re a good man and a good son. I want to echo this sentiment. Good to hear from you.
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Post by Goldbrick on Feb 21, 2020 15:15:45 GMT -5
Good job all around! I just heard from a Wall Street expert that all there is to farming is "dig a hole, drop in a seed, and cover it with dirt". Anyone can do it. 🤯😈😉 I'm sure that is correct; look at all the veggies there are on Wall Street!
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Post by dervis on Feb 21, 2020 17:22:14 GMT -5
Sounds like a good all around day to me. Have you been back to the free brick land as bricks always come in handy. I did go back to the brick yard a few times. Built an outdoor grill/oven type thing for a cousin, built a mail box holder thing for a lady who hers gets hit every couple Saturday nights, and a few other things. Have lost count of how many I have gotten from the place. Has to be several hundred easy.
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Post by dervis on Mar 30, 2020 10:14:32 GMT -5
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Post by dervis on Mar 30, 2020 10:22:02 GMT -5
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Post by oldcajun123 on Mar 30, 2020 10:37:11 GMT -5
 That pipe in the eggs made me chuckle. Nice.
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Post by dervis on Jul 29, 2020 9:04:21 GMT -5
It has been about four months working from home for me. Which to me is about as perfect as it can get. Aside from the computer time from 8-5, I have unplugged. No news, no problems, no nothing except what is actually life. I literally turn off my internet at 5pm every day. When people come for eggs, or veggies or whatever I cut them off if they talk about anything considered news. I never go anywhere only the Dollar General Market every two weeks for supplies I dont grow yet, and the Feed store. I have to wear a bandanna in the DG market , which I laugh at myself looking like a bandit. 10 year old me would have loved it. Gardens been doing wonderfully. The veggie freezer is already full and fresh produce is in every meal. 75% of the meat is being grown here also. Had to purchase another big freezer which is a good problem to have. Local company delivered a small dump truck of wood chips for free. It has taken me the 4 months to move it all but it will make beautiful compost over time. I think my favorite hobby as a play farmer is making dirt. So much of life depends on the small layer of topsoil. Chickens and rabbits are doing their best to get through the heat, makes for lots of lazy days of them. Added another 6 chickens to the laying flock to add some color to the egg variety. 15 or so rabbits and 10 roosters went into the freezer. Built a small barn addition because I got tired of looking at the wasted space. Will put my rabbits out there in their cages when the weather is nice. Raise chickens under them for a time, to do the work for me of clearing out the rabbit waste and turn it with the wood chips to make more compost. Get rabbits, chicken and dirt for vegetables. Feed the extra vegetables to the chickens and repeat. Clearing out some parts of the garden that are done, to put in some fall crop seeds. Trying to plant something almost every day. I know things are not great everywhere, I wish you all well. As always I remember how truly blessed I am and every day is a beautiful adventure. The next adventure will be starting the house soon, which I am excited for the test in patience and humbleness I know is coming. It is the one project in the past 4 years I have drug my feet on. I paid for the septic permit already, so no turning back now.        
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Post by oldcajun123 on Jul 29, 2020 9:48:59 GMT -5
 Made my day, no protests, PC Bull💩. Thank you, now I’m gonna do smoke a cigar on the porch, talk to Buddy my dog, he just listens.
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briarbuck
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Leave the gun...take the cannoli.
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Post by briarbuck on Jul 29, 2020 11:26:58 GMT -5
Been following this thread since day one. I have very much enjoyed it and thanks for the good wishes. Best back at ya!
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Post by pepesdad1 on Jul 29, 2020 12:18:58 GMT -5
Great to see the work you have put into your life style of living...hard work truly pays off.
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Post by Yohanan on Jul 29, 2020 15:03:32 GMT -5
Congrats!!! Your Heart is in the right place, and I hope it is always that way for you.
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Post by instymp on Jul 29, 2020 17:28:53 GMT -5
You done great. Beautiful stuff.
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Post by dervis on Jun 8, 2021 10:05:03 GMT -5
Good morning everyone! Hope you all are having a blessed day. Figured I would go through a little bit of whats going on in my world. Last year I put over 200lbs of Chicken and 100 lbs of rabbit in the freezer. Along with truckloads of veggies off my two garden beds. Fed myself and a few families on the down and out with that. As blessed as I was to be in a position to help , I ran out of give away food. So this year adding more garden space, which thankfully for a fallen tree got enough space to add another 25ft by 50 ft bed. Chickens had not had a chance to run on it yet, but its still growing ok.     So now have 3 and 1/2 good garden spots. There was a 4th one on top of a hill , but I got tired of it not working. And so I wouldnt be tempted to try it again planted fruit trees on it to expand the orchard. Trees are doing wonderful there. Nature knew it wasnt a garden spot, took me a few years to realize it. Got a photo of a few rabbits enjoying the weather for a few more weeks. The breeders are in the barn , I dont breed them during the summer I feel its just to hard on them in the heat. Will pick that up again in late summer/ fall  Gardens are doing great , to good to be fair. The reason being all the rain in my area. The plants are taking it easy and not realizing life is short and they need to get to work making fruit. Hopefully they realize this sooner or later, but I never get tired of looking at the plants growing. They are better at being plants than me, so they will do what they need to when the time comes. Despite what timeline I think they should follow.   ![]() I remember often praying for more patience. So how lucky I am in trying to build a house to get to be patient. The project is months behind, the biggest issue is doing it myself, there are things I need to hired done and everyone is so busy currently they have even forgotten how to return phone calls (ok I am still working on the patience thing a tad). There is a time for everything and this will come. I am pretty dumb, but smart enough to realize there will be a point I am to busy and wished it would slow down some. So might as well enjoy the slow part now.  I am still blessed beyond what anyone deserves, and this year will hopefully be a record for me in giving food away to folks. We have all been touched in some way or another by this past year or so. My youngest cousin and his wife were hit with a less than 1% of illness reaction and now she will never walk again. The bills , and hours at hospitals, and trying to raise a young daughter there are lots of ends they have that are just not meeting. While I am not in a position to make all problems go away , I am in a position that none one in that house will have to go without a meal , no matter what the future has in store for them. Did I know this when I started this adventure 4 or so years ago? Of course not, but because I listened to my heart and took steps forward I am able to help not haveing to catch up to help . I do not say this to blow my own horn , that is the last thing that should ever happen. I am humbled daily by sweat and my own failures. Just this morning was shoveling rabbit poop/hay mix onto an asparagus bed, tripped over basically hay.... face down into the poop part. Busted up nose is a good way to remember to be humble. Ive had fruit trees die, rabbits lose litters, plants not grow, trees fall down, current trailer testing the defination of "liveable". It is all part of an adventure that will put me in my place anytime I start feeling "special". Lessons in humility are often the most important ones. If your heart is leading you down a path , a path that would put you in a position that in a few years you can help people then you might want to listen . In a few years people might need your help , they probably already do now.
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Post by Ronv69 on Jun 8, 2021 10:11:03 GMT -5
Looking great. I don't think that you are playing anymore.
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