Kentucky

[chiknmama]

Heya all -

South Central Kentucky here - so far the only one, I guess <g>.

Peace -
Meriah

 

[hoosier]

Welcome from south central Indiana!
Didn't you post on BYC that you love Jersey cows? I do too, but am in the same boat. Too bad we aren't close enough to share one!

 

[chiknmama]

Welcome from south central Indiana!
Didn't you post on BYC that you love Jersey cows? I do too, but am in the same boat. Too bad we aren't close enough to share one!

Yep, I did post that, LOL.

I just got home from town, had to go get some supplies to install our woodstove. We're going to make a bracket to keep it upright in the winds we get in winter, here.

Hubby said no goat at least until next year - we got too many projects going. I'll have him talked into it by then, though <eg>.

Peace -
Meriah

 

[Beekissed]

Welcome to SS.com! I love a Jersey cow as well....if we lived closer we could buy one on shares!

 

[chiknmama]

A couple of neighbors and us are talking about going in shares on haying equipment. We've all got the same problem, smaller farms/hayfields, and people who want to mow it for us, but can't seem to get their butts over to do it anytime sooner than after it goes brown!!

We're just talking so far, not sure if we'll do it or not. It would certainly solve our problem, though.

The guys we've had do our hay are ok, but they seem to do things in their own good time - which doesn't always match up with when we need or want it done. (it's not like they're doing it for nothing or for free!!).

Well, enough whining, LOL gonna make bread today <g> and finish putting that stovepipe up.

Peace -
Meriah

 

[Beekissed]

Have you thought of renting the equipment for putting up your hay. I was surprised at how cheaply one can rent big equipment like that by the day! Splitting the cost with your neighbors for equipment you may use only twice a year could be the way to go. Maybe if you got your hay in on time, you could sell some of it to defray the cost of the rental.

 

[chiknmama]

Have you thought of renting the equipment for putting up your hay. I was surprised at how cheaply one can rent big equipment like that by the day! Splitting the cost with your neighbors for equipment you may use only twice a year could be the way to go. Maybe if you got your hay in on time, you could sell some of it to defray the cost of the rental.

I had no idea I could rent it, LOL I'll definately check into that.

Oh, BTW- I talked hubby into goats !!!!!!!

Not until next spring, because we have to re-vamp the corral for them, but he said I could have a couple of goats next spring WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now, I don't want a Buck goat - I am wondering if I can have them artifically inseminated, and how much that would cost. I think my neighbor who has the jerseys said it costs them 75 bucks each to have their cows AI'd.

Peace -
Meriah

 

[annmarie]

Hi Meriah (and anyone else from Kentucky!), I read a bit of your story on a different thread about moving to Kentucky. My husband and I sometimes talk about someday relocating to the area you're in, but we've never been there, so we really don't know what we're talking about! We love where we are now, Vermont, but we're looking for a part of the country with a much longer growing season, and also where we can afford to buy more than our 1.75 acres. How long is the growing season down there? Also, I haven't been to the South much, and of course, just like everywhere, Kentucky has it's stereotypes, so I hesitate to ask this, but I must... I don't know where you moved from, but do you find people in your area to be friendly even to "outsiders", especially outsiders from New England, who might not have the same political or religious beliefs? (but who are very friendly and are perfectly happy to not discuss these things!)
Thanks!

 

[chiknmama]

Hi Meriah (and anyone else from Kentucky!), I read a bit of your story on a different thread about moving to Kentucky. My husband and I sometimes talk about someday relocating to the area you're in, but we've never been there, so we really don't know what we're talking about! We love where we are now, Vermont, but we're looking for a part of the country with a much longer growing season, and also where we can afford to buy more than our 1.75 acres. How long is the growing season down there? Also, I haven't been to the South much, and of course, just like everywhere, Kentucky has it's stereotypes, so I hesitate to ask this, but I must... I don't know where you moved from, but do you find people in your area to be friendly even to "outsiders", especially outsiders from New England, who might not have the same political or religious beliefs? (but who are very friendly and are perfectly happy to not discuss these things!)
Thanks!

Heya !

Well, I have a pic someplace of my middle son (18) in shorts with no shirt or shoes, going outside in March to grab something. It wasn't warm, but it wasn't really cold either (by Michigan or Vermont standards).

Much of our winter we worked outside on the outbuildings - we thought it was so great to have mid 30's to even 40 or so during the winter. Usually it starts to get a bit warmer in march - 40 to mid 40, then by the end of April most people have their gardens in. I didn't because, being a transplant (and knowing they had a big frost in April the previous year - a weird occurance, according to them) I waited until end of May to plant - I was WAY behind everyone else. Basically, as soon as the ground dries out enough for them to get on it, they are out planting.

It is September, and we've had 90 degree weather, still. If it werent for residuals from the hurricanes around us, we'd probably still be in the 90's. Today it is rather windy (I suspect Ike - or maybe a simple weather change, it always gets windy when the weather is changing) and it is about 85-ish out there. Next monday and tuesday it is supposed to be about 77 - woohoo, a cool down!! LOL.

It stays warmish (and people plant "winter crops") right up until almost the middle of November. I think last Halloween it was about 60, here. I hear the winter is going to be colder this year (according to the almanacs, if they know what they are talking about).

My kids were dumbfounded when they had snow days last year - mostly because of morning ice, not snow. The biggest ammount of snow we had was four inches - it lasted a day. The usual amount (if we got any at all) was about an inch or inch and a half.

Winters are windy, with a lot of rain, but not so cold you cannot be or work outside between downpours. Summers, however, do get hot, and muggy - August is the worst. Last year they delayed school starting in august because of temps over 100 and humidity. Of course, last year was the drought and temps higher than they had been in over 10 years. Naturally, that is when I moved, LOL.

As for the stereotypes, well, most the people I've met have been pretty smart folks - not yokels at all, like most folks think. Kentucky State Govt cleaned up a lot of the Redneck yards during a big sweep a couple of decades or so ago, so most of the houses look as nice as anywhere, and most of the people down here drive better cars than I've owned at times in my life. Yeah, there is the weirdos and the whitetrash, but it is everywhere, so I'd say per population, it's about even with the rest of the country. As for being nice - well, let's just say I was blown away by how nice folks are - they will meet you for the first time and talk your ear off. It is like stepping back into the 70's - in a good way, not going "backwards" in intellect or technology.

Yes, it is the Land of Many Baptists <g> - I never knew so many different denominations of Baptists existed (not knocking anyone, I'm just surprised <g>). The folks, however, are very nice and very cool abotu it. Yes, talk of God is everywhere, and people mostly assume you are a member of one of the many protestant churches down here. But I have a thick skin, and I don't have a problem with other folks having their religions, as long as it is not shoved down my throat. They will invite you to their church, and leave it at that. There are other religious faiths, here, too - just not in such abundance.

Politics is a mixed bag down here. Usually I try to avoid talking about politics. One of my neighbors (older gentleman, retired high school teacher) is a self proclaimed anarchist <g> I like him. Otherwise, I have dems and republicans of varying degrees around me. According to the demographics, it is mostly republican, though.

Down here, it is a "don't ask don't tell" sort of siutaion - in a good way, also. Basically people aren't going to pry if you don't give over with a lot of talk about it. But, I do admit that before we even had totally moved in everyone in my "neighborhood" knew we had moved here from Michigan, had two sons who moved with us, etc... LOL word travels fast down here, and everyone is someone's cousin, so be careful if you "Dis" someone in public.

My situation is that I practice an alternative religion. I have found a few other transplants who also are not of the local religious flavor, but basically I keep my faith to myself (as I always have, really, it is between me and my higher power) and I don't get into discussions on the subject.

But, talk to some of the folks down here about frugality and doing it the "old time way" and you'll be talking all day (and into the night, LOL.) They LOVE to chat down here.
You can never just "drop in for a few minutes" to anyone's house.

In my neighborhood a lot of the folks moved here from outside, but there are a lot of heritage families here, too. My immediate neighbors are three outsiders, and two heritage families. They have all welcomed us really well. Heck, my neighbors up north who I lived next to for 20 years were never this nice - most of them I didn't even WANT to know.

Kentucky is one of the fastest (south central kentucky in particular) growing areas for retirees in the United States. You won't be alone if ya move here, but you won't be crowded either. My neighborhood I speak of covers a good 8 square miles. My nearest neighbor is a good 1/4 mile from me. I can see his house, but I don't hear them at all (except maybe their two Great Pyranees sometimes at night). But even then I have to be outside on the porch to hear them bark. Of coruse, my driveway is most of that quarter mile, LOL I put my house WAY back on the property, my driveway is about 1100 feet long. But his house is also between that, and he has a big pole barn between our house and his, too. I could walk out on my front lawn nekkid at night (or early morning) and no one would be able to tell, even if they passed by on the road.

Oh, and one of my neighbors is a New Jersey transplant, he and his wife are young, have a toddler. He is on the VFD (most of my neighbors are also, LOL) and he fits in just fine - so don't worry about them being predjudiced against us northerners. Yeah, you'll find some really ignorant people who are predjudiced against Yankees - but they are the minority that is almost everyplace you might move to.

I moved from Grand Rapids, Michigan, second biggest city in Michigan, about mid state (lower pennisula) - I absolutely love it down here, I still get up every morning and wonder if I am REALLY here.

When I drive down the roads I see so much countryside, it is like living in a National Park. There are gorgeous views everywhere you look. And so many flowering trees in the spring - it is a flowering tree show for two or three months straight. First the redbuds (tons of those) then the dogwoods overlap that season, so you get the pinka nd white flowering trees (about as plentiful as oak trees in Michigan, not just in people's yards.) Many of the flowering trees I had to look up, because I didn't know what they were, LOL. We have Tulip Poplars here, too (state tree) and too many others to list.

There are so many trees here (well, Vermont has a lot fo trees, too, LOL). When I was deciding where to live, I knew I had to have LOTS of trees. I decided when I was 17 years old that Kentucky was the place I wanted to live someday - I am 43, now, thankfully my Husband wanted to move here, too - his family is all from down here. He'd never lived down here, though, (or in the country, for that matter) but he spent summers down here with his grandparents as a kid.

I've been going on and on (and on, LOL) I love it here so much. I would suggest it to anyone to move here, you will like it.

Oh, one more thing I like about down here - I can do whatever I want on my own land. In Michigan that is usually not allowed - too many restrictions and regulations.

The constable told me the week I moved down here, that if I had any troubles, shoot first, then call 911 - by the time they got here, it'd be over for me and mine, so first thing to do is stop the perp.

I believe he was dead serious, LOL.

ETA - no housing developments except right near town. People down here love their land, and are not going to sell out to any housing developments - not sure if there is a regulation on them or not, but they just don't exist outside of the outskirts of town in my county. Even near town they are practically non-existant. I hate housing developments.

Peace -
Meriah

 

[annmarie]

Meriah,
Thank you SO MUCH for taking the time to share all that information with me! You've basically told me everything I wanted to hear. It sounds like we better start planning a Kentucky road trip! Speaking of road trip, I'm on my way out of town right now, for the weekend (a rare event!).
Have a great weekend and thanks again! I can tell my husband everything you said in the car.
Ann-Marie