SheriM
Lovin' The Homestead
Hi, everybody. This journal idea sounds great. Thought I'd give it a whirl.
Name: Sheri Mitchell
Birthday: April
Hometown: Kamloops, British Columbia
Current Residence: 2 miles north of nowhere, Saskatchewan.
Relationship Status: Married
Political Views: Not gonna go there
Religious Views: Not with a 10 ft. pole
Activities: Too dog-gone many to keep straight
Interests: Goats, Goat Milk soaps and lotions, chickens, anything to do with farming, writing, crocheting, educational TV
Favorite Music: Country - the older stuff
Favorite TV Shows: JAG (cancelled
) NCIS, CSI
Favorite Movies: Haven't been to one in years
Favorite Books: Anything by Elizabeth Lowell
About Me: Oh, now this could be a novel! See below.
I have always known I wanted to live on a farm. I did my stint living in the city and always felt nervous, edgy and out-of-place. DH and I moved to an acreage outside Kamloops, British Columbia in 1996 and I haven't looked back. In 2005, we moved to a quarter section in southeast Saskatchewan. We brought our 20 some-odd goats and 3 horses with us. In 2007, our world got turned totally upside down and then thoroughly shaken, just for good measure. DH was diagnosed with a condition similar to Alzheimers and I was diagnosed with breast cancer. To keep this from literally becoming a novel, suffice it to say I'm healthy now, he's not.
So, here comes the interesting part, and the reason I gave this journal the title I did. DH's condition is deteriorating and he can't help out around the farm much anymore. I work part time off the farm as a Home Care Aide and am going to school part time as well (taking courses needed for my job). Knowing DH will require more and more care as time goes on, I knew I needed a way to make more income on the farm, so that by the time he can't be left home alone anymore, I will be able to leave my job and stay home. I can't tell you how many people have suggested selling the farm and moving to town but that's just not an option. I get the willies just thinking about living with neighbors so close you can hear them sneeze or...uh..."pass gas".
Living on a viable, profitable farm has always been my dream and I'm too darned stubborn to give up on that just because DH ended up with this terrible disease. I have re-worked "the dream" many, many times, trying to adapt to an ever-changing situation without giving up on the essence of the dream. I have cut back on the number of goats at least 3 times and will probably be doing that again this year. I was raising rabbits (Holland Lops for sale as pets) and had to let that go. We sold the horses as they were too much work and had become mere pasture ornaments.
The problem is, I know what I want this farm to be...what it COULD be...but I am only one person. We have no children, all of our siblings live in other provinces and we have virtually no help or support here. I have one set of neighbors I can call on if I really need something, but they are incredibly busy with their own farm and I hate to bother them all the time. I have another friend who is very willing to help, but lives an hour away and is also busy with his own farm and family.
I've basically accepted that this is going to be a one-woman show here, but I'm not sure I'm up to the task. Since the cancer (or since the treatment, more specifically) I don't have the energy and stamina I used to. Despite having to sell off the rabbits, I still feel the key to any successful small farm operation these days is diversification. Putting all your eggs in one basket (in our case the goats) just isn't smart. I also feel very strongly that value-added is the way to go. With that in mind, I've started a business selling goats' milk soaps and other skin care products. This is part of the plan to be able to stay home more as DH needs more care. I can make the soaps and lotions right in my kitchen and can take him with me to sales, etc. The business is going slowly, but it's going. With everything else on my plate, it's taking a back seat right now, but I will be gradually making more time for it.
I also want to start raising chickens. We had a few meat birds last year and it was one aspect of the farm DH did seem interested in. His particular form of dementia causes a great deal of apathy and disinterest in the world around him...a big part of why he isn't much help around here anymore...and so if I find anything he does show an interest in, I jump on it. So, yeah, he's interested in the idea of chickens -- this week. I have no guarantees whatsoever that he won't lose interest in a heartbeat, so I have to be certain I don't create more work on the farm than one person can handle. "Make more with less" has always been my motto, so I'm leaning toward keeping a few layers for eggs to eat and sell and a few "fancy" birds. There seems to be a reasonable market for the specialty birds and they sell a lot higher than simple layers or meat birds.
I mentioned in my intro on different thread that I'm also interested in starting a garden. We both need to eat a much healthier diet than we have been and finding good quality affordable produce in the stores around here is challenging, to say the least. Unfortunately, the one thing I did not inherit from my mother was her green thumb. I'm very, very good at killing plants. Gardening is going to be a huge learning curve for me, but I really do want to tackle it.
I also stumbled quite accidentally on another minor source of income when my two livestock guardian dogs got pregnant. They are Great Pyrenees and it was my male Pyr/Maremma cross who bred them, so the pups will be good working dogs. There's a big demand for that around here, since the coyotes are thick as thieves. The thing is, I feel strongly about doing things right, so now I need to build a kennel to keep the girls from being bred every time they come into heat. I want working dogs, not puppy factories.
Okay, I guess I've rambled on long enough. I warned you this could become a novel!! I'll probably post more later, 'cuz it sure is nice to have a place to put down all my thoughts.
Name: Sheri Mitchell
Birthday: April
Hometown: Kamloops, British Columbia
Current Residence: 2 miles north of nowhere, Saskatchewan.
Relationship Status: Married
Political Views: Not gonna go there
Religious Views: Not with a 10 ft. pole
Activities: Too dog-gone many to keep straight
Interests: Goats, Goat Milk soaps and lotions, chickens, anything to do with farming, writing, crocheting, educational TV
Favorite Music: Country - the older stuff
Favorite TV Shows: JAG (cancelled
) NCIS, CSIFavorite Movies: Haven't been to one in years
Favorite Books: Anything by Elizabeth Lowell
About Me: Oh, now this could be a novel! See below.
I have always known I wanted to live on a farm. I did my stint living in the city and always felt nervous, edgy and out-of-place. DH and I moved to an acreage outside Kamloops, British Columbia in 1996 and I haven't looked back. In 2005, we moved to a quarter section in southeast Saskatchewan. We brought our 20 some-odd goats and 3 horses with us. In 2007, our world got turned totally upside down and then thoroughly shaken, just for good measure. DH was diagnosed with a condition similar to Alzheimers and I was diagnosed with breast cancer. To keep this from literally becoming a novel, suffice it to say I'm healthy now, he's not.
So, here comes the interesting part, and the reason I gave this journal the title I did. DH's condition is deteriorating and he can't help out around the farm much anymore. I work part time off the farm as a Home Care Aide and am going to school part time as well (taking courses needed for my job). Knowing DH will require more and more care as time goes on, I knew I needed a way to make more income on the farm, so that by the time he can't be left home alone anymore, I will be able to leave my job and stay home. I can't tell you how many people have suggested selling the farm and moving to town but that's just not an option. I get the willies just thinking about living with neighbors so close you can hear them sneeze or...uh..."pass gas".
Living on a viable, profitable farm has always been my dream and I'm too darned stubborn to give up on that just because DH ended up with this terrible disease. I have re-worked "the dream" many, many times, trying to adapt to an ever-changing situation without giving up on the essence of the dream. I have cut back on the number of goats at least 3 times and will probably be doing that again this year. I was raising rabbits (Holland Lops for sale as pets) and had to let that go. We sold the horses as they were too much work and had become mere pasture ornaments.
The problem is, I know what I want this farm to be...what it COULD be...but I am only one person. We have no children, all of our siblings live in other provinces and we have virtually no help or support here. I have one set of neighbors I can call on if I really need something, but they are incredibly busy with their own farm and I hate to bother them all the time. I have another friend who is very willing to help, but lives an hour away and is also busy with his own farm and family.
I've basically accepted that this is going to be a one-woman show here, but I'm not sure I'm up to the task. Since the cancer (or since the treatment, more specifically) I don't have the energy and stamina I used to. Despite having to sell off the rabbits, I still feel the key to any successful small farm operation these days is diversification. Putting all your eggs in one basket (in our case the goats) just isn't smart. I also feel very strongly that value-added is the way to go. With that in mind, I've started a business selling goats' milk soaps and other skin care products. This is part of the plan to be able to stay home more as DH needs more care. I can make the soaps and lotions right in my kitchen and can take him with me to sales, etc. The business is going slowly, but it's going. With everything else on my plate, it's taking a back seat right now, but I will be gradually making more time for it.
I also want to start raising chickens. We had a few meat birds last year and it was one aspect of the farm DH did seem interested in. His particular form of dementia causes a great deal of apathy and disinterest in the world around him...a big part of why he isn't much help around here anymore...and so if I find anything he does show an interest in, I jump on it. So, yeah, he's interested in the idea of chickens -- this week. I have no guarantees whatsoever that he won't lose interest in a heartbeat, so I have to be certain I don't create more work on the farm than one person can handle. "Make more with less" has always been my motto, so I'm leaning toward keeping a few layers for eggs to eat and sell and a few "fancy" birds. There seems to be a reasonable market for the specialty birds and they sell a lot higher than simple layers or meat birds.
I mentioned in my intro on different thread that I'm also interested in starting a garden. We both need to eat a much healthier diet than we have been and finding good quality affordable produce in the stores around here is challenging, to say the least. Unfortunately, the one thing I did not inherit from my mother was her green thumb. I'm very, very good at killing plants.
Gardening is going to be a huge learning curve for me, but I really do want to tackle it.I also stumbled quite accidentally on another minor source of income when my two livestock guardian dogs got pregnant. They are Great Pyrenees and it was my male Pyr/Maremma cross who bred them, so the pups will be good working dogs. There's a big demand for that around here, since the coyotes are thick as thieves. The thing is, I feel strongly about doing things right, so now I need to build a kennel to keep the girls from being bred every time they come into heat. I want working dogs, not puppy factories.
Okay, I guess I've rambled on long enough. I warned you this could become a novel!! I'll probably post more later, 'cuz it sure is nice to have a place to put down all my thoughts.
NEVER give up your dreams. I am so sorry for the loss of those pups, but as you stated...survival of the fittest...and they were probably not right to begin with. Its hard when you have so much going on...and you seem to...to try and get it all in a running order. As for getting the chickens...I would start with just a few hens, maybe 4 or 5. Just enough to get fresh eggs...and easy to care for. If you use a large enough feeder, and waterer, you will only need to change that out once a week or so....but check them every day for eggs and possible illness. When you do your garden, there are several ways to make it easier on yourself. You can layer newspaper around the plants to keep the weeds down, or use garden cloth. This will minimise your work in the garden. Dont be afraid to ask for help from friends, family, and neighbors! And...when you just need to vent...or talk, come back...we are all here as friends.
