A few days ago, I posed a question to SueK and JoBeth, both of whom are Country Mice.

So Country Mice, if you had the opportunity to advise a City Mouse who is considering changing his ways, what would you say?

The premise was that “current events are prompting some City Mice to reflect on their ways of life. Some may even consider a change.” I recounted a few things in our lives that changed– and that we had to learn– when we moved to Mississippi. But what was really interesting is what SueK and JoBeth had to say.

Even if you’re not thinking of moving, give it a read. Think of it as a window into the Life of a Country Mouse!

from SueK (Godmother to Gentleman Jack & The Dummies)

Well…there’s indoors and there’s outdoors.
For example, you wouldn’t have to bush hog if you had a bunch of grass eating livestock on that acreage!! Buy some calves in the spring, sell them in the early winter.
So, question number 1 is how much acreage do you have/want. “In the country” covers a lot of ground (humor not intended!). One acre may seem pretty big to a city person, but actually it isn’t. You can keep chickens and rabbits, and even a couple of goats or sheep. One or more horses or cows, as long as you plan on buying feed. A garden of some size – as long as you fence it adequately and appropriately. If you just want gardens, then you just need to learn gardening of whatever it is you want to raise. If you want critters, then either you have some background or you have a lot to learn.

Question number 2 is how far out into the country do you want to be? Perimeter of a suburb? out in the boonies? 5 miles from shopping centers or 50 can make a big difference in planning. Do you plan on canning or just buying in large quantities and freezing/preserving? Do you have storage? In other words, just _how_ self sufficient do you plan on being? With good planning, you can be totally self sufficient, or you can just plan on buying and storing everything you need. Either way requires planning. Just different plans.

Question number 3 is do you know to live without power – even if it’s only for 24 hours. The time will come! At least almost everywhere in the US, while we have very good and very reliable power supplies, but stuff happens, and if you’re out in the boonies, it may be 1 day or 3 or 4 days before it’s restored. How do you cope with it? Do you know what you need to deal with it? Better learn!

from JoBeth (She of 49 tomato plants and a bunch of teenaged chicks)

Well said SueK. I’d add the knowledge of adequate fencing to the newcomers learning curve. All livestock are escape artists. I’d never have fewer than 5 strands of barbed wire for calves, and woven wire with a strand of barbed wire on top if I could afford it. Be sure all the neighbors have your cell # if you don’t have a landline so they can call you when your livestock is out. This will most likely be at 2 AM during some kind of storm of the century.

Recognizing poison ivy/oak/sumac before you start pulling out “those weeds” is also helpful.

Know your neighbors and be a good neighbor. Help them out any chance you get. Take them cookies. The day will come when you will need them. Listen to what the “old farts” tell you. It’s usually good advice, although they may somtimes “pull your leg”. You can usually tell because they’ll giggle at some point. Learn the basics of how an engine works and how to fix it. Keep your spark plugs clean. Definitely buy “premium” gas without alcohol for all farm equipment. Have twice as many cans of fuel as you think you could possibly ever use. Keep the cans filled. If you heat with propane call when it gets below 40%. You won’t be happy if the tank says <15% during an ice storm.

Remember Common Sense ain’t so common.