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Sunday Travels | Let’s Move to the Country!

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This is a good one and worth a repost. Lots of good advice.

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.

3 Responses

  1. Heh. We moved to Texas. Living on 10 acres. Actually 10.99 acres. It took nearly 2 full years to get the property fenced. 3 different contractors – 2 of whom just flat cheated me, 1 who delivered materials but then disappeared. Cross fencing is probably going to be another couple of years but obviously not as critical as the property lines fencing. In the end, my son and his son-in-law got the job done.
    I have all of 4 chickens. They’re red sex-linked, and produce 3-4 eggs per day. My understanding is that their lifespan is about 2 years due to the high demand on their bodies for that production level. I bought a coop from Tractor Supply which is supposed to be for 4- 6 chickens. It’s too small – imo – for 4 full time chickens, and cruelty to chickens if you put 6 in there full time. Mine are free range – no problems with coyotes or racoons so far.
    Other than that, I have goats and sheep. Switching from goats to sheep. Reason being that what I brought with me was polled goats – Boer/Alpine crosses – with the goal of milk production. The polled characteristic comes from the Boer line. Alpines in Texas are very hard to come by…besides I’m too old for the milking game, so now it’s a matter of meat. Boers are meatier than Alpines. Then you have the problem that goats have personalities – sheep, not so much. When you get attached to your animals, butchering is tough. Better for that purpose if one looks pretty much like another. I have Dorper sheep. No horns, and very little wool – most of which falls off in the summer. Shearing can be a learned skill, but if you don’t have it, you’ll pay pretty high to get someone to shear, which would have to be done if you get the typical old fashioned sheep. And what will you use the wool for? If you go to a craft shop these days, you probably won’t even be _able_ to find wool yarn! Have you looked for wool clothing? I don’t think you can even buy it any more! So…Dorpers for me!
    No gardening to speak of. At least not until cross fencing is achieved. Goats and veggies simply don’t mix – at least, not if you intend for _you_ to be the one eating the veggies! And much to my surpise…I bought a lovely tomato plant, set it in a fenced off area – but fenced with what they call cattle fencing – and the chickens went right through it and started feasting on my tomato!! I had no idea! On the plus side, when we moved in, moths and mosquitoes were a real aggravation. This year…not so much. Did the chickens make a difference? I have no idea. I’m guessing so, but I really don’t know. But they _do_ run around the house area and scratch all over the ground. For what, I don’t know. I do feed them…but they still seem to eat whatever they find and I have no idea what _that_ is! I don’t think I want to know!

    1. Hello there, stranger! Nice to see you. Sounds as if Texas is treating you reasonably well–and keeping you busy! We still don’t have chickens, though we should. One day. I haven’t shopped for anything wool in a long time. Not much need for it in Mississippi, though last winter I pulled out all of my up north stuff. I’ll have to pay attention to this.

      When we first moved here, we found one good guy for doing things. But he can’t do everything. It must have taken us five years or so before we had all of the ‘guys’ who can do things and are reliable in place. Gotta have the guys. Had a fence taken out just a couple of weeks ago. It was once used for running sheep to the lake when the little pond in their pasture dried up. Taking it out was a real project. Involved a back hoe and everything.

      Hope your weekend is going well.

  2. Well…should things change and you happen across something warm and wooly some winter, be sure you keep it in a cedar lined bureau/chest. Smells much better than moth balls, and keeps just as well!

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