We are fixing up our house so we can sell it and buy a farm of our own. We won't know until our house is ready to sell if we will be buying land and building a house or if we will buy an old farm and fix it up or if we will buy land with the out buildings and build a house but we do know that its not likely that we will be buying move in ready place. I would like at least 15 acres but ideally I would like 25-50 acres. For the land I would really like to have some woods ideally with oak and maple trees, But I will take any kind of trees, a small creek running trough it and then pasture for the animals.
Our goal is to finish some inside projects from now until spring, then we will finish up scraping and painting the outside of our house and garage. After thats done we are going to remodel our laundry room/ mud room. Then we will remodel the bathroom, and lastly the kitchen! We have some smaller projects but thats all our big projects... Our time line is to get all of that done from now till the summer of 2014. Once the house is done we will either put our house on the market right away or live in it another year to try and pay off student loans.
Once we move and are settled in we will start getting our animals! If you know me you know that I want lots of animals around. Right now we have 2 dogs that will move with us. Then we have chickens and cows at Jeff's parents but depending on when we move the cows may already be gone to the freezer. Let me tell you my vision! We will have hens for eggs and then we will raise some for meat. I would really like to have a turkey or two for Thanksgiving dinner. I may get some ducks so my dad can get duck eggs from me (my dad gets then from my good friends farm right now). I want sheep for wool and meat. I would really like to learn to spin wool into yarn so I can knit things from my own sheep. Then we have the cows! I would like at least one dairy cow so I can make butter, cheese, ice cream and then have milk and cream for the house. then I would like to have a heard of beef cattle. Next we would like to have a pig or two for meat. We may have a few goats but I'm not sure what I would use them for. I just think they are such fun animals! We will add to our dogs maybe get a barn cat or two and then I would really like to get 2 horses for riding and maybe for work also. I know if we live with some woods I will teach the horses to pull logs out of the woods for me.
Then I want big gardens!
I would really like to be food self sufficient, if there is extra food I might consider doing a csa or selling at a farmers market with all my extra time. But my goal is to grow and preserve a years worth of food, I will buy things that don't grow in Minnesota but if it grows here I want to grow it.
We have big dreams but we are working to make them a reality.
P.S. I'm sorry I haven't posted any new blogs in a while. I will try and be better about it.
