We've Come a Long Way to Living More Simply

When we first met in fifteen years ago Nick and I were always on the go, working, traveling, and buying whatever we wanted whenever the desire struck.  We lived this modern life-style until five years ago when we decided we needed more.  Actually what we needed was less.  Less of everything, and more of us creating and enjoying a more peaceful way of life.

You already know how our little backyard farm began and evolved.  But, while that was happening outside, other changes were happening indoors.  We stopped shopping and buying things we didn't need, we began paying down our debt and getting rid of our credit cards, second car, stopped going to restaurants 3 or 4 times a weeks, and all our other wasteful habits.

It wasn't easy, especially for Nick who had been raised in the city and was accustomed to the "always on the go" way of life.  He has adapted well, very well.  And by working together towards simplifying our life we are healthier and happier.

The bills are gone, except for those few things no one is ever free of such as taxes, health care, etc. Once the house is sold we will be mortgage free and living at the new farm.

Instead of buying stuff, we re-use and re-purpose materials.  Pallets are to us, just as they are for many people, the most re-usable material available.  The chicken house is made from wood pallets joined together, and so is the goat shelter.  We are currently taking pallets apart to make them easier to take with us to the new homestead.

We will also be dismantling the arbor we built for the vining green beans, the picket fence surrounding the garden and the fencing of the goat yard.  These materials will be reused at the farm.

At the farm we are making use of the remaining barns.  They are being restored to be returned to their original purposes.  Even the house is being restored.  It was built in 1915 and the goal is to restore it to resemble as much as possible it's original appearance.

We were fortunate to be able to buy the farm out-right, so no mortgage.  And the money we once used for credit card payments can now be used toward new windows, new well, etc.

When we are at the new homestead, even though there is currently no running water or electricity and we spend the days hard at work, it is a most peaceful and restful time.  At the close of the day we can sit and watch the sunset while we study the landscape which is slowly coming back to life and will soon be called home.

During our first night there we were treated to an amazing display of flashing tiny lights floating just above the untrimmed broom grass.  Fire-flies in the hundreds, many more than I had ever seen at one time.  And the sound of insects calling out to one another, a sound seldom heard at home.

Once we have completed our move our days will be busy tending to a larger garden, an orchard, and more livestock.  Our vision is to become as self-sufficient and the farm as self-sustainable as possible.
Will it be lots of hard work?  Of course, but we would rather be working hard doing this than sunning on the beach or chasing a golf ball, or worse yet, wondering what we will do with our days as we grow older.  The beach is nice, but we get bored after 10 minutes there, and neither of us ever saw or understand the fascination with chasing a little ball over acres of hills and sand pits, just as, I am sure, those folks who enjoy those things don't understand my excitement at receiving a free truckload of wood chips or cow manure.

~Kathleen

"Living the simple life is living the good life..."

At the Farm: Permits, Post Holes, and Pup Comes Home

We have a busy week with soil testing, deciding what to do with the old well, digging post holes for the goat yard and of course picking up Sophie from the breeder.

This trip began when Nick returned home from his CA business trip at 9 a.m. Saturday morning.  The car already packed, we returned his rental car to the airport and started on our way south at 10:30 a.m. not knowing what a long drive lay ahead of us.  Traffic was so heavy it created delays and the normally two hour drive through CT took four hours!  A few more delays along the route due to construction and we finally arrived at 12:30 a.m.

In the morning it was good to see the green fields and trees and wild flowers in bloom everywhere.

After a good rest, we spent Sunday planning our week and shopping for supplies.  At the top of the list was to get a post hole digger/auger.  After seeing how much work digging the post holes in the extremely hard earth was we decided it would be best to either rent or purchase a gas powered hole digger.  As it turned out it was much more cost effective to buy one of these one-man machines.

When Nick was able to dig six deep, post holes in less time than it took to dig just one by hand, we
knew we had a good thing.  Of course, digging the post holes had to wait until Tuesday because on Monday we had a day trip to collect our Great Pyranees pup, Sophie.

Sophie had grown to double her size since  we last saw her only three weeks ago.  Now, at 9 weeks she weighed at least 20 pounds.
 After sniffing my hand for a minute or two, she seemed to remember me as her tail began wagging and her whole body began wiggling in recognition.  After a short time in the car we knew she would be able to cope with the long drive to her new home.  She sat on my lap for the first hour, then we moved her to the back seat for the remainder of the trip, during which she slept most of the time.

As with most things there are rules that must be obeyed before doing just about anything.  And trying to the get electricity turned on at the farm means we first must get a permit.  In order to get the permit the farm must get the approval of the local Environmental Health Department.

It took most of the day on Wednesday, but we were able to meet with someone about drilling a new well and setting hydrants throughout the farm; met with someone at the Building Inspector's office to get the building permit process started; and met with the man at the Environmental Health dept. office to get all the answers to all our questions about the entire process which needed to be completed in order to get the electric power connected and turned on.

Nothing can happen at the farm until Environmental Health has been out to do a physical inspection of the septic system.  Once he is satisfied that the current system can or cannot be used, he will issue the necessary permits, if needed, for a new septic system and a new well in order for the building inspector to issue his permit to begin working on the house restoration and allow the power company to hook-up.

This all takes time, lots of time.  Time during which we cannot do any work on the house.

So, we work on preparations for the animals.  We laid out the goat yard area to receive a permanent

fence and started work boring post holes, setting posts and putting up cattle panel fencing.  The goat's new yard will be triple the area they currently have here in CT at a spacious 48' x 56' they will be in goat heaven.  In addition to the permanent yard, this is where they will spend their early mornings and late afternoons and will be able to come and go to their new barn at will, they will also have access to about 8 acres of foraging pasture.

Nick was able to get the post holes on 2 1/2 sides completed before the rain came on Friday morning, calling an end to our week.  However, on Friday morning we were able to put up a few of the cattle panels before the rain started mid-morning.

On Tuesday and Thursday, while Nick was working on the fence, I was busy cutting the grass that had regrown to be about a foot tall while we were away.  All that cut grass made a good start to a new compost pile.

So, at the end of the week, although there isn't much visibly accomplished, some important things were done:
1. got the permit process started
2. scheduled the septic system inspection
3. determined the location of the new well and hydrants with the drilling company
4. collected our new farm guard dog
5. set posts and panels for most of the new goat yard fence
6. cut grass, approximate 1 acre
7. met with Building Inspector and Environmental Health dept. agent
8. located, by digging, the septic field
9. arranged for water testing of the old well
10. created list of referred contractors to interview for restoration work

The weather was perfect until Friday when it rained.  I was able to get a good start to a summer tan, and also lose a few pounds by pushing a lawn-mower for a few hours each day.

In the morning we awaken to the sounds of all the birds of the woodland, the clean fresh morning air, and the soft light of the sun rising behind the treeline.  The pastures were filled with little white puff balls, the remnants of Dandelions, and large patches of yellow, lovely little Buttercups bring forward memories of childhood when we would hold one of the little flowers beneath our chins to learn if we liked butter.  If your chin showed yellow, you did.   It is such a beautiful way to begin a day.

We cooked our meals on the back porch using our camp-stove, and relaxed there in the evenings watching the sunset over one pasture, while the moon rose over the other and the sparkling lights of fire-flies flickered over the fields.

It never ceases to amaze how many more stars we can view when out in the country.



The next trip is planned for the end of May.  On that work list is to complete the goat yard, get the septic system inspected and hopefully get our permits, meet with contractors for the house restoration, and perhaps begin working at rebuilding the small barn for the goats.




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Planning the New Farm

When I first created my little backyard farm the planning process was simple.  I only needed garden space and planning for it consisted of finding the area of the backyard that received the most sunlight.

As the little farm expanded to include chickens, that too was easy, the best location was along the back fence beneath the trees where it wasn't suitable for the garden.   Even adding the goat yard was just a matter of enclosing the gravely area we had been using for parking vehicles.

Now, with the new farm, I am reminded of the child who has so many toys they don't know which to play with first.

Instead of having an area measured in square feet, I am faced with deciding what to do with 18 acres.
The other 17 acres are woodland so they don't factor in with this plan.

SMALL PASTURE ... HOUSE AND GARDEN..... BIG PASTURE

I have started by getting a satellite image of the farm from GoogleMaps.  Since I am focusing on the cleared land, I have not included the woodland acres here.

This image is adjusted to indicate West - North (top) - East - South (bottom).  The entire area is flooded with sunlight all day.

The animals will be kept along the divide of the west small pasture and the house/garden section.
By keeping the livestock nearer the house it will be easier to protect them from predators.  The small pasture will be divided by temporary fencing for keeping the goats and chickens in controlled areas.  After a week in one section, the fencing will be moved to the next area, and the previous area will be left to recover.

While we have only two goats and two chicken tractors, at this time, this schedule should work well.  As the herd and flocks increase in numbers grazing periods will need to be adjusted.



A small, spring fed pond is located at the tree line at the southern tip of the small pasture.  This will be increased to about 1 acre in area into the open pasture.





The Livestock Plan:

Currently we have two Nubian does, 20 chickens and two ducks.

The new plan for 2017 will be to breed the goats, and perhaps purchase a buck or two for breeding.

Meat chickens and breeding turkeys (heirloom bronze turkeys) for CSA.

2 pigs for meat and breeding.

1 or 2 beef steer

The Big Pasture

The plan right now is to "lease" the big pasture for barter rather than cash.  In exchange for using the

land the lessee will disc/grade/plow etc the small pasture and the house/garden areas; as well as provide us with a portion of the harvest, i.e.  If hay, then we would receive enough bales of hay to feed our livestock through the winter.  If corn, we would receive  a "rows" of corn for personal use.
Any crops grown on the property must be non GMO and there must be no chemicals used.  As an organic farm, these methods are imperative.   We already have 3 interested farmers.

The House/Garden area

The house and the immediate area around it will be landscaped over time.

There will be a small barn constructed mid-way between the house and the old barn in the woods.
This barn will store hay, feed, equipment.  The livestock will have their own housing in nearby fenced yards.

In the area between the house/garden and big pasture we will construct two cabins, one for Nick and one for myself to be used for whatever we wish.  A man-cave for him and a sewing/craft room for me.

GARDEN

This is where we are piling up brush and
scraps from around the farm for disposal.

The middle pasture which is located toward the back and east sides of the House/Garden area.

An orchard:  heirloom APPLES, PEACHES, PEARS, APRICOTS, GRAPES

Small Fruit:   blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, elderberries

Vegetables:   tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, potatoes, onions, garlic, carrots, rutabagas, peas, green/yellow beans, dried beans, Brussel sprouts, broccoli, celery, spinach, lettuce, beets, pumpkin, winter squash, summer squash, sweet potatoes.

Herbs:  rosemary, thyme, oregano, sage, chives, dill, mustard, lavender, etc.

Flowers:  wild mixes, assorted bulbs and annuals, roses, lilac, hydrangeas, crepe myrtle, magnolia, etc.


So far there have been, perhaps, a dozen pencil sketches of ideas for laying out the farm, and I am rather certain there will be another dozen yet to be created.  I spend at least an hour each day scouring the internet for ideas and reading about how to make the best use of our land.

Looking forward to the move.