Baymule
Herd Master
I am glad for you that the lupus has calmed down and that you are doing well. I pray that it stays away. 
Nothing like goat therapy to make you feel better!
Nothing like goat therapy to make you feel better!
rachels.haven's Journal
- Thread starter rachels.haven
- Start date
Senile_Texas_Aggie
Herd Master
Miss Rachel, I meant to ask you yesterday: you titled your journal "Firdbird Gardens Journal". Did you intend to say "Firebird Gardens Journal"?
- Thread starter
- #133
rachels.haven
Herd Master
Yeah, I did. I had originally called my backyard exploits on facebook Firebird Gardens, after my muscovies. I'm going to stop doing muscovy (too much duck butchery over the last several years for me), so I guess I can change the title of my thread.
I will still keep my chickens and until I decide otherwise my normal egg ducks will stay too, but none of them will be my "firebirds". Goats have actually proven easier and more rewarding, so I may focus on them instead and eventually use my herd name to title this thread after my username.
Regardless, this whole mess is still just Rachel's Haven, and that's my user name so that part stays.
I think I understood what you asked. Feel free to rephrase and ask again if I misunderstood. I'm a little distracted right now at the moment.
I will still keep my chickens and until I decide otherwise my normal egg ducks will stay too, but none of them will be my "firebirds". Goats have actually proven easier and more rewarding, so I may focus on them instead and eventually use my herd name to title this thread after my username.
Regardless, this whole mess is still just Rachel's Haven, and that's my user name so that part stays.
I think I understood what you asked. Feel free to rephrase and ask again if I misunderstood. I'm a little distracted right now at the moment.
Last edited:
- Thread starter
- #134
rachels.haven
Herd Master
We have more changes coming our way. We're still planning on relocating and the husband is starting to scope out and apply for jobs. June, I think is our target date. Tennessee is one possibility, Arkansas is another, Pittsburgh doesn't look like they want any more senior level programmers at their office. They want them in Seattle. We're avoiding selling our souls and moving to silicon valley or it's look alikes like the plague. So far 5 acres minimum is a requirement, barn a plus, dwarf goat quality fences would probably convince me. We also need at least one extra bedroom and bathroom. Means I might get a house over 850 sq feet, which would be nice especially when kids go bouncing off the walls when it's raining or winter outside.
Went to visit my parents in TN near to an amazon office that's being built. DH rode is bike to the potential office, found the Natches Trace Trail, Got up to 41 mph on his road bike...he'd like to work there, and me too, obviously. My mother's neighbor/friend passed away this year and she'd like us to live on his 6 acres next door. It's fenced on at least two sides and he used to farm hay. Fairly flat, which is good in the hills. Funny idea.
Not sure what I'd prefer. Mom or my young adult siblings could milk goats if we ever went on vacation to visit...them?...that way (or DH's family, I guess). House and "yard" would fit the bill in everything but bathroom number and the fact the office is still under construction (lol). We'll see what happens. Enough about that, I guess. We're trying to avoid working for walmart, even if the pay would be competitive and I've lived near the HQ before. Not sure what will happen.
We want to move for space purposes, because traffic has become over the top here in the last year or so, increasing heavy drug issues in the area that an acre isn't large enough to hide us from and lastly because we just feel like it's time. Husband is also interested in exploring more work options within his field. He's become one of the "old timers" in his office after almost 5 years. Not sure how that reflects on his company. I guess programmers change jobs a lot. I think sometimes it's how they get raises when they work for the giant companies like google and amazon.
Before vacation I came to my senses and decided to give my muscovy breeders to a friend of mine. She's always wanted ducks like them, and she takes good pictures and puts them on social media. No more butchering muscovy. Small ducks only, if possible. I might eventually go down to just savage chickens birdwise, since they make the eggs we eat best (although it is molt now). Just not having a muscovy army to deal with in June will be a huge help. I'd like this spring to be the spring (and summer) of the goats and getting chicken eggs and avoiding making more ducks.
Going to get some more stock panels delivered hopefully next week and finish my buck pen. Then I'd like to hurry up and build a shelter in it. I'd like the pen and shelter to be ready BEFORE I actually have to split up tiny Durango from the girls around kidding time moving or not (he'll get a friend too, I'm working on that).
I'm going to tack some more stock panels on the order so I can enlarge the doe pen around an area so holed up by groundhogs that it can not be mowed and as a result is wild. They'll have fun in the sand when it dries out this spring after they're done eating all the invasives. I would take pictures, but it is cold and wet today. I do not like cold and wet. It makes it hard to put up stock panels. Anyway, that's it for now. Almost time to go walk and get DS#1 from the bus stop.
Went to visit my parents in TN near to an amazon office that's being built. DH rode is bike to the potential office, found the Natches Trace Trail, Got up to 41 mph on his road bike...he'd like to work there, and me too, obviously. My mother's neighbor/friend passed away this year and she'd like us to live on his 6 acres next door. It's fenced on at least two sides and he used to farm hay. Fairly flat, which is good in the hills. Funny idea.
Not sure what I'd prefer. Mom or my young adult siblings could milk goats if we ever went on vacation to visit...them?...that way (or DH's family, I guess). House and "yard" would fit the bill in everything but bathroom number and the fact the office is still under construction (lol). We'll see what happens. Enough about that, I guess. We're trying to avoid working for walmart, even if the pay would be competitive and I've lived near the HQ before. Not sure what will happen.
We want to move for space purposes, because traffic has become over the top here in the last year or so, increasing heavy drug issues in the area that an acre isn't large enough to hide us from and lastly because we just feel like it's time. Husband is also interested in exploring more work options within his field. He's become one of the "old timers" in his office after almost 5 years. Not sure how that reflects on his company. I guess programmers change jobs a lot. I think sometimes it's how they get raises when they work for the giant companies like google and amazon.
Before vacation I came to my senses and decided to give my muscovy breeders to a friend of mine. She's always wanted ducks like them, and she takes good pictures and puts them on social media. No more butchering muscovy. Small ducks only, if possible. I might eventually go down to just savage chickens birdwise, since they make the eggs we eat best (although it is molt now). Just not having a muscovy army to deal with in June will be a huge help. I'd like this spring to be the spring (and summer) of the goats and getting chicken eggs and avoiding making more ducks.
Going to get some more stock panels delivered hopefully next week and finish my buck pen. Then I'd like to hurry up and build a shelter in it. I'd like the pen and shelter to be ready BEFORE I actually have to split up tiny Durango from the girls around kidding time moving or not (he'll get a friend too, I'm working on that).
I'm going to tack some more stock panels on the order so I can enlarge the doe pen around an area so holed up by groundhogs that it can not be mowed and as a result is wild. They'll have fun in the sand when it dries out this spring after they're done eating all the invasives. I would take pictures, but it is cold and wet today. I do not like cold and wet. It makes it hard to put up stock panels. Anyway, that's it for now. Almost time to go walk and get DS#1 from the bus stop.
Senile_Texas_Aggie
Herd Master
Miss Rachel,
Good to have your update after your absence. Do you and your DH have a time line for moving?
Senile Texas Aggie
Good to have your update after your absence. Do you and your DH have a time line for moving?
Senile Texas Aggie
- Thread starter
- #136
rachels.haven
Herd Master
Yep, probably in June, when my son's out of kindergarten for the year. We're kind of excited.
Bruce
Herd Master
How is the house; price, size and condition? You can always add on to get the extra bathroom. But, will it still be for sale in June?
How well to you and DH get along with Mom?
- Thread starter
- #138
rachels.haven
Herd Master
The house isn't for sale yet. The sons had a lot of rental properties, but don't want one on 6 acres. When they get to it they will sell it. It's 1,647 sq ft. We could add onto it later, the only concern is if the septic system is big enough for a family (and I hope to have our family grow plus, teen agers can use a lot of water), but if it came to it we could ask about it's capacity. Davidson county can be weird about letting you build onto your house or septic system though, we have been warned...although I'm not sure what the person warning was trying to do and if it was...a good idea or not.
There's also two properties down the road in Cheatham county being sold by two separate friends of my mom that are dividing their acreage as they age or as their children have health problems and need their care. We'd still be "neighbors" separated by a few miles, and the one property would be 18 acres with a house, the other I don't remember. It has a house. My mom is also personal friends with a person who is a real estate agent in the area, so if Amazon would just hurry up build that office building we could move into a place with lots of connections. I spent part of my childhood in the Nashville area, another part in Arkansas where we'd be moving if that is what we wind up with, and yet another in Iowa (no leads in Iowa though), and many of my mothers friends in the south stayed put.
Everyone gets along fine in my family, which may be a little odd for some to hear. We're good at coexisting while giving each other space. The only slight concern is my mother's goose army. I gave my mother geese earlier, so she went out and made a child and husband unfriendly goose army. The existing fence between properties does a good job of keeping the properties separate though. If we decided to go that route.
There's also two properties down the road in Cheatham county being sold by two separate friends of my mom that are dividing their acreage as they age or as their children have health problems and need their care. We'd still be "neighbors" separated by a few miles, and the one property would be 18 acres with a house, the other I don't remember. It has a house. My mom is also personal friends with a person who is a real estate agent in the area, so if Amazon would just hurry up build that office building we could move into a place with lots of connections. I spent part of my childhood in the Nashville area, another part in Arkansas where we'd be moving if that is what we wind up with, and yet another in Iowa (no leads in Iowa though), and many of my mothers friends in the south stayed put.
Everyone gets along fine in my family, which may be a little odd for some to hear. We're good at coexisting while giving each other space. The only slight concern is my mother's goose army. I gave my mother geese earlier, so she went out and made a child and husband unfriendly goose army. The existing fence between properties does a good job of keeping the properties separate though. If we decided to go that route.
- Thread starter
- #139
rachels.haven
Herd Master
In regards to the next door house condition, it is sound, but likely needs redoing, but it's "zestimate" maximum is within what we can afford without lasting debt so we have a little flexibility (I figure we'd probably have to "update" every house no matter where we go because we are carpet haters).
Personally, I'd go more for the property down the street, but 5 acres of old hay field next door to my parents 3 acres is appealing (yeah, 5, not 6, but that's okay with me, I remembered it wrong).
Personally, I'd go more for the property down the street, but 5 acres of old hay field next door to my parents 3 acres is appealing (yeah, 5, not 6, but that's okay with me, I remembered it wrong).
Baymule
Herd Master
Oooooohhh…..moving adventures!
