
A Few Things To Know About the Country Life
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I love how friendly the people are and that you don’t have to be afraid. We do have to plan ahead and when we do our main shopping we also do a lot of other errands. It’s too far to run back and forth every day. Also you need to have extra supplies for power outages or bad weather until you can get to a larger town that has a larger supply. We had a hurricane one year and it was four weeks until we had power! Once you get used to it you’ll love the slower pace, animals and time spent with less stress.
Having cow's, goat's, chickens, horse's etc. is a wonderful thing....IF you have become educated on care and maintaining your flock and herd(s). Be prepared by investigating the local, state laws on containment. Country life doesn't necessarily mean, "Free Range Everything" . You'll be responsible for protection of your critters from predatory wild life. You'll also be responsible for your dog's. Dog's who chase down deer, or distant neighbor's herds/flocks will get you a visit from DEP, with a ticket and hefty fine issued.
Have a Veterinarian already lined up. One who makes, "house call's". Be prepared for the bill afterward.
Be prepared for 24/7/365 life. There are no day's off from animal farming. If you go away, be prepared to pay a 24/7 Caretaker.
Country life is great! But often, town people don't have a clue. They don't realize that when power is out due to storms, there is no running water. Be prepared. A generator is great, but for short term, we save water to flush the toilets and to cook with. You need a gas stove for that. And you need a heat source besides a furnace, for emergencies or to supplement/enjoy. Also, in our area, it may be a few days (up to a week) after a blizzard before a plow makes it to our road. A 4WD vehicle won't make it! People won't understand when you tell them (on the phone) that you are snowed in, because they are getting around fine in the nearby city. Employers may not understand. If you work in town, you may need to have a place to stay, in order to make it to work, or to stay after work, because the roads are not safe.
I love my family farm out in the woods at the end of a dead end dirt road. It is quiet, very quiet (except for the fore mentioned occasional target practicing and construction). Internet is an issue out here; any day now, for the last ten years the internet is coming - and there is no cell phone service at all. That said, country life builds character (or people move back to the city). While listing pests - deer destroy flower and vegetable gardens. If it isn't fenced in it's gone as soon as the buds and leaves sprout. Plant trees and bushes deer do not like. And fence it in anyway. Bears are not afraid of humans and some are not always polite. They break into cars and houses - always a surprise!!! Cover your berries with netting. In one night I lost my Marshmallow flowers, and over half of my Asiatic Lillies - before they bloomed - the buds must be delicious. Today there is a huge tall fence around the remaining flowers. The grapes have an electric fence around them, which does take away from the country charm. Deer and raccoons love grapes and leaves. This all happens in our gardens quite close to the house, the chicken coop and field, the saw mill, and the sugar house. They are stealthy. Get a dog and cats to control some of the damage. And it helps if you like venison.
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