I already retired once. Although I have had many really fine careers, from private investigating to interior design, the one that was the fall back was teaching. I started teaching in 1977 and ended in 2010, however; I did not end up with a full pension because every career meant a leave of absence or working very part time, like a day a week or not at all. But when the opportunity arose at age 55, I was ready to embark on yet another trek. That was the farming.
Originally, I bought a farm in the County of Thorhild, west and a bit north of here. My plan was to build a monolithic dome home and live completely off grid. But Waste Management, that huge garbage company, bought 18 quarters around my farm to put in a class 1 landfill. How could I have an organic permaculture farm next to a dump. So, I flew home to White Rock and hung out thinking about the next move, when the house suddenly sold giving me only 28 days to move. Where?
I went online and found where I live currently, flew out in February 2011 to see it and moved here in March, a month later. Unfortunately, the people who owned the place were much less than truthful and the arduous task of rebuilding, repairing and replacing everything, and I mean everything, was begun. A year later the bed and breakfast opened and it was such great fun. The work on the houses continued and there was maintenance on top of redoing basics, like wiring and plumbing. Then the pipe burst in the bed and breakfast house in January 2015 and a year later, it was finally renovated and back up and ready to go, reopening January 1, 2017.
Things went anything but smoothly. There seemed to be one catastrophe or disaster after another. I had no luck raising the sheep for their fleece, either and felt as though my whole venture had failed, except I did accomplish most of my goals. That was 1. to divorce myself from the dictates of society 2. to stop consumerism 3, to learn how to be self sufficient and 4. to want what I have. I allowed myself ten years in which to achieve success. Finally, this year, 2017, I feel I can say I have arrived.
The fleece from the sheep will never be perfect, but I did find a crowd that accepts that, which makes me very happy. I am downsizing the farm critters.Last year I sold most of the Babydolls and this year it will be the majority of the sheep and goats, just keeping my Cotswold sheep plus a few favourites, and moving to mini Nubian goats. I have way too many birds, too. Every day, I am now getting 3 or more dozen eggs. I had a sign made saying Eggs $5 per dozen for chicken and $10 dollars a dozen for duck. I guess it is time to put it out. My last order for hatching eggs is for 100 eggs and now I can sell the eggs for eating. But people here do not want to pay $5 per dozen eggs, so I am not sure they will sell at all. They never have thus far. At the end of summer, I plan to only overwinter no more than a dozen ducks, 5 geese and a dozen chickens.
I also need to find someone to live with. I do not do well living with others. I am too messy and too preoccupied with my hobbies to interact with them. So, I made a plan to install two sinks and a hot plate in my basement and move into the bedroom in the middle of the house with the trap door to the basement. I will try to contain my mess to the lower floor then and not have to interact with the person living in my house. I am hoping to find someone who loves the farm and would do my chores in the winter for a few weeks at a time to allow me to visit my daughter or to take a holiday once a year. Hoping and wishing..
But, retirement? I really cannot see actual retirement in my cards just yet. Not for the next few years anyhow, because I love what I have created here and enjoy my life way too much. I do love what I have and want what I have already. How many of us out there can say that? Retirement will come soon enough. Just in two years I will be 65. Maybe that is a good place to begin. You think?
Originally, I bought a farm in the County of Thorhild, west and a bit north of here. My plan was to build a monolithic dome home and live completely off grid. But Waste Management, that huge garbage company, bought 18 quarters around my farm to put in a class 1 landfill. How could I have an organic permaculture farm next to a dump. So, I flew home to White Rock and hung out thinking about the next move, when the house suddenly sold giving me only 28 days to move. Where?
I went online and found where I live currently, flew out in February 2011 to see it and moved here in March, a month later. Unfortunately, the people who owned the place were much less than truthful and the arduous task of rebuilding, repairing and replacing everything, and I mean everything, was begun. A year later the bed and breakfast opened and it was such great fun. The work on the houses continued and there was maintenance on top of redoing basics, like wiring and plumbing. Then the pipe burst in the bed and breakfast house in January 2015 and a year later, it was finally renovated and back up and ready to go, reopening January 1, 2017.
Things went anything but smoothly. There seemed to be one catastrophe or disaster after another. I had no luck raising the sheep for their fleece, either and felt as though my whole venture had failed, except I did accomplish most of my goals. That was 1. to divorce myself from the dictates of society 2. to stop consumerism 3, to learn how to be self sufficient and 4. to want what I have. I allowed myself ten years in which to achieve success. Finally, this year, 2017, I feel I can say I have arrived.
The fleece from the sheep will never be perfect, but I did find a crowd that accepts that, which makes me very happy. I am downsizing the farm critters.Last year I sold most of the Babydolls and this year it will be the majority of the sheep and goats, just keeping my Cotswold sheep plus a few favourites, and moving to mini Nubian goats. I have way too many birds, too. Every day, I am now getting 3 or more dozen eggs. I had a sign made saying Eggs $5 per dozen for chicken and $10 dollars a dozen for duck. I guess it is time to put it out. My last order for hatching eggs is for 100 eggs and now I can sell the eggs for eating. But people here do not want to pay $5 per dozen eggs, so I am not sure they will sell at all. They never have thus far. At the end of summer, I plan to only overwinter no more than a dozen ducks, 5 geese and a dozen chickens.
I also need to find someone to live with. I do not do well living with others. I am too messy and too preoccupied with my hobbies to interact with them. So, I made a plan to install two sinks and a hot plate in my basement and move into the bedroom in the middle of the house with the trap door to the basement. I will try to contain my mess to the lower floor then and not have to interact with the person living in my house. I am hoping to find someone who loves the farm and would do my chores in the winter for a few weeks at a time to allow me to visit my daughter or to take a holiday once a year. Hoping and wishing..
But, retirement? I really cannot see actual retirement in my cards just yet. Not for the next few years anyhow, because I love what I have created here and enjoy my life way too much. I do love what I have and want what I have already. How many of us out there can say that? Retirement will come soon enough. Just in two years I will be 65. Maybe that is a good place to begin. You think?
I am thinking of painting my kitchen this raspberry colour. It is sage green now, but this is such a pretty colour. What do you think?
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