Asked to teach prep again

[phylm]

Got a call from Relief Society counselor (the pres. just moved this week) and she asked me to teach an hour-plus prep presentation next Thursday night, and again in July. I said: "Sure." She wanted to know what to call my class, and I said: "Painless Preparation."

She liked that, and I told her that it works. Have some serious prayer and class prep to do myself this week.

Oh, yes, we made an offer on an 11 acre place today. Should know if our offer is accepted by Monday.

[DMGNUT]

Where is this 11 acres (roughly)? And are there buildings on it, or just farming land, hills, etc?

[prairiemom]

11 acres?!?! That sounds wonderful. Tell us more.

[phylm]

Where is this 11 acres (roughly)? And are there buildings on it, or just farming land, hills, etc?

It is in northern Florida, DMGUT, far enough inland from the Gulf to be out of the "hurricane alleys" in the state...for the most part. (!)

The land is a long wide rectangle, high and dry, all well-fenced and cross fenced, fairly level, with a 1999 single-wide mobile home with big shade trees in the front near the road. It is in good shape, and will do for now. There is only about 500 feet of shell road off a paved county road, and--would you believe it?!--the place is about a mile from the huge dairy farm where we get our free manure! Would be a longer jaunt to the horse farm where we get the horse manure, which is mainly shavings and sawdust for mulch.

The lot is wooded on 3 sides, mostly hardwoods, and, if our offer is accepted, one of the first things to do will be to put in a small air-tight wood stove. We can probably pick up a used one in Vermont when we go back for the family reunion this summer. The land just east of the place is privately owned, but isn't developed, being a many miles-long and wide wetland area. It is also quite near the Suwanee and other nice rivers that run miles of boatway to the Gulf of Mexico.

It is about 30 miles farther north of here, so would please our peach and apple trees. :l0 (51): It is only about 2 miles to a state highway, so the location is ideal for a blueberry and blackberry pick-your-own business. (With all the blackberries we've put up this year, I don't think we'll have much call for them for quite awhile!) That husband of mine has canned 14 more quarts of green beans, and 18 pints of winter squash this morning!! We also picked a gallon of blackberries, and they're just sitting there.

My husband was taken with a barn/workshop farther back on the lot. He wants 2 or 3 head of beef cattle, and that would simplify that. We both want chickens and hens.

The seller has until Monday to accept or reject, so we have our fingers crossed. If accepted, the closing will be on June 30.

We let her agent know that we have 3 other places that we like if she wants to be coy, so we'll see.

[Julie]

I don't know why but the book "Alas Babylon" comes to mind when I think of Florida. Sounds great. Good luck.

[phylm]

I don't know why but the book "Alas Babylon" comes to mind when I think of Florida. Sounds great. Good luck.

Dunno...don't know why anyone would want to nuke Mt. Dora anyway. :001_sdrool:

Our RE broker called this afternoon. Guess the deal is going to work out. So I called someone who had advertised on a radio "swap show" a couple of months ago to see if he still had the 800 feet of chain link fence with gates and barbed wire for sale. Yep, but they are out of state until late August. That will be fine with us, and we'll buy it then. Just what we'll need for our garden up there.

[Noahs ARK]

Dunno...don't know why anyone would want to nuke Mt. Dora anyway. :001_sdrool:

Our RE broker called this afternoon. Guess the deal is going to work out. So I called someone who had advertised on a radio "swap show" a couple of months ago to see if he still had the 800 feet of chain link fence with gates and barbed wire for sale. Yep, but they are out of state until late August. That will be fine with us, and we'll buy it then. Just what we'll need for our garden up there.

Congrats. Very exciting, phylm.

Mt. Dora is north of Orlando, isn't it? I vaguely remember some of that area from when we lived in Florida.

What will you do with your house - sell it? rent it?

So what's "our" next step? :tongue (3):

[DMGNUT]

Way Cool.

[prairiemom]

Wow, wooded on 3 sides, dairy farm nearby, a good deal on fencing, this sounds absolutely ideal. Not sure I'd ever need a wood stove in FL, though. When do you think you'll close and move in?

[phylm]

Wow, wooded on 3 sides, dairy farm nearby, a good deal on fencing, this sounds absolutely ideal. Not sure I'd ever need a wood stove in FL, though. When do you think you'll close and move in?

Wood stove? It was reported that we had the second coldest 3 consecutive months here this past winter in recorded history. Night after night of freezing temps...even killed our Satsuma orange tree, which is supposed to withstand -22 degree temp. With this 100 degree/100% humidity right now, it would be nice if there were some way to average the weather, wouldn't it?

Received a counter-offer last night that we can live with, so should know for sure on Monday. If so, we close on June 30th. We need to add on a large room next to the back deck for all our prep supplies, so may not be able to actually move in until September. That room will be level with the floor from the kitchen, and would make things very handy. If hubby can give me a list of lumber, siding, etc. needed, I can scrounge, dicker, and keep a watch for good bargains, and truck them to the site while he's at work.

He received a job extension on his census work until July 28th that may be extended again, and we must make a trip to Vermont in mid-August, so his time will be limited on how much building and moving he can do for now. We'll probably take our ton dually to VT, because we still have a storage building there on our land, and we could use all the carpenter and farm tools, etc. stored there. (I would also like to get my good china, crystal, and some other things I had to abandon in 1995 when we went full-time RVing and had to start eating off plastic! Man, would I like to have a great big plastic bonfire!!

We'll probably move our big 5th wheel camper up first, and can move stuff into that gradually when we get the chance.

We don't live in a house that we own. When my cousins started looking up here for a "sustainable-living" farm back in 2000, they began to suggest that we ought to plan to move up here, too. When they bought this 40 acres, they began to beg us to move up...there was a place to install our camper, etc. In early 2006, with their dream home nearly completed, they really urged us to come and live in the mobile home, for no rent, that was on the place when they bought it. Cousin's husband is a Viet Nam vet on total disability, (he is still quite mobile) and if they rented the home, it would be considered commercial, and would make a big difference on property taxes.

We moved in at the end of 2006, and, being told that we could consider it our own for as long as we wanted, began to build up the soil, put in irrigation, and plant fruit trees, bushes, and gardens, as well as extensive landscaping. Hubby also repaired and painted a lot.

The cousin's husband is a rather unique person...he says: "My neighbors think I'm crazy, and that's the way I like it!!" They do. I'm sure he has ADD, because nothing holds his attention for long. He has probably 40 or more unfinished projects here, and he flits from one new enthusiasm to another--spending much, much more money than his worried wife would like.

Lately, he has become much more erratic, and his disposition approximates a wolverine with a toothache. He rages vulgarly and loudly at his wife, mother-in-law, and my husband. He hasn't changed his friendly attitude toward me for some reason. (A friend of mine said: "He wouldn't dare!") I am concerned because he is gun-happy, and he is talking more and more about shooting someone.

He told my husband to move out and "Take your damn trees with you!" three weeks ago. He is going to be surprised when a rented backhoe arrives and we do just that! We have said nothing about finding a place, and won't until we are moved out.

I think I can keep him pacified for a couple more months...maybe I'll cajol him into another cannery trip. :l0 (59):

And tomorrow is our day to work at the temple! Hooray!! :a0 (23):