...some fall weather has arrived!! I'm really growing ill over these long, hot, miserable southeast summers! I'm beginning to think that I'd take the good 'ol Midwest winters over these summers! I'm over it. You just can't do a damn thing when it's so hot and humid. It's hot for people, too hot for dogs, and certainly too hot to be moving sheep around!! So I hope this cooler, drier air stays for good. It's so nice to have the windows open that damn (expensive) air conditioner not running, and running, and running!
I need to go out and make a plan for each of the dogs and get them some work. I think I might work at the pen with the 2 young girls. I think some meaningful work would be beneficial for them. This is the period of time I really wish (I say really, because I always wish it) I had a bigger place and more stock. Right now Clare and Ivy would really, really benefit from some real chore work. Simple, but meaningful. I hope my little ewes are bred, or will be soon. Even though my space is pretty small, I have had more sheep than right now for several years. I almost quit and let myself get down to just a handful of sheep... At one time I had close to 20 sheep (including lambs). I'd like to get back to at least a dozen. That way, albeit small, there always seems to be a little something that needs to be done. I honestly believe that a lot of Cruz's fantastic stock sense came from being the dog that muddled thru with me. Of course not all of it was good, and some of it was just plain ugly, but it made for a better dog IMO. Although I would never tell someone to make their first small flock a group of adult, bred, wool sheep that had never seen a working dog in their life, it was certainly a swim or drown experience for us both! And although we certainly had to hold our breath while we half-drown, we both became better swimmers for it. :-) Just like everything else in life, I truly believe the only way you can be really good at something is thru blood, sweat, and tears. All the "ah shit!!" moments only make you better. (if you are willing to learn from them) We all have to fail to succeed.
I worked over night all week at work and Weds night ended up pulling 15 hours... needless to say I have today off! I work tomorrow and then have Sunday and Friday off. Hopefully I'll be able to stick to the Zone Manager's schedule for awhile again! Working overnight sucks so much. I can't believe I did it as long as I did!! The few hours I had at home were pretty unproductive. I did some land browsing in my "awake, but not enough energy to do a damn thing" time. Looks like KY and TN have a lot to offer as far as what I'd be interested in. Lots of land that is mostly pasture. There's also lots of property that have still running, but older, and on the small-scale dairy farms. That would be ideal. Even if I wasn't interested in the dairy end of it (which I'm not sure I would be- that's a huge commitment) the properties have out buildings, hay barns, cement floored milking barns, and fences... And seemed to be priced so that we'd be able to build a small house. Some have houses that need work. I would imagine that being west of the Appalachians would eliminate some of this sea air and thus eliminate the adaption of human gills. Something that after about 10 years you form (some people that were born and raised around here can breath under water!) when you live right here on the coast. Until you live this humidity you do not get the "dry heat" concept!! South East Humid means at 3am it is still as hot and miserable as it was at 6pm. South East Humid means even with the a/c running certain textures in your house are sticky to the touch... And this humidity lasts from Easter until Halloween! Sometimes longer. You simply cannot do outside activities in this moisture. Yeah, 90 degrees isn't too awful, but factor in the dew point and just about anyone, and anything turns into a bowl of jello in about 15 minutes! Dogs that are in shape last only a few minutes before their tongues are 10 feet long, and some of them are "squeaking" for air. Lord knows you can't ask the sheep to participate in this weather- they'll simply croak. They aren't supposed to be in this climate anyway- let alone be "worked" when really you don't run/walk, you swim! I grew up in the Midwest where it does get humid, but not like here, and of course not for the duration. Yes, the exchange is for 20 below zero, but again the duration of 20 below isn't so long. I guess it's all a matter of taste. The nice thing about the south east (speaking livestock) is that as long as they have some simple shelter for the cool and wet of Oct-Feb, and shade for the summer they are good to go. The Midwest requires a more thorough winter shelter and things like lambing/calving have to be either very carefully planned, or have to be very carefully housed (or both) if one does not want to loose lambs/calves in the snow of Feb. I have pictures of Dylan holding a lamb born in December and he is in short sleeves...
Here are some of the "dream" farms I saved. It's too soon to pursue any of these, but not too soon to start to get a real idea of prices and locations. It's quite possible we may do what my parents ended up doing, and that was my Dad got his new job and moved to the area 15 months before my Mom did. That's a pretty likely possibility for us as well. It's hard to time the buy/sell/job move move thing all at one time.... This is one dream I refuse to give up on. I WILL have my farm of no less than 40 acres. It's very possible I do my Assistant Manager trainee bit in the area we think we'd end up in. (You go to another store to do the training) I have to do this ZMS job for 6 months before I can put in for assistant manager. The difference in the 2 is very little job wise, really I'd just have to learn the operations part (schedules, hiring, firing, etc) the rest of it I do and know. The wage pay is more than double for me. I started low because of no 5 year job history. I've gone from $7/hr part time to $11.40 full time in 15 months. Starting salary for Assistants is over $30,000. That's enough. Ben will have retirement plus whatever he decides he wants to do. (I think he needs to get licensed and insured in construction as I have never seen any better work than he does- and he loves it) The boys will most likely do school via the military, or thru scholarships. We're blessed to have such smart kids who apply themselves. Both have been in the gifted and talented classes since 4th grade, and now in 8th grade Charlie is taking 2 high school credited classes (only 2 were offered), as well as the gifted art class.
Anyway, here's some of my favorites.
http://http://www.landandfarm.com/properties/3668_acres_in_auburn_ky.aspNow to just get bills straight... Good news is I think I finally have Ben on board with this. Previously I believe he thought of it as a pipe dream. Now he knows I am dead serious. I will have my farm- and if means a the ultimate compromise (I will not enjoy it one bit- not one, not at all) then so be it.... I refuse to give up on something that is my heart and soul!
Cheers,
Ali
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