A long time ago, I moved to a quiet cul-de-sac in a rural area not too far from a good-sized city. As the years passed, the city grew, the area became less rural, and the cul-de-sac became less quiet. In early 2016, I had yet another run-in with one of my drunken neighbors, and that was it. I was done. It was time to move, and if I was going to all that trouble, then I was going to find some land where my animals had space and my neighbors would (hopefully) be less annoying. After some negotiations with work and quite a bit of searching, I ended up on a smidge under 10 acres just outside the Middle of Not Much, South Carolina.
I love this place. I have an acre-and-a-half fenced yard and the rest is woods. I have neighbors, but I can’t see them and only occasionally hear them. My dogs are thrilled and I don’t think the cat cares much either way. I finally have chickens, goats, and a garden. Best of all – so much peace and quiet.
I love training my dogs, crocheting, wood turning, scrapbooking, reading, gardening, and walking in my woods. I’m now focused on trying to earn money doing things I enjoy and make my little homestead more sustainable, with the larger goal of moving away from a standard office job. Everything takes baby steps, especially since I have neither a second set of hands nor a second income. I’m not worried, though. I know I’ll get where I want to be with hard work and perseverance.
Khar’pern
Khar is my sweet little 12-year-old girl. She is the last of a larger group of cats I had for years. She seems to prefer being an only cat, so I haven’t pushed the issue of getting another since we lost Dewey last year. Khar likes to spend her days on a sunny window perch, watching the chickens and squirrels.
Kodiak (ReyDunc’s Wiley Little Bear JHDs, RLPX, RL1, CW-ZR1, CW-G1, CW-SR, VBJ-T, BPF-T, ATD, RATI, CGC)
Kodiak is 7 years old. He came to me as a 10-week-old semi-feral foster puppy, and I never let him leave. He’s a 48lb German shepherd mix (emphasis on the mix), and ranges from a happy puppy to a grumpy old man. Kodiak loves living in the country and wants nothing more than to be allowed to herd the chickens and goats. Sadly, Kodiak also has epilepsy. The seizures started about 3 years ago, and we’ve not really had much success controlling them. As long as his good days out-number the bad ones, we’ll keep fighting.
Jake (New Skete’s Jethro TT, RL1-AOE, RL1X, RL2, URO1, CW-SR, CW-ZR1, VIJ, BPF, ATD, CAX)
Jake is also 7, about 6 months younger than Kodiak. I adopted him when he was 2 years old, not knowing at the time that he’s dog aggressive. Thankfully, he’s great with his pack – and completely submissive to Kodiak. Jake is a German show line German shepherd, and weighs in at 85lbs. Living in the cul-de-sac was stressful for him, as he felt the need to defend his territory from all threats, including the dogs that were allowed to run loose. Within 48 hours of moving to the new place, he was the most relaxed I’d ever seen him. Now, he is content to chase balls (and the occasional rabbit), suck on his binkie, and snuggle on the couch.
Sassy (ReyDunc’s Seraphina Von Allen RLP-AOE, RLPX, NTD, RATI)
Sassy will be 2 in July. I got her as a puppy from a local breeder. She’s half German show line, half German working line, and all German shepherd. She has taken over Jake’s watch dog duties, and she takes her job very seriously. Nothing is allowed in her yard that wasn’t invited. She’s smart, stubborn, and lives up to her name more than I ever thought possible. The best part about her, though, is her innate talent of knowing when Kodiak is going to have a seizure. She alerts before the seizure hits, giving me time to get extra meds in him and hopefully avoid the worst of it.