I think I'm going to like it here. I left one of my motorcycling boards because the people there were so caustic with one another. A real turn off for me. The simple living board I found earlier seems to be filled with vegan, eco-nazi, liberals. I like some of their topics, especially the ones about
living below your means, so I guess I have to live with it. But my asbestos jammies have been getting quite a workout there.
Anyway, I am a 48 year old US Marine veteran and law enforcement officer with retirement staring me in the face just 17 month from now. I've spent 23 years working in maximum security Federal penitentiaries, so I tend to be
very conservative in my thoughts. I'm also told that I am sometimes too outspoken. But my favorite quote about myself was the day I was told that I was
"too honest" for my own good, and that sometimes it's best just to not tell people what you are thinking. Never have gotten the hang of that.
My better half is a saint for putting up with me and my career for over 25 years. Sorry, I am not allowed to disclose her age.
(tic) She's a loan officer at a local bank, truly dedicated to the best interest of her customers, and
far too committed to it. Don't know what she's going to do when she retires but I'm betting withdrawal will be devastating. That is one of the reasons I am considering letting her get some livestock at that time. It's a recurring theme for her, reliving her childhood when her Dad kept chickens and a cow.
Growing up in the '60's and early '70's was great. Lots of exposure to the "back to the earth" movement and such. I was a voracious reader and my Dad had a book from Reader's Digest titled
Back to Basics which became one my "testaments" for planning my life. Another big influence was my Dad's stated design of retiring at 50. I idolize my Dad, changed my name to be exactly the same as his, probably got a lot of my right-wing attitudes from him, and adopted that retire at 50 idea too. Hence my membership on the
Early Retirement board. Right on track there, due in large part to my pension rather than my spending habits. But I'm working on those.
The next major impact on my plan came from Rob Roy's book,
Mortgage Free, my second testament. Cindy and I have always wanted a log cabin. But her brother got one and that changed our minds. Ants, carpenter bees, checking, and all the other problems he's encountered. We have gravitated to a timber framed home. So far we've designed the floor plan and built a scale model out of cardboard to check the layout. The next step for me is going to be to build a 1:12 scale model using the actual frame we plan to use. Then Cindy gets to do her interior designing thing. By the time we get ready to break ground we should both know exactly what we are doing next and what the final outcome will look like.
The third testament is Charles Long's book,
How to Survive Without a Salary, which is NOT the same as surviving without income. Fortunately for us my pension will cover what we need for income. And our investments will provide the "play money" we need to fool around with different things. So if we do get into livestock and farming we will not be burdened with the necessity of making a living at it. My hat is off to
ALL real farmers. I don't know how they do it, but I salute them.
So right now the plan is to find 10-25 acres of land (probably here in North-Central PA) and build our dream home. There will be a two and a half bay garage attached via a screened breezeway. And my woodworking shop will be in the loft of the garage. (I am an accomplished amateur who is building all of the furnishings and cabinetry for the house.) One bay for each of our vehicles and a half bay for my motorcycles. If we decide to get into "hobby farming" we'll build a barn and outbuildings as needed.
I know, there is no such thing as hobby farming. It's a full time endeavour with all of the attendant responsibilities to the livestock, etc. I did grow up on a goat dairy, milking a dozen does twice a day for years. But since I won't be dependant upon it's success to pay for it I think hobby farming is an appropriate term for my approach.
So like I said, I think I'm going to like it here.
"Iron" Mike
