Newbie

[Vonnie]

Howdy Everyone! Hope yall are having a Blessed evening. I've been tuning in on your site since I stumbled across this site around July. We live in mainstream suburbia in the Hampton Roads area of VA. My DH is getting ready to retire from 23 years in the USN, 13 of those spent in this area. It's been my lifelong wish, hope, and dream to have a house and a bit of land out in the middle of nowhere with whatever critters we wish to have. Well, that wish became reality in September and we bought a house on 6+ acres in Central Texas. We are ready as soon as our house in VA sells to flee suburbia and live a more simple life for the sake of our and our children's sanity. I have been so impressed with the wealth of knowledge and sense of community with this forum. I look forward to the time when I actually have a real question to ask or maybe someday a bit of knowledge to share, but in the meantime I will enjoy all the knowledge and companionship yall spread around!

[OD]

Welcome, Vonnie.

[cowgirlone]

Welcome to the forum Vonnie! If you get some free time, check out the archives, lots of good reading.

[Jo]

Hi and Welcome, We retired from the military too.......we moved to a small town and worked for a farmer and then we finally got our own farm......so much to learn. We love it here and have raised alot of animals. Take it slow and hopefully you can find a nice neighbor to help you learn. We started gardening before we moved here. Chickens were are first animals. We got laying hens and meat birds. Then we got calves and a milk cow. She had a boy and we had our first homegrown beef. We still raise our own beef. But Husband couldn't take killling chickens. Love the peaceful country life. So glad my friend planted tomatoes this year while we were gone on vacation......I was able to put a lot in the freezer.
Hope to hear a lot more about your place and what your doing///////

[TXlightningbug]

Welcome to Texas, Vonnie and DH!!!

I'm more of the NE Texas area myself. If you have any Qs on what you might expect in the way of wild critters you might expect, please, do ask! If you're not familiar with Texas, first thing you want to learn about are the wild critters in your area. Central Texas is a big area, but a common couple of critters to watch for are snakes (diamondback rattlers and cottonmouths/water mocassins), brown recluse spiders and big cats. That's not to scare you off, but to educate you since you got kids and need to know.

Brown recluse spiders bite and the bite will rot away the area until you're treated by antibiotics. Nasty spider and we have them, unfortunately. Water mocassins are to be found around water. The ones I've seen their mouths are cotton white, hence the cottonomouth name. Poisonous like the rattlers and they travel in pairs always. Big cats can range from mountain lion to bobcat. Both prefer food to a fight so, if confronted with one, start chunking things at it.

And you might be in the region for the tarantulas. They don't bite unless they feel like they must defend themselves. They're just big and scary. And I do mean big.

On the other hand, you also have a gorgeous sunrise and sunset to look forward to, fertile soil that needs a little agri-iodine added to it - it's not in the soil here for some odd reason, friendly folks for the most part (there's an occasional idjit in the bunch), and good hunting.

TXlightningbug :yeeha:

[bgak47]

Welcome Vonnie! Six acres in Texas will be a Big difference from Hampton Roads VA. & suburbia! Are you ready to mow grass 9 months of the year, & do you have a good tractor-mower? Good Luck & Welcome! We'll be anxious to hear from you.

[sisterpine]

Vonnie- good to have you aboard! I love it when new folks come in with new ideas! Welcome