"If I knew then what I know now....."

Is this specific to running cattle? What would you do differently regarding layout?

The answer to the tree questions are basically 'yes' to all.
For me the problems are that the kind of trees I have, redwoods, get very big and tend to break off at the top in wind. That means whole pieces the size of other kinds trees, 30 feet or more, can reach the house in a wind storm. Also roots make growing even grass difficult around them. Trees harbor those lovely birds I like so much- who then eat my berries and poop purple all over. And cutting them down if they prove a problem becomes highly expensive and/or dangerous when they are close to the house.
Trouble was that I made the decision as to how far back based on their size when I built. As they continue to grow, I can see that I should have been more aggressive.

__________________
For we used to ask when we were little, thinking that the old men knew all things which are on earth: yet forsooth they did not know; but we do not contradict them, for neither do we know.

as to the men in my life, my granny always said, 'act in haste, repent at leisure'....

about fencing, oh boy I wish I had known about rotational grazing and water source placement before spending all that money....but the cows do still know how to walk....

for sure, buy all the land you can...you can always sell later....not as easy to buy what you missed out on...

NEVER buy land without a land survey, done by a reputable surveyor, and one that will register the survey at the courthouse...

know thy neighbors before you buy....at least as much as you are able...

do not keep the cow that jumped the fence onto the hood of the car....

I never would have bought a house in town. For many reasons.

I wouldnt have dated some women.

I would have asked out the female friends that i didnt want to risk losing my friendship with. Lot of good that did since we arent friends anymore anyways.

I would have taken the other job I was offered.

I would have taken more risks so i had more things to regret.

__________________
How can I be lost, if I've got no where to go?

I cant think of much I would do differently since any changes would change the place I am currently in. I guess I would have gotten better professional help for my MS and depression earlier rather than trying to "fix" my self LOL. I would have liked to learn to love and respect myself fifty years ago but am happy that I did it at 62.

__________________
www.MontanaSticksAndStones.com at Goshen Farm

I would have got dentures before spending a lifetime of money on root canals, crowns and bridges.

Ahh, The thread of self reflection.
My life was rolling along nicely until 9/11 happened. I had a decent home, nice cars and money in the bank.
9/11 hit, and the company I worked at slowed down, then closed up in 05', Then the economy tanked, and a "good" job was $12 with no benefits.
Now as the dust settles, I'm thankful for what I have. I still got the house, the wife and cars, but the money is gone.
I look at many of my friends, Many are divorced, lost the house and cars. A few filed bankruptcy.
Now I look to the next 20 yrs as being a quiet simple life with no bells and whistles

Yes, specific to cattle. When we first moved here, just had 2 horses and the fencing only had to run a bluff. Cattle are a lot less sensitive and a lot more pushy. They test a fence, and tear it up if it isn't built stout enough.

Layout, it would take a picture or diagram to really explain it. Bigger and stronger pen to work cattle out of is needed. Better "flow" is needed.

__________________
It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with the simple pleasures and to be cheerful and have courage when things go wrong.
Laura Ingalls Wilder

Thanks. I'll post a plan diagram when I get to that point in my process so that I can learn from your wisdom. However, I don't plan to do more than a milk cow and her occasional freezer camp offspring. Maybe my regret in 20 years will still be that I didn't plan for having lots of cows...

..... I would have bought a lot more Apple stock and would be enjoying myself on my 5,000 acre ranch in Costa Rica!!!!

TRellis

That's hardly a move toward zones 5 or 6...

If I knew then what I know now, I would have cleared out more trees from the area where I built my home. Although the trees I originally kept were perfectly healthy at the time, ice storms happen, and ice-laden trees and limbs break and fall.

This Cajun fool moved almost 700 miles from home and discovered stuff like ice and snow. (I'm halfway expecting a real live polar bear to show up any day now.)

Fortunately no trees or major branches have hit the house yet, but every time ice gets too thick I get as nervous as a sun-burned bobcat. I am saving good money ( ) to get a lot of trees cut down, like I should have before building the house. I will hire a fully bonded/insured professional to cut a few trees that will need extra-special care when felling, to avoid damaging the house or other structures...




.

__________________
--Sharon Love, laugh, live...Joie de vivre!
http://purecajunsunshine.blogspot.com/ (I'm unable to get back into blog to post...experiencing 'technical difficulties'...)

LOL. That is true!!!

I have always enjoyed an area that either has four distinct seasons (such as an zone 5 or 6) or no real seasonal temperature change (Costa Rica has dry and wet seasons).

Zone 8a can not seemingly make up its mind as to what it wants to be. My snow peas did not survive the really early and uncommon hard freeze that we had in early November. Since then, and until last night, we have experienced many highs in the low 80's - high 70's and mostly lows in the 40's - great weather for peas, excluding the fact that the peas are already dead and gone.

An 8a zone lures you into planting early and late with historical evidence based promises of steady temperatures and then often times throws a curve at you, forcing you to either scramble trying to harvest quickly and/or cover up.

8a is a heartless .

TRellis

ETA: I have since fixed the not necessarily accurate "Location description".

I'm in the same zone and I'd have to agree. Grew up in the tropics and am fine with that but the wife hates heat so we're headed eventually to somewhere that has seasons...

I've been to CR too and it is lovely. Wouldn't take too many Apple shares to get a spread there, either...

I will never again purchase an aging double-wide home. DH and I learned what it means to throw good money after bad.

Would not have bought Ford stock when it dropped to $25 from 45 -50 thinking its a bargain ( it went on to drop to $5)

Would have bought Amazon when it was $7...instead of being afraid because ford stock didnt work out.

Would have talked with my wife about my dreams to live in the country early and often rather than assuming she knew just because she met me in the country.

Those are the only real changes I would make. Other things that didnt work out so well in one sense had other benefits I wouldnt want to give up.

LOL ford stock dropped to $1.01
I had a $100,000 buy order in for a buck even wish I hadn't got stubborn.....
At the Homestead I wish I had required A survey and a fort knox fence built at the line as condition of purchase!

We had the choice to buy a small acreage close to the city (10 minutes from work) for a price that we thought was beyond our reach or to buy a larger acreage much farther out that was easily within our reach. Or so we thought. We bought the far out property - and it was lovely but so was the other one - but obviously did not do the math or the time calculation properly. For the 9 years we lived there we paid a fortune in gas and wear and tear on the vehicle driving 90 kilometers per day to work plus we lost all that time in our little travel time machine. It is amazing what you can accomplish in an hour and a half every day when you are not driving- that is 6 and a half hours per week multiplied by two people so 13 man hours a week lost. And we found out we could not run two cars so we had to car pool and since our work times did not match one or other of us ended up kicking their heels waiting for the other. More time lost.

If we had bought the more expensive, closer in to the city property it would actually have ended up costing us nearly the same when all the travel was factored in and we would have had much more time to work at the things we loved and wanted to do. And of course the closer in property appreciated much more in value over 9 years so if we had had to sell it (as we did the far out one) we would have made more for the next place.

Thank you, I'm in that very choice at the moment... words to really soak in.

Would have added a basement to the house.
Would have had a root cellar in the basement.
Would have made the wood shed twice as big as needed so I could fill one end while burning the other.
Would have started the orchard before starting the house.