Do your friends and family think you're crazy?

[francismilker]

I just wanted to take the time to check with the rest of my fellow milking friends to ask a simple question. "Do your friends, family, and neighbors think you're crazy for wanting to be a homesteader?"
In my area, (SE Oklahoma) there are very few dairys in existence (2 actually within a two hour drive). I've always liked the idea of "living off of the land" so, a few years ago, after much searching, I got myself an old 3-quartered Jersey cow. I fell in love with the convenience of having an ample supply of milk around to drink and cook with. I also, being an early riser, have never found any inconvenience in milking morning and evening.
Since then I've been able to aquire four more milk cows (two jersey\holstein crosses and two angus/holstein crosses). I'm able to feed a whole herd of feeder pigs, chickens, dogs, and kids with all of the milk.
Problem is, everyone I know thinks I'm "eat up" with some kind of mental disorder for wanting to mess with milk cows.
I can absolutely not think of any better mental therapy and physical excercise for me than to go down to the barn after a stressful day at work (as an electrical lineman) and work with the cows. I can't personally figure out why more people aren't catching on.

Do any of you share these same thoughts? Or, am I just crazy?!!!!!!

[nomad7inwi]

Everyone around here thinks we are crazy, especially our family. My husband was recently referred to as a hippie, not that there is anything wrong with being a hippie, he just isn't. He's in his mid 30's, his "during the week job" is white collar, he has short hair, never done any drugs, and he is a hippie because he wants to be more self-sufficient, back to the land, renewable energy, raise our own food, etc.

I think everyone else is crazy because they are happy with grocery store food, living on top of their neighbor, and trust that the gov't will always be there for them.

But I'm glad I have the opportunity to do what I want and others can do as they wish. We just moved to 10 acres at Thanksgiving. We have 2 goats, rabbits, 4 week old chickens for meat and pullets, turkeys coming next week. We look forward to getting milk from our goat or maybe a cow in the next year. We will be getting some pigs too just for the summer. We will have a garden this summer. We homeschool our 5 children. My mom does not understand how we have time for it all. It is a learning curve, and it gets easier as we go. But we are never bored and we are all learning alot. And we are ABSOLUTELY LOVING IT!!!!!! Even feeding and watering in a blizzard!

[jerzeygurl]

yes,

you should see the look i got from my mom after i got the sheep and she asked me if i was getting a spinning wheel and i said yes lol

[linn]

I ran across this question on another forum and will give the same answer here:
My family has long since become accustomed to my "eccentric" behavior. It didn't take too much adjustment because we were raised on a farm. However, out of five children, I am the only one who chose to live on a farm and work with animals.
I am also a school librarian. My colleagues who know I milk and keep chickens probably think I am a little weird. I wonder what they would say if they knew that I do the AI on my house cows myself?

[bqz]

Well I haven't actually made the move yet,I'm still in the learning stage so to speak.I'm prepairing my house for sale and moving with in the next year or less hopefuly(Have land and place to move , but need to sale first $$.)

Yes,people think I'm CRAZY for planning on moving to the country and living off of the land(as much as possible).

My thinking is you need to learn how to grow it or kill it because the way things are going in this old world ,living in the city is not where you want to be when the economy goes down hill.
That's just my thinking so,call me CRAZY!

[donsgal]

nevermind.

[Haggis]

Originally Posted by francismilker

"Do your friends, family, and neighbors think you're crazy...,?"

Aye, they thought that, then I quit teaching (the same year I finished my Master's) and got some milch cows.

[Denise K.]

linn, if they only new about the AI! I am a nurse in an ER, where my co workers already think I am a bit odd being a "farmgirl" for the most part I don't talk about it much while at work (much easier then explaining). But one day one of them asked about how I knew which of my hens was laying (I had mentioned the non layers were being sold) so I explained to her how to tell if a hen was laying, her eyes got real big and she announces to the other nurses "Denise does pelvic exams on her chickens" Took me a while to live that one down........fortunately the Dr. working with us grew up on a dairy farm, he just laughed and told them they don't know half the stuff we do some days!

[ozark_jewels]

Yes, with 12 Jersey's, 150 goats, 9 dogs(not counting the new litter of 9 Pyr pups), assorted poultry and cats.......they do think we are a little kooky.

[Tango]

Just turned 43 and my mother finally understands me and finally supports me. Our conversations are very different and she is happy for me. I have a PhD I don't use and moved to the sticks 20 months ago. Have never been happier or healthier even though the challenges are overwhelming at times... many times. My community is more like me than they are different. Many of them born and raised here do what we might call "self-reliance" because that is what they've done all their lives. I've two Jersey cows and a Guernsey heifer calf I thought I was going to sell but looks like maybe she's a keeper. Would like another Guernsey or Jersey and could care less if someone thought I was crazy. I think a lot of people in suburbia are crazy

[linn]

DeniseK,
I loved your post. I can just see their faces when you described how to tell if a hen was laying. I've been there and done that too; but I never had the nerve to tell anyone at work. You are a brave woman.

[TSYORK]

Well..... at my mom knew I like to do things the "old fashioned way" alot, but she thinks I've turned into the AMISH!!!

Raising my own chickens for meat and eggs. Raising my own pigs for meat. Raising my own steers for meat. Raising my own goats to milk to feed to my pigs and chickens for meat and eggs.

I think she's ready to call the "NUT HOUSE" on me, but I'm loving life!!! Sure beats going to the store and buying bacteria, hormones, steroids, cancer, and who knows what all else!

[Tam319]

Maybe we should start a support group.

When we were expecting our first baby we sold our beautiful fancy pants house in town to move into an older mobile home in the country. I was determined to stay home and raise our family so I would do whatever it would take to not have to go back to work. We are now in the process of getting goats, chickens, pigs, family cow, etc. I think a lot of people kind of expected it at this point. LOL I think THEY are crazy to live in expensive houses they can't afford w/huge mortgages, working long hours at jobs they hate and having their kids in daycare being raised by someone else. When you consider it that way a lil old cow doesn't seem so nutty after all!

[jerzeygurl]

cowmilkers annonymous

cowmilkers and the people who love them

[Tam319]

"My name is Tam and I am a cowaholic. Its been ____ hours since my last milking."

[Callieslamb]

The only comment we have gotten is that we talk about chickens and dogs all the time - this from our own grown kids. We watch our puppes playing in the back yard while we eat meals and discuss their behavior. The roosters are fighting each other and we discuss that. It is a different life than the way our older kids were raised.

My parents live the same way we do - if not more so. No problem there. DH's family is totally supportive in whatever.

The funniest looks I have gotten was when I lived in Country Club lane and built my own garden trellises and picket fences, gates and arbors. The neighbors got quite an eyeful from this not-a-southern-belle. Or when friends stopped by and I was hanging from a ladder helping my son put siding on the top story of the house. Or then they finally got to see how I really dressed rather then in my "sunday clothes". They didn't recognize me. Some friends say it was about time that I moved to the country.

We got a lmore "looks" for saying we were going to live out of debt, no matter what kind of house we had to buy.

And I agree - I think they are crazy for not joining me.

[Tiffin]

DH and I early retired and bought 165 acres. It was a very run down dairy farm. Quite a few of friends and family thought we had lost our minds. But after two years, lots of work, raising beefers and chickens, soon pigs, we have had to ignore the "naysayers" and embrace the "go for it" people. The ones who have supported us came from a farm background and love to come out to the farm. The ones who don't understand are city forever and don't visit. I don't care. Their loss.

[lilly foote]

I also live in S.E.Ok. My parents keep trying to get me to "come back to the real world" as they call it. but you know what they sure dont mind eatting the food that comes off my homestead. They even tried to get me in trouble with the public schools here because i home school.and the really funny part is i work for the public school
system It just makes me want to scream sometimes

lilly foote
S.E. OK.

[Up North]

Originally Posted by Tango

I have a PhD I don't use and moved to the sticks 20 months ago

If you're not gonna use that Post Hole Digger, can I borrow it from ya?... LOL.

[jerzeygurl]

Originally Posted by Tam319

"My name is Tam and I am a cowaholic. Its been ____ hours since my last milking."

lol