Thanks! You guys are great!

Just about a month ago my husband and I fulfilled a dream of ours and moved out of the suburbs into a more rural area. (Okay, it's only six miles away, but it sure makes a difference!) Our new house has a huge yard and some amazing landscaping, a great big garden, and a chicken coop. Yep, we got chicks right away-- feeding the chickens was my job as a kid and I'm thrilled to have chickens again. Now we've been going through the yard, getting to know the plants and trying to get rid of some of the weeds! Many of the plants produce food for the wildlife-- we've seen an amazing number and variety of birds here. I love it! In this new environment I've run into a lot of qustions, and you all on DG have been great for finding answers. I've also been making appearances on some new forums, breaking out of the houseplants and African Violets forums now that I have an outdoor garden too. :) I just wanted to thank everyone here for creating such a helpful and welcoming environment for a newbie like me to find the answers I need to get going.

So, thank you!
--Dana

Congratulations on filling your dream!

Hi, Dana! Enjoy your new home and all your feathered companions there. :)

Dana,

I can almost imagine! Eighteen years ago we moved our family from a mobile home park just outside a large city to a small town of less than 400. For several years we rented an old farm house on sixty acres (we could roam the property, but didn't farm it.) One night I took the kids to the lake to ice skate and sled. We had been there about thirty minutes and three or four cars had passed by. My middle son (about nine then) looked at me and said, "Boy, there sure is a lot of traffic tonight!" How much better can it get!

I wish you all the best in your new home, and hope you enjoy every minute of the peacefulness.

Jody

Thanks for the great wishes! We have the best of both worlds here-- it's rural, but it's also very centrally located and close to anything we'd need. (When we've started cooking something, we're still close enough to run to the store and get that ingredient we're missing!) It's exactly what we were looking for. It will be so much fun to watch the seasons change and see what the plants and animals do, and I can't wait to really plant a garden next year, and some more fruit trees, and our chickens will be laying their eggs. We also have a pool and a hot tub, which probably means we'll have plenty of visitors, too. What more could you ask for??

How lovely to hear your story! Today marks the third year since we pulled up stakes and moved to the country - rather, the edge of a little town in the mountains. What a life changing experience. We love our little ranch house on our little bit of ground. Don't work too hard and don't forget to take time to smell the flowers! Keep us posted on the eggs. Barbara

very nice yes country is the best really the best... chickens are to..

Dana, you are one of the people that posted on my threads about buying a farm and the life that comes with it. Thank you bunches! We are waiting for an answer from the bank even as I write this. :)

Congratulations Dana. The area around Olympia is beautiful. I lived on an old homestead at the end of Cooper Point years ago and enjoyed every minute of it.

Badseed, I'm so excited for you! I hope everything works out for you. I love having space for a garden and chickens, and going outside and hearing the birds and even insects. I really think people have an innate connection somehow with nature, and nothing beats living out here! Really, we're just barely rural (based on the fire department designation), kind of at the junction between the suburbs and the farmland. We're also close to the ocean, Puget Sound, and two mountain ranges (including two National Parks). Although I complain about the rain sometimes, I really do love western Washington!

This makes me think of another story...

I have three grandniece's that have lived with us on two separate occassions. They come to visit quite often, and are usually with us sometime between Christmas and New Years. We live in a rural community (they live in the city.) Two years ago they were visiting at New Years, and my daughter and I decided to take them for a walk at midnight on New Years Eve. We built a small fire for marshmallows, then walked out into a nearby field. The sky was literally covered with stars. The then seven year old looked up and saw the stars and said, "Wow! How come we don't have this many stars where we live!"

Jody

Hah! That's cute. My husband and I were thinking of inviting people to camp out on our lawn during the meteor showers. It would be a big, fun slumber party. :) Although nothing compares to our trip to Montana-- I've never seen so many stars in my life!