Safety in a Failing Economy

[uniquetobeme]

I'm waiting for my son to graduate. Unfortunately, the last 5 years have been crazy in my world and my sons had to change schools 4 times. (I went through a really bad breakup in 2009 that really impacted our lives) so I don't want to move him another time.
The other issue is my 14 year has some medical problems that need to be resolved before I move and I found out he has to have 2 more surgeries :-(.
I am also thinking about going back to school to be a social worker.
I am giving it serious consideration, but I can't move just yet. My eldest son's boyfriend (he is 18) lives with us and he also has another year until he graduates.
I'm certainly keeping the idea in my head as a possibility. I wish I had a crystal ball to see what the best choices were, but I guess that would take the fun out of life. :-).
I would like to know more about some of the struggles people have had setting up a farm, and also about issues such as health insurance and things like that.
I was thinking, if I got a degree in Education, I could work at a school in the area and do farming in the summer.
Life is so full of complicated decisions. I know I long for a more simple life :-)
Thank you all for your support and advice :-)

[Sachita]

Originally Posted by uniquetobeme

I'm waiting for my son to graduate. Unfortunately, the last 5 years have been crazy in my world and my sons had to change schools 4 times. (I went through a really bad breakup in 2009 that really impacted our lives) so I don't want to move him another time.
The other issue is my 14 year has some medical problems that need to be resolved before I move and I found out he has to have 2 more surgeries :-(.
I am also thinking about going back to school to be a social worker.
I am giving it serious consideration, but I can't move just yet. My eldest son's boyfriend (he is 18) lives with us and he also has another year until he graduates.
I'm certainly keeping the idea in my head as a possibility. I wish I had a crystal ball to see what the best choices were, but I guess that would take the fun out of life. :-).
I would like to know more about some of the struggles people have had setting up a farm, and also about issues such as health insurance and things like that.
I was thinking, if I got a degree in Education, I could work at a school in the area and do farming in the summer.
Life is so full of complicated decisions. I know I long for a more simple life :-)
Thank you all for your support and advice :-)

I have a thread here called Sachita Collective where we will document the progress at the farm. Or you can also subscribe to www.sachitacollective.com there is a place to add your email on the left and it will send you an email each time we post to the blog.

A site that I find very helpful is http://rodaleinstitute.org/ there is lots of valuable articles, market studies, etc. Decide on a clear plan based on your ability. If you have a few teenage son's grab your tent and bring their butts down here to help us! lol You'll learn a lot.

Once we get ramped up our goal is to not only operate a successful organic farm business for the farm family but to teach other women to start up and operate the same. Hopefully we'll have some clear grant and loan options. Anyhow, much of this will be discussed in the thread. If you and your boys decide to come down let me know. I can help you with gas and feed you while you are here. We really could use some strong backs to clean up the greenhouse area and start tilling very soon.

[uniquetobeme]

I will plan on coming for a weekend sometime between April and late June. We can plan a specific date as it gets closer. It sounds like it will be hard work, but great fun and a good chance to see how it works for me before jumping in with both feet and moving to WVA. My 17 year old is a football player, so I enlist his help for moving heavy things :-) My 14 year old wants to try "bugging out" and see how we do. This would be a great opportunity for him to get his wish :-)

For some reason, I don't know why, whenever I think about starting a farm, or farm life and communal type living, Nathaniel Hawthorne's book, The Blithedale Romance, comes to mind. It was a strange book...interesting, but strange. LOL The main character, Miles Coverdale, was a strange man. Anyway, back to the topic...

I am wondering what I need to be prepared to bring. Do you have restroom facilities and a shower? If not, I'm thinking I will see if I can find portable ones. When I used to visit my Grandma's (the place I'm thinking of moving to) she had an outhouse, a well outside of the house to pump water, and wood stoves...They did have electricity, but that was it. I remember how much I loved watching the light flicker on the walls at night and sleeping with 10 quilts at night because it was so cold in the winter :-)

I do believe in fate, and I think life will lead me in the right direction. It's kind of funny, because I said that if I won the lottery I would want to start my own organic farm, and I haven't won the lottery, but the opportunity to start a farm at my Mom's house can be a reality. I just wish I had more "cushion" to get started :-) (Still waiting on the lottery part.. LOL)