RoughCollie Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 (edited) We are in PA! The moving trailers were supposed to be here on Thursday, but now I'm hoping for Monday. Around 5:15 a.m., the roosters start crowing. At 7:30 a.m., the 50 dairy cows across the street parade, single-file, to their pasture. Now I know what a cow path is, because surely there must be one since they make the trip twice a day. The cows all wear red collars. It is noisy here. Sometimes there is a symphony of cows mooing from different areas. There are tons of birds -- a cloud of birds will suddenly rise from a tree or bush. The birds are always singing or chirping loudly. It's akin to hearing constant traffic noise from an expressway, only much sweeter. There is a nest with baby birds in it on top of one of the stone pillars that hold up the front porch. There is a stream behind the house. I found one secret passage to cross the stream to woods and a couple of large, unused pastures on the other side. The owner gave me permission to run the dog off-leash up there. I found another secret passage to cross directly into the woods. I slipped in the mud when I got to the stream and fell in it, right on my behind. I started laughing -- a year ago, I would have never thought I'd be sitting in a freezing cold stream, back side covered in mud. After I changed clothes, I ordered some wellies. This is like living in a salad spinner. The landscape is like corrugated cardboard, and forms the bowl of the spinner. The sky is the dome lid. Because of all the hills, the horizon on all sides is very close. If someone moved here from the plains, they would feel claustrophobic in a hurry. It feels strange to me, but not bad -- mostly I am curious about what is over the hills (probably more pasture), but I can't figure out how to get high enough to look unless I climb a tree. I think I'll wait on that. We went to town yesterday and I couldn't wait to get out of there. After only 4 days here, I already prefer being out in the country. There is a lot to explore out here. My mother, DH, and some of the kids are staying at a motel at night. The rest of us are staying here with the dog. There is a couch in the den (basement) and carpet so the kids can sleep on the floor. DS2 has the bedroom in the basement, which is a ground-level basement, not totally underground. The bedroom has stone walls -- it looks like a room in a castle (dungeon, to me). Since he loves fantasy fiction, this is right up his alley. DH just finished moving his office and bookstore on the day we arrived. (Remember the first office had ceilings 6'10" high, and the 180 bookcases are 7' tall.) So far, we have shelved A-B only and separated out the C-boxes. It is a nightmare over there. The bookcases are set up in rows of 22 each and in the very back are 1100 boxes of books, in stacks of 5, in no particular order. My organized packing plan was NOT followed, which is how this mess occurred. No matter, we are all helping him and eventually both home and office will be habitable. At the house, the kitchen which DH said was much larger than the one at home, is in fact about 1/3 the size. I guess people who can't cook aren't good judges of kitchen size. It wasn't well-designed, but it was recently remodeled and looks great. There is a pantry off the kitchen (an empty room), which has a large desk in it, and which will hold some of my kitchen furniture (Ikea bookcases with doors which serve as a pantry) and my tall pot rack. The downstairs has beautiful, high gloss, Brazilian cherry floors. We are putting large area rugs (9 x 12) in the dining and living rooms. I haven't decided what to put on the kitchen floor yet, but something has to be put there. One thing that was funny -- our former house has a large foyer. The front door of this house opens directly into the living room. The kids all thought the living room was the foyer and kept asking me where the living room is. Over and over, I said it was right past the dining room, and they kept saying it wasn't there. It took 2 days for me to figure out the communication error. Also, there are ground hogs and gophers here. I haven't seen them, but my mother has seen plenty of them on the drive from town to here every day. RC Edited July 5, 2009 by RoughCollie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaT Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 That sounds wonderful. I know you'll be glad when you have everything in place and are really settled it. Then you can enjoy your surroundings even more. Welcome to country life. We love it too! FYI, be ready for dirty, muddy, sometimes wet kids coming in your house (usually when you've just cleaned the floors). :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OHGrandma Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 Look for the tracks of the animals that created and use those secret passages. Most will be harmless. But a buck in rutting season can be dangerous, & a startled skunk will be very unpleasant. Yes, those cows have formed a path, and it will be much narrower than you expect for the size of the cow you see. Glad to hear you are enjoying it so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SonshineLearner Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 Sounds good to me! Maybe your husband is hoping to be able to treat you by barbques more often! Carrie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amy g. Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 I'm so happy for you all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harriet Vane Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 Sounds lovely. Thanks for the update! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny_Weatherwax Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 (experiencing envy) We recently moved from the country to a small city. I wish we could go back. Enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber in AUS Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 Sounds awesome!! I so miss the country life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 You sound happy! I'm so glad for you. I still can't find you on fb, what am I going to do about that?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scubamama Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 Oh my goodness! I have such homesickness after reading your post! That is where I'm from... I'm a PA country girl. We left PA in May to move to southern CA so my dh could launch rockets for Spacex. It's his dream job, but I miss catching frogs inthe creek with my kids and picking berries in the fields and watching the deer early in the morning. LA is very paved and foreign. We're outside of LA proper in one of the beach cities but it's still WAY too civilized for me. The last straw was a visit to the "Wilderness Park", a small park here. It had a very manmade stream and my kids went into wade...along comes the worker (in street clothes, no badge or anything!) and tells them to get out, no wading allowed! My ds said to me, "Ma, why can't we get in? That's what streams are for." NOt in CA, they aren't! :confused: Blessings to you all, enjoy your slice of Eden! Breathe in that heavenly smell of cows, a pasture after rain, crisp winter days and the smell of a thunderstorm. Take an extra sniff for me! My heart will never leave there. Michele Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmermom3 Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 Will you post pictures, please? It sounds glorious. The countryside, secret pathways, and arranging a bookstore. Sigh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 The country is fun. Lately we have seen 2-6 deer up by our horse pastures every morning and then throughout the day--including at least 2 yearling bucks. There are also turkeys and a host of other smaller critters. Order rubber boots for EVERYONE as they are standard issue in the country. Have a set or 2 of outside clothes that you wear until they basically stand up by themselves---I hate the thought of washing clothes only to know that 5 minutes after they are put on they will be filthy again. The country has its challenges but is great. One thing to watch for as you are wandering around is hidden barbed wire. It could be long pieces or just little pieces left from old fencing. It tends to hide all over and can be nasty. Ask around about the local wildlife---deer, skunks, coyotes, any wolves, cougars, bobcats, bear, etc.---depends where you live what you can find. Racoons are cute but carry nasty diseases and you don't want to encourage them in your yard. If someone had told me 2 years ago that I could effectively turn the back of a horse trailer into "rest room" facilities I would have scoffed. Now, at times, the trailer is a very handy option.;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomsintheGarden Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 Order rubber boots for EVERYONE as they are standard issue in the country. Have a set or 2 of outside clothes that you wear until they basically stand up by themselves---I hate the thought of washing clothes only to know that 5 minutes after they are put on they will be filthy again. :iagree: Congratulations! We live in the country, too, and love it. Here are some things we've figured out over the years. Ditto on the rubber boots. Wal-Mart has inexpensive black "chore boots" that have served us well. Many families around here have them. Everyone has a pair of sturdy plastic sandals, and a practical hat that keeps the sun off his neck and gnats out of his face. Also ditto on the difference between "farm" clothes and "going to town" clothes so at least some will be kept nice enough for public appearances. Teach your children about safety - how to be safe in and around streams and ponds, cows and horses, skunks and snakes. Get some good nature guides and show them the poisonous snakes that live in your area, both juvenile and adult. Look up poisonous spiders (probably brown recluse and black widow). Teach them about hunting season, gun safety, poison ivy, poke berries (somewhat poisonous, and they look like blueberries), ticks, Lyme disease, and how to identify a rabid animal. Tell them to never put their hand where they cannot see (under a rock, corner, etc.). Make sure they know your property's boundaries and where they can go. This can be done in a gentle, informative manner, bit by bit, so as to educate without producing fear. We've had such fun over the years learning about all the flora and fauna here. My children love to go outside and I hope you enjoy your new place! GardenMom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Margo out of lurking Posted July 5, 2009 Share Posted July 5, 2009 We moved the the city to the country two years ago. I don't know about rubber boots, but everyone here now has Crocs to use as "outside" shoes. Two weeks after we moved here, my kids came running inside, saying they heard some kind of wild animal. The next day, we were all out and they heard it again. Turns out it was a car on a road about 1/2 a mile away. They'd forgotten what traffic sounded like, lol. And it's a LOT noisier at night, what I can only describe as a cacaphony of bugs and frogs! And roadkill, lots of roadkill. I ran over a turtle today, blech. Have FUN!!!!! (And I will never get used to the black snake with one eye who has been hanging around our house for the past month.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted July 6, 2009 Author Share Posted July 6, 2009 I will take everyone's advice -- thanks! Day 4 in the country is almost over. It is exhausting. :D I have to get up at 5:15 a.m. in order to hear the roosters crow at 5:30. Then I have to be back out at 7 to watch the 47 cows parade from their barn to their pasture. I have gone from being a night owl to being an early bird because there is so much going on here. It's about 8:30 and I'm tired. Fireflies -- kids saw them for the first time. A battalion of them rises from the grass at dusk. The dog goes crazy barking at them, and then is puzzled when he goes after one and it disappears. Drives me nuts because there are a lot of fireflies to bark at. We have 2 fire pits -- one is smaller for campfires and one is big for -- guess what! -- burning things, with no permit from the fire department needed. There are a bunch old mattresses in the shed and the landlord was going to burn them here. I spoke up about chemical fumes, so he arranged for a guy down the street to burn them instead. There is no dump or transfer station around here. My clothes are always dirty, and it seems like this happens right after I put them on. We went to town today and I looked down and saw my sweatshirt was dirty. So I pulled it off and the t-shirt underneath was dirty too. And there was dirt under my fingernails because I'd been smelling dirt earlier (it smells wonderful - like real dirt for growing things in should). Until now, I never had to think about whether my clothes were clean before I went shopping. Of course they were! Plus, it's not like I'm working, except for about 4 hours a day at the office. I'm waiting for the moving vans to arrive and exploring my environment. I'm really eager for the wellies I ordered to get here. I wasn't up 10 minutes before my jeans were wet 8" up both legs, and my socks were soaked. I bought a bag of socks at Target today because I go through them fast since my sneakers aren't waterproof. The baby birds have left the nest. I hope the mother comes back and lays more eggs. There are lots of bugs and spiders here. In Mass, my son and his classmates could not find 15 different bugs for a project due in late June. Here, I spotted 15 different bugs in the first 15 minutes. I don't know about snakes here. In Mass, they are mostly harmless and the 3 types of poisonous ones are so rare it would be a miracle if anyone saw one. Hopefully it is that way here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runninmommy Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 (edited) We are in PA! The moving trailers were supposed to be here on Thursday, but now I'm hoping for Monday. Around 5:15 a.m., the roosters start crowing. At 7:30 a.m., the 50 dairy cows across the street parade, single-file, to their pasture. Now I know what a cow path is, because surely there must be one since they make the trip twice a day. The cows all wear red collars. It is noisy here. Sometimes there is a symphony of cows mooing from different areas. There are tons of birds -- a cloud of birds will suddenly rise from a tree or bush. The birds are always singing or chirping loudly. It's akin to hearing constant traffic noise from an expressway, only much sweeter. There is a nest with baby birds in it on top of one of the stone pillars that hold up the front porch. There is a stream behind the house. I found one secret passage to cross the stream to woods and a couple of large, unused pastures on the other side. The owner gave me permission to run the dog off-leash up there. I found another secret passage to cross directly into the woods. I slipped in the mud when I got to the stream and fell in it, right on my behind. I started laughing -- a year ago, I would have never thought I'd be sitting in a freezing cold stream, back side covered in mud. After I changed clothes, I ordered some wellies. This is like living in a salad spinner. The landscape is like corrugated cardboard, and forms the bowl of the spinner. The sky is the dome lid. Because of all the hills, the horizon on all sides is very close. If someone moved here from the plains, they would feel claustrophobic in a hurry. It feels strange to me, but not bad -- mostly I am curious about what is over the hills (probably more pasture), but I can't figure out how to get high enough to look unless I climb a tree. I think I'll wait on that. We went to town yesterday and I couldn't wait to get out of there. After only 4 days here, I already prefer being out in the country. There is a lot to explore out here. My mother, DH, and some of the kids are staying at a motel at night. The rest of us are staying here with the dog. There is a couch in the den (basement) and carpet so the kids can sleep on the floor. DS2 has the bedroom in the basement, which is a ground-level basement, not totally underground. The bedroom has stone walls -- it looks like a room in a castle (dungeon, to me). Since he loves fantasy fiction, this is right up his alley. DH just finished moving his office and bookstore on the day we arrived. (Remember the first office had ceilings 6'10" high, and the 180 bookcases are 7' tall.) So far, we have shelved A-B only and separated out the C-boxes. It is a nightmare over there. The bookcases are set up in rows of 22 each and in the very back are 1100 boxes of books, in stacks of 5, in no particular order. My organized packing plan was NOT followed, which is how this mess occurred. No matter, we are all helping him and eventually both home and office will be habitable. At the house, the kitchen which DH said was much larger than the one at home, is in fact about 1/3 the size. I guess people who can't cook aren't good judges of kitchen size. It wasn't well-designed, but it was recently remodeled and looks great. There is a pantry off the kitchen (an empty room), which has a large desk in it, and which will hold some of my kitchen furniture (Ikea bookcases with doors which serve as a pantry) and my tall pot rack. The downstairs has beautiful, high gloss, Brazilian cherry floors. We are putting large area rugs (9 x 12) in the dining and living rooms. I haven't decided what to put on the kitchen floor yet, but something has to be put there. One thing that was funny -- our former house has a large foyer. The front door of this house opens directly into the living room. The kids all thought the living room was the foyer and kept asking me where the living room is. Over and over, I said it was right past the dining room, and they kept saying it wasn't there. It took 2 days for me to figure out the communication error. Also, there are ground hogs and gophers here. I haven't seen them, but my mother has seen plenty of them on the drive from town to here every day. RC Welcome to the Country Club! Once you go country, you won't ever want to go back to suburbia. I can not wait to see your updates and PICTURES of your new life. I love seeing the conversion. I am a recent convert. My DH grew up in the country and is very knowledgeable about this kind of life but it is all new to me. We went from living on a military base living like sardines to having a hobby farm. We have 40 chickens, 4 goats, 4 pigs, 6 cats and two dogs. (And we have only been here since November) We are getting 2 horses in the fall. I can't wait until we have a milk cow. Anyway, I hope you enjoy your new life and find lots of peace and happiness. The hardest thing for me to get use to was the dark and the quiet.:lol: Edited July 6, 2009 by runninmommy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 Good for you!!!!!! It sounds lovely and wonderful and bucolic and restful and I could go on and on... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
runninmommy Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 We moved the the city to the country two years ago. I don't know about rubber boots, but everyone here now has Crocs to use as "outside" shoes. Two weeks after we moved here, my kids came running inside, saying they heard some kind of wild animal. The next day, we were all out and they heard it again. Turns out it was a car on a road about 1/2 a mile away. They'd forgotten what traffic sounded like, lol. And it's a LOT noisier at night, what I can only describe as a cacaphony of bugs and frogs! And roadkill, lots of roadkill. I ran over a turtle today, blech. Have FUN!!!!! (And I will never get used to the black snake with one eye who has been hanging around our house for the past month.) OOOOH! I have to say the most useful thing for me are my rain boots! I use them when I feed the animals and work in the garden. That way, the um, shall we say "refuse" can just be sprayed away with the water hose. I, personally, would not use Crocs, because the dirt and dust and you know what may get trapped in the holes. They may be fine to just run out to the barn real quick though. Don't forget to put the boots away up side down because you don't want a spider or some creepy crawly crawling up in there. We have Tons of black widows, I would not want to step on one in my boots. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted July 6, 2009 Share Posted July 6, 2009 The fire thing is nice. You might need to check though with your local township as while we can burn pretty much anything and everything we do have to call a burning permit hot line to burn things outside of a burn barrel. This is to keep them from getting false 911 calls when people driving aways away see lots of smoke and call in a fire. Very simple, we just call the answering machine and leave our name, address and phone number and dates we are burning and that is it. Yes, you are always dirty out in the country. My girls' hands are stained from the dirt and who knows what else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 Are you still having fun? You might discover that the country has a dress code all its own. Muck boots or barn boots are standard issue footware and can be worn with shorts as well as jeans. Just ask my 13dd who just headed out to the barn with her tie die t-shirt, jean shorts and black cowboy boots. With the braid down her back, she looks like a farm girl all the way. Hunter orange--vests, shirts, and caps are also very common wear during hunting season if you are outside in an area where there are hunters. I have the latest in hunter orange long sleeve t-shirts, vests, and even a cover for my horseback riding helmet. Clothing with stains and holes is just getting broken in. You will discover that shopping at TSC (tractor supply store) or Family Home and Ranch is just as good (or better) than the mall. Your wish list might soon include things like binoculars (for seeing which deer are looking at me today) and a miners light (flashlight on a headband) so that you can do chores in the dark and still see. Those are my 2 big birthday wishes this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newbie Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 Are you still having fun? You might discover that the country has a dress code all its own. Muck boots or barn boots are standard issue footware and can be worn with shorts as well as jeans. Just ask my 13dd who just headed out to the barn with her tie die t-shirt, jean shorts and black cowboy boots. With the braid down her back, she looks like a farm girl all the way. Hunter orange--vests, shirts, and caps are also very common wear during hunting season if you are outside in an area where there are hunters. I have the latest in hunter orange long sleeve t-shirts, vests, and even a cover for my horseback riding helmet. Clothing with stains and holes is just getting broken in. You will discover that shopping at TSC (tractor supply store) or Family Home and Ranch is just as good (or better) than the mall. Your wish list might soon include things like binoculars (for seeing which deer are looking at me today) and a miners light (flashlight on a headband) so that you can do chores in the dark and still see. Those are my 2 big birthday wishes this year. :iagree:I agree about the wishlist, we have only one set of binoculars, but need three more. We see new wildlife every day. And a miners light is a must, I cant believe how dark it is. Oh yeah, and add telescope to that wishlist, its still on mine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zaichiki Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 "You will discover that shopping at TSC (tractor supply store) or Family Home and Ranch is just as good (or better) than the mall." We just found the MOST adorable little pink t-shirt for dd at TSC. It said "Chicks rule" in cute little cursive font under a picture of a bunch of baby chickens! (So much better than the flirty sayings on the little girl t-shirts at Target!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i.love.lucy Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 This thread is making me *sigh*. I grew up on a 500 acre ranch in CA that had the BEST old barn with great stuff in it for exploring. DH has such sweet memories of his grandparents "almost" farm in Louisiana. And yet, here we are in suburbia. Again, *sigh*. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MamaT Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 "You will discover that shopping at TSC (tractor supply store) or Family Home and Ranch is just as good (or better) than the mall." We just found the MOST adorable little pink t-shirt for dd at TSC. It said "Chicks rule" in cute little cursive font under a picture of a bunch of baby chickens! (So much better than the flirty sayings on the little girl t-shirts at Target!) I still smile to myself when my dh is going to the Tractor Supply Store and all my dc beg to go with him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 Are you still enjoying country life? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeatherLynn Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 Sounds really nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tracy in Ky Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 Oooh--you need to go buy one of those dairy cows and start milking it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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