How many of the old hippies still live on farms?

[farmout]

Just wondering how many of us old ones still live the simple life out in the country?
We live on a 32 acre farm in the hills of WV.
Not big agribiz by any means, just raise our own veggies, no farm animals.
Maybe a crop or two of dental floss.....:-)
Peace & Hugs... Farmout

[newo]

Never lived on a farm commune, visited a couple though. I really admired the way of life, but I knew I couldn't keep it up for long. I'm a city hippie all over.

[farmout]

Hey newo, no problem here with that! I say to each their own man. Its all cool, long as your cool!! :-)
I lived in a big city in the early 70's, saved up a bunch of bucks and ran back to the hills here and bought me a farm.
I always dreamed and always told everyone, even in high school, man, I want to Farmout!!! lol :-) So I did....
Keep on Keepin on.....
Peace... Farmout :-)

[poor_old_dad]

... Maybe a crop or two of dental floss.....:-) HMmmmm.... thought you had to move to Montana to be a dental floss tycoon...

Anyway, yes I live on a my own small self sustaining farm/hermitage, pretty much next door to the middle of no where.

Keep on keepin' on - That's a key part of my life's philosophy.

Peace,
poor_old_dad

[hippiehillbilly]

we have 15 acres,raise our own veggies,chickens,goats etc.. not completely self sustaining but we get closer with each passing year..

[farmout]

Thanks for the posts Poor old Dad & Hippiehillbilly, I know there have to be hundreds and hundreds of us out there in the boonies! Just within 5-6 miles of our farm are at least 8 to 10 back to the landers from the late 60's early 70's still livin simply, most are off grid, have wells or cisterns with 12 volt pumps, raise most of their own veggies and are happy as can be disconnected from mainstream consumer America. Some have jobs too, although mostly part time employment, enuff to get by.
I hope we hear from more of the back to the landers out there. I am sure they can get out to the local library once in a while to check e-mails. :-)
Keep on keepin on...... Farmout :-)

[tuatara]

i live out in the country too ....have 76 acres here mostly wooded with a stream next to the house ...couple of tractors and a fair sized garden ...but alas i must leave home every november to earn a living but the best part is i don't have to go to work from april 1st to november 20th..imake enough in the winter and usually have some lef over to buy new tools

[wa bluska wica]

HMmmmm.... thought you had to move to Montana to be a dental floss tycoon... i have lived in montana for several years now

and have never seen one of these dental floss farms

i am beginning to think the whole thing is a hoax

[oldwolf]

yah...almost embarrassed by how many acres we got here now (175)...done with community in mind, people have not shown...still believe they will, though I really don't want to build it to have them come...sounds too much like too many are notinterested in doing the work...but then all us homesteaders have discovered that when you want it done, the doing is the one who wants it enough to do.
Have wildlife and garden and take some wood, trying not to harm too many live trees. Mainly I clean up afte ryears of gathering without proper storage...makes one want to stop gethering

damn here I ain't been posting on here since it went group, thinking you had to "belong" and I just still react to that concept..laughter always is the best medecinefor whatever you let ail ya

lovin y'all
Blessings
Namaste

[Rain1950]

While it's not huge; just a acre with a Christmas tree farm behind me, but way out in the boonies. I do put in a sufficient garden for my needs, plus fruit trees and many berry plants. No lawn; freaking waste of time and money!

I'm within salt water in any direction within 20 minutes, so plenty of fresh seafood when needed.

The nice part is it's all paid for in 2 months!

[vasik]

My cousin in milkovice(czech republic) , visit his web www.kozy.cz

[erzebet1961]

Well...I grew up on a farm...and I have what I call a small one right now , chickens and ducks..and soon to be a pair of goats...two big dogs and some cats.
I have lost count of how many chickens , but they keep me in eggs.
I got a half acre of land so I have to keep the size down a bit.

[shameless_heifer]

We've had our farm, going on 21 yrs.. it use to be in the country, but as the trailor houses popup like popcorn, it's beginning to seem less country to me and more suburbia... altho, city cousins believe we're in the boonies, so maybe it's just me.. our population is still under 3,000.. We have around 7 achers here on the farm and another 8 achers down the road that is my hubbys inheiritance land. The inhieritance land is in the woods and is where the Deer Camp is and where hubby does larger scale farming.. planting Purple Hull Peas, Corn, Watermelons/Cantaloupes, green beans and whatever he has a fancy for at the moment. At home we keep the livestock. We have about 15 goats, 13 Turkeys, 5 wild hoglets, about 60 chickens, 30 Guiennie, A horse, 4 rabbits, 5 mini schnouzers, 4 chawahwas, 2 labs a pit bull and of course my cute lil ass, Crackerjack. We raise a veggie garden here at home, with a variety of veggies, I help take care of it and I do my orchard of 7 peach, 2 pear, 2 red plum, 2 apple, and 2 apricot trees. I also raise, Blackberries, strawberries, red raspberries, blueberries and grapes. I make a modest income from selling eggs, veggies and puppies. I can a lot and make pickles, jellies, jams, slasa and relish, we freeze a lot to. We are not off the grid yet, it's so expencive to get all the equiptment to go green, but we are working in that direction..... Life in the country is great, but the winters are Hard... we depend on wood in the fireplace for heat, and lots of thermol underware :), we have a big propane deerborn heater in the long hallway we light when the grandkids come, but usually we just cuddle up in front of the fireplace with a throw. The ppl that are regulars at the farm each grab 'their' throw as they come in and warm their backsides by the fire. I have them folded inna stack on the back of the couch for easy access :). Farm life is a good life, it brings it's own rewards, it's a hard life esp if your city raised, but, it can be achived by determination and blood, sweat and tears... We want to keep the hieritage going, for the little ones.. they get so much from visiting and beg to come again..there is not many real farms left, with animals and the works, they need that connection with thier roots to give them the courage that it takes to live like we do. They really get a kick outta the donkey when he curls his ole lips back and gives out a HEEEEHAWWWW.. they are astonished and delighted to see such a sight... it never fails to amuse me, and gives me a feeling of joy to see their shinning eyes full of wonder.. Life is what you make of it.... Bright Blessings sh

[darkforest]

I don't live on a farm. I live in a little house in the middle of the woods.

[newo]

As a kid I had opportunities to become more self-sufficient, and sometimes I wish I had taken advantage of them so I could live well on a farm commune. My mother was no farmer but she had a large vegetable garden in our back yard, as well as flower gardens around our house, and she could have taught me a few things about raising my own food, but I just wasn't interested. I also had an uncle who was a union carpenter, and he would have let me apprentice under him teaching me how to build houses as well as other shelters, but again I let it go. Ahh, the road not taken.

[willow2]

We have five acres, raise chickens to sell eggs, sheep for wool, ducks for waddling, geese for eggs, raise our own smoke too, aint to many things we can't do, the place we live is up upon the giant hill in a town called Corbett, very counter culture friendly folks. thinking about going to the FARM in Tennessee, to get a look feel, to try to make it a commune out here.
peace love and hugs
willow out

[liberer]

wow.. this is inspiring!

[mosaicthreads]

I gave up on the dream when the suburbs crept all the way out here and tore down my woods for "development" and then the neighbors complained about my chickens. I'm more than a little angry about it, or maybe just sad. I'm finding my place in the urban jungle and encouraged to see grasroot efforts to get local produce to the urban neighborhoods and neighborhood gardens springing up on vacant lots throughout the city.

I still dream of the simple life in the country, but maybe it is just a dream for another life.

[earthmother]

Country life is NOT simple!!! Gotta keep on top of everything if you want to survive! Firewood, planting seasons, harvest seasons, wild edibles, care of animals, the weather... Just like I tell everyone else, on a farm, the only boss is the farm and the only schedule is the weather.

But at the end of the day, we are warm and well fed and feelin' good even if we're worn out.

[wilnobound]

We've been living down on the farm at the back end of nowhere for 25 years. Trying hard to be self sufficient, which doesn't get easier as we age and the kidlets have moved on to be CITY FOLKS (how could they?)
It was life in the bush back in the old days but civilization is encrouching with every passing year. I don't know if I have it in me to move futher back into no mans land again.
What's important is staying true to ones self and staying faithful to our ideals, right?

[zencoyote]

Our little 1.33 acre place isn't a farm nor is it in the woods...well, sorta not. It's a little eclectic neighborhood near the water and borders the Croatan Nat'l Forest. There's everything from a huge chalet type house (with a little Mexican gardener) to little funky trailers. Retirees, rednecks, Blacks, Mexicanos....and us.

It's pretty amazing what you can cram into a little slice of heaven. Over 80 trees... Live oak, maple, cedar, sweetgum, holly, pine... hedges and flowering shrubs all around...strawberries, blackberries and raspberries. Apples and pears...a nice big garden and hundreds and hundreds of flowers. (if you can name it, mama likely planted it.) A good size natural pond full of little fishes, frogs and mudbugs (yum!) Pompous grass, cactus, yucca and mimosas. Pitcher plants (a rare carnivorous species) grow in the back bog.
The property is kept organic so the wildlife abounds. Wrens nest in the woodshop in the spring. So far, we've counted over 70 species of birds (even ibis!)that either nest here or visited. Countless squirrels...mmm...depression stew! Dozens of colorful dragonflies buzz the pond in the summer. 'Course it does help that we share our bounty with the critters.
And with all that there's room for a little par 4 chip shot course! (only one club allowed) Yea...there's a fricking LAWN!!! :p

All it takes is a little hard work and lotsa love.
1 acre or 1000...love it, work it and respect it...your rewards are boundless!

Zen

[dashboardmary]

Farm girl from the start, will die a farm girl, God willing.

[dormouse]

well, we have our little 12 acre piece of woodland paradise on which we grow our own food and raise a few chickens for eggs. we get too many eggs so we give a couple doz a week away to the poor elderlies at the gov subsidized place where my mate works. they love the brown eggs, makes them feel nostalgic for their youth. they get some of our home grown veggies too if we have a good year. we jar our veggies and make nice jams out of the wild blackberries that grow in abundance in our field. we also go fishing at least once a month. nothing like fresh sea trout for dinner. yummy! we're working towards getting off the grid. we have our woodstove for heat in the winter and our own well (w/ hand pump ready for when the electric fails). we're gonna get some windmills soon and we're saving up for solar too. sure wish solar panels weren't so damn spendy but with the continuous rise in the cost of electricity they'll no doubt pay for themselves in a yr or 2. it's just that the initial outlay of cash is a little daunting. oh well ... keep on keepin on.

[indydude]

We've lived in the country since 96'. Got our current place in 2000. 7 years of payments left. arggg! I woudnt trade this old place for anything. Almost 3 acres. Borders state park. Almost 8000 acres of lake (resevoir) and who knows how many of forest. So hopefully no one will build around here. We have a 80 yr old farmhouse. The couple that own the 80+ acres on the other side gave me first dibs to buy 5 acre plats if they sell. They also have a nice wood plot with old trailers thats way off the road.
We have had chickens since we moved here. We grow 3 or 4 gardens. We can and freeze and sell at the county farm markets in the summer. Any leftover goes to the homeless shelter. We used to heat with propane but that got way to expensive and wasnt that warm. Now we exclusevilly use a wood stove. I sell firewood to campers in season. We finally got a tractor. A John Deere subcompact w/tiller and loader and mower deck. Thats why we have 4 garden plots this year.LOL I make a new one each year for new crops or varieties. More veggies and less grass to mow. Finally built a small greenhouse for seedlings.
I've wanted to farm and be away from Babylon since I was a kid. I'd love to offer the place as a artists colony, retreat or hostel but my son's mother doesnt have the temperment. Peace! Live your dream!

(pardon my spelling cant get the spell check to work. LOL)

[arcticfunky]

You guys are lucky i'd love to live on a farm or out in the woods somewhere... i live in a town of 9000 so its not huge or anything and i have this massive area of land behind me, with ponds,woods, sand dunes etc. its awesome but if i lived on a farm i'd get a horse right away and learn to ride it.

[psychedelicmess]

its my dream to live on a farm, i rode horses for 8 years and i had to stop because i couldn't afford it anymore, but thats what i want more than anything, just to have wide open spaces to just ride my horse. Its like breaking away from the real world :)
i miss it :( but i do agree with arcticfunky you guys are lucky!