Posted by Suzanne McMinn on April 23, 2008 @ 5:05 am
Daily Farmhouse Journal
Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and remember that somebody asked me a question in the comments and I forgot to answer it and I feel terrible! Then by the time I get up in the morning, I forget again! My kids have an orthodontist appointment today and 14 said, “Are you sure you’re taking us on the right day?” Cuz last time? We got there and the office was closed because the orthodontist was working out of his other office that day and it was not our appointment day. Last week, I woke up in the middle of the night and thought, Aren’t I supposed to be giving a speech in Detroit? I don’t even have a plane ticket! Only then I figured out that’s April next year. I’m supposed to give a talk at the West Virginia Writers Conference in June and I lost the packet the coordinator sent me, and I hope I can even remember to go.
But as forgetful as I can be sometimes, I never forget how much I appreciate each and every person who comes to my blog and especially those of you who leave such kind, funny, inspirational, and helpful comments. And if I forget to answer questions sometimes, it’s because I’ve lost my mind along with my credit card bill. And, if you have a question you want to ask me, ask away! I’m going to tie a string on my finger today and not forget to answer a single one! (And I’m going to ask you a question, too!) There are a few questions that come up over and over, so I’ll try to answer them first. Here’s the most popular one:
“How do you cook all that fatty food and stay so skinny?” Or, as someone commented yesterday, “With all you cook, you must weigh at least 350 lbs. Or do you jump a lot of rope?” This is one of the reasons I love all of your comments-sometimes you are so funny!
First of all, I love fatty food! All of my recipes can be altered to substitute low-fat or non-fat ingredients if you prefer. I just like to post the fully-fatted versions because, well, it’s the way I cook it. I love food. Bread, by the way, is over-villainized. I tried going on a no-carb diet once and ended up sticking my head in a bag of bread after three days. We need bread! And bread is not bad! It’s what you put on it and how much you eat of it and how it’s balanced in the overall diet. I love bread. Also, I’m not skinny, but I don’t weigh 350 lbs. And I don’t jump rope. I do try to, like, not eat entire pies in one sitting, and am successful most days. I am almost always the one holding the camera, but you can see a picture of me taken a couple months ago here. This, by the way, is my favorite picture because I think I look like such a tough country girl. I’m Faye! I’m a mountaineer! Except not really. And another thing-I have three kids and they eat a lot, so I don’t have long to be tempted by food around here. I also give my baking away to my cousins and other people sometimes. I love to bake.
Notice how I managed to get “I love fatty food” and “I love food” and “I love bread” and “I love to bake” all in one paragraph? Is there really anything else you need to know about me???
And then there’s, “When are we going to see a picture of 52?”
When I can talk him into letting me post his picture. He likes to be a shadowy figure or he’s shy or he’s a spook for the CIA and he isn’t telling me!! (That last possibility sounds exciting, doesn’t it?)
Another question I get sometimes is, “How did you buy/build that farm/house?”
I didn’t do it by myself. I had a lot of help and it’s mortgaged to the hilt. I’m in debt up to my eyeballs. I think I need a chocolate truffle now….. This is why I’m making seed pots out of toilet paper rolls and incubating chickens and planting asparagus and blackberry bushes. Of course, I love doing all of that, too-it’s fun! But it serves a purpose. My goal is a frugal, self-sustaining lifestyle. Because I have no money. You’d be surprised how low the pay is for all those books about accident-prone sheep barons in olive groves in Papua New Guinea.
And so now I have a question for you! I spend a lot of time trying to figure out how to earn a living on the farm. Like, I could sell eggs and handcrafted herb pot markers and asparagus! Except I’m only one person and I’m not sure I could pay the gas bill with that. I do accept advertising on my website. (Commercial message: Advertising on my website is affordable, effective, fun, and cholesterol-lowering! If you or anyone you know would like to promote their website, blog, book, product, or service on my website, click the “Become a Sponsor” links in my sidebar. We now return to our regularly scheduled programming.) I only have one real skill and that’s writing. For some time, I’ve been tossing around the notion of doing some sort of “Chickens in the Road” book. A non-fiction book. No Spanish castillos. Not a cookbook, or at least not just a cookbook. Some kind of combination of what I do on my blog-country stories about the old farmhouse and new farmhouse, people and history and outhouses, interspersed with recipes, crafts, gardening ideas, and chickens. But I haven’t been able to quite wrap my brain around what that would be. So, if any of you have any suggestions you’d like to give me for a “Chickens in the Road” book, let me know! Also, if you have any other ideas or experiences about earning a living on a farm in the middle of nowhere on a dirt road on top of a hill, I want to hear about that, too!
And could I end this post without some gratuitous cat photos? I think not.
Don’t you love how that one cat is just zonked out despite the activity going on right in front of his face? Cats. I want to be one when I grow up.
Posted by Suzanne McMinn on April 23, 2008 @ 5:05 am
7:27
am
I love the picture of you on the porch with your new ‘toy’! LOL If I get any good ideas, I will let you know. I have been looking for somthing to do from home as I am not sure we can afford daycare for the pumpkin coming in July….. I thought about stripping, but I figure no one would want to tip a mother of 3 who has had c-sections… LOL my hubby said that they may thrw looose change!!!!! LOL Seriously - that thought has never crossed my mind!!!
I would like to know how you and 52 met, maybe I missed a post where you explained that.
7:40
am
Great cat photos! - as you said…the napper in the face of the wresting match - funny!
And I love the photo of you!
As to the “working from the farm”…I’m in the same boat kind of…I’ve worked from a home office for almost 23 years…I’m almost 53 which makes me 52 not to be confused with YOUR 52. Anyway, I’m a bit of an “old dog” in the world of computer programming and yet also have the mortgage for the “ranch” and what to do???
I keep my eyes open but while not an original thought I keep thinking/hoping “Do what you love” - the money will come. I really hope that is true but if I get a brainstorm I’ll let you know
!
7:51
am
Hi,I know Gooseberry does books and cookbooks.Check them out ,I owned for 14 years gift shops and carried their books,they always sold well.Enjoy your site,I want to order those fireflies…………You could go with me to the market in Atlanta(wholesale show) would give you lots of ideas of items to sale at craft shows,put things in a co-op shop in your town,etc…..Everything and anything you have ever seen is in Atlanta to buy wholesale.You could go with a chicken theme,and carry everthing from notecards to pillows…..or garden items from windchimes to outdoor candles…..its endless .. talk soon Debbie
7:55
am
Suzanne,
and you could have writing retreats for people.
I think a “Chickens in the Road; Life in Ordinary Splendor” kind of book would be wonderful. I also think you have another skill and that’s teaching. You live in a wonderfully peaceful place, a beautiful place that inspires. Have Steve-the-builder build you a sweet little building like a schoolhouse or a cottage ( I know, more money…maybe he will take brownies instead?
You could do one or two a month during the summer, charge X amount of dollars, you get to meet new folks and make a little money, they get to learn something new and be inspired…..a win/win situation.
8:22
am
I think a “Chickens In The Road” book would be great! It is your expertise.
I work outside the home and would give my left leg to be able to work from home so I could be there for my son. If you grow enough produce, maybe you could sell that at a farmers market. I know they used to have one in Charleston, but I don’t know about the Spencer/Clendenin area. If I think of anything else, I’ll let you know.
8:37
am
Heidi, we met for the first time at the farmers market in Charleston, though he is originally from the area where I live now and we had some mutual aquaintances etc and knew of each other before that.
9:04
am
I love your idea of a “Chickens in the Road” book.
Like yourself and so many others, I’ve also been wondering how to make money while living on an old farm. My farm is located at the head of a hollow up a 3-mile dirt/gravel road full of potholes with little to no hope of ever being repaired by the State because of family political registrations. There is no high-speed internet available, no working farm equipment, no potable water and there’s very little money to do anything with. My age and physical limitations also limit possibilities BUT the farm is beautiful to me because it’s where I grew up and have so many fond memories. Perhaps your readers will plant an idea in my brain as well.
I enjoy reading about your experiences, your photos, and your recipes.
PS When will 52 become 53?
9:07
am
I’d say a Chickens in the Road advice book would be a great idea, but… well, I’m a long time devotee of Foxfire, and once something has been done so profoundly perfectly, it’s hard to come close to matching.
So I’d suggest something more along the lines of a memoir — particularly emphasizing how you came to deliberately leave suburbia to live in the backwoods of nowhere, the mindset transitions involved, the differences in social interactions, what things you had trouble with… you know, a personal growth book. As someone continually fascinated with the (frightening) mindset of suburbia, I’m also fascinated with people who break free of the Hivemind and escape. I know my story, which was escaping to urban living (a major transition in and of itself), but escaping to rural living is completely different and a story that would be great to tell and to read, I think.
Alternatively, you can start canning and/or knitting and sell your wares online. It makes a hell of a lot of money for a hell of a lot of people.
9:11
am
Nathalie Dupree has a couple of cookbooks that are more than cookbooks, and so does Scott Peacock. They are my favorite cookbooks because they are a good read too. And have you ever read The Encyclopedia of Country Living? Lots of advice with funny stories. Your story would be just as fun.
9:23
am
As an herb lover, I know I will travel miles off the beaten path to visit an herb farm. You could market your farm as a local attraction- come feed the chickens, you pick veges, etc. and of course have a little retail area for all your wares, canning, even your books.
I also think building a little cabin for a writer’s “haven”, might bring you some good rent. I like the idea of writing retreats also.
As for the non-fiction book… big, coffee table type, hard cover, lots of glossy color photos, lots of recipes and how-to’s, lots of your witty commentary on the process of building the house and the farm and making the transition toward the country lifestyle.
9:27
am
BTW, my blog page will have pictures and descriptions of the chicks I am bringing home today - if I remember to grab my camera this morning.
9:34
am
I send my sister-in-law your random quotes when they contain wisdom featuring cats. They only one I missed sending her was the one about taking the cat to the vet and getting peed(sp?)on. In her case, it was the vet’s assistant.
My sister-in-law was the only one who supported me when I mixed up a batch of baby formula (our Princess was about 8 months then) and kitten formula (my other Baby was about three weeks old) and poured baby into kitten bottles and vice versa.
I fed each baby (both were crying) and neither complained. My parent in-laws were so shocked when I admitted what I did later I am surprised they didn’t send Texas CPS after me.
By the way, our Princess is almost 11, and graduated tops in her fifth grade. And she doesn’t use the littr box or hack up fur balls.
9:42
am
I think a Chickens in the road book would be most excellent. There is a self publishing site that can, ’slurp’ their word, not mine, your blog right off the either and format it into a printable book. I cannot remember the name of the site-sorry! This i sonly if it doesn’t get picked up by a publisher. Would you or have you ever self published?
9:55
am
I think you should go with a “down home cooking” recipe book, with great pics for each recipe and a humorous commentary. I also like the idea above about a book about the transition from married in a city, to single mom in the country. Moving to the simple life, etc. Almost a “fictionalized” nonfiction “novel”. First person. That would be a great read with your humor.
9:55
am
Regarding Happy One’s question—-thanks to Suzanne, I’ll be 52 forever !!!
9:58
am
You could sell your homemade stuff on Etsy and advertise it here on your blog and I think a Chicken’s in the Road book would be awesome - recipes, outhouses, cats, cows and chickens what more could you ask for?
10:00
am
I think a Cat Wisdom book with photos of your cats would be awesome. You could include some dog wisdom, but I doubt how wise they are.
Why not be a responsible breeder of cats? Find a breed you love (Burmese is my favorite) and selectively breed them. Don’t yell at me, all my cats are altered. I want another Burmese kitten for my 15yo Princess, and am having a difficult time finding one! That’s where my idea came from
10:04
am
I made a living (subsistence-style) on our ridgetop farm in the late 1970’s-early 1980’s. It was hard, hard work. We grew most of what we ate, sold produce, strawberries, eggs, turkeys at Thanksgiving, raised tobacco, made sorghum molasses, had milk cows for our milk and butter, raised hay, cattle, hogs for butchering, and lived without electricity. I am very glad to have had that experience, but did I mention it was hard work? It also probably broke my first marriage, and lack of money was a constant stress.
Making a living in West Virginia is difficult at best. With the internet, a new world has opened up that might allow a person to find a niche that provides an income-but how much money do you need? That’s the kicker.
I went back to school, got a degree and then a Masters. I have worked 50 miles from home for over 15 years, and I’m tired of it and want very much to stay home again. I have found one possible outlet-storytelling. I have been slowly building that business while working fulltime, and I may be close to the point that I can leave my job and tell stories-and write-fulltime. It’s taken me 12 years to get this far.
Other options: make jams and jellies to sell, make salsa to sell, and other food items. The Charleston Farmer’s market is a good outlet, and there are others. It takes time, investment, and development of your brand name.Not to mention certifications from state agencies re clean kitchen, food handling, etc.
Raise and sell herbs and herb plants, as someone suggested. You might need a greenhouse for this, but that’s not difficult to do.
The writers retreat idea is excellent, and one I’ve considered. But remember most writers are poor.
There are many places to sell freelance writing online. I’ve looked into that, and a friend told me HIS friend makes $50,000 a year writing short articles freelance. I can’t verify that, though.
Ebay selling is a good possibility, if you like junking. I love it. I find bargains all the time (like the punch set worth almost $1000 that I bought last week for $10). I have not ventured into online selling, but there are quite a few people in WV who make a living at it.
I like your idea of a book about your experiences building a small homestead on family land. Especially include the recipes and small craft projects! As a librarian, I see books like this and they are usually popular, at least in West Virginia. You are doing what many people dream about. A book will help them live their dream through your eyes. Although you have not have a real depth of experience in country living yet, you have gone through many things that are funny, interesting, good reading-and your photos and recipes are spectacular. Those alone would make a great book. You could easily market a photo-and-recipe book in-state and in the Appalachian region. Tamarack and other state craft outlets would probably market it for you.
10:18
am
Adding on to the writers retreat idea….that sweet little building could really have a lot of uses; cooking classes/demonstrations, rent it out for parties, dance class,
yoga for moms-to-be, anything!
I also love the idea that someone had of an herb farm. Combine things like that with workshops on how to grow and cook with fresh herbs, how to dry them etc…
I am so full of ideas, I am making myself crazy. I am going outside to weed now.
10:20
am
Ditto to what Robin G. said, as I would love to escape suburbia. It could be a memoir/reference guide.
How about a yearly calendar. You could have photos, recipes, craft projects and short stories/quotes featured.
Questions…hmm?
When did you start writing romance novels? Is this what you planned on doing or did you fall into it?
Could you please describe 52 as if you were filling out that questionaire for the front cover of one of your books?
Linda~
10:28
am
I THINK A BOOK IS A GREAT IDEA!
I ENJOY YOUR DAILY WRITINGS AND ALWAYS LOOK FORWARD TO THEM!
GOOD LUCK WITH THE CHICKS!
DONNA.
10:51
am
I love your cats. I have three too and they play (fight) like this all the time!!! I love your blog! I have a link on my blog to yours! GOD Bless….
ps… I have the orthodontist….3 years with braces when I was 13….
10:52
am
I love the stories about the old farmhouse. You could write a nonfiction book about WV and have it circulate about your relatives who built the house. Include lots of pictures. Bring it right up to the present day. It’d be memoir about you, but also historical about WV. Plus, you’d have some great pictures.
I’m trying to think of the market for such a book so it wouldn’t be just a local hit. Could you tie into simple living??? Perhaps taking a step back in time and review the changes on the family farm??
10:52
am
Your sleepy cat is like one of my children! 13 could sleep through a train driving through the house!
I love the idea of a Chickens in The Road book. Go back to the reason you left suburbuia (The Slanted Little House post). You could not only write a Suburban Girls Guide to Country Living, but a memoir about your family and your children and all those things that interest you. Sort of like an Under The Tuscan Sun (the book).
Good luck!
10:54
am
Whoops! I made some silly editing mistakes in the earlier post. I didn’t mean “circulate.” I meant focus or something like that. Also, I mentioned pictures twice. Duh!
11:06
am
As far as other ideas I’ll have to get back to you. I’m a stay at home, homeschool mom with 4 little ones and I’m constantly trying to think of what I could do to earn some money to help out with our indebtedness. (We just moved into our little country home, which I LOVE with all my being but our mortgage payment went up by $500 when we did. So now when I get wonderful ideas for putting a white picket fence around the garden etc. I feel guilty telling my hubby what I want to do because he always answers “Where do you think this money comes from?” (in a laughing way, but you get the point) If I ever figure it out I’ll let you know what I came up with.)
Good luck and God Bless!
11:07
am
If I knew how to make money from living on a farm (hobby farm), I wouldn’t be sitting at my desk right now, at my office, typing this. LOL.
I like the idea of the book (haven’t read through the posts, Suzanne, but I’m sure some people had helpful ideas). You just need a marketing gimmick. A hook.
As for making money via other means, are you near a high tourist centre? You could make crafts and bake, but you wouldn’t make much money at it unless you were selling a fantastic product no one else was marketing.
Beats me.
I think that if you are patient and focus your intention, the Universe will open doors for you.
-Kim
11:08
am
A think a book about your transition to rural life would be wonderful! I’d certainly buy it. Wish I could help you with the business end of things, I use my own advice! Do you sew? I know that handmade quilts go for big, big, bucks where I live (Louisville, Kentucky).
12:30
pm
Okay, I have another question. How in the world do your floors stay so shiny and clean with ALL THOSE ANIMALS? I have one dog and one cat, and 5 minutes after cleaning them, my wood floors have hairball tumbleweeds drifting to and fro.
12:54
pm
I am living in my Grandmother’s house in WV(Jackson County). I woke up single after being married 26 years. My son has his MBA, my daughter graduates from college in two weeks. I was a stay-at-home-mom for twenty years. I learned to be frugal. I didn’t have a career to fall back on….I am just starting one. My full house is now empty and I have no money.I garden, have a donkey, 8 chickens and 4 ducks. They are spring chickens and ducks. I am having a chicken house completed as I type.The most important man in my life is a basset hound. Life is good! I would not change one minute of one day. I have recently learned how to knit socks(I was not a knitter) and want to learn to spin the wool. You can do it. You know what is important and you have taken the hardest and the most important step. Follow your heart.Contentment doesn’t cost much!
2:30
pm
Melissa, I haven’t ever self-published, and my experience with the problems even major publishers can have with distribution leads me to be somewhat wary of it, but it’s not something I would completely dismiss. There are definitely people who’ve had great success with it.
2:34
pm
Amy, I would love to breed cats, but I think my already-existing cats might revolt, LOL. I’ve thought about breeding something else, though-that wouldn’t have to live in the house, like some kind of miniature goats!
2:39
pm
Several people mentioned herbs-I want to build a greenhouse and sell herbs! That was one of the things I’d thought about, but I’m not quite sure how to go about it. I need to look into it some more.
I’ve also thought lots of times that when Princess doesn’t need her room anymore, with her ensuite bathroom and her private loft nook up there, it would make for a great bed-and-breakfast room! And we do have a nice spot for a B&B with the big porch overlooking the hills (and all those rocking chairs!) and the river closeby, and I’d cook them Breakfast with Grandmother Bread.
But Princess still needs her room for a few more years, LOL.
2:45
pm
I’m not really a sewing or knitting person. I used to crochet but I don’t even do that anymore. As an aside, my daughter was looking at the 4-H camp classes for this year and asked me what crocheting was. Only she pronounced it like “crotch”eting. Took me FOREVER to figure out what she was talking about!!
2:47
pm
And I have cat hair tumbleweeds drifting all over my house, by the way, LOL.
2:50
pm
I vote for…
1) Writing the “Chickens in the Road” book! Do commenters get a discout or at least an autographed copy?!?!
2) Have you ever thought about writing a weekly column of your suburbanite-returning-to-her-country-girl-roots stories for a local paper? I’ll bet locals would LOVE your adventures and may even write to you about solving any problems you may come up against w/animals, chicks, gardening, etc.
3) The B & B sounds good, but as you said, that will be MUCH later.
Blessings from Ohio, Kim Wolf<
2:55
pm
Suzanne,
As others have said, I’d go for the personal journey slant with some of your recipes/craft ideas at the end of each chapter (or at the end of the book).
I love the Chickens in the Road book idea!
It’s that journey and your humor that make your blog so appealing even to those of us who live in or near the city (some of us nowhere near a farm).
Plus, I’d make sure to mention your blog in the book. I just read a story in the Wall Street Journal about a popular blogger who eventually started getting so many hits on her blog (thus getting so much big name advertising) that her husband quit his job just to handle that end of things.
It seems to me that you’ve found a “brand” for yourself and a whole bunch of things (including more fiction, children’s books, cooking/craft books with personal commentary and, as someone else mentioned, calendars) could spin off from this. I’d definitely buy a non-fiction book about your experiences. Maybe a publisher Sourcebooks (The Prairie Table Cookbook) that publishes nonfiction but has recently opened the doors to the romance community or Three Rivers Press (who published The Sweet Potato Queens books) would be interested.
2:59
pm
I am not a big cat person like my sister is/brother is, but loving animals, I do have to say your cats are ADORABLE and I would love to sit and play with them and love on them. LOL I think I am just scared of them, because I got bitten by one as a small child, plus, I don’t know much about them…other than they do entertain me and I do feed a stray at times. LOL
I wonder if you could sell your produce locally…to make some money, because I saw some site I cannot remember, where people in VA are bagging up fresh produce and making deliveries around town, doing quite well…of course that could be a large operation. Selling wool from the sheep? Perhaps renting some of your land out? Setting up a bed and breakfast, with a bakery in it? Tutoring…just some ideas. LOL I’ll think more on this.
3:08
pm
I like the idea of a B&B (or retreat) with baking better than for writing, LOL. That would be fun. Of course, I’m not Rachael Ray!
I really appreciate all the ideas and thoughts, everybody! Thank you! (Keep ‘em coming!)
Linda-I always wanted to be a writer and settled on writing romance very early, when I was 12, after I read my first Harlequin Romance. I just loved them, and still do, but my interests and passion have changed in the past few years and I’ve gotten very interested in writing other things, such as what I do on my blog. (I’ll be back with the 52 “Harlequin” description! I’ll have to work on that, LOL.)
3:23
pm
I’m fairly new to your site so I’m not to knowledgeable about older posts etc.
However, I do live on a farm in the middle of nowhere on a dirt road at the bottom of a hill in good ole Calhoun Co. Making a living around here is just plain tough. Growing and selling fresh and canned produce at the Roane and Calhoun farmers markets provides our family with some income. Those markets are local and don’t require the trek to Charleston. Selling fresh herbs is also another good idea. I sell Purple Ruffle Basil plants at the market and other herbs are popular too. Homemade breads and pastries also sell well. Another possibility for income in the middle of nowhere is online tutoring. I pay for all of our insurance (auto, life, home) and our satellite internet this way with a little $$ leftover each month. I help students with literature, grammar and essay writing - a couple hours a week goes a long way.
3:27
pm
Ditto the lady who said if she could think of a way to make a living out in the country she would… instead of being in this darned office every day. A B&B and/or retreat would be neat but they would have to be animal lovers. Like everyone else I think a Chickens In The Road book is a great idea. Also a calendar with photos of country living and interesting sights… like your visit to the chicken farm.
3:44
pm
You write it, I’ll buy it and read it. *G* I like your blog and stories of your interspersed with recipes would be nice.
4:08
pm
Mmmm…I love love love these cats photos. I can’t make myself go down the the cat shelter and get two more cats since mine died. I want to….but it’s SO wonderful being able to go out of town when I want to and not worry ALL of the time about the cats. I hate giving that up. I’m selfish. I know. But do I ever want cats again. I think about it all the time. I so miss my little Lucy.
Ahhhhhh……….
4:22
pm
Okay, here is the 52 “Harlequin AFS-style” description.
(See my Meanwhile, Back at the Spanish Castillo post if you don’t know what we’re talking about!)
Character Type:
hero
Name:
52
Age:
52 forever
Marital Status:
divorced
Character Theme:
age difference
Occupation:
engineer
Trait:
patient
Hair Color:
silver
Hair Description:
neat
Eye Color:
emerald
Nationality/Ethnicity:
American
Disability:
n/a
1st Love:
1st real one
Further Character Description:
Boy Scout
4:26
pm
My Dr. sells eggs from his chickens at the Clinic. The people who sell vegetables around here just set them on tables on at the end of their driveways with a sign with the cost of each thing and a cigar box for buyers to leave the money in. Yes I live in a very trusting rural community!
I love your idea for a “Chickens In The Road” book! You have so many wonderful stories to fill it!
How about a picture of 52 done like Alfred Hitchcock?
How is Sugar doing? 
4:30
pm
I had two kitties who used to go at it like that all the time. They were so fun to watch and loved each other so much. One of them died last Dec 31st, and things just haven’t been the same around here since. I love seeing your playful kitties, but it makes me miss mine even more.
4:37
pm
Sugar is doing well! She does seem like a different kitty in some ways since I got her back. She doesn’t try to go outside at all (and I wouldn’t let her anyway-but she doesn’t try, and that’s new) and she’s much more cuddly and clingy than she used to be. She follows me a lot. I think she had a bad experience! She almost seems traumatized.
4:58
pm
How about llamas - for their hair like sheep. Seriously, all these ideas sound fantastic and they all seem within your realm of “can-do”. Your enthusiasm and energy will make any of the above a success.
And if 52 can stay 52, can we all stay our ages - he can be peter pan and you’re tinker bell and we can all be the lost boys who never grow up
6:08
pm
Love the idea of a book, you make me laugh and make me think. You also make me realise i am normal
Your book would find its way across the ocean and into my girls friends christmas stocking , most definatly
7:11
pm
A book is a great idea.
Love the cat pictures.
8:16
pm
Ok, for a low cost idea how about ebooks & you can help market them on clickbank. You can write ebooks about cat tips, how to start a writing career, how to write romance novels, cookbooks, parenting teens, how to escape suburbia for farm life, & whatever else you have a good knowledge base in.
My other idea is ghost writing.
8:36
pm
Well.yesterday, I decided to post a comment today, but when I read today’s blog I thought “now my comment will just seem gratuitous (sp)” lol
My comment was going to be: I am going to start my own blog called ‘Things Suzanne made me do’ or inspired me to do is more like it. Why because yesterday I made !Grandmother Bread! it was great and I got many compliments, needless to say both loaves were gone before lunch today.
About your question on how to make money on a farm or what kind of book to write, I suggest this link. Mary Jane probably runs a different path than you, but the idea is there. Also I really enjoyed her book. Buht your version would be wayyyy funnier.
http://www.maryjanesfarm.com/
8:40
pm
Oh and yes, you are skinny!
9:35
pm
I’m a teacher and I really enjoy your site, but I don’t have time to read all the responses to see if my suggestion has been posted. Our school nurse wanted to be a stay at home Mom after she and her husband bought a small farm. They got chickens, goats, rabbits and several other small farm animals, and created a “farm”…..every summer they plant 5 acres of pumpkins for harvest in the fall. Then she went to all of the area schools within 50 miles
and left flyers with pictures of their “farm.” She offers day tours and has a nice covered area with restrooms and picnic tables. The children come on “field trips” and see and pet the animals and all pick a pumpkin to take home (very small pumpkins). The school packs their own lunch, but you could provide cookies or drinks for a fee….If you know a teacher you could work with her to provide lesson plans, hand outs, etc. She (the nurse) has done very well with this….oh, one other thing, she takes pictures of each class or each child with an animal and sells them also. The possibilities are endless. Her insurance is a tad bit high tho…you might want to check on that. just a suggestion.
10:20
pm
One question for you. How many pets all together does your family have at the new house? And can we get all their names?
2:34
am
check out lintrezza.com
those guys built a house in the burbs, and wrote a book about it. now they are building a haybale house on a farm, and writing a blog about it.
the book didn’t help a whole lot with the mortgage though.
7:30
am
I know that there are days that if I didn’t use Yahoo’s calendar to remind me of appointments and birthdays I would forget them until after they have passed.
8:23
am
That ginger cat was just SPOILING for a fight!
10:10
am
Suzanne,
Check out Sandy Lynam Clough’s book, Heirlooms From Loving Hands. I like the layout of the book. She writes about a topic and then there is a recipe or craft idea that coordinates with the topic. Off course, as I’ve said, I see a Chickens in the Road book as a hard cover coffee table book.
For Herb info check out… Growing your Herb Business by Bertha Reppert, Herbs For Sale by Lee Sturdivant, and The Complete Book of Herbs by Lesley Bremness
Also consider looking into becoming a CSA farm (community supported agriculture)in the future. I believe the link is http://www.localharvest.org .
10:25
am
You are so blessed to be living your dream. I believe that if you are true to your spirit, God will provide you with what you need. He will give you the ideas or whatever to get what you need for yourself and your family. Looking back, that sounds corny but hopefully you will know what I mean. I want to know how you got the courage to do what you did. I mean, both my husband and I have read The Slanted House post and we really GET IT, but the fear is strong. We have found this lovely little farm we LOVE. But risking everything to move to a new life is just too scary for my husband. I keep hoping he will have a change of heart. Oh and BTW, I vote for the writers retreats, the Chickens in the Road book. Keep it simple and real. And the cats. I love the cats. If I live in the country I am going to have many more cats. I have two now. many more and sheep and goats.
11:52
am
Tabbimama, I’m not sure how to answer your question. I made a lot of changes in my life in a very short amount of time and it was definitely terrifying. I just felt driven to make a dramatic change in my life and it, honestly, wasn’t that well thought out in the beginning. If I’d thought about it more, I might not have done it, LOL. And maybe that’s the trouble, you’re thinking about it too much? (Though planning is not a bad thing!) It was scary when I did it, scary for a long time afterward, and sometimes it’s still scary, but then you wake up every day and realize you’re still alive and you get through the day. And the benefits-living on a farm in a place your heart has led you to be-that’s incredible and worth every moment of doubt and fear you have to go through to get there. You only live once-live where you want to live. I do believe there’s a reason I’m here and that I’ll figure it out. There’s a reason you want to be where your heart is leaning, too. It’s a leap of faith. It IS scary.
2:17
pm
Your ideas are great! I just finished “Little Heathens”..touted as a wonderful read. I thought it OK and I enjoyed it (having been brought up on an Iowan farm in a manner similar to the author’s), but from your blog I can see that your writing is more enthralling. Yes, a country book by you would be great! And of course include your recipes. (BTW I WRITE indexes for nationwide publishers and you could hire me to index your book! hint hint)
I too live on a farm, have beef cattle, run a freelance indexing business RidgeRoad Indexing and recently started running a rural retreat. (check out the website). Opportunities abound for entrepreneurs such as yourself!!
4:12
pm
I just read the book Clever Cat by Peter Collington. If you read it you will gain a little more insight into the cats life!
6:19
pm
There’s a great book out there I read years ago by Jerry Bledsoe (wrote for the local NC paper) called You Can’t Live on Radishes (also wrote The Angel Doll from which the great movie was made)about he and his wife buying a “farm in the rough”. You should read it, if you ever have the time, and enjoy..If you did your book you would have such an audience for it and you could do all the talk shows..you would be a natural. We’re all waitingJ!!
6:44
pm
Another thought..instead of or in addition to a book pull all your great visuals (recipes, photos, etc.) off this site and put them on a CD/DVD and sell those..You wouldn’t have to go to a publisher and would have total control..I would love to have one expecially of all your recipes..It would save me printing them out all the time..