i’m sorry, i just don’t know

[Personal post] So Rob and I have sold our house and are moving a couple of miles west of where we are now. We are currently in a subdivision and it has recently become a bit cramped. So here are the reasons why I’ll never be seduced by the “prettiness” of a subdivision again…

There are a number of retired couples in our subdivision. Most are kind and pleasant, but one or two just cause trouble. With the covenants in hand, our neighbor who my husband calls “Ebenezer” has called the police on us for having our truck bed 1 foot over the sidewalk. In his words “I like to use the sidewalk.” This same guy has complained to Animal Control that our dogs were in the park without a leash. The park is the reason we bought the place… open green space where we can let our dogs romp. And finally, the covenants explicitly state that I’m not allowed to have farm animals… no goats or chickens allowed. Brutal. Add that to the guilt I feel about the deagriculturalization that is happening in Cache Valley because of development and I’m done. When it was just the guilt, I could repress my feelings, but once you threaten to put down my dog because it’s off a leash, I’m outie.

So, although at one time in my life I saw myself living in urban areas for the rest of my living days, I’m going to become a farmgirl. We are moving to a place with over an acre of land surrounded on 2 sides by hay fields. We’re going to get goats (I think I want some Nigerian Dwarf Goats… they are sweet natured, good milkers, and good breeders. Leslie lady, if you want to make soap from my goat milk, call me) and chickens. Think about it… a chicken is one of the only pets/animals you can have that will give you something concrete and nourishing every day. I love fresh eggs. My border collie/australian shepherd mix who is going crazy in our teeny tiny back yard will finally get to herd- something she was bred to do. Our little rat dog mutt who thinks she is the boss of anything living will get a lesson or two from a head-butting billy goat. I may even get a horse in a year or two. Our new place has a 3 stall barn and shed where we can put all the animals I’ll ever need to keep myself from going crazy working from home

And the coup d’etat… The garage is extra wide and extra long so Rob’s work truck can fit. We’ll have storage galore, and will have plenty of room for dogs to romp and (eventually) kids to grow.