sheep,homeschool,bees,chickens,geese,pheasants,windpower,North Dakotaetc.

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Hello from North Dakota!!! I've been reading my latest issue and I thought I was the only one that was a little disappointed in the lack of Y2K. oh well, on we go.

If people are still looking for a place to settle in and don't mind cold winters you should look toward North Dakota. We arrived a year ago and everyone here (in the small towns) has been great! Farming is so-so and many young people leave here to find the sidewalks. Which means that when fairly young folks come in, especially with children!, they are welcomed with smiles and helping hands. Of course there's the regular small town "new people" stuff but it's not bad. It also means that for those of us trying to be apart from the masses there is still a goodly amount of elbow room and more small towns than big.Land is fairly cheap too (10 acres, nice 3 bdrm. house, trees, barn in the 55 to 65,000 range)and taxes aren't bad. So give us a thought!

Well that said ...to the point. I'm always looking for info and insights on doing things as simply as possible (or the "old ways")especially the following topics:

Sheep (I have just started with a flock of 18) Windpower (where do i start?) Bees (2 hives to arrive in may) Homeschooling (for the first time in Sept.6 and 8 yrs.) WOOL (especially spinning, also felting) Soapmaking, candlemaking, poultry, hide tanning, food preservation....

Thanks for listening!.....Novina

-- Novina West (lamb@stellarnet.com), April 06, 2000

Answers

Welcome--you have come to the right place ! I spent some time in North Dakota at the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation. Bear Clan of the Chippiwa(sp ck). We homeschool and have bees(ask us anything)but we don't have all the answers. There are many sheep and goat herders here. Take Care.

-- Joel Rosen (Joel681@webtv.net), April 06, 2000.

Novina, Welcome! This really is a nice forum, we get steamed up once in a while on various topics but if you need help you will find the kindest best intentioned folks here!!

We have a small flock of sheep and have had them for about 4 years. Kept them both at our last farm in WI and now in the Ozarks. I'm happy to help but there are folks with much more knowledge than I here.

Look forward to hearing of your adventures up in Dakota!! Kim

-- kim (fleece@eritter.net), April 06, 2000.


Novina,

Yes, I am sure Nort (no "H", phonetically) Dakotans would be glad to greet new folk, since their entire population moved to the state of Washington!! LOL!!! I used to have a sister in law from N. Dakota, and her family was great: kinfolk everywhere....I thought if it wasn't so ***** cold, I would consider moving there myself.

I have a flock of sheep about the same size as yours. Mine are spoiled brats that I raise for wool and laughs. Please let us know how you are doing with yours.

Anyway, welcome to the forum, and please make yourself at home..the rest of us did! Ask any ol' question, and contribute whatever you please (but be polite, and respect other's opinions..we are very nice to each other here!)

-- sheepish (rborgo@gte.net), April 06, 2000.


Hope you enjoy ND. I have a few friends here from there. If you are willing to do a little hunting with your computer, I have an excellant site for you to look up. It's through michaelhyatt.com Go to the site and click on the discussion group. There is a group of homeschoolers there with all of the websites and assorted information you'll need to homeschool. Check out some of the other groups as well. It's amazing. No reinventing the wheel.

-- Robert W Berchtold (robberch@earthlink.net), April 07, 2000.

For homeschooling check out www.TeachingHome.com It is a wonderful magazine. Great support group for places like ND where support groups are few and far between. What Countryside is to homesteading, my wife thinks Teaching Home is to homeschooling. God bless your endeavors.

P.S. Be gentle and patient with misspellings.

-- Vaughn (vdcjm5@juno.com), April 08, 2000.



For homeschooling check out www.TeachingHome.com It is a wonderful magazine. Great support group for places like ND where support groups are few and far between. What Countryside is to homesteading, my wife thinks Teaching Home is to homeschooling. God bless your endeavors.

P.S. Be gentle and patient with misspellings in this forum

-- Vaughn (vdcjm5@juno.com), April 08, 2000.


Welcome, Novina. Say that example you gave of property size/cost is mighty tempting.. but what do you consider "taxes aren't bad"? Could you give me an approximation for the size/cost property you described? I'm looking to find my lil place to homestead on. Thanks.

-- Bill (freeamerica@fcmail.com), April 10, 2000.

Check out West Virginia, where property is cheap and we're still close to big cities like DC and Pittsburgh, PA. Many university and college towns as well that offer diversity. Try this site for real estate info. http://webcom.net/~klg/west_virginia_real_estate.html

Good luck.

-- Anne (Healthytouch01@hotmail.com), April 10, 2000.


As far as soapmaking, candlemaking, poultry, hide tanning, food preservation.... are concerned, "Back to Basics", by Reader's Digest is a EXCELLENT resource. Me and my daughters love it.

-- Deborah (ActuaryMom@hotmail.com), April 10, 2000.

Bill, Thanks for asking. We just got our taxes raised 2 days ago because our houseis now considered livable. Next year we'll pay $150!

-- Novina West (lamb@stellarnet.com), April 10, 2000.


Novina, thanks for the info. ND is definitely going on my list of places to look into to. -- Bill

-- Bill (freeamerica@fcmail.com), April 11, 2000.

I have to say, this is the first time I've looked at this forum, though we've gotten the magazine for quite a while, and I'm really enjoying it! I do have to chuckle a little at your mention of cold winters, though. Yes, I know it gets pretty chilly in North Dakota, and a few other places here in the lower forty-eight, but try Tok, Alaska, where my dad and brothers live! (We lived there, too, until my husband got a job elsewhere). It's quite normal to see 70 degrees below zero -- or colder -- at some point in the winter, and there is snow on the ground from the end of September to the end of April. Yet people still manage to raise lovely gardens (often with the help of a small greenhouse), and keep various livestock. Mostly small stock, and a lot of horses, as even locally grown feed is very expensive. But I guess if you are so inclined, you find a way, no matter where you live. Now I have a question -- what does land with no house cost? (Anywhere that anyone wants to respond from). Here in NH, where we reluctantly moved to be near my husband's parents, it's awfully expensive, there are building codes everywhere, and property taxes are extremely high. I'd be afraid to build a new house here (though our old one is in wretched condition and really ought to be torn down) because as we got older we probably would not be able to afford to keep it, even if it was paid for!

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), April 11, 2000.

Bill - Look into Wisconsin. Lots of "abandoned farms" with buildings, water, power for around $40,000. Missouri also seems to have some pretty good prices. I've been poking around of the internet (try http://www.unitedcountry.com) but it seems the best way to find land is to get newspapers from where you want to go.

-- Deborah (ActuaryMom@hotmail.com), April 12, 2000.

Its' t hear from so many folks that share the same interests! Thanks for your input and time.

I am did check out the sites you all sent me to, the michael hyatt one is interseting.

Bill, I hope you find your peace of heaven on earth! "Nort" Dakota (yes the Norwegians still jokingly say it that way, yah, ya betcha!) could use some good folks.

Sheepish, 8 of our18 are strong, healthy, robust lambs (4boys, 4 girls). Several have speckled faces and horns. They are so soft!

Until next time...Novina

-- Novina West (lamb@stellarnet.com), April 13, 2000.


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