I'm Kathy and my husband is Joe. I am new to this board and my husband is in the USMC and will retire either end of '03 or first of '04. We have dreams and wonder if it is possible! If I had my way...with no obstacles or anything...I'd get some big acreage, have Christmas tree farm and raise llamas, too! I know it sounds crazy, but....I guess you can't just buy a tree farm business and it wouldn't be real lucrative raising llamas, but I love both and want to do something like this. We'd also love to have a log home built! My husband is an aircraft mechanic (runs Quality Assurance shop, now) so we will have to be able to have access to that type of employment for him. We are not old enough to "really" retire! I have been self employed as day care provider for 16 yrs (at his retirement) so I want to do something I enjoy and at home. We are also looking at the Sioux Falls area of South Dakota to maybe retire. We will try to visit in June, to see for the first time. Anyone that can give me insight into that area? Info is greatly appreciated! Well, enough about me...sorry for the long post!

-- Kathy (VaUSMCwf@home.com), April 06, 2001

Answers

Kathy, Go for it, one step at a time. That's all that we can do, and one day you will look back and say, wow, we did it. One step at a time. Love Tren

-- Trendle Ellwood (trendlespin@msn.com), April 06, 2001.

Good news! There is a fairly large Christmas tree farm near me that has been broken up and parceled out into 3 to 15 acre chunks, many of which have Christmas trees still on them. Any my next door neighbor has llamas.

The bad news is that in our area I think the Christmas tree market may be oversaturated. And having talked to a couple of llama owners, it appears that industry is also pretty full - not too much demand for crias(baby llamas) nor the fiber.

If you are of independent means and just want to work with these things, come on! Or if you have your own markets in mind, come on any try your hand. We need good homestead minded folks around here.

-- Lori in SE Ohio (klknprice@yahoo.com), April 06, 2001.

Kathy, here is a quote that I love from Henry David thoreau- If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. Heres another one by I don't know who- Imagine yourself unbounded, with an opportunity at every turn, and that is what you will create. It does me good to write these to you, to remind myself!

-- trendle ellwood (trendlespin@msn.com), April 06, 2001.

Kathy, what would life be if we had no dreams??? I dreamed for a long time before I was actually able to get back "on the land". I hope that you are able to find what you are looking for and can enjoy the whole process. God Bless- diane

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), April 06, 2001.

Kathy,I don't do christmas trees(the comment about market saturation is right)I do keep llamas.I think the future for them is in training pack animals.You are in for a hard sell as a "livestock investment" because so many people have been burned in the inflationary markets of the 90s.Learning to train them won't cost much and has no "shelf life".My suggestion is to get a couple as pets when you are able and see if you like them.If your hubby has an A&P cert.He should be able to pull in a few bucks in the civilian market.He should try to get uncle sugar to train him on piston engines if he can because that is what most of us mere mortal civilians use.Turbines are becoming more and more common but in rural areas you can always find a grass strip with a piper cub or a cessna on it.

-- greg (gsmith@tricountyi.net), April 06, 2001.

Kathy & Joe,

Yes, you can make your dreams come true...You know how to persevere after making it to retirement in the Marines. Take time though after retirement to "adjust" to civilian life. It took me awhile, I only was in 11 yrs., in the Air Force, but there are adjustments. Most very subtle...you have to get used to the way "civilians" operate. You might think it isn't a problem but mindsets are really different. No one wants to take responsibility for what they do or don't do. You are forewarned. I agree, get some Llamas as pets first..and then make a market for yourself. Llama rides, cart rides, ways to advertise them for sale. Tree farm? Lumber is depressed now...Christmas trees depends on the area you are in.....ornamentals and other varieties..just may be the way to go. Check into what some of the nurseries raise and fill a need they don't. Check some of the catalogs for plants might give you some ideas. Formulate the idea, research, then put the plan in motion. SD is pretty country...I hope you find the place of YOUR dreams. Enjoy your life.

-- Deborah (bearwaoman@Yahoo.com), April 06, 2001.

Any dream is possible. Have you cosidered the possibility of working for a small rural airport or flying sevice?

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), April 08, 2001.

hi, if you don't have a dream, how can you make a dream come true? it's possible, i have lived it...we moved from sodom & gomorrah (LA) to rural WA state. we have chickens, turkeys and have a tree farm that we logged for an income. we both had *big jobs* in the city, me in entertainment industry and him in the exciting world of car racing...but we didn't see our child...and we figured it wasn't worth the stress and strain. One live to live...live it to the full. I'm here to tell you go for it, don't delay.

-- jeannie (mmp@theofficenet.com), April 08, 2001.

Dear Kathy,

Best wishes on living your dream. My husband and I moved from a "gentleman farmer" situation back in 1982 into a small town which we didn't realize would soon become the fastest growing town and county in the state. About 20 yrs. ago, we bought 16 acres out where we are now but only built our house out here 14 yrs. ago. When we moved out here, we were the only permanent residents on our mile-long road, back 1/4 mile off that road - and the main road was sparsely settled. Well, for about 11 yrs., we had it made in the shade. We planted fruit trees, put in raised beds and created a rather modest organic garden (believe me, it's best not to have the garden become a burden - just to have fresh stuff in season and I'm not able to do all that canning and freezing any more). We built a cottage, a shed, the house and garage/storm cellar (or had most of it done). Lacking proper foresight and still too nostalgic for the "old home town", (my husband, not me), we bought 10 acres to move back there "some day" instead of the 11 acres next door which a man bought and proceeded to make a horse's rear look nice with all the cruddy stuff he did - even running heavy equipment through our front yard and over our septic tank to get to what he wanted to do (and that's not all). Anyway, to make a long story short, be careful where you move - communicate with each other - listen to the doubts or misgivings of the other about any aspect of the area. Look at the growth projections and, if a couple of people start crowing about how THEY'RE going to put in rock quarries close to you - BELIEVE THEM! There are 18 houses on our mile-long road now, complete with all the fast food garbage in the roadsides, the makeshift dumps that occur when people won't call their representatives or officials and leave it to "someone else" to do it, the motorcross racetrack that has now gone in down at the end of our little lane (hoping that won't grow). You get the picture. Live your dream. Just look carefully at what is cooking in an area for the future.

-- Wanda King (wanda7@edge.net), April 12, 2001.

Kathy,

I forgot to add one real important thing - be sure not to build right on or very near the property line - it always becomes a problem when the "new neighbor" hires someone to "re-survey" the property. It always seems to go in the hirer's favor; at least here it did. And, if you can, get 50 acres or so and get right in the middle of it. Here, we do have a river not too far away, so the dogs love their river swims and drinks. We have also made a mistake in getting too ambitious and starting too many projects - a bad idea. You burn out.

-- Wanda King (wanda7@edge.net), April 12, 2001.

We bought our house and 50 acres in December, after selling our old place which had almost 5 acres. We sold the old place because someone bought the land across the street and put in a small commercial slaughterhouse operation. I did *not* want to live across the street from death, so we sold out to the owner of that business and bought a place that is more quiet. The key for us was moving to a place where we didn't have to see our neighbors' yards, and where nobody could come in and put in something ugly, like a commercial business. I agree that when buying a place you need to know who owns the surrounding property and what they plan to do with it, particularly if you want quiet and seclusion, as I do. I probably sound antisocial, but the main reason I love this place is that nobody bothers me.

-- amy (acook@in4web.com), April 13, 2001.