Our Big Family and Little Homestead: Now What?

What to do next? First, control my excitement and get done what needs to be done. Loose ends need to be tied here in Louisiana. Sell some property, pay off some debt, sell stuff we won't need, start hoarding farm paraphernalia, and finally.......breathe. Life has a way of changing course with out giving you a warning. Some days it seems we will leave soon, other days I feel I will never get there. Two steps forward, three steps back. But I have faith that we will make this happen. With this faith, I continue to study.

I am constantly reading other blogs about similar living. Taking notes and asking questions. What do I plant first? What grows well? Where is the best place for a pond? Do I need more than 1 goat? Cow? Will I be able to use the milk? Can I sell extra? What can I recycle? So many things to learn. I will start out small. Small garden. Few chickens (who am I kidding, lots of chickens). A goat, a milk cow, a big ole bull, a couple pigs. I have learned that I can make stuff happen on 1 acre, including a house, so I'm sure I can modify those backyard plans to fit my size family. I plan on a whole post being about my planning of the homestead. I also plan on posts about how to do some of the things we are going to do to our land. Where I found info and what info I found useful or not useful at all.

I also wanted to know more about the town of Savannah and more about Hardin county. So far the people we have met and talked to are very welcoming. The area has a lake. Pickwick lake. There is a pro Bass tournament there each year. I've heard the catfish from the nearby Tennessee river rival the Atchafalaya catfish. There are several community and children's theater groups in the county. This makes the kids very happy. We will be a stones throw from Memphis and Nashville. Similar to a trip from Patterson to Nola. Mamie is planning her first trip to Music City. Temperatures get high, but not as humid. Winter has snow occasionally. We will have all four seasons, something I am looking forward to. There is a homeschooling group in Savannah. We found the Catholic Church. And if you know me, you can imagine my excitement when I saw a Tractor Supply minutes form our site. There is a stockyard that sells all sorts of livestock each week. There aren't a lot of people there during most of the year, population about 7k, but that swells during summer due to the lake. Shiloh battle ground is very near and is rich in southern history.