Country Dream

Well, one day into this blogging and I think I may have made a mistake. I didn’t sleep well last night. I had so much going through my head, so many things I want to write about. I didn’t realize that I had so much to say. Will all these thoughts make me crazy? Or will the blog help me keep some sanity? This should be an interesting journey.

First, I’d like to thank everyone out there that welcomed me so warmly to Bloggerland. It’s nice to be part of such a friendly community.

Today, I’m looking out to the east. The day is warm and humid. I love this kind of day. Coming from western South Dakota, where humidity is scarce, this is so refreshing for me. When Hubby and I started looking for a place to move, I only asked for a couple of things; somewhere green and somewhere we could do the hobbies we enjoyed. We found all that here. Don’t you just love country living?

This brings me to the point of today’s blog. Why did we move to the country? Why did we move to SW Minnesota? Many people have asked me this. And I really don’t have a clear answer. Or a simple one. The pat answer that I give is we got tired of living in the Black Hills, which to us have gotten overcrowded, stressful and greedy. But that’s a rambling for another day. So we looked for something better. And we started looking by going to my sister’s place here in SW Minnesota. After coming over here a few times, we finally found Anniversary Grove. Hubby originally said, NO. He wanted in a town, close to hospitals, with city water and someone else to plow the roads. But it only took the 7 hour trip back to South Dakota to decide we wanted this place. So when we got home, he called the real estate agent. And things just clicked. You know it’s the right move if everything works; if there are no bumps in the road. And he loves it here as much as I do.

But I think the real answer is that I wanted out: out of the city, out of the hurried life there. And on to somewhere that I had dreamed about for years, in the back edges of my mind. Somewhere quiet, somewhere alone and especially, somewhere safe. Safe from what? I don’t know. I just know I feel safe here. And in finding my safe place, I also found what I want to be when I grow up. I want to have a couple of sheep and use my own wool to spin, weave, dye and sell. Unfortunately, I am growing up too late.


No Room for Sheep

Hubby says no to the sheep. He is supporting me in all other aspects of my dream. But to be fair to him, he is probably right about the sheep. There are several reasons why it is impractical. #1: MY HEALTH AND HIS HEALTH. We are both young retirees, but I have heart problems (triple bypass 6 years ago) and Hubby is physically disabled. He doesn’t want me out there in the middle of winter trying to care for animals and vice versa. #2: WE DON’T HAVE THE LAND TO SUPPORT SHEEP. Or we do have enough for a couple of sheep, but it’s not fenced (see reason #1) and most of it is wooded (see blog #1). And lastly, #3: WE DON’T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT RAISING HERD ANIMALS. Our experience has been most dogs, and some cats. I mean, what exactly is scours?


Shetland Lambs (not my photo, but I can wish)


Where's the Sheep?

So right now I am living vicariously through my sister, who has 2 sheep, and the many blogs that I read about women out there raising their own sheep. But I haven’t given up my dream. I may just have to take a different path to the same end.