?uestioning the move?

This morning I was taking my dogs for a walk around the property so they could do what dogs do when its winter, cold, and snow gets in your shoes. They were smelling everything, peeing on nothing, and eating things they weren't supposed to - while taking their sweet time doing it. I got to looking around, at what God had allowed us to finance, at the work I've put into our home here in the last 3.5 years, and what I could potentially do in the next 35. I started to question whether moving to northern MN again was really a good idea. Add to that list the beauty of the homestead, the house itself, and our wonderful church family we'd leave behind, not to mention the feelings and memories that come along w/Dad's house.

And I know the housing market isn't great right now (and we've got two homes to sell when including our rental in Rochester,) so it would be easier to just stay put, collect rent/pay our mortgages, and continue on BAU. If we did move I'd have no desire to still own these homes in southern MN and the mortgages that go with them at such a distance to where we'd be living.

And then I heard something today that reaffirmed our decision to move. A highly respected economist (adviser to President Ronald Reagan) made comments about the near-term financial future of our country. He was confident that 2014 was going to be a good economic year and a start to a financial recovery for this country - pending his assumed decision of the American public to find a new administration to replace the current. (He was confident on this assumption due to the current feedback the Obama admin. is getting, and the expected results of his policies on the pocket books of the people.) But he said we've still got almost 4 years to get there and what happens in between will not be easy on us as a country. With the way the Federal Reserve is handling the interest rates and allowing lots of easy money to be used by the banks, interest rates and inflation are both expected to rise. Simple terms - pay more for the same goods and services. Add to that the expected drop of the current income tax cuts and now we've got less with which to purchase said goods and services. So, less money to spend for more expensive items and lending rates not seen in decades. This evidence, along with my wife Heather strongly saying again, "Oh Honey, yes this move is the right move for our family" I feel again comfortable to take on this daunting task of heading north.

This is not an opportunity that many get to experience in our current loan-to-own common lifestyle (of which I am currently a member.) Nor would I ever wish the events to take place that lead to this opportunity, EVER. But removing a mortgage from our list of 'todos' for a while and saving/investing the extra at what is to be expected high rates of return I believe is wise.

My Dad taught me many things and there were many things left to learn when God took him home. But I remember his prayers included requests for wisdom and God's Will be done.

I seek both as well. But how do you know when you've found what you sought?

More to come...

I promised

It's been almost 2.5 years and a lot has happened. Our son William was born, and another baby is on the way due May 23, 2010. My Dad passed away last May, weeks after I got out of a treatment center. We are picking up and moving again, moving into Dad's house up north on the Iron Range. It is a financially sound decision especially considering my full-time, work-at-home status will allow me to stay w/my employer throughout the move. This is a lot of reality - but the changes we've made recently, and the circumstances as they are offer a chance to lean on God in a way we've never known before. Through all tough times and trying situations, God has been faithful and blessed us tremendously. God's Will be done.

More to come....

Hejabrog

Heather has now started a great blog and she's very good at updating it. Much like myself. :-D

Check it out!

http://countrymandm.blogspot.com/

More to come...I promise...

So I'm not a morning person

as written first thing after sitting down to the computer this morning:

Tomorrow is my birthday...29. The last of the 'in my twenties.'

But tomorrow is also 'Sunflower Days' in Dexter (softball tournies, auctions, food, etc...) which is interesting because I think we are the only ones I know growing sunflowers...oh well. So we decided that we can go out for birthday dinner tonight and 'head into town' tomorrow. We still haven't decided where we will do dinner yet. Heather is a fan of the Rochester restaurants, and I'd prefer something new and low key in one of the neigboring small towns...considering how Rochester people drive! But that is not a decision to be made in the morning just after waking up. Guess I can be kinda crabby?

K so I'll wake up here throughout the day and we will decide later. I am grateful that my wife doesn't just throw her hands in the air and say, "forget it - treat yourself to dinner" but rather just waits for me to get past my morning crabbies and will work with me later...and she still wants to treat me for dinner. Thanks Baby... And she made me a Cheese Cake - my favorite. With Blue Berries for topping! Awesome.

More to come...

By the way:

k Mom I blogged (happy? :D) and i'm getting ready to make the 'sour heads' in the next couple week...

I don't miss this one bit! I'll take the 80's and sunburns over this any day. Click on picture for larger version.





More to come...

We got "Spring" in our step

Wow - I put this blog together so I can keep everyone up to date on the Goings-ons with us...but so much is Goings-on, I don't get the time to update. :) But I'll take a couple minutes to update.

The garden has been in for a month now, unfortunately had to do significant replanting of corn, beans and many other things. Not quite sure why as I know it didn't get too cold. It was a new turn over of the sod so maybe there was something in the soil that some of the vegies don't like. Will till in straw and chicken manure this fall and I'm sure next year will be much better. Don't have the pictures downloaded yet. 8 long rows of corn, a section of cantaloupe, yellow squash, zucchini, large pumpkins, cucumbers, lots of sunflowers as section dividers, 3 rows each of green and yellow beans, taters, onions, tomatoes, lettuce, spinach, cabbage (for the home made kraut,) kohlrabi, beats, peppers, and the perimeter is bordered by Marigolds... Ufda Heather and I spent a good portion of last weekend weeding and tilling.

Also finally finished the chicken coop, so last Friday afternoon I moved the 44 chickens to the barn. The garage was starting to get a little ripe. :P They seem to really like their new home. The 25 meat birds are the size of large footballs already at just less then 5 weeks old but are a little tough to play catch with. And I think our inherited barn cat 'Dot' is keeping the gophers/ground hogs at bay.

We've already seen 1 new robin nestling grow big enough to leave the nest...waiting now on the other three in a neighboring nest under back deck to hatch. A not-so-bright kildeer also made a nest in the middle of our driveway with 4 eggs. Its marked with a utility flag now so we don't run it over.

The fields are all planted w/soybeans and corn; much of which is already almost 'knee-high.'

We are loving our 'new' home, especially this time of year when everything is so green and new babies are in abundance. I'll try to get some pictures added soon from the recent past; Spring flowers, project progress, and of course pugs. :-)

We (Heather) put together the vacation plans for the summer, a week of camping in the UP of Michigan in July.

In the mean time a couple of pictures from March making homemade sour kraut...45 lbs of cabbage = 23 quarts...just fyi ;-)








And we are also in the market for a mattress...does anyone have any good suggestions? Has anyone bought a sleep number or temperpedic bed? We'd be interested in any feedback...

And closing with a little wisdom: You only need two tools in life: WD-40 and duct tape. If it doesn't move and should, use the WD-40. If it shouldn't move and does, use the duct tape.

More to come...

Its a pugs life....

We can do some introductions here.

Heather my wife braving the Arkansas River in Colorado.



Me trying to be brave too. Someone told me I look like Gilligan?



Vito Giovanni is almost 5 years old. He was my pup before getting married.



His younger sister who is almost 1 1/2 now and our pretty pug princess, Pinot Noir.



Sherlock the Cat



I'm not finding any pictures of our 2 zebra finches. And we haven't taken any yet of the 44 chickens...but then again we shouldn't include most of them as parts of the family for obvious reasons. :) More to come...