What I've learned...

We have new next door neighbors. They moved in last week. Before they lived here they lived in the city (not far from where we used to live). I've been watching them exploring their new property... discovering the deer that live there, and the remains of coyote "dinners" in the gully, and wondering how tall a fence they'll need to keep their two little dogs from becoming the next coyote dinner.

They kind of remind me of Dh and I almost 5 years ago, when we first moved out of the city and onto our little piece of land.  As I've watched them I've realized that I've learned a lot over the years we've been here... (although the more I learn the more I realize how much I have to learn!).

I thought I would share some of what I've learned here...

1. A good pair of mudboots is your best friend. Really. (But do try to remember to change out of them before you go to town.)
2. A little manure never hurt anyone.
3. You can never plant too many flowers*
4. Don't waste your time trying to keep wild animals off your land (and out of your garden). This is a battle they will always win because they are craftier, more agile, and more persistent than you are. Cut down on stress and resign yourself to putting a decent fence around your garden (5-6' will keep out most of the deer) and planting extra for the rabbits.  If you have flowers plants that you really don't want eaten invest in some "Deer Stopper" and spray them every week or so.  Apparently deer don't like the taste of rosemary and mint oil mixed with something that smells like rotten eggs.
5. As long as we are talking about gardening... regardless of what it says in your favorite gardening book, do NOT use straw to mulch your vegetable garden unless you are planning on harvesting hay.
6. Respect the weather. Understand that driving in blizzards can be risky and possibly result in a wrecked car and children who, for years, are deathly afraid of driving in snow. (Don't ask me how I know this, just trust that it's true.)
7. If you put in long hours catching up on all the work around the place, and think you're done and can finally sit and relax for awhile... you've forgotten something (or probably several somethings) because the work is NEVER caught up!
8. Learn to say no when friends (unless they're Granny) offer you dogs they can no longer keep because you have so much land, time, etc. If you don't, you could easily end up like the people you read about in the paper who have 52 dogs, 87 cats and 4 goats sharing their bedroom.
9. Don't waste anything, you'd surprised how important "garbage" can be. We use composted alpaca manure to fertilize the garden (see #2), made a "harrow" for the pasture out of old lumber and scraps of chain link fencing, and have learned that even "scrap" wood can be used for something... which saves not only money but also a trip to town.
10. If you hear something yowling, after dark, and it sounds like a really big cat... don't go looking for it... mountain lions are real, and you don't want to stumble into one in the night.
11. Stock up on food and hay before winter, keep a decent wood pile on the porch where you can get to it, and make sure the flashlights have batteries. It's not a question of if a big snow storm will start dumping... it's a question of when!

*Ok, so this one really has nothing to do with living in the country... I thought it was important enough to try to sneak it in anyway.