Hard to believe 2017 is over and we are at the end of January already!! 2017 brought some progress, quite a few surprises - some good and some not so good.
While the New Year usually offers lots of hope, this New Year brings some hesitation and concern to the homestead. Read on to find out more.
While the New Year usually offers lots of hope, this New Year brings some hesitation and concern to the homestead. Read on to find out more.
2017
We started the year off in the new homestead full of energy and optimism. Started raised beds, perennials and fruit trees. Hastily built the chicken coop and run and began rebuilding the flock, built a pantry and began a fire/bbq pit.
The garden stalled in the heat and has been sadly neglected. I never finished installing the misting system in the coop. We never found grates for the bbq/fire pit.
When I first started doing the blog, I promised to keep it honest and show the negative as well as the positives of homestead life. So what held things back in 2017? First there was the heat which drastically affected the water bill. lol Then my room mates took a vacation to Georgia to visit Chuck's family. Courtney fell in love with the area and the country life. During several of our phone conversations and texts over the week and a half they were gone, I learned that they planned on selling the house here and moving all of us and the animals to Georgia. I let that news get me into a kind of ambivalence or funk. While, I was excited about the move I did not want to expend energy to build things here or even finish projects we started.
During the summer, those plans got put on hold and I found some energy to work on the projects we had begun. I put together some more raised beds and a herb/medicinal garden.
As many of you know, during the Fall we began fighting the proposal by Tucson to annex our area. We lost that battle and I again fell under the control of the City and it's Urban Ag Laws which further stalled my enthusiasm for doing any projects since most of what we had done would have to be removed if any of the neighbors now complained about our front yard garden beds. In December someone from the City called and made us an offer on the house because the City has a plan for the property. After a few phone calls from them the first 2 weeks the rest of December was quiet.
So while progress was made in 2017, it definitely did not turn out the way I had hoped or planned.
The garden stalled in the heat and has been sadly neglected. I never finished installing the misting system in the coop. We never found grates for the bbq/fire pit.
When I first started doing the blog, I promised to keep it honest and show the negative as well as the positives of homestead life. So what held things back in 2017? First there was the heat which drastically affected the water bill. lol Then my room mates took a vacation to Georgia to visit Chuck's family. Courtney fell in love with the area and the country life. During several of our phone conversations and texts over the week and a half they were gone, I learned that they planned on selling the house here and moving all of us and the animals to Georgia. I let that news get me into a kind of ambivalence or funk. While, I was excited about the move I did not want to expend energy to build things here or even finish projects we started.
During the summer, those plans got put on hold and I found some energy to work on the projects we had begun. I put together some more raised beds and a herb/medicinal garden.
As many of you know, during the Fall we began fighting the proposal by Tucson to annex our area. We lost that battle and I again fell under the control of the City and it's Urban Ag Laws which further stalled my enthusiasm for doing any projects since most of what we had done would have to be removed if any of the neighbors now complained about our front yard garden beds. In December someone from the City called and made us an offer on the house because the City has a plan for the property. After a few phone calls from them the first 2 weeks the rest of December was quiet.
So while progress was made in 2017, it definitely did not turn out the way I had hoped or planned.
What does 2018 offer??
January started out with a real bancg!! The first week saw us with that severe flu strain going around. Courtney and I seem to pass it back and forth. After all sharing is caring right? lol
The second week of January, Courtney called the City to find out what was going on with the offer and to ask about the rezoning by the City making this area Commercial or C3 Property. The re-zoning allows for RV parks, storage units, strip malls, bars, restaurants and houses all in this small - roughly 16 block area.
During this call, we learned that the City was looking at 13 other properties and all their previous offers have been rescinded. When asked for a time frame, we were told that a final decision would be made by 2028. lol
Our hope was to take that money and move to a property on the North East side of town where there are properties zoned for urban/suburban homesteading.
This week brought new surprises for Arid Acres. Courtney got a potential job offer that would require selling the house and moving to Michigan. It is great for her and a once in a lifetime opportunity, actually working in her degree field for a major US company. Unfortunately, Michigan has that cold wet white stuff and in it has set forth stricter permissions on which properties may or may not have chickens, beehives and expanded gardens on them. In the area where Courtney would have to relocate to, the properties are pretty much stacked on top of each other and I would be unable to continue my quest for self sufficiency and raising animals.
I am currently looking for property options here in the event that the move happens. However, I am moving forward and working on this property and the garden in the front yard! I can not let the uncertainty hold me back any longer nor allow me to get into a funk.
So I am optimistic about what 2018 holds but I am not setting goals for this year other that to be open to any and all possibilities and to go with the flow!!
What are your plans and dreams for 2018??
The second week of January, Courtney called the City to find out what was going on with the offer and to ask about the rezoning by the City making this area Commercial or C3 Property. The re-zoning allows for RV parks, storage units, strip malls, bars, restaurants and houses all in this small - roughly 16 block area.
During this call, we learned that the City was looking at 13 other properties and all their previous offers have been rescinded. When asked for a time frame, we were told that a final decision would be made by 2028. lol
Our hope was to take that money and move to a property on the North East side of town where there are properties zoned for urban/suburban homesteading.
This week brought new surprises for Arid Acres. Courtney got a potential job offer that would require selling the house and moving to Michigan. It is great for her and a once in a lifetime opportunity, actually working in her degree field for a major US company. Unfortunately, Michigan has that cold wet white stuff and in it has set forth stricter permissions on which properties may or may not have chickens, beehives and expanded gardens on them. In the area where Courtney would have to relocate to, the properties are pretty much stacked on top of each other and I would be unable to continue my quest for self sufficiency and raising animals.
I am currently looking for property options here in the event that the move happens. However, I am moving forward and working on this property and the garden in the front yard! I can not let the uncertainty hold me back any longer nor allow me to get into a funk.
So I am optimistic about what 2018 holds but I am not setting goals for this year other that to be open to any and all possibilities and to go with the flow!!
What are your plans and dreams for 2018??
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