Well After much prayer, and frustration, and God stretching my patience we are now living in our new home. God has richly blessed me with more home than I had ever thought I would own. The property is only 4 acres, but It is a very well used four acres with most of the systems in place already that we need to make a go of it. In addition there is a ninety acre parcel behind that I would eventually like to buy. Today there is snow on the ground and sunlight sparkling across the yard. The trees look like upside down crystal chandeliers with the water dripping of the branches as the snow melts.

Our chickens are settling in to their new home, and have been giving us several eggs a day. 15 of the chickens are older hens given to me by a friend. These I am going to use as setters this year to hatch out a new batch. I also have some lovely white orpingtons about 4 months old. These of course are just wonderful. I plan to separate them into the orchard once I get my fence up for breeding also. Although that probably won't be until next fall, when I will use them for orchard cleanup too. By then they will probably be mature enough to make good chicks.

As for me I am enjoying my new home. We are going out to get a woodstove to replace the one the former owners took with them this weekend. Until then we are heat dependent on grid electricity(YUCK!). A bonus that came with this house is two unused solar panels. One of them has the glass broken. The other looks to be in good shape. They are about 4 x 8 feet. If there is anyone out there with experience installing solar, please let me know. We had solar for three years, but the system was already in place when we moved into the rental. I could really use some advice on how to utilize these.

Little Bit Farm

-- Little bit Farm (littlebit@farm.com), December 31, 2001

Answers

Congratulations Little bit!! Sounds like a wonderful homestead - and in it at the beginning of a new year.

-- Terry - NW Ohio (aunt_tm@hotmail.com), December 31, 2001.

Little bit: I'm guessing the solar panels are hot water panels and I'd assume you'd want to use them primarilly for domestic hot water but maybe I'm wrong so more details about the panels and your intended use for them would be helpful.

-- john (natlivent@pcpros.net), January 07, 2002.

Congrats Little Bit on your closing..Hurray! I am so happy for you. Please give me a call, I can't get your new email address to work......Julie W

-- Julie Wilkinson (okwilk213@juno.com), January 12, 2002.