I went out to my land today and started what I'm sure will be a summer long clean up project. This property has had zero care or maintenance in well over a decade and it sure shows. It's actually a bit overwhelming for a city boy like me. I'm just taking one day at a time here and today was 'fence removal day.'

I took out old fences around two old pasture areas but couldn't get to the old fence around a very large area at the rear. I started back there but almost buried my little John Deere as it was so wet. I didn't realize how much water was back there until I was already in it. Without MFWD and differential lock I'm sure it'd still be there. That will definitely wait for later. Another lesson learned (I hope).

Well, that was my afternoon. It's amazing how sore and tired I am from running around out there and climbing on and off the Deere moving fencing. I don't think all that bouncing over the rough ground helped at all, either. ;o)

I'll keep you all posted on my progress (or lack thereof) as the summer progresses.

-- Gary in Indiana (gk6854@aol.com), May 04, 2002

Answers

I know how you feel Gary! When we moved here, part of the deal was that the previous owner had prmosed to clear out all the "junk" prior to closing...right...LOL..we spent the first several weeks hauling about 20 pick up loads to the dump..tires, bales of rusted wires, 6 dead lawn mowers, piles and piles of bags of cement which had been ruined in rains long gone, etc. etc....there had been a divorce and the young woman hadn't a clue where to begin, so we dropped the issue and just did it ourselves, but over 8 acres of "stuff"..took more time than we had, and then I got sick and couldn't help...so the other day, Neil was getting ready to put up a fence and realized that an old bathtub was still half sunk in the ground behind the chicken coop LOL....He got out his chain, went to fire up the pick up truck to haul it out of there and found the battery dead..sigh...off to town...dropped off battery..wouldn't hold a charge...on and on it goes..now three days later, bathtub still there, new battery ready to be picked up....oldest son who was going to help haul the tub to the other side of the property has car troubles and needs a ride to the mechanics'....eventually, that old tub will be used as a drinking fountain for goats, but it has taken two years to get around to it...LOL.We dID manage to get rid of four old coolers by using them for shotgun target practice..they bounce so well!!!! I'm hoping if we live long enough to clear the entire place of junk perhaps we'll find a preservable Model T Ford under a grove of trees way out back!!!!!!

-- lesley (martchas@bellsouth.net), May 05, 2002.

I also know the feeling, Gary! We just moved here in July and we are still cleaning up! Every week we haul off or burn several truckloads of stuff. I think we will be at it for the next 10 years! It sure looks nice here and the stuff we couldn't haul off yet is at least in a neat pile in one of the outbuildings, so we are making progress. We still have those darn giant pickery bushes to tackle and 2 old fences to take down. I am so disappointed though. We never took "before" photos!! I don't know how we forgot!! You would not believe the differance now.

-- Karen (mountains_mama2@hotmail.com), May 05, 2002.

Same here though we've been at it for sometime-we just pick a different area and go to it. My big concern now is an ancient dump that has lots of glass-I'm afraid the kids will fall and get cut. Some of it is buried, and all this rain lately had uncovered a whole new section those nasty briar things make it a lot tougher too-those things hurt!

-- Kelly (homearts2002@yahoo.com), May 05, 2002.

We have lived here for four years now and are just about finished cleaning up. There was an old bank barn that fell down just before we bought the house and the previous owners had the fire department burn it but everything that had been in that barn was left there after the fire. We made a deal with the local recycling co. to bring us a huge dumpster to leave for a week and they could have all the scrap metal we filled it with. They got the metal without paying us for it and we had use of their dumpster without being charged for delivery and rent - good deal for us. One of our sons just finished getting the last of the "tangled up misc." junk out - chicken wire, old gates tangled in the ash and wood remains, what a job.

The former owners did save some of the old beams and barn boards but they cut most of the beams up for firewood. Everything else was mostly unsalvageable.

-- Terry - NW Ohio (aunt_tm@hotmail.com), May 05, 2002.

Dear Gary, Moved into this old homestead 18 years ago, We had to find the fences in the jungle, vines so thick. They had taken over the out buildings. We cut and hacked away what seemed like forever. The house was a mess. Old farm house. It took 17 years to restore it. Just finished last year. You just got to hang in there. Take care of your health though. Take a day off now and then and do nothing.

-- Irene texas (tkorsborn@cs.com), May 05, 2002.

My husband and I were sitting in the yard swing on Saturday looking around at our beautiful place and saying how much had changed over the last 15 years for us. We too moved into a place that hadn't been lived in for about 5 years. I did all the mowing with a push mower that first summer until we could afford to get a used rider. Our house was built in 1883 and needed a lot of maintenance, roof, siding, wiring, plumbing etc. But it's pretty much where my contractor husband is happy with it now, except he still wants to put a new foundation under it. Economy not that good for us this year probably. It was so bad last year we didn't even have to pay taxes! Only good thing about a financially bad year!

-- Nancy (nannyb@huntel.net), May 06, 2002.

Sounds like you are off to a good start. It is great to look back and see how far you have come, so try to take some pictures!!!

-- Melissa in SE Ohio (me@home.net), May 06, 2002.