I think that this is the year of epiphanies! I have realized now that I have inherited lots more ‘stuff’ from my mom that I have created many spaces of clutter and disarray. I have been on a cleaning and tweeking phase for a couple of months now, finally finishing my bedroom (which isn’t that large, maybe about the size of your closet! LOL), complete with a new coat of paint. I even had my antique headboard reupholstered! Woohoo! Anyway, there is great satisfaction in simplifying spaces…
I think that you would be wise to stick to the creatures on your farm that don’t require any ‘harvesting’. I spoke about getting chickens to my hubby, who reminded me of the normal process of disposing of hens that lay no more eggs(chicken soup, chicken and dumplings..). I told him that I simply would have no heart for that and I would have many retired hens!!
Yikes, I don’t have snakes and I am so GLAD…

Beleive me your alot tougher than you think. I learned this when I moved to the country, you find the strength that you never knew you had. As for the icky bug and snake problem, game chickens will take care of that problem and give you wonderful fresh eggs.

Oh, you need to calm down! 🙂 I am a farmgirl living on a cattle farm where the two people who own the place also do all the work (that would be me and my husband) with help from our 12 year old daughter. This is how we make our living and I can tell you a few things.
#1- We name all our cattle and know each by sight.(there are about 100 head)
2. We dont eat our friends- other people do, but not us. We give them a good life with the best of care,and the least amount of stress. How could we turn around and eat them?
3. I am phobic about snakes and spiders.
4. I cannot run a chainsaw.
5. I can run tractors, bobcats and shoot a pistol or a rifle- some things you just have to learn!
6. I have several horses, not hard to care for if you have good quiet ones and a good vet nearby for emergencies!(And a good farrier you will enjoy spending time with- horses need their feet trimmed about every 8 weeks. If your horse needs shoes you will see him even sooner!)
7. I would die for a closet like the one you are emptying out! or the clothes to fill it! Sure wish I lived near YOUR Goodwill!! 🙂
You will do FINE being a farmgirl- but the clutter, now I have no advice for that- I fight it every day!

It’s cathartic to shed "stuff." The older I get, the more I realize just how liberating it is to pare down to the basics. I still have a ways to go, but I am working on it too.

As for the creepy crawlies, can’t help you there. I’d never go out on my deck again if I had ever seen a snake on it!

Rebecca, I think you are a compassionate person and maybe you just need to listen to that and honor that about yourself. Maybe you could farm fruit and veggies? Personally, I don’t animals need to be farmed. I think they need to be protected. Their lives on factory farms are horrific and I can’t imagine being part of that for any reason. However, even for animals are a small farm, being sent to slaugher is completely brutal- this is not euthanasia.
I’ve been vegetarian for 21 years and mostly vegan for 16 years and it’s been such a great journey. I like being able to look animals in the eye and know that I am not their predator. I’m also the heathiest and most energetic person I know!
I truly understand your desire to connect with farming- just listen to who you are and honor that.
Kelly in CA

I truly understand

Rebekah,
I also think that you will do just fine. Once you get out and go exploring on your own, you will realize that you have no choice but to do fine. There are certain things that are facts of life. Creepy crawlies are one of them, and wherever you live, I’m sure there are places in the amazon which have much, much worse creepies. Be thankful we have the mini versions here in the U.S. Death is another thing that is a fact of life. There are certain animals which become so domesticated where it is considered cruel to kill them(cats/dogs) when raised in a farm setting, like Meredith’s post, you can only become so attached because death is just a part of the cycle of having cows, or chickens, or pigs. A lot of people are really freaked out by animals being killed, but when it is done properly, it is swift and painless and over within a flash. That is where respect for the animal and its life comes into play. There is no suffering before, during, after. I’d encourage you to watch "food, inc." if you haven’t already. It is gruesome, but it will give you an idea of what commercial animals go through verses what home-raised animals go through too. My dad raised Purdue chickens for about 10 years and it was a shame that some needed to die,(I never killed any, but I’ve filled many a 5 gallon bucket with dead chickens) but they were very well raised in clean houses with clean equipment. Their lives were good. Their endings were not so good. 🙁 yet another part of life. There is no avoiding it. Demand will not let humans completely stop these processes.
I grew up on a farm so your list of "things to do" are second nature to me, so I will tell you what I know.
1. Use a chain saw. Hold on for dear life with both hands and be extremely careful. It gets heavy fast so take your time, and please whatever you do, don’t cut into the ground or your chain will be dull and sharpening a chain needs to be a lot further down your list…If your chain is good and sharp, you won’t have to push down on it to cut through and it should throw out nice big chunks of sawdust. if it’s fine dusty sawdust, the chain is dull and needs sharpening. Do not go buy another one, they are expensive and can be sharpened. Try watching a youtube video?? Keep it full of oil too.
2. Shoot a rifle. – squeeze the trigger, don’t pull it. Squeezing is a softer more gentle movement, where pulling quickly will shift the gun just enough to miss your target. Imagine the difference between squeezing a sponge in your hand or smooshing an egg in your hang until it breaks. I still don’t care for guns much, but again, part of life.
3. Hammer a nail straight. (as well as other basic carpentry skills). the head of a nail changes every time you hit it so never take your eye off of it and watch as it changes and strike accordingly. Don’t hold the hammer up close by the head, hold it down lower by almost the end of the handle and let the weight of the hammer and the "pendulum/centrifugal" motion do the work for you.
4. Take care of a horse (working on that one).
5. Be less creeped out about creepy, crawly things. There aren’t many creepy crawlies that have Rebekah on their list of things to annoy. They are more afraid of you than you are of them. Ignoring things will be much more effective. Your body produces scents when you are scared or stressed and they can take advantage of this. Just remain calm and don’t make any erratic movements. As long as it’s just a black snake, and I don’t think they can jump, go get a pitchfork or a rake and scoop him up. See? It’s about 6 feet from your body. Carry him out and throw it in the woods. Maybe it would be a good idea to learn about snakes in your area so you know what they like to eat and which ones to avoid. The first time I had to kill a poisonous snake I couldn’t even look, but I knew for the pets’ sake it had to die, and if you’ve ever known someone who’s been bitten by a poisonous snake, it’s horrible, so again, must die. Kinda like ticks, and fleas. It’s survival of the fittest, and you need to be the most fit.
6. Learn how to operate a tractor. Learn this on a flat surface and again, be very careful. My property is a bit hilly, and I still get nervous about going uphills. Figure out where the gravitational center is and realize it’s much higher than a car, and you are more prone to tipping. If you know how to drive a manual transmission, the rest shouldn’t be too hard. Safety is key!
7. SHED STUFF I DON’T NEED AND ORGANIZE WHAT I HAVE. If you haven’t used it recently enough, then don’t bother keeping it! Nursing homes take donations sometimes and lots of churches will take things for their needy or for an annual yard-sale/fundraiser, and of course goodwill. Separate your needs from wants. 🙂 If it’s something you really might need to use one day, start organizing, but still storing so the stuff is at least out of your every day life which will give you room to….

Breathe a little.

Rebekah,
I too have wondered how I ever got this far on the farm. I do not use the chain saw nor will I ever use a gun, but there are so many things I thought I could never or would never do. I never thought I would raise chickens and yes I have had to slaughter a few in my time. I Name many of my special animals including the pigs I raised from babies and knew their day for the processor would come and I did love my pigs. I sat for hours watching them, feeding them treats and brushing them. I learned that pigs could be cruel too as my momma pig ate 2 litters of piglets. We even checked every hour on her before her birthing process to make sure nothing went wrong and somehow she did it anyway. You learn to get tough, and you learn to deal with the bad and love to share the good.
As far as Moving and letting go of things I too go through this all the time but now it is getting closer to the time where we will be having to think about what goes to the new house and I have been going through all kinds of things and saying good bye to them. It never seems to take long to get that stuff back in some other way. I hate snakes and spiders too but I am a bug collector for a hobby. Go figure. I wish you the best in clearing out things and cutting back. Emma

Due to life changes…I moved from the country to the city, as a result "stuff" had to go. It is very freeing. Now my little home has my most cherished things and the kids and goodwill have the excess. Along the way I found out how little I needed to feel joy. Still miss the chickens but new puppy "Lucy" is pretty cool…Country life will naturally toughen you as you realize that the circle of life isn’t always kind. There will be the coyote, cougar, or neighbor dog that will challenge farm life.
But hey, the chickens (if free range) will take care of lots of creepy critters…You will be okie dokie!

You sound incredibly brave to me. And kind. You faced your fears to gather up your dogs and let the snake live in peace. I have realized that some things should never be tried. I wave my hands around as I speak so have accepted that I can never use a chainsaw without endangering everyone (including my dogs) around me. I realize that if I have chickens of my own, one section of the hen house will have to be for geriatric chickens that I love and will keep ’till the end. I don’t think that means I shouldn’t have chickens! Although I couldn’t eat anything I know so a cattle ranch is not in the cards for me. I have found that reading the book Clear Your Clutter With Feng Shui once a year is really helpful. It points out that keeping things that we don’t use or don’t love makes the energy around us sticky. And I can totally picture you in a small farmhouse!

Rebekah,
Just thought I would share that the beginning of this year I learned about the Flylady.net. It has been a huge help in pairing down and getting and keeping organized. You might want to take a look at it.

Dear Rebekah,

I married into my ranching roots, but I was not the daughter of a rancher. I was a town girl who was mentored by my grandfather/retired rancher. I loved animals ‘too much’. I still enjoy animals more than people. There, I said it. It wasn’t a choice, it is in my spirit from the marrow out. Ranching is hard on a softie. I cried a lot the first couple of years. I cried a lot while raising … and losing … horses… and calves and chickens and lambs etc. Would I ever cheat myself out of the profound satisfaction that far outweighed the down side? Never. I needed to be stronger. Not tougher, but stronger. Tough is only a good thing if you have a tender heart. If you’re just plain tough, your heart is MIA. Farm life is a more well-rounded like and it makes for a more well-rounded person. You have plenty of love in your heart to lose things you love. A good heart just makes more love to go around. The less you love, the less you have to go around and the less you have to work with to make more. Love profusely, cry when your heart breaks, wipe your eyes and love all over again. It is part of the healing. You’ll grow the right kind of callouses to protect the innermost parts of your heart. Some heartbreaks never heal over altogether and that is ok. It helps us be more compassionate. Go for every bit of the farmgirl experience that entieces you. What doesn’t work for you, let it go and move on.

So what if you aren’t as organized as some. Those folks aren’t as ‘whatever’ as you are on some point of character. Farmgirls at their best aren’t left or right…they’re right square in the middle. Ambidextrous in character.

You’re off on a new adventure. You’ll be fine for the most part. When you aren’t fine, you’ll get over it and be better for whatever the experience was that stretched your limits. You’re in for a lot richness and your grandma will be so proud.

Becka,Honey you hire help…Got me a guy that will work for a six pack of beer!When hes sober he works real hard!LOL…Have a great day! love ya carol Branum..PS.Had to too many hot flashes!Bout to melt now as we speak.

I have lived in the country for years, just moved to the city (liked the country better). I have to tell you that I still don’t know how to use a chain saw, they scare the bajeezes out of me. And although I have fired a few weapons I could not for sure fire a rifle, nor do I want to.

And I hate to tell you, but as one messy to another, it is SO much easier to collect "stuff" living in the country. In fact I think it is a being a country girl means you do collect stuff … never know when that empty orange juice container can be used for something. 🙂

I also believe there is a new kind of country girl, not the one that is out there to survive, but one that is out there because they love the country.
I didn’t kill the wildlife for eating my livestock in fact when I found a fox eating one of my chickens I was not sure if I should be more in awe of such a beautiful creature or horrified that it was eating my chicken. My thinking was that if we killed the fox, raccoon, etc. more would just replace those. It was better to just figure out ways to keep my livestock safer.

Good luck on your list though! Just think of the country as a new adventure!

I grew up with salmon patties too. Love them! Swimming upstream is the stuff of life, work those muscles girl!

Love salmon patties, so yummy! Make these often. I brown in butter and add a squeeze of lemon juice when eating. And serve with steamed vegies.

My mom always made Salmon patties when I was a little girl. I loved them! When I got married I was horrified when I dumped the contents of the can out and saw all the bones and skin too! I asked my mom what to do. Well she told me to pick out the big bones. Well I picked and picked and ended up with mothing left. She never told me I could mash them up and that I wouldn’t choke on them. I wasted several expensive cans of red sockeye Salmon doing this so I want to tell you thank you, thank you, thanky you for telling me how to deal with canned Salmon!!! I can’t wait till my next trip to the store and I will be in heaven eating my Salmon patties this Friday! God bless!

I did not realize that some folks don’t like these. Just thought everyone would love them. made them. for company once! Big Mistake. you don’t notice the smell when you are used to it. Swimming up-stream is just what you do when you wake up in the morning and wonder what the day has in store for you. happy swimming.

My husband lived in Alaska and watched these salmon- they die. The patties or filets are both good. However I would say some battles are worthwhile and some have been very very not worthwhile.

My mom made salmon patties a lot when I was a kid and I despised them, because my dad had determined that they had to have Cheez Whiz on top to be any good. So mom always made them smothered in hot Cheez Whiz – blech! (The other thing they ate that way was something my mom called Tuna Whirls – don’t ask!) Once I discovered that Cheez Whiz was not a requirement, I learned to like them. My husband looooves them. He makes a huge batch and eats them cold in his lunch all week long.

I have grown up in the south, Tennessee. My mom made salmon patties for us too. Her receipe is a little different. She would use left over mashed potatoes, egg, flour, salt (if needed)and of course salmon. Fried till golden brown and drained on paper towels. Loved them then love them now. So does my children and grandchildren. They are also good cold the next day. My sisters and I would hurry home from school to see who would get to the leftover patties first. I love your blog and all of the memories you bring back.

Salmon patties and "Oh lawzy". You’re a true southerner for sure!

Oh I love salmon patties! I’m a northerner and my mom made salmon patties or salmon loaf. I haven’t had them in a long time and my mom died and I am glad you talked about this and have the recipe too!

I like salmon patties pretty good, my son however loves them. So whenever he is around I make a batch. We like to eat ours with mustard. I actually baked them this time with a little olive oil and they turned out just as good as the fried ones. I put chopped onion, celery, bellpepper, garlic powder, red pepper flakes in mine. (I am originally from LA) need I say more? LOL. As far as the farm I was just thinking yesterday about you and your farm and thinking man if this deal does not go through I can’t wait to hear the great news about what God has for her. Because it will be better if this is not it. It is a win win situation. Keep swimming and keep blogging.

I love Salmon Patties! I make mine with crushed saltine cracker crumbs, you can crush them right in their plastic (1 sleeve for 2 cans). It is also a nice variation to add a little lemon pepper to the mix on occasion. I have also been known to do the bread crumbs and fine diced celery along with the onions and such, a la crab cakes, to mix it up a bit. I make homemade mac and cheese and cooked spinach served with vinegar. I also always serve my patties with a dipping sauce made of yellow mustard and worchestershire sauce. Mmmm I am hungry now!

My family adores salmon patties. I cannot bear the smell, so my husband makes them on evenings when I’m out of the house (and opens the windows before I get home). It’s a family tradition!

Nancy
http://www.liveasavorylife.com

Aaaaah! Salmon patties (or as we called them, salmon cakes). My mama cooked them often when I was little but with cornmeal instead of bread crumbs. I still use her recipe. We always had them with mashed potatoes and fresh green beans. I fixed them for dinner one night when I was baby sitting my neighbor’s son and he loved them so much he would always ask me to make him some "fish pancakes".

Just had to say hi and how much I enjoy your writings!

My husband doesn’t mind salmon patties, but he WILL NOT have liver. So I understand your "going out of town" spree. I am tempted to go to Denny’s for liver and onions every time he leaves town.