Resurrecting this thread. Looks like the closest thing we've got here to an "introduce yourself" kind of thing. I don't have a homestead, so can't introduce myself in that forum...
So hi, everyone.
My name is Angela, I am 33. I I know Matt and Frenchy, but probably not many of the rest of you. I currently live in SLC. I bought a motorhome last summer that I plan to move into in a few months. I am switching jobs soon as well to something much higher paying than what I'm currently doing, and plan to hang around this city until fall, and then head back to the West Coast. I am originally from Cali, and just kind of got stuck along the way. I am hoping to be able to travel slowly around the coast for a bit and find the place I want to call home. I am thinking that magical place exists somewhere between Northern Cali and Washington. I miss the coast something fierce. I don't need to be ON the water, but I need to be back among the trees. I cannot wait to get back to farming. I miss my animals! I'm more of a hippie than a traditional farm girl. I am "country" in that I enjoy crocheting, cross-stitch, quilting, baking, canning, candlemaking, soapmaking, and other crafts. I am "hippie" in that I enjoy tie-dyeing, don't really do makeup, have crazy long hair, and am Pagan. I am outspoken and like to laugh and tease the hell out of people (sorry, Matt).
I'm honest, sometimes to a fault, but try to keep my mouth from hurting peoples' feelings. And as much as it is hard to believe with as much as I babble, I am quite the introvert. I can chat just about anyone up, and god help you if you get me started on a topic I'm passionate about, but I very much value my alone time. I plan to be the crazy dog lady in 10 years though, not the crazy cat lady.
There are few things that soothe my soul as much as nature and animals do. My main passions, when it comes to the farm, are dogs (mostly Border Collies), sheep (milk, meat, wool), goats (milk, meat), chickens (chicks, eggs, meat, feathers), rabbits (meat, show, pets, possibly fur), and fruit trees (fruit trees!!!
). I think I love the IDEA of gardening more than I love gardening. I always get so excited about what I could plant that I plant WAY too much, and then it's a horrible pain to take care of. Perhaps if I practiced more moderation...
I have a background in breeding/raising/training/working with just about everything under the sun... Fish, rabbits, goats, sheep, horses, cattle, chickens, pheasants, pigeons, turkeys, ducks, partridges, parakeets, cockatiels, dogs, cats, guinea pigs, and even mice, hamsters, a hedgehog, and a possum. While I don't have a BIG interest in raising cattle or pigs, I am considering raising up some dairy heifers to sell, and perhaps a steer or two for the freezer for my dogs. I am also somewhat interested in getting a Dutch Belted milk cow, or a miniature Jersey. I also have a mild interest in raising pigs, mostly to feed my scraps to, and to let till garden space. Of course, piglets would also go to feed the dogs. I'm really looking forward to becoming as self-sufficient as possible, and weaning both myself AND my dogs off commercial sources. At this point I'm kind of an anomaly in that I am a vegetarian, but plan to raise animals for meat. I enjoy looking through the threads you all have started on how you're processing your animals, because it gives me good ideas on possibilities. You won't get any bleeding-heart, "SAVE THE ANIMALS!" from me. I'm a realistic girl.
I'm sure you'll get to know of my weirdness in the future, but those are the basics.