It's done - we are now pine tree farmers

[O.S.O.K.]

We got the closing done in Mississippi and even got the place registered as a farm and some other things settled - like getting the timber cutting arranged - we decided to wait until this fall/winter when the prices historically cycle up - should get us another 50% of value out of the timber. We are going to have the pines "thinned", perimeter road cut, homesite cleared and pond/gully cleared to prepare for the creation of a pond.

Wife has come around to doing something more modest for a home :D

This is all still sinking in, but she thought about what I've been harping on and came to the same conclusion as me: being debt free and saving money will allow us to retire in 10 years - as an option. And part of this is not building a "trophy" house.

So, we are actually looking at getting a large storage building and using that as the "core" of a house - finishing it off and doing "shed roof extensions" on the sides - to make more bedrooms, etc. Then we would get another storage building to use for a shop and... storage.

These are the Menonite buildings which are quite well built. I'd still put a basement under one section for storm shelter and safe storage of firearms, etc...

Very pumped about all of this - lots to do!

Here's a few pics from our trip - I got the corners marked and posted...

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2687/5802766150_e45c341fd7_z.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3408/5802766160_0887e7fd66_z.jpg

That's my buddy ridding ahead of me and the wife - he brought his 4 wheelers over for us to ride to get around - good thing as it was hot hot hot. Gotta get me one I guess -in due time. Need a tractor too... but we'll save the cash and then buy...

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2743/5802766138_69efaf4efe_z.jpg


That's all I have for now - gotta go pack (have a bus trip tomorrow...) and then hit the sack - we are pooped.

[blobman]

you should have a shoot and have people build your houe over a weekend ....keep it simple and we can do it!

[btcave]

OSOK, good job getting the land and getting the wife on the debt freedom bandwagon. You'll both be happier in the long run. Make a good life working the land and loving your family. That is what matters in life. Excellent!

[ltorlo64]

That looks like a dream. Enjoy it. Like I really need to tell you that.

[Partisan1983]

That looks like a dream. Enjoy it. Like I really need to tell you that.

I couldn't have said it better.:thumbspbig:

[Broondog]

OUTSTANDING!!

i've been following all this but being quiet so as not to jinx ya.

sounds like you have the plan and now that the wife is on board things will snowball forward for you. i can't wait to see your progress! :thumbsup:

[old Grump]

Good on you.

Take small steps at first and think long and hard about what you want. If you jump in, spend a lot of money, make big changes at the get go and change your mind later you are committed. Land isn't going any place and neither are you. Things might look a little different in a year and you will have more concrete ideas on what will and won't work for you.

Right now take lots of long slow walks and get to know every rock and valley and otter hole and owl tree, let it soak into your skin. I love driving around my property but I learned it on foot.

[sksAL]

looks great! you can always put a camper-trailer out there too, what im gonna do. that land looks way better than the other one with crummy neighbors. how many acres?

[planerman35]

congrats looks like a nice peice of land

[O.S.O.K.]

Thanks guys. Can't wait to the day I can move there full time... but one step at a time. :)

[Schuetzenman]

Looks very nice. Mississippi huh, I wonder how far the drive would be for me to come visit! :think:

[O.S.O.K.]

Yep - smack dab in the middle of MS :)

Grump - we put the cutting off until this fall - but we're pretty sure what we want done with that... we've already reconsidered the building... we are now looking at moving our current garden shed up there - and then I could build the house more slowly. The wife's been looking at what the house space would be like and we figure that I can build the house in stages with a better design.

And it's 59 acres.

[O.S.O.K.]

Schutz - didn't mean to ignore your insinuation :) Once I get somewhat set-up there, I would love to have some gunsnet guys over for a weekend campout and shoot.

I want to get a shooting range set-up with a shoot house that will allow covered shooting and also dampen the shooting noise some -though, while I was there last, there was shooting coming from two different directions :D I was really thinking of keeping the noise down so as not to chase the deer off. My last property in Texas had deer coming through it but never during the day... I had a nice range on it and I think the shooting may have scared them off...

But that was mostly open pasture with about 5 acres of trees... so this will be much much better.

[old Grump]

My deer blind is also my shooting stand and I see deer often when I go back there to work or shoot. You will be surprised at how quickly they adapt to strange noises as anybody ever doing long range shooting on a regular range can attest to. You clear a lane for shooting and keep it semi mowed and you have just created edge cover that will attract deer to come and graze on. It's people walking around the woods that make them move or sit under cover, not the shooting. One less thing to worry about.

To sweeten the pot for them find out what grows best down there and plant a cover crop specifically for deer in your shooting lanes and at the edges of where you cut and you will be very popular with Odocoileus virginianus. I drop a mineral block and a couple of salt blocks in areas where I don't hunt for their benefit and it's always gone in a year. I do it that way because I don't want to bait deer so the blocks are in out of the way secluded places where they can feel secure when they do their lick.

[(AK)1000shots]

Looks good, and good luck in the future, OSOK. I hope it all works out for you.

[O.S.O.K.]

Thanks :)

And grump = good idea on the blocks - I'll probably get several mineral blocks and put them about the place....

[AKTexas]

Did you see any hog wallers?

[O.S.O.K.]

Nope - hog free at this point, but like in most places in the south, they are on the way...

[AKTexas]

Nope - hog free at this point, but like in most places in the south, they are on the way...

My uncle's cousin has a place in East Texas that has hogs. We both dropped the hint that we would like to come out and help kill a few. Still waiting on that invite.

[O.S.O.K.]

I have an invite right near home on a gent's ranch that has allowed our boyscout troop to camp - and invited us back anytime because of how we leave things - and probably because we do things like clean his bathroom up for him... I want to do a little project first though - he wants a pier on his pond... but he told us to come shoot "some of those danged hogs" for him. :D

[AKTexas]

I have an invite right near home on a gent's ranch that has allowed our boyscout troop to camp - and invited us back anytime because of how we leave things - and probably because we do things like clean his bathroom up for him... I want to do a little project first though - he wants a pier on his pond... but he told us to come shoot "some of those danged hogs" for him. :D

That is good. Got to hook him up then.

[O.S.O.K.]

Yeah. I want to take my youngest to shoot one or two = he's yet to bloody his rifle... He's not hard and fast on hunting but seems to like it when we go. Does like to shoot and is good at it.

[Schuetzenman]

Schutz - didn't mean to ignore your insinuation :) Once I get somewhat set-up there, I would love to have some gunsnet guys over for a weekend campout and shoot.

I want to get a shooting range set-up with a shoot house that will allow covered shooting and also dampen the shooting noise some -though, while I was there last, there was shooting coming from two different directions :D I was really thinking of keeping the noise down so as not to chase the deer off. My last property in Texas had deer coming through it but never during the day... I had a nice range on it and I think the shooting may have scared them off...

But that was mostly open pasture with about 5 acres of trees... so this will be much much better.

Sounds good. You want to keep the noise down, suppressors. How's Miss on NFA stuff?

[O.S.O.K.]

Miss is pro-gun. They have CHL and allow for NFA from what I remember.... I am going to check on that though.

I am going to create a trust for the family regardless and having done that, I may go for a supressor. That would be very handy for shooting around deer season - I don't care what anybody says, I can't help but think that shooting scares the deer away...

Ah, here's the summary of MS laws from NRA:

http://www.nraila.org/statelawpdfs/MSSL.pdf

[Mark Ducati]

CONGRATS! That piece of property looks awesome!

What's that in the last picture, is that a river? Looks like it might be... steep bank, I'm bettin' there's gonna be some noodling in your future!

[O.S.O.K.]

Thanks Mark.

I wish we had a stream like that on our property!!! :)

I love the pics of your's - that looks so relaxing and the kids love it I can see.

No, it's actually a picture looking out accross the county road in front of our place - looking at the neighbor's property accross the road.

[sksAL]

59, nice. plenty of space for lots of things. pine money will be a plus too. pond or 2 and paradise is complete. good deal!

[O.S.O.K.]

Thanks. We are really excited about this. The wife and I have been talking. She's been drawing house plans (she used to do that as a small business) and she's got that figured out - basically a one bedroom house with a basement that has two more bedrooms, bathroom and large shop area - perfect!

We are looking to use the eco-blocks to construct it. If we do that, it will litterally be a super insulated cement wall structure - that looks like a conventional home when you're done. It will be able to withstand 250 mph winds and the walls will literally be bullet proof (other than something like a 50 BMG). Cooling and heating will cost very little. We can do most of the labor ourselves which saves a tremendous amount of the cost. Further, we can get the shell and outside done and then take a break to save money - camping on the inside if we want, working on one room at a time or one thing at a time like wiring, then plumbing, floors, etc.

We've decided to put our present home on the market next spring - my youngest son is going off to the airforce academy or school in July of 2012.

I'd really like to get moved to our new location with equity from our present house in-hand if possible by that point...

I seriously fear for the worst in our country - I see a massive depression hitting - all of the indicators are present and nothing is being done by our political leadership to stop it.

Regardless, if I am being too paranoid, and things slowly recover (which is what I really want!!!!) then we will still be set-up very nicely where we want to be.

I am still having a hard time getting it through my head that we've bought this property and the plan is proceeding - I guess when we actually move there or maybe the first time I stay on the property over night, it will sink in...

[Schuetzenman]

Miss is pro-gun. They have CHL and allow for NFA from what I remember.... I am going to check on that though.

I am going to create a trust for the family regardless and having done that, I may go for a supressor. That would be very handy for shooting around deer season - I don't care what anybody says, I can't help but think that shooting scares the deer away...

Ah, here's the summary of MS laws from NRA:

http://www.nraila.org/statelawpdfs/MSSL.pdf


It shall be unlawful for any person “not duly authorized
under federal law” to make, manufacture, sell or possess any
firearm muffler or silencer or armor piercing ammunition “as
defined in federal law.”
I take this to mean that a suppressor is OK if it's registered with the NFA and you've got your $200 buck tax stamp.

[O.S.O.K.]

Yes, they are saying that it's illegal if you don't have the stamp. Same as anywhere else I guess. That's the "not duly authorized under federal law" part.

[Izzy]

Congrats! Got my chunk of the USA in 2010...how much and acre in MS? Is the land "good" for farming? aka "soil type" ( keeping in mind what commercial farmers shun, homesteaders can use quite well!)

I planted fruit trees ASAP ( Muscadine Grapes, Fig, Pomegranite, Apple) and want to plant some more but after I site prep the rest of the land.