Homesteading With katlupe

An Introduction: A Little Bit About Myself

This is my first entry on this blog. I just found this website because someone came to my website using the keyword "homesteading" and I tracked them and found this site also listed on the MSN search. So I got sidetracked this morning setting up this blog. All the blogs here are really interesting and it was hard to get started on my own once I started reading all the others.

Just to tell you a little about myself........I live in the middle of the state forest in upstate New York (yeah, I've seen a tree or two! LOL)  on a quiet little homestead that we call "Peaceful Forest". My husband, Larry, is a musician and a computer genuis, and can do just about anything he sets his heart on doing. We have been married for 11 years, both of us having had bad marriages in our past. So we came together knowing what to look for in a life long partner, and I believe we have found it.

I have one son, Jeffrey who is 38 years and is staying with us presently. Larry has a grown son, who is also named Jeffrey (weird huh?) and lives about an hour and a half away. He also had a beautiful daughter, Hollie Sunshine who in August 2003, took her own life leaving her 4 year old daughter to be raised by her mother. I have no grandchildren, but my husband has 3, Nathan and Christian, his son's. And of course, Angel Sunshine, his daughter's little girl who was 9 this year.

Our house hadn't been lived in full time since 1924. It was used as a hunting camp for all that time. The house was built in 1850. And we have been busy trying to remodel it over the years we have been here. Money has been tight for us, as my husband suffered a work related accident in 2002. If we were not living this lifestyle, I do not know what we would have done.

This is the road to our homestead. It is a trail cut through the state forest. At one time, this area was full of homes and the old foundations are still there. Sometimes, I like to cut pieces of the old flower bushes that still bloom, that were part of somebody's homestead generations ago.

Our homestead does not have a lot of land. Only about 4.5 acres. And 3.5 acres is thick forest. But we can raise what we need and it is easy to keep up with. Our gardens are all raised beds and we keep building more each year. Some are wood ones and some that I have built myself are stone. We manage to can, dry and store enough of our garden produce to get through the year. Some times we run out of things and I have to purchase them, but we usually almost get through to spring. So I know I need to plant more to cover that period.

The animals on our homestead are not food livestock. We have three horses, Georgie Girl, Dark Shadow and Tawny. And one dog, Nikita, who is the center of our life. Three cats, Callie, Patches and Hobo, who all do a good job around here getting rid of the pests........just wish I could train them to leave the birds alone! So that is it for now. We will be adding chickens to our homestead as soon as I can make a really safe place for them. We live right in the middle of the forest and wild animals are our only neighbors.......and they might want to stop in for bite sometime, and I do not want to lose a chicken to them.

Happy homesteading to all!

katlupe

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{ 12:15, Tuesday, June 10, 2008 } { Posted by morningsunshine }

oh, how I love upstate NY! I attended Wells College near Ithaca, and every fall, right about the time I would return for fall semester, I get VERY homesick. what a beautiful place to live! and the area in which you live sounds beautiful! we have only just "met," but already I want to invite myself over to visit.
welcome to homestead blogger! this is a great place, and there is so much to learn, but my favorite part is that I have finally found people who like to live as I do - simply on a few acres, gardens, animals, preserving.

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{ 03:03, Tuesday, June 10, 2008 } { Posted by southernbelle }

It's been a long time ago but I accidently stumbled accross this blog site just like you did. I'm glad you're joining too. I really enjoyed reading your first entry. That photo is gorgeous! Come visit me.

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{ 04:59, Tuesday, June 10, 2008 } { Posted by Kitty }

WOW Welcome and I have to say that your stumble is our win. I can't wait to read more about your life and place in the forest there. ..........Kitty