The Ones That Didn’t Work Out

This is somewhat related to my previous post called Looking Forward where I wrote about a few things I’m looking forward to doing on the farm. This is a list of ideas for the farm that we’ve had to ditch because we realized that they wouldn’t work out. Not every new idea is a gem. A lot of them are duds!  And sometimes you end up feeling silly in the process. But I would rather try new things, make some mistakes, and look stupid than never try anything new!

Stuff I’ve Considered For the Farm that Didn’t Work Out

1. Goat Raising

One of our friends recommended that we keep goats on the farm. They are easy to raise, prolific, and can even be a companion for the horse I am planning to get. I also liked the idea of having a clean source of meat for Momo and Barkley who I feed using the raw feeding prey model diet. I found a breeder who has beautiful, clean, healthy-looking goats. I immediately ordered a goat keeping manual from him, plus a hoof trimming knife. Then I came to the part in the manual on “How to Butcher and Dress Goats” and it said: “Stun the goat by hitting it on top of the head (between the ears) with a pipe or heavy piece of wood. Then quickly bleed the animal by …” and I felt weak and all my visions of keeping goats evaporated into thin air. Goodbye goats! Anyway, you would have messed up the pasture with all your droppings.

2. Modern House

Our first idea for a farm house was to do something modern and industrial with a lot of glass and steel. We even went as far as having a plans drawn up. Then we found out how much it would cost and it was way over our budget. Now I’m glad that we couldn’t afford it. That modern house would have looked too out of place in our rural setting. It would have stuck out too much. So, no more architect-designed glass and steel house. Instead,  the husband showed the guy who built our bridge pictures of stone cottages, gave him some dimensions, and hired some workers.  I now realize that I’m really more of a country cottage person. I’m enjoying the process of putting together the stone cottage, choosing the tiles and the fixtures. I think I might have been clueless with what a modern house is supposed to look like. But it turns out that there are a lot of rustic features that I know and want!  And so by a stroke of pure dumb luck, our second choice has turned out to be the better choice!

3. Engineered Wood Floor

Another great idea we had was to use a high-tech, eco-friendly engineered wood floor for the cottage. Those floors come in planks that snap together quickly and easily. They are simply wiped clean and can withstand scratches, stains and dents. Plus they are made from renewable wood. It seemed like a great choice. Until we happened to come across some pieces of scrap lumber that had been left lying on the ground. Yikes! The wood got eaten up by termites! So much for wood floors. Or even wood doors. Or any wood at all!

So now we’re going to have a goat-free, wood-free, stone country cottage!