There are still a few of us around..trying beyond trying to keep the "old ways" alive. It is a hard row, though, when my health insurance at 26 years young is almost $300 a month, my vehicle Insurance continues to rise, and my wife is struggling to finish school without bankrupting us.
My wife and I have been married for almost a year (been together for almost 9). It stinks to know that trying to keep this 90 acres of family land floating while working full time, while caring for my mother (she lives on the 90 acres with us, my Dad/her husband passed last year) and my wife (who has been dealing with one of those "we don't know what it is diseases/disorders)...it sometimes just seems like too much to bear.
I would be well ahead to sell out and move on. The 25 tillable acres here are rented out now since dad and I stopped farming in 2012. The rest is in pine stands and mixed hardwoods...which makes great deer habitat but little money.
I love working on stuff. I love keeping the old ways alive. My wife and I do love doing projects together...but it is becoming untenable. 2 weeks ago, she got stung by a bug (we don't know what) that wound up costing us almost $300 in doctor bills alone (allergic reaction that we have no idea of a cause or cure) while trying to help me pull careless weeds from a peanut field. She has an ultrasound scheduled next week, trying to diagnose what else is going on with her, which will likely cost us close to a thousand dollars (based upon the other three she's had in the past two years).
I would love to do more projects...to spend more time together...but the modern world doesn't seem to allow for us to do that. I work a farm job full time (manage a bagging operation that sells custom farm to consumer wildlife feed), along with trying to keep this place up and going. 100+ hours a week and I am further behind than when I started...but that's how it goes.
I'm not complaining. I'm proud of what we've accomplished. I just don't know where it's going to get us.
