[_redbird_]

Originally Posted by Old Hippie Lady

I love it when my road gets like the one in your picture! I have no intention of putting down gravel for city visitors. My rural friends know how to manuever the path, in rain, snow, or ice. Their's is a lot like mine!

I didn't want to say it, but our road only got that bad because of ONE neighbor who just moved in down the road. He has some $$ and had the sides of the pasture "leveled off" a bit on either side of the road.

Well, the cidiots did not leave a culvert on each side of the road for the rains to follow. So, the very first rain we had, the entire road became bogged down.



I just ran into town to wally world and the only traffic was a cow standing in the middle of the road. For some reason, (it reminds me of the ONE SOCK that gets lost in the dryer), there is always ONE COW that gets out.

I had to laugh because compared to most people's gripes on CDF, one cow on the road is a lot less stressful.

We know quite a few people moving here from other states. I am going to have to start a thread on what NOT to do when you move to rural Oklahoma.

Example: One guy moved here from central California. Bought 200 acres or so of prime pasture land near Calvin. He bought it sight unseen! Brought his green acres dream with him, and has been a source of bemusement to us ever since we met him.

His antics would fill a Country Living issue. He has ducks and turkeys inside his house along with 5 dogs. He has 17 dogs. He had 26 dogs but lost a few on the trip here and shot a few when they ate his chickens. Loses cows left and right from breeding brahmers with heifers. And had the nerve to get mad when we had the ice storm 2 years ago. He said the Realtor never told him it got this cold in Oklahoma.

I think Rickd203 and the OP will fare much better.

[linicx]

Originally Posted by redbird4848

..... snip........

We know quite a few people moving here from other states. I am going to have to start a thread on what NOT to do when you move to rural Oklahoma.

Example: One guy moved here from central California. Bought 200 acres or so of prime pasture land near Calvin. He bought it sight unseen! Brought his green acres dream with him, and has been a source of bemusement to us ever since we met him.

His antics would fill a Country Living issue. He has ducks and turkeys inside his house along with 5 dogs. He has 17 dogs. He had 26 dogs but lost a few on the trip here and shot a few when they ate his chickens. Loses cows left and right from breeding brahmers with heifers. And had the nerve to get mad when we had the ice storm 2 years ago. He said the Realtor never told him it got this cold in Oklahoma.

I think Rickd203 and the OP will fare much better.

I laughed til I cried over this city slicker. Its a good thing he has money to burn cause he sure doesn't have enough common sense to fit on the head if a pin. I can't imagine where he lived in California with 27 dogs unless it was on the res.

A cowboy is his own herd doctor 99% of the time from shots, horning, docking, cutting and delivering a calf to save the cow and everything in between - most of the time. Its a shame someone won't offer up some coffee and sit a spell and tell this guy the facts of life in story form. I would be willing to be he won't listen to cold hard facts in the light of day. Stories always work. The "One day I was watehing Uncle Buck...."
kind of story that teaches children. This guy isn't ready for 4F let alone prime time. I'd bet a good Angus steak he has no idea what kind of problems he is creating for himself, or why, when he puts a large bull with a small heifer.

I hope for the his animals sake he has been in OK long enough to open his ears. If you can get through his knot head you have a lot of teaching to do. I pray you have the patience to raise one more kid (age is not a factor) before he kills himself with more dumb ideas.

Ice storm???? What's he gonna think about an OKie twister?

[Rickd203]

I learned a lot about what NOT to do from my brother Bob. He bought dairy goats without knowing anything about them. He actually thought that the 3 strand barbed wire that my grandfather put up for cows would keep them on his property. He had to get rid of them when they were caught in the middle of town browsing on the most expensive ornamental shrubs that they could find. It seems that the most expensive plants are the plants that goats find the most tasty. He stopped raising chickens after his sweet fun-loving labs killed all 25 chickens in a single day. These were the same stupid dogs that ran into the road and got hit so many times that my brother ended up paying the tuition for at least one of the vet's kids.

[karibear]

Originally Posted by linicx

I laughed til I cried over this city slicker. Its a good thing he has money to burn cause he sure doesn't have enough common sense to fit on the head if a pin. I can't imagine where he lived in California with 27 dogs unless it was on the res.

A cowboy is his own herd doctor 99% of the time from shots, horning, docking, cutting and delivering a calf to save the cow and everything in between - most of the time. Its a shame someone won't offer up some coffee and sit a spell and tell this guy the facts of life in story form. I would be willing to be he won't listen to cold hard facts in the light of day. Stories always work. The "One day I was watehing Uncle Buck...."
kind of story that teaches children. This guy isn't ready for 4F let alone prime time. I'd bet a good Angus steak he has no idea what kind of problems he is creating for himself, or why, when he puts a large bull with a small heifer.

I hope for the his animals sake he has been in OK long enough to open his ears. If you can get through his knot head you have a lot of teaching to do. I pray you have the patience to raise one more kid (age is not a factor) before he kills himself with more dumb ideas.

Ice storm???? What's he gonna think about an OKie twister?

I've heard quite a few stories about this particular slicker. Apparently a lot of the neighbors have tried to help and offered advice, but he just thinks he knows best and blows them off - then when things go wrong, it's all just bad luck, not his ignorance and refusal to learn. As for those poor heifers, IMO, cross breeding Brahmas is one of those Brahma cow/other type bull things. You just don't use a bull that much larger than an angus or hereford type and expect Ma Nature to take care of things. At least he doesn't have a wife having to try to live with all that livestock inside the house!

[_redbird_]

Originally Posted by linicx

I laughed til I cried over this city slicker. Its a good thing he has money to burn cause he sure doesn't have enough common sense to fit on the head if a pin. I can't imagine where he lived in California with 27 dogs unless it was on the res.

He hasn't sold one cow because they all die. And of course he has gotten new neighbors, meth heads. So now he believes the sheriffs are all in cahoots with the drug dealers.

It gets worse. I don't want to depress the OP or anyone else who wants to move to rural Oklahoma, so I won't tell anymore stories. Besides he is just one idiot. Thank god our neighbors are all ranchers who know what they are doing.

[mkfarnam]

We used Charolais as our milking breed. But we had Holstiens, Guernseys and Jersey's too.

http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/c...lais/index.htm

Breeds of Livestock - Cattle Breeds

[mustangsally]

We bought our 1st farm over 30 years ago. I was in my late 20s with 3 little boys, hubby worked USDA and was gone all the time. I moved from a new home into one built in 1895. My parents said I wouldn't last a month. I loved it. I had grown up hunting with my dad, but on my own acreage I 'really' learned to shoot, raise chickens and cows, and run a pecan farm. We all cried when we had to leave because of dh transfer, but my little boys never lost the love of the country life. In 2005 we moved from CO to OK just because we could. We had our choice of anywhere in the 50 states, but found a farm on the internet, visited, and loved it. We "knew" this is where we were supposed to be. One grown son moved with us, the other 2 + wives followed. We are in the middle of 53 acres and I have never been at such peace in my soul. I am still amazed at how genuinely friendly and helpful the people of OK are. It's hard work, just getting the rocks out so we can plant, etc. But worth every sore muscle. It is also good to know that your food comes from your own property, not another country. I could probably go on forever about how great OK and country life is, but those who are living it know and those who aren't need to find out for themselves.

[Synopsis]

Originally Posted by mustangsally

We bought our 1st farm over 30 years ago. I was in my late 20s with 3 little boys, hubby worked USDA and was gone all the time. I moved from a new home into one built in 1895. My parents said I wouldn't last a month. I loved it. I had grown up hunting with my dad, but on my own acreage I 'really' learned to shoot, raise chickens and cows, and run a pecan farm. We all cried when we had to leave because of dh transfer, but my little boys never lost the love of the country life. In 2005 we moved from CO to OK just because we could. We had our choice of anywhere in the 50 states, but found a farm on the internet, visited, and loved it. We "knew" this is where we were supposed to be. One grown son moved with us, the other 2 + wives followed. We are in the middle of 53 acres and I have never been at such peace in my soul. I am still amazed at how genuinely friendly and helpful the people of OK are. It's hard work, just getting the rocks out so we can plant, etc. But worth every sore muscle. It is also good to know that your food comes from your own property, not another country. I could probably go on forever about how great OK and country life is, but those who are living it know and those who aren't need to find out for themselves.

You're a lucky lady. I wish that I could retire to a small farm in Oklahoma. Unless I win the lottery that will never happen.

[mkfarnam]

Originally Posted by mustangsally

We bought our 1st farm over 30 years ago. I was in my late 20s with 3 little boys, hubby worked USDA and was gone all the time. I moved from a new home into one built in 1895. My parents said I wouldn't last a month. I loved it. I had grown up hunting with my dad, but on my own acreage I 'really' learned to shoot, raise chickens and cows, and run a pecan farm. We all cried when we had to leave because of dh transfer, but my little boys never lost the love of the country life. In 2005 we moved from CO to OK just because we could. We had our choice of anywhere in the 50 states, but found a farm on the internet, visited, and loved it. We "knew" this is where we were supposed to be. One grown son moved with us, the other 2 + wives followed. We are in the middle of 53 acres and I have never been at such peace in my soul. I am still amazed at how genuinely friendly and helpful the people of OK are. It's hard work, just getting the rocks out so we can plant, etc. But worth every sore muscle. It is also good to know that your food comes from your own property, not another country. I could probably go on forever about how great OK and country life is, but those who are living it know and those who aren't need to find out for themselves.

WOW! what a change. Did you experience culture shock like I did?

[brad84720]

Alright, my Encyclopedia of Country Living arrived yesterday and along with your very helpful advice, I feel as though I have a better sense of OK and will do my best to use some of this newly-gained knowledge when we head out to OK in March. I don't have loads of dough, but I have heard to hold some savings, as front-end expenses and early mistakes can be costly.

I hope I don't run into the crazy/know it all man from Central California. I get the sense that he is an anomoly, and a good example of what not to do. Fortuately, I have enough knowledge to know that I don't know a great deal about OK or rural life, and I have no problem asking for advice and taking things slowly. I'll let you know if I run screaming when I get there, or, more likely, if I realize that this seems like a great, albeit major life shift. brad