Herd About It?
by Ana Grarian
My husband and I have been looking at some property in the hill country fifty miles east of our old farm. This area is far enough away from the university and colleges and big lakes that it has not become overdeveloped yet. The land rolls dramatically and I believe has more rocky soil than the plais above the lake. There are still many small farms though I am not sure how many are still shipping milk. It would appear that many have resorted to raising beef and young-stock. If we buy there I am looking forward to meeting the neighbors. So far I have only seen one large scale dairy operation. But then – How many 1000 cow dairies does it take to put the areas 30-100 cow dairies out of business?
We are hoping to raise some good healthy food for ourselves and our children and grandchildren, do some hunting, and enjoy the birds and wildlife from our front porch. We don’t have a lot of time left to enjoy the countryside so we hope to lead a life as pastoral as we can.
I spotted the property on Craig’s List. As soon as I saw the tiny, rough cabin I felt that it was where I wanted to be. No traffic. No noise except that which nature intended. A place for dogs, children and us old folks to run free.
While we were waiting for the realtor a neighbor from down the road passed by and stopped to check up on the strange car in the drive. The owner lives away and so this neighbor keeps an eye out for him. No Cambridge police confrontation here, just a polite concern as to who we were and then a friendly introduction after all was determined to be well.