Trailer park homesteading?

[aprilconnett]

I would love some advice from you veteran homesteaders.

I have lived in a trailer park for about a year. We own the trailer, ( a REAL fixer-upper) but rent the land.

The BAD news: Obviously, I cannot have livestock. :-[

the GOOD news: my landlord has given permission for me to have a garden.

What else can I do?

[mimipaula1]

First, appreciate the fact that you are the "test-run"--your landlord's experience this year will determine whether he allows you (and/or others) to garden on his land next year. With that in mind, do the best job that you can to let him see that your garden is a benefit to his property. Improve the soil by adding manure and mulch. Keep your garden neat by weeding and/or mulch. Make sure that you clear the spot after harvest for next year's garden. Most of all, share your abundance with your landlord. NOTHING ELSE will convince him like enjoying fresh, homegrown vegetables that you've grown!
Best wishes--I hope you have a CRACKERJACK 2008 garden. Miss Paula in Texas

[bookwormom]

you can put some rabbit hutches at the end of the trailer, where they are somewhat out of view. rabbits don't disturb the peace. Consider it training. make the best garden you possibly can. are you planning on staying for a while? If so, put in some strawberries and raspberries, like along the trailer, or around the periphery. Fruits like that are so expensive and give a return so soon. No waiting for several years. How large is your lot? Make sure you plant some flowers up front where everybody can see them. Zinnias and marygolds put on a good show and are easy. YOu can grow potatoes in barrels or stacked tires, gives a good return for the effort. I always recommend potatoes. They are a staple that you can live on in a pinch. Wishing you very well in your endeavor :) :)

[LeatherneckPA]

I'll second the rabbits. I didn't have much use for them until I just put in my first new garden bed this year. All that straw and poop is going to make wonderful soil amendments. I even told the wife she can keep the rabbits. but I told her she has to put fresh straw in their cages every week, for their comfort. (Yeah, RIGHT! Got to keep the proportions right for composting!!)

[aprilconnett]

Thanks to those who have responded so far. I appreciate ANY help I can get. Last year, the park handyman sprayed my garden with weed killer. I am trying very hard to show the difference between my garden and the grass. I have raised beds as in NC the dirt is red clay. I have trash can compost barrels at the back end of the trailer. One of the local grocery stores has given me permission to pick up the produce they throw away to put into my compost pile. My in-laws save their leaves and bring them to me. I have used them as mulch and as browns for compost.

I have discovered that I am not a very successful gardener, but I keep trying. Hubby says I should give myself three years in a single spot to measure success. And since last year we were still in the process of moving, it didn't count. I tried to start many plants from seed this year, but fear that I will be at the local nursery purchasing my garden. For some reason, I cannot grow tomatoes,peppers, or marigolds from seeds.

Sorry this ended up so long. . . I just really long for a simpler life, and am stuck in the trailer for a minimum of 5 years. But at least we OWN the trailer.

april

[reyecat]

Several things about starting plants indoors from seed.

Don't buy cheap seeds from walmart. Pay a little more and purchase them from a seed vendor specifically raising and harvesting seeds for your zone. It's well worth the cost.

We live in Alberta, Canada and we order our seeds from Veseys.com . We store our seeds in sealed jars with a little silica powder in the bottom, and keep them in a cool dark place. Our first batch of seeds (which we bought over 7 years ago) still have 95% germination rate. Amazing!

get a grow light. It will help your plants bush out instead of getting all spindly trying to reach for the light through the window. Made a huge difference for our plants. The price of Electricity is negligible compared to saving all your work of purchasing and planting your seeds. plus compared with the savings youwill be getting from not buying bedding out plants it's worth it.

just start with a very few of one kind of plant, once you get the hang of it the next year will be easier and you will feel more comfortable planting more and different types of plants.

As for starting a garden, start with the most simple things to grow and take care of like potatoes and beans, and if you feel overwhelmed, just take care of one row a day.

Self Sufficiency in a Trailer park....

Cloth everything, napkins, towels, pads, toilet wipes, hankies. There is some very good advice out there on how to do these things. Google, cloth toilet paper, cloth napkins, paper towel alternative, cloth pad pattern, etc. You get the idea. You'll be surprised at how much money you will save not purchasing all the throw away products that these cloth alternatives replace. And how much smaller amount of bags you take away from the grocery store.

Bake your bread.

bake your cookies.

Eat popcorn made on the stove rather than chips or microwave popcorn.

BTW: rabbits are a great idea.... quiet and easy, and no one needs to know that they are not pets.

[aprilconnett]

We have already replaced paper towels with real towels. And we hang our laundry outside. Except for the unmentionables -- I have terrible allergies and I am not willing to risk allergic reactions there. :-[ And i already bake my own bread. Hubby is allergic to high fructose corn syrup so we are pretty careful about that.

[reyecat]

Sounds like you are doing great! I wonder what people with allergies did before dryers and such.... Anyone? I totally understand about that btw.... I never use any fabric softener in my undies load, talk about an itch fest, and it took me years to figure that out! Now I use only vinegar in my rinse cycle and hang to dry, no prob bob!

[clarkshomestead]

This thread is right up my alley. i may not have alot of answers but I have alot of questions. I am in my first year of " Trailer Park Homesteading" also. I'm doing catfish in a barrel experiment, rabbits ( of which I will be butchering soon the first litter), an organic garden and a top bar bee hive. Check it out on my site http://www.freewebs.com/clarkshomestead/ Let me know what you think and stay in touch we are on the same page here. Nice thread!

[aprilconnett]

While I see everyone's point about the bunnies, there are too many loose cats and dogs around here. *Plus, we have been vandalized a few times. *Someone has let our four indoor only cats out. *twice. *The first time, the screen over a window was cut; the second, we came home from work and the front door was standing wide open. We still don't know how the door was opened. *What I am saying is that I don't believe the bunnies would be safe. *The dumb@$$ handyman would probably spray them with weed killer. *(he isn't very high on my happy list) *Not only did he spray my garden last year, just Monday he ran over our garden tools. *Oh, yeah, he mowed the grass down to two inches on Monday, and he is out there on the lawnmower again today. *Last summer, during the grought, he would get out and mow down the dust. *and spray anything green just for good measure.

P.S. clarkshomestead, your site is really interesting!!

[12vman]

Get yourself some solar powered lawn lights and study how they work. Get acquainted with some alternative energy ideas/knowledge.. ;)
~Don

[clarkshomestead]

Some times confrontation is an absolute necessity!! I'd catch that "Handy Man" next time i saw him and explain what I'm doing and what his job around my spot is! I'll be dipped if I'll let some idiot deligate my abilites to provide for me and mine! If a simple confrontation doesn't work , I have a cool idea for an improvised anti- Lawnmower device. Maybe he just needs a little education on the effects of personal consideration on the well being of a comunity and the personal health of an individual. ie. Bust his skull with a broken hoe handle ( I know you have one) LOL . Probation ain't so bad when you have a good story to tell. JK Peace and love (if at all possible)

[aprilconnett]

He is REALLY great buddies with the landlord.

I have been wondering about going solar for the trailer. But, we are only going to be here for around five years and the trailer is too old to move.Of course, there are still way too many other things to do first.

We have replaced almost every square foot of flooring, some of the floor joists, some walls and every appliance. There is a reason the trailer only cost $400. The toilet has a small hole in it so that if it fills too full, it dribbles in the floor. We have a tub, but no shower. The stove only has one big burner on it, and it doesn't work. The fridge freezes everything in the back. So, we really have issues. Not to mention that the furnace does not read the thermostst. It is either on or off.

One of my big goals is guttering to make rainwater collection more efficient. And I would dearly love a fireplace, but not sure how that would work in a singlewide.

Sometimes I wonder just how nice to fix this place up, since we will be here for the next five years and we want to be happy. On the other hand, it is only five years, and our ultimate goal is land. Decisions, decisions.

april

[annabella1]

If the maintenance man is really good friends with the landlord, then you should maybe mention to the landlord that he keeps ruining your garden stuff. Then you can find out if he really wants you to have a garden or not. (He may have given you permission but wants you to be discouraged and quit)

[aprilconnett]

I refuse to give up!!!!

[12vman]

"I refuse to give up!!!!"

Atta Girl, April!! ;D

[bookwormom]

if you want to be successful with the gardening in an somewhat unfriendly environment it will take extra effort. I personally think for you to have a successful garden would be a great public teaching opportunity. somebody else mey get really inspired by your actions. as prices for food go up maybe a lot more than you think. A fence would help, and if it is chickenwire. I lived in a trailer court and tried a garden there. It was the worst soil and we did not stay long. If you stay five years it is worth the effort. along an edge I would place some barrels with potatos, check feed stores, some farmers return the tubs that minerals come in and you can get them really cheap, great for planting things in. I grow ginger in one. Maybe make a few raised beds and try square foot gardening. I am sorry about the bunnies. If you were mean you could keep pigs under the trailer. ;)I think you need a dog. Or, if you get a really grown up garden, utilizing every square inch, put up a sign, "beware of the snakes".
I don't know if I would go with bees in a trailer court, someone with allergies just might get stung and that sounds like bad news.
best to you.

[aprilconnett]

Hubby and I are both allergic to bees. Of course, I am allergic to most fresh friuts and some veggies and that doesn't stop me from trying to grow them. hehe. We have 6- 4'x4', 2- 3'x6', and 2- 2'x5' raised beds. And one really funky shaped bed that is only 1' deep. I tried to improve the soil with my compost, but I just didn't get enough made for all of those beds. So, I had to buy some. Most of those beds will have verticals as soon as hubby gets them put up. I plan to grow my squash, cukes, and beans on the verticals.


Reyecat,
About the allergy question:
My theory is that people did not have as many allergies back then. I believe that we as a society have "manufactured" many of our allergies and medical disorders. We do not live nearly as close to the land as our forefathers did. And we consume way too many chemicals. That's my take on it, anyway.

As for me, I REALLY hate allergy season. Right now, I am suffering so badly that I am afaid to go outside near the pollen. I can't stop sneezing this year.


april

[aprilconnett]

I think we have come up with an (expensive) idea to protect the crops from Mr. Handy. We are thinking about putting a SECOND raised bed barrier about two or three feet out from the already established beds. It would surround the garden and give us a "safety zone" in case Mr. Handy sprays the edges of the bed. What do ya'll think? Any other ideas?

[CarolAnn]

I hope this doesn't seem too far out - but it MIGHT be possible to make friends with either the landlord or the handyman. It's easy to get into an adversarial mode, but when you face the challenge of winning over someone difficult, you will be totally amazed at how good that feels! It's a power like no other.

For example, chat a bit and see if there isn't some particular type of garden food that he'd like; if it's a tomato, dedicate a plant to him. When he gets a taste of the goodies, there will be more motivation to help, or at least not hinder your gardening effort.

As for the cut screen, that's exactly how people break in to rob you. It's more likely whoever broke in was looking over your stuff than just trying to let out your cats. You may need some nice pointy-leaved holly bushes (or stickery roses) planted under your windows and better locks on the doors.

If you ever have window break-ins again, you might dig a hole under the window, cover the hole with plastic pegged around the edges, and cover that with a light layer of bark mulch. Just don't forget it's there when you wash the windows!!! ;D

Don't forget that you can often get very good stuff cheap or free - that may be better than what you're living with. I got a free toilet for my place because the tank had broken. My bowl was broken but I had the tank - (and who cares that they weren't the same color - the fit together & worked fine!) ;)

It'll be good for your morale to fix the place up - and living with a broken stove for 5 years will be a pretty long agrivation to endure!

Another thing you'll want to do is get some good trailer roof sealer and get up there and give it a coat or two. It's expensive, but not as expensive as loosing all your stuff because the roof leaked!

[aprilconnett]

The landlord and his wife are two of the nicest, friendliest people I have ever met in my life. I just don't want to complain to them about thier BEST friend. I mean, he is like family to them and I am too afraid to offend them. Dempsey(Mr. Handy) doesn't really strike me as malicious. He just likes his beer and the lawn mower. He mows every other day no matter what the weather is like. He also hooks up the weed killer to lawn tractor and just sprays (and leaks) away rather than weedeat the entire property. It just really frustrates me when he is too drunk to tell the difference between grass in the yard and corn in a raised garden bed. That is why we were considering the "safety buffer." If he sprays around the outer border, there should be enough space to keep the crops safe.

As I mentioned earlier, I am not exactly a successful gardener. As soon as I have enough to share, I plan on it.

About the stove. Three burners DO work, and it was FREE. So, hard to complain that a FREE stove that worked fine when we got it doesn't seem to want to "fix" when hubby works on it. The roof sealer is actually a priority and part of why we haven't replaced the free stove, the $50 toilet, or the $85 dollar fridge. They all work "well enough for now." ;)

The reason we think the vandalism was about the cats is that "their" room was the window screen that was cut. Also. nothing was missing. HIgh $$ tools, a computer, DVD player. Nothing, just the four cats.

On The bright side: We found a new garden rake on sale for $6.00 instead of its usual $25. And I'm excited because hubby finally got the shelves built for my pantry. yippee!! OOH! OOH! And my FIL came last weekend and put up our Christmas gift. A deck for the front porch. Gotta say, it is purty. :)

Thanks for all of the support!! This place is the greatest!!

[reyecat]

sooooo cooool! happy about your deck!

And that you have such nice landlords. I hope you find a way to keep mr. handy in check.....

[rideaway]

For stuff for the trailer, try out freecycle.com for free stuff in your area. Unfortunately, we don't have one close to us, but my daughter got some great stuff for her college apartment.

[Dawgus]

Freecycle can be great, I found a few things there, and gave away things as well. Just be warned, put your settings to condensed e-mails. I didn't, and was getting 50-70 e-mails a day. I quit our local one here when I was annoyed at the same people posting every day asking for things, and not just asking for help, but being picky...."I need a washer please, I dont have any money but i want it newer,nice condition, white and I cant pick it up"....was almost every day like that. ::)
Try a local craigslist too, worth looking and you won't be over run with emails.

[aprilconnett]

We borrowed a buddy's pickup yesterday, and went shopping at the Depot. *Got all the supplies I need for more verticals, including the nylon netting. *Also got some wood to build the two beds hubby hasn;t gotten to yet. *The big thing we wasted, *I mean spent $$ on was for a "tater tower". *Everything has to look nice, so no old tires for my taters (even though there is a HUGE pile of them in the woods on the trailer park property) Nor can I use a converted trash can(explanation later). *So hubby bought wood and hardware to make stackable squares that will attach to each other once stacked. *I believe he is going to hinge three sides of each square so that when not in use, it will fold out flat for storage.

About the converted trashcan: *My sweet landlady asked us to clean up the "trash area" at the back end of the trailer. *We could even put all those bags of leaves in the back of the truck by the office since she is going to be making a trip to the dump soon. *Of course, when I explianed that the trash cans were not rash, but compost bins, and the leaves were for the compost, and I thought that would be preferrable to an open pile, she said, "oh, OK, just keep it looking real nice." *Honestly, I didn't think it looked bad at all. *It is all contained in one rather small area, and no animals ever bother anything. *Anyway, we are now trying to think of an economical way to disguise the compost area, since I really don't want to give it up.


*edited because I can't spell ;)*

[TheUnboundOne]

Dear AprilConnett,

Howdy, April!

I wish you success in all of your homesteading endeavors.

For my area of the country in North Carolina, it is Tornado Alley during Spring and Summer, so it would be dangerous for me to attempt trailer park homesteading, even though trailer park living is cheaper than living in a stationary house with land. Tornados simply tear up trailers like so much tin foil, even when tied down and anchored.

Alas, I'm going to have to hold out for a solid brick house to keep the natural and man-like wolves away.

Again, I wish you best of luck in your endeavors and I hope your area of the country is safe for what you are doing.

[aprilconnett]

We are just outside Winston-Salem. Where are you?

Actually, I was really impressed with this little tin box earlier in the spring. We do tend to get some pretty hefty wind storms, just not tornadoes very often. During the worst ones, we fared better than many of our friends. Our friends in an apartment called to beg us to come stay with them. We didn't want to be on the roads in the wind, so we stayed at home. Another friend called us afterwards to see how we were. She lives in a brick house and said she figured that if they lost their power couldn't imagine how bad off we were.

The trailer did not even shake and the power did not even flicker. Like I said, was impressed, and feel much more safe than previously.

[TheUnboundOne]

Dear April

You wrote:

We are just outside Winston-Salem. Where are you?

Ooooh! That doesn't sound promising! :(

I live in the Southern Piedmont area of North Carolina, West of Charlotte, NC. We get our share of tornados and high winds. I've seen and heard of what tornados do to trailer homes around here and it is not pretty.

Actually, I was really impressed with this little tin box earlier in the spring. We do tend to get some pretty hefty wind storms, just not tornadoes very often. During the worst ones, we fared better than many of our friends. Our friends in an apartment called to beg us to come stay with them. We didn't want to be on the roads in the wind, so we stayed at home. Another friend called us afterwards to see how we were. She lives in a brick house and said she figured that if they lost their power couldn't imagine how bad off we were.

The trailer did not even shake and the power did not even flicker. Like I said, was impressed, and feel much more safe than previously.

I'm glad you were lucky. My Dad and my Stepmother live in an RV trailer at a campground and when a tornado came in the same County, my Stepmother and her Grandchildren by her Daughter all hid in the campground's brick bath-house until the storm passed. Fortunately, no tornados came near, but a brick building of some kind with adequate ventillation would be a good bet for anyone with a trailer home. Please consider it. I don't want to hear of any unhappy endings on this Forum.

[leera]

April.

I wish I had seen this post earlier,but I have not been keeping up with my forums much lately,too busy....

I have been gardening in this old trailer park for several years......I'll dig out some photos and post them for you to see.Hopefully this will be our last year here.

Where there is a will there is a way.....

I would go with raised beds as much as possible.What we had to do with ours is fence it off with green fencing that blended in if you looked from the road.Our compost bin is called a Yard Machine.We've had it for several years now.

To help solve the problem with having lots of leaves around.......I run mine over with the lawn mower several times and then put them in the compost bin......In the fall I used to run them over until they were confetti and rake them straight into the garden beds,and till them in.......It's a great soil additive.

I even raked up leaves from around the rest of the park just to have them to make into compost or to till into the garden.

When we first started gardening here,we made our raised bed the fall before and then took as much compost as we could get and tilled it in.We had to bring in topsoil,so we also brought in store bought compost to get the garden started.

Right now we are limited to using planters since the landowner keeps tearing up the hill and land behind our place trying to improve the drainage......IF the idiot would just spend the money and put in a drain culvert,it would solve the whole problem,so now he's doing more work that he would have if has done it right the first time.

That doesn't stop me though.I have 19 big planters and about a dozen hanging baskets that I also use.The main key is to keep everything watered enough,as planters tend to dry out super fast.

As for the maintainence guy........I would take a direct approach with the landlord.Say something like" I really appreciate that he's so proavtice about controling the weeds,but could you ask him to please not spray around our trailer/yard?"

I would also be sure to state that you will do your part to control the weeds so as to keep the place looking nice and clean.

I'll post some photos for you soon.I thought I had some on photo bucket,but I must have deleted them.

[mimipaula1]

April, I built a "trash can corral" out of pallets for my trash cans. I painted it with leftover paint, built doors on it and used scrounged hinges, etc. to keep my trash cans (and their overflow) out of sight. Maybe you could construct something (nice and neat) to keep your compost containers in. Miss Paula in Texas

[aprilconnett]

We just bought a weed whacker last night to keep the edges under control. Miss Paula, I really like that idea, I will have to run it by Hubby. We have a friend who can get us a few pallets at a time.

When my FIL built our beautiful new deck, we saved the steps that were already there. They are pretty sturdy. We are going to take apart the back steps, which aren't built that well, and replace them with the steps we saved. Then, we are going to salvage the lumber from the back steps for an outer border around the raised beds.

We also bought wood mulch for the walkways. (I use shredded leaves to mulch my beds.) I am putting it down over top of cardboard and thick layers of newspaper. That should keep any weeds from growing, and the wood mulch should make it look nicer. We are going broke making my practical garden look "pretty." But, I believe it will worth it in the long run. Most of what we are doing is a one-time expense. Hopefully. ;)

[leera]

I downloaded a few pics yesterday.I will post them in a seperate thread for you to see. :D

Most of everything I use was either salvaged or bought very cheaply.But the yuppies around here throw all sorts of perfectly good things away.......

Almost all of my planters,all my shepherd hooks,the boards for the raised bed,even the green fencing,were all freebies.Even my yard decorations were free.......

It's in all how you look at things and think with some creativity for a use for an item. :D

[aprilconnett]

GREAT NEWS!!!!

We survived Thursday night's tornado scare with nary a scratch!! *Our friends who live in an apartment called us at 9:00 to tell us we should go to thier place.

We decided to stay home for two reasons. *1. *Safer NOT to be out driving. *2. *If we are going to be here for the next five years, we can't run away every time there is a storm.

Anyway, The trailer didn't even shake. *There was quite a bit of lightning and thunder, but we turned off the TV at 11:00 and went to bed. *We even had a fan in the window. *Absolutely no problems.

Fast forward to 5:00 the next morning. *Our friends in the apartment called to see if we were OK. *Their power had gone out at 11:00 the night before and wasn't on yet. *;)

[aprilconnett]

DUH!! You guys might actually want to know about my garden.

All 16 strawberry popcorn seeds have sprouted, and are about three inches high. I am about to give up on the black beans doing anything. Of course, I also just realized that I won't be able to grow enough to really eat in such a small space anyway.All 16 of the Early Golden Bantam sweet corn are up, too. They are not all the same size as I had to re-plant several times. The Kentucky Wonder beans all popped out of the ground yesterday. All three zucchini are up and progressing well as are all three yellow crookneck.

I transplanted some of my home sprouted peppers into the ground and am waiting to get the back crops in the beds before transplanting the rest. This is the first year I was able to success fully grow peppers from seed. The tomatoes did not do so well, again.

I put in about 100 lima bean seeds and I think I will put some more in another bed. Limas are my favorite, but you don't get much bang for your buck, space wise. We go to the local nursery today to get what I couldn't grow from seed. Hubby is also going to put up my verticals and build my last bed. I should be able to get everything in by the end of the week depending on how many days I have to go in to sub.

[TheUnboundOne]

Dear April,

You wrote:

GREAT NEWS!!!!

We survived Thursday night's tornado scare with nary a scratch!! *Our friends who live in an apartment called us at 9:00 to tell us we should go to thier place. *

We decided to stay home for two reasons. *1. *Safer NOT to be out driving. *2. *If we are going to be here for the next five years, we can't run away every time there is a storm.

Anyway, The trailer didn't even shake. *There was quite a bit of lightning and thunder, but we turned off the TV at 11:00 and went to bed. *We even had a fan in the window. *Absolutely no problems.

Fast forward to 5:00 the next morning. *Our friends in the apartment called to see if we were OK. *Their power had gone out at 11:00 the night before and wasn't on yet.

I am glad to hear that all was well with you and yours and sorry to hear about your friends.

Nevertheless, myself, if I were in a trailer, either by choice or by circumstance, I would have to have at least a brick shelter in the back yard with adequate ventilation, adequate provisions, and preferably below ground to counter the worst that Mother Nature could throw at me.

I was in a conversation recently with my insurance agent about natural disasters and which were the worst for different parts of the country. *He said that tornados and hurricanes were tops for the Southeast. *He also pointed out that tornado, hurricane, and tropical storm damage to mobile homes in Florida became so bad, that insurers in that State categorically refused to insure mobile homes. *The damage was that bad.

Some insurers even had to pack their bags and leave the State of Florida after Hurricane Andrew, because they were financially broken by all the damage.

Although we in NC don't get quite the same damage as Florida gets every year, we are not exempt from those damages either. *Hurricane Hugo did wind and flooding damage as far inland as Boone, NC in the Mountains. *Hence, preparedness only makes perfect sense.

I wish and hope for preparedness for everyone on this list.

[aprilconnett]

Oh, yes!! *I remember Hugo. *I was in junior high, then. *Lived in a foothills town called Taylorsville. *Actually, I grew up there. *It is in the center of a 30 mile radius from Wilkesboro, Lenoir, Hickory, and Statesville. *That was the year I was in the abusive foster home. *She was mad that I couldn't go to school. I woke up that morning when the power went out and the house went silent. *We were out of school for a week. *Years later, while in school at Appalachian in Boone, I also remember Opal. *It skipped coastal Carolina and traveled up to the mountains. *I am not a skinny little nothing and Opal knocked me on my behind. *I was drenched and bruised, but I did make it to class. *Seems so foolish to look back on it now. *WHY did I get out in the middle of a hurricane to go to class? *At least I made the dean's list. * ;D

I truly believe it was the hand of God that protected us Thursday night. *Not three miles from us brick houses are GONE!! *You don't notice the missing houses first. *You notice the half truck on its side. *Then, you realize, " hey, wasn't there a house there? *And over there?" *The people for about three blocks have to show ID to get to thier houses because the sherriff's deputies have the roads closed. *We go to church and teach with some of these people. *It was a pretty destuctive storm. *I am just thankful that God protected us.

[rae-dean]

we live in a trailer park too.we are not even allowed to have dogs or fences.so i think they would give us trouble about having a rabbit.in this park is a wildlife reserve.the candanian geese walks the streets and ducks and all kinds of birds here and cats.lots of cats.we planted grapes and blueberries and are getting ready to put in strawberries.we put some raised beds in for a garden.last summer i dried alot of roma's.they lasted me all thru the yr when i make sauces.
we got a heat pump installed.It supposedly saves money...and we stay cool or warm.hubby was at a yard sale and got some kind of heater.i don;t know if it was a propane heater or a kerosene heater-but he wants it in case out power goes out when it is cold out.i was at the sports store today and there is a propane camp stove with an oven...i want it so bad.it is 180$.we could put it outside on our deck if power went out and we could still bake and cook.i wanted a small wood stove...but we have not gotten that far yet.we have alot of wild berries in this park.so i pick and freeze them.i wanted a wild flower garden and i dug up some wild daisies and am working on a wild flower garden right now.i go to yard sales and get things for cheap.i collect old time kitchen utenils like egg beaters and for the same reason-if the power goes out.we have other ways to get over this and live fairly normal.i know where a big orchard is of apples and pears and go pick and can up all of this...it is free.
last yr.some neighbors had alot of plums and put out bags and plums filled in wheelbarrows.i canned up alot of this and we all partook of the canned plums.so there is ways to sort of be county and save money and power and such...no matter where u are.i loved the above postings.so many good good tips.thanks .rae-dean

[aprilconnett]

Sorry it has been so long since I posted. It was test time at the school where hubby teaches and I sub. During this time of year I give them quite a few volunteer days. I have been so busy that the computer was out of the question.

I have one 4x4 bed that looks gorgeous. It has the sweet corn, zucchini, and sunflowers in it. The other beds are just there. Not flourishing, but not languishing, either. I am getting tired of the local wild cats using my garden for a litter box, though. The 100 limas that I planted have done nothing. I re-planted the black beans with more limas, which have also done nothing. I am trying to figure out why I am failing at beans, of all things. I did put in about 25 tomato plants. They aren't really going anywhere, yet. But they are not dying either, so that is acceptable.

The last of school for the kids is June 10. The last day for teachers is the 12th. On the 13th we drive up to PA to visit my mother. And participate in Kemp Kars car and craft show in Gettysburg. I make crafts. I don't think anyone would be interested in staring at the Bug or the Buik. ;) I don't really expect to do well at the craft show, but I already have a bunch of stuff made from one I participated in last spring. I figure if I have to go up to that area to visit Mother anyway, might as well try to make some $$$. Besides the woman in cahrge of the crafter is my "Mommy" that I adopted when I was 4 years old. The biological Mother HATES this woman and this way I can spend time with both of them seperately.