The hubby's parents and grandparents bought the land we're living on in the 70's. The grandparents changed their minds before the first payment was made, and his parents took over the notes. His parents got a divorce when he was a teen, but kept the place. His dad decided he wanted out, so his mom bought out his share.
Despite the fact that the hubby grew up in a big city, he knew that the country was where he belonged. He desperately wanted horses, but having less noise and being able to see the stars were an added bonus.
We put in a well and septic, then had our first mobile home delivered in 1995. Despite the fact that there's 15 acres here, we lived on about 1/2 acre because that was all that was cleared. We gradually cleared a path to the well, then expanded a bit more. We lived here for a couple of years when he was transfered to another town. We sold the house, bought another one in another town. We lived there for a couple of years when the hubby was transferred back. This time, we decided that we didn't want a house note.
We made a deal with my parents to "buy" a 1980 single-wide mobile home for what they had in it....about $400. The house was in deplorable condition, and we took quite a bit of ribbing from neighbors about moving into the "crack house". Some of them changed their tunes when we tore all of the old siding off and put up new vinyl siding. Then we weren't so crazy, but they started to see what we had seen all along. I say "buy" because we ended up taking it out in trade. My parents decided after an unexpected medical retirement, to follow our lead and build their own and get rid of their housenote. The hubby helped and my parents canceled our debt. Thanks Mom and Dad! The hubby's mom helped us out with more than just the land, she wrote us a check to help buy building materials. We are truly blessed with wonderful parents on both sides!
We moved the house to the 15 acres, after clearing more land. The hubby wanted the house further off the road. We didn't get it where we wanted because we were trying to clear land in 100+ degree weather. We cleared just enough to get it in, the back yard came later. ; ) We still didn't have horses, at least not for a few more years.
The first horse we got was also our first rescue. This poor old starved horse showed up in our front yard, eating the dog food. Come to find out, this horse was about 30 years old and belonged to a lady who didn't know what she was doing. We stabled him at a friend's house who had pasture. Our 13 year old (who wasn't 13 at the time) was down there every day, brushing him, talking to him, and just generally taking care of him. He only lived 6 months, but it was probably the best 6 months he'd had in a very long time!
This earned the 13 year old the right to own a horse of her own. We decided that if took that good of care for a horse she'd never be able to ride, then she'd do a good job for one she could. We found an ad in the newspaper for a Haflinger. We had no idea what a Haflinger was, so we did some research and fell in love with the breed.
The hubby's horse came next. He was a surprise for his birthday. A neighbor was in serious danger of losing his job and was worried about feeding 2 horses. He decided to sell Buck, as he was just a pasture mate. I worked out a deal with the neighbor and surprised the hubby with the for sale sign. I marked in big red letters "SOLD". It's the first time that I've brought tears to his eyes with a gift. Most of the riding that Buck had done was with the hubby in his saddle.
The third horse (technically 4th) was another rescue. I found out about 2 horses in the neighborhood that weren't being taken care of. I basically informed the owner that he could either give me the horses or I could kick his rear-end and then he could give me the horses. (The hubby says that I'm a rather fiesty little German woman, especially when animals or children are involved.) He finally agreed to give me one of the horses and he would take the other to someone else. Dollar is a thoroughbred/quarter horse mix, and now that he's put on some weight, he's quite a looker.
We also have chickens, and we sell the eggs at the hubby's work. We never seem to have enough eggs for the demand, so this spring we're getting more chickens.
I'll finish this story tomorrow....the hubby keeps looking my way, sending a silent message that it's bedtime. ;)
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