We’ve come to the conclusion that our
land requires way too much work and maintenance for two people to do effectively. (Especially since we are getting older and have to make a living at the same time.) We have also come to the conclusion that this place is never going to be a “dream home” to our two adult sons (who have never lived here) and that neither of them is going to want it when we die. (In fact, it’s about a 99% chance that they will
sell it the second we are decently buried and split the proceeds between them). As environmentalists, it means pretty much everything to us to keep it intact and as natural as possible for wildlife, and we don’t want to spend our remaining years wondering whether it will become a trailer park or subdivision when we die, so, to those ends, we’ve decided to put out a call for some very specific kind of help.
A while back – a few years ago – we thought about starting some sort of community land trust here to achieve the goals outlined above, but with one exception (which ultimately failed miserably), we never found a person who really fit in with our long-term plans. Either they didn’t want to come to this area or they weren’t looking for a lifetime commitment or whatever … We didn’t really try all that hard to find anyone either if I’m being honest. So now we thought we might try a different approach. Here’s the deal …
First, just so you know, we live in a very rural area of SW Missouri about 25 miles east of Branson about a mile from Bull Shoals Lake.
We would like to find someone (or a couple) who cares deeply about planet Earth; does not smoke or do drugs (alcohol in moderation is okay); loves animals (especially dogs because we have 11 of them); is preferably, but not required to be, a
vegetarian; likes to garden and is interested in all the ins and outs of a frugal homestead life, to come stay with us for the summer and help out with the place (mostly garden and
yard work, but also anything else that crops up and needs attention during that time).
In exchange for say 20 hours of labor per week, we will provide a free place for you to camp or park a tiny house and access to all the produce you can eat in the garden. We also have a deep well for pure, ice cold
water and can set you up with an outdoor
shower and electricity/wifi if wanted. It’s definitely no frills, but the place is beautiful and located next door the Mark Twain National Forest where you can hike, mountain bike or just roam around soaking up the peace and quiet to your heart’s content. (You can even walk to Hercules Glade Wilderness from our place without crossing any private land.) You would need to have your own spending money for whatever else you need, but could probably get a summer or part-time job in Branson if you needed to while you were here. We don’t promise or expect anything beyond a summer work exchange, but if all works out well between us, we can discuss making things permanent down the road.
If any of this sounds interesting to you, please pm me with a short bio about yourself (and partner, if applicable) and I will get back to you ASAP.
One more thing … if you freak out when you see snakes, spiders, scorpions or ticks OR if you can’t handle heat and humidity, this may not be the place for you. We have lots of wildlife and we have very hot, humid summers.
Edit : I just wanted to mention that we don't care what color, creed or sexual orientation you are -- just be eager to learn and willing to work and we will all get along great!
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I think the hard drive can be recovered, but I have to order a $45 chip to solder into it to even find out if that will do it, and I've been putting it off. So ... I am a bit limited to the few photos I have on my PC at the moment. Still, there are a few shots here and there of the garden, dogs, chickens, etc. to get sort of a feel for the place until I can either fix the camera or the hard drive.
