Hello from the snowy mountains of Utah

Greetings from the snowy mountains of Utah. My name is Suzanne but everyone calls me sue and l ive in the beautiful Ogden Valley with my husband, grandson, a very dear friend. All of my kids are grown but still close by. We moved up here over thirteen years ago to get away from city life and have loved every minute of it, even the rough times. I have been able to grow a huge garden which I improve every year and just this last year I was able to try tilling as we bought a tiller for our Sub compact Massey Fergeson tractor (I've never loved a piece of equipment more than my tractor and I can learn to drive almost anything). We have raised chickens  for years, mostly egg layers, but in the past few years we have raised meat birds and have no issue butchering them ourselves. We also raise rabbits and I have been taught how to butcher them but have not done it yet. If it were not for the sometimes harsh winters here I would like to move on to raising Kune Kune pigs for meat but with the land we have, there just wouldn't be a great place to over winter them.
  My friend that lives with us is a master herbalist and I have learned quite a bit myself, I use herbs for my lungs and different ailments but also make all of our own salves and tinctures including a healing salve and a cold and croup salve. We also make our own tinctures with either vodka or brandy and we make our own teas. I can my own produce from the garden and just this last fall I attended a canning reatreat put on by a master canner but along with that I freeze dry food also and we have four freezers with more than a whole cow. My husband is great at figuring out how to do many things and is one that likes to take on a task to the very end but do it the right way and we both have no problem with hard work. I am used to morning and evening chores both through the winter and summer and the best thing is that it keeps me moving, I have a hard time being cooped up in the house all winter or sitting still for very long.
  What I haven't said up to this point is that I have aspbergers which is on the autism spectrum, and that I am a 50% disabled veteran but neither thing slow me down a bit. It can make things a little challenging and interesting at times but I always figure it out. Plus I have to keep moving and even though I have osteoarthritis in my knees a combination of omega three and constant movement keeps me pain free. My husband has no physical challenges and is like the little train that could all of the time.
Right now, especially because of the record amount of snow we have gotten I am not able to get to my garden or any of those fun things but I have no shortage of inside projects and I still have to get up to the chicken coop, shovel snow and snowblow with my tractor. I do have my peppers started already along with onions and a handful of herbs, they do amazing on heat and rabbit manure water.

Thats pretty much it in a nutshell for now. Sorry about the long post

Suzanne, welcome to the forum!

Your place sounds like a homesteader's dream.

Please continue to share and ask lots of questions as we have a lot of folks who love to answer questions.

Thanks so much I really like this place there is a lot of information and a lot to learn here.

suzanne Hegarty wrote:...... Plus I have to keep moving and even though I have osteoarthritis in my knees a combination of omega three and constant movement keeps me pain free. .....

Welcome, Suzanne.  Fond memories of Ogden,.....my sister worked with Federal office there when she was right out of college.  In those days there was a Fed program called "Vista"....sort of like a domestic Peace Corp., and that's what brought her out there.   Visits there were fun as were the trips up the canyon into Cache Valley.

Was also curious about your care of osteoarthritis and use of movement.  What is your preferred source of omega-3's....I've been taking flaxseed oil and occasionally eat salmon, but am always up for other sources.  Getting away from inflammation-inducing foods seems a must...do you exercise certain joints regularly to keep them more limber or just keep up generalized movement on the property?  In my case, my wife (10 years older than me) is the 'little train that could'.....amazing health and diet for her age compared to that of the local population.   Again....welcome to Permies.

Hi John,

For my osteoarthritis it's just been a combination of omega 3 gummies and constant movement. Even just getting up on the tractor I use a step and pull myself up. I've also shoveled a lot of snow this year too LOL. I haven't been as careful with my diet but I don't eat processed foods either so maybe that helps.