Michelle Bickford

Karen,

Thank you again for the warm welcome. And "cheers" to being weird!

LOL John, I totally get that.  The first time I got stopped at the border, I was sure that they were checking for drugs or maybe they thought I was smuggling people across the border.  When the officer told me they were searching for produce, I was like Really... It was strangely anticlimactic.
Thanks for the ideas. I think I might go that route as well. I was putting it off because I really get too attached to my plants. It's silly, but after nurturing them from seeds, they always feel like my babies. So i didn't want to grow too much and then have to get rid of it all. Anyway, I will figure it all out eventually.

Merry,
Thank you for the information and the welcome.  Thant is one of the things that makes this site so great. Everyone is willing to share their knowledge and experience. It will probably keep me from making more mistakes than I normally would have. I will take a look at that book. Thanks again

David,

No, maybe I wasn't clear. I am sure they will grow but there are a lot of restrictions about produce and plants that come into  the state.  I don't know it's it's because of insects and pests that might be on the plants, or something else. Whenever I come back from Mexico, that is always one of the things they check for at the border.  They want to know if I am bringing back in plants or produce. I never looked that deeply into simply because I knew I was not going to stay here.

Hi David,

Yes, i do have a garden.  I spend most of my time trying to find natural ways to keeps the pests from destroying my plants.  I would like to buy land, I am trying to decide where.  I recently moved from Florida to Southern Cali, and it's more of a bigger change than I anticipated. There are some varieties  of fruits and vegetables that I got used to growing there, that aren't allowed here. At any rate, I don't think I will end buying land here.  Not only is it cost prohibitive, but I really would like to get back to someplace with snow.  My son is heading off to college next year, and I keep threatening to give away everything and move to Alaska.  It's always one extreme or the other with me it seems

Hello,
I am a total novice as far as homesteading and permaculture goes.  But I hope that, I offset my lack of knowledge, with a greater than average work ethic, a great deal of enthusiasm, a desire to learn as much as I can, and a genuine love of nature and all its beauty.  I loved permaculture, before I knew there was a word for it, or people that have been living this way forever. Or rather, never really stopped.    For as long as I remember I have yearned to live a simpler, more organic way of life.  I wanted to be closer to nature, and all that entails. I am sure that I don’t have to tell anyone one here what that means. I just needed something that didn't leave me feeling empty at the end of the day, while surrounded by a bunch of stuff I didn’t need.  But thought I wanted at the time because it would fill that big empty hole.  That hole contains my yearning for something more, and my dissatisfaction with the material, currency based lifestyle that I lead. Not because it’s the way that I want to live, but because it is the way of the world.  Honestly, the reason I have any use for money, is because everyone always seems to want it from me. Nothing in America is free people.  OK. That was a rant. I can’t quite put it into words.  It is easiest to say that, I have always felt out of time. As is I should have been born in simpler era.
I grew up a military brat, and then married a military man, so I have never had an opportunity to put down roots and build a place of my own. Or to live the kind of life I wanted for that matter. I spent a lot of years sacrificing my dreams to allow other people to follow theirs. I now find myself finally free, in my forties, and clueless about where to start.
I also have to admit that, I thought by this point in my life, I would have my own small, self-sustaining farm. Didn't Allen Saunders say that, " Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans". I can relate.
I am here just looking for friends. It would be great if I found my soul mate, but I am beginning to think that he isn’t out there.  I have also come to realize that long lasting, enduring friendships are more important to me than romance, or electric chemistry.  But, wouldn’t it be great to find all that in one person.  
One of my main issues is that I can’t find anyone interested in the kinds of things I am. I have always been the “weird” one.  No one that I know has any interest in gardening, sustainability, or living of the land.  And the only chickens they want to deal with are golden brown, crispy, and on a plate. Wow, that sounds good. But, you know what I am getting at.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, but I know from experience that it leaves me wanting.  Heck, you have read this far into my post, maybe I am weird.  And who gets to decide that anyway?
So I have been lurking around this wonderful site for a couple of years, learning as much as I can.  I have been sort of living vicariously through everyone here. I have never really had the nerve to post.  I am somewhat of an introvert (work in IT lol).  I do have social skills, thank you very much. I can carry on a conversation,  I just never have the nerve to start the conversation. Or walk up to a group of strangers and say hello.  That is what this feels like to me.
Please forgive me babbling, I talk and type the same way. I am in a rush to get it all out before my busy mind goes off on some tangent. I am the queen of the run-on sentence. But, hey this is me…like it, love it, or leave it.
It is nice to meet you all,
Michelle
P.S.
Can someone tell me how to delete a post? I want to be prepared!

Thank you, I appreciate it. There really seems to be a great group of people here.

Hi Everyone, my name is Michelle and I have been lurking for about six months. I finally got up the nerve to start a new post since opportunities seem to be few and in-between for novices. I am looking to for any opportunities that I can find over the next couple of years to learn as much as I can about homesteading, permaculture, organic farming, livestock, and just about anything else anyone is willing to teach me. I do have a 15 year old son, who will be traveling with me. I have been curriculum based homeschooling for about 6 years. I have been able to fit this around a full time corporate job, so I don't think that I will have a problem working it around farm work. We are BOTH going to be working. All we can offer you are far better than average work ethics, open minds, strong backs, and a willingness to pitch in and do what needs to be done. We are good, honest people who are just looking to live a more meaningful, natural way of life. I was hoping to have my own small farm by this point in my life, but it hasn't worked out that way...yet. I have a completely clean criminal history and I don't smoke, drink, or do drugs of any kind. And my son better never start. I have my own transportation and camping equipment if needed. I won't be available until late August. That will give me time to square away things here in Florida. But after that...my schedule and timeline are pretty open.

Thanks all