Friday, December 23, 2016

A Final Goodbye, to the Chatsworth Farm



Today at 10 am we closed on the  Chatsworth farm. Sold for the second time in less than two years, and not on contract thank you oh so much,  it is now owned by another couple who plan to live there forever with their goats, horses, cattle, pigs, dogs, cats, chickens and ducks. We've been working with this couple, and our banks, for many weeks, and are thrilled the deal is final. We are also sad, nostalgic, relieved, and mildly defeated, but generally happy to be moving on with our lives here on The Poor Farm.

If you are new to this blog and wish to read the entire story about how the sale of our Chatsworth Farm went very bad, very fast, this past summer, please CLICK HERE.

Tomorrow, Christmas Eve,  Keith and I will be spending time with each other, and Christmas day will be spent with our children and grandchildren. On Monday we will begin the task of budgeting for 2017 with that goal of living under the poverty line of $16,020, as our financial guide. Now that we no longer have to pay two mortgages, two sets of utilities, two home insurance policies, two sets of property taxes, we can make the super tough decisions. Such as, do we need two vehicles?  How much on-farm income can we produce? How much off-farm income do we need? Where will we get the cash to build a milk house? Can we learn to grow bananas in Illinois? Is it ethical to charge our GK's a homestead learners fee each time they visit?

Monday will be a busy day.

Before I sign off for the Holiday weekend, I do want to openly address Rick and Kelly Boge (Formally of Golden Guernsey of Illinois, now calling themselves Little-Farm Co-op) one last time. After today, they will not again be mentioned. We have so many wonderful and positive things in our life which deserve our attention far more than they do.

To the Boges,

I have three wishes for you both this Christmas Season.

     1. I hope on Christmas morning, when your children wake to the gifts you have secured for them,
         that you will feel remorse for the manner in which those items were obtained. By leaving
         Livingston county and not paying thousands due to several other vendors and farmers,
         you have limited what those hard working folk could afford to buy for their own children.
         Stealing from children is a loathsome act    .

     2. I wish that when you walk out onto your Arizona property, you might recall the property of the
         elderly couple, our prior neighbors in Chatsworth, from whom you rented an additional 40 acres
         for your cows, but never bothered to pay rent ...for over a year. When we introduced you to
         this amazing couple you shook their hands, looked them in the eye, agreed on a rental amount,
         and then lied to their 80 year old faces. For that, I hope you feel shame.

     3. I dream that one day you'll come to your senses, before you harm another who might have the
         financial resources to pursue you legally, longer than we could. It would be an awful thing
         for your minor children to see their parents questioned (again?) by police, interrogated in
         court, or if you continue on this path, taken to prison. You could stop. you could earn money
         legitimately rather than through theft, false advertising, manipulation of employees. Millions
         of people do it everyday. I wish you the courage to try.

And that is all I have to say about that.

To my wonderful family and blog followers; thanks so much for all your support in this issue these last five months. We'll chat again next week.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!

32 comments:

  1. Merry Christmas! It is finally over and you can move on to bigger things. Deb

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  2. Hi Donna. I just read all that and the link. That is sick and as a girl who grew up on a dairy farm in England that is truly sickening.

    I see you sometimes on Stephenson's blog so came over for a visit. I also read through some of your writers blog. Phew! How do you find the time!

    Have a good Christmas and enjoy yourself. Rachelx

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    1. Hey Rachel, thanks for coming all the way from Stephenson's place to visit me!

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  3. As sad as that previous deal was for you and Keith, Donna, it was good to read that your farm is now in good hands. And, certainly your rant against that other couple was well founded, but most likely will not be seen by those who needed to read it. But, venting is a good thing and hopefully you feel better for having said it all. Best wishes to you for a Christmas filled with many good things...happiness, laughter, joy and love, and looking forward to the New Year.

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    1. Thanks BPB. May you all that wished me...twice over!

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  4. I'm so glad to hear the new owners intend to treat the farm the way it should be. A farm is a living thing in and of itself and it is very hard to see it treated badly. I hope you can leave the bad memories and trade them in for new, good memories. I wish you well in 2017 and look forward to hearing of your strategies and advice for living frugally. -Jenn

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    1. I can't wait to start setting goals for 2017. A whole new year, a whole new attitude.

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  5. So pleased you get to move on now without the burdon of two places to pay for, I can't wait to read about what you'll get up to next year. Merry Christmas!

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    1. Best to you and your lovely family Kev. Can't wait to see all you'll be doing in 2017 as well.

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  6. Well done. My father always said that the most beautiful word in the English language was 'SOLD'. I think he was right.

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    1. I love that word too. Especially in an auction setting. Best to you Cro.

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  7. Happy Christmas to both you and Keith. I am so pleased to hear that things worked out for you at last with the old place and that it has good new owners.

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    Replies
    1. The new owners are so excited to be there, it does our hearts great good.

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  8. Happy Holiday to you & yours!!! And congrats on the FINAL sale of the old place,too. If you can write off the other vehicle as a Farm Vehicle, it might be wise to keep it. In Canada, if you have Farm Status, everything is a write-off.

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    1. It will so be a farm vehicle even though the farm is small and the animals are in limited numbers and if anyone doesn't believe it so, all they have to do is climb in that truck and take a big deep sniff. Total farm aroma.

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  9. Sending you lots of goodwill from a very hot Oz this Christmas. My gift to you is something i learned a few years ago that changed my life. "Forgiveness is for oneself, not the offender".




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    1. Oh, you nailed it Lynda. Excellent advice and a wonderful "gift". Thank you blog friend.

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  11. There are folks amongst us who have no moral compass. I'm happy you were able to sell your home after enduring this ordeal, it sounds like the new owners are genuine decent people.
    Sending Merry Christmas wishes your way, and looking forward to following more of your posts in the coming New Year !
    Hugs,
    ~Jo

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Jo. I want you to know that your blog has inspired me to take better pictures for my blog. Your internet space is gorgeous.

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  12. I'm so sorry for what you've been through. Congratulations on the new contract.

    Love,
    Janie

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    1. It's ok Janie. I've got an amazing husband, four lovable kids and their families, three sisters and a brother and ALL OF THEM live close by. We are blessed many times over. Merry Christmas to you!

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  13. You are blessed in so many ways. I love your parting words to "those who shall not be named again"....sounds like the old farm is in the right hands now. Wish you nothing but happiness and wonderful new memories. Merry Christmas and thanks for being such a great blog friend! You inspire us!

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    Replies
    1. Parting is such sweet, no not sorrow, parting with past harm is pure joy. Here's to blogging in 2017!

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  14. Merry Christmas and happy new life. If we can't change it we can change the way we look at it. Well done!

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    1. I have often made that my mantra, "You can't change others, you can only change yourself." Once again I must walk the talk. It's great exercise.

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  15. Oh my, what a Christmas gift, what a relief. Sounds like things are really shaping up for the new year. I'm very interested in your budget project as well as the reality of it. We'll be following close behind, I'm sure.

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    1. Thanks Leigh. One of my blogging 2017 goals is to organize the visuals of my blog, make it easier to access past posts, past info for those trying to do what we are doing, like developing a specific homesteading budget. I am so fortunate that my folks were depression babies and I learned from the best about how to s-t-r-e-t-c-h my dollar.

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  16. I knew it. I just KNEW this was the surprise on the previous post, but I wasn't at a computer where I could COMMENT! Oh, happy happy day for you, Donna & Keith. What a Christmas present! With so much bad going around right now, sharing in your joy is a lift. Thanks for letting us in. I'm looking forward to Poverty Project posts in the New Year. *happy dance for you*

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  17. My prayers are with you for peace in the upcoming year. Looking forward to seeing how you accomplish your goals!

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Comments are good, as long as you're a real person and not some goof telling me how you were cured of hepatitis by snorting a pulverized neon blue crayon. Your comments don't even have to agree with my viewpoint, I love a good discussion, but civility does matter.