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!!