Rural life

[bruno2006]

Perhaps you could start some sort of healing refuge for people in withdrawal?

I have been wanting to go live on a small farm in a rural area for a while now and have considered joining a commune. I am also taking with a lady who has a farm in the Ozarks and needs people to work it. I think I would do very well there and am going to make the trip up there soon.

[Sheila]

Too cute – the cat-dog wrestling.

I *seemed* to have success once for a time with ants in the kitchen. I put up a little sign saying I appreciate all you do for the Earth and you have to go outside. Ha ha! It seemed to work for a couple of weeks or something. It’s supposed to work better if you phrase it in a positive way, as opposed to saying what you *don’t* want.

Also, try asking for guidance from whomever you believe may help you about how to think about the tick situation in a creative way, and then still your mind and see what you get. You might be surprised.

[Joy]

Hi Bruno,

What a good idea. I like that you are going to pursue something like that. Maybe one day when I can get well enough I would consider what you are suggesting. I would never have thought about that on my own. thank you. Right now my partner and I are just starting out. We are renting here. It needs a lot of work to get it ready to be productive. It has sat unused for a couple of years but had been used for cattle. What is crazy is the little barn had broken glass all through it. Light bulbs, window panes and glass medication vials (hundreds of these) all thrown on the ground and in the cracks of the barn. There is glass outside in the pasture and I had been going out picking it up with a shovel and pieces when I find them. Broken glass panes under the manure. Who does this? Even the flood lights high up on poles have been shot out. The glass is found scattered below. So there is lots of work to do still. If we could get our health together we would love to add some fencing and let the pigs go free range. Get some chickens and make it a working farm. There is lots of land and if it were in an area that wasn't so remote it would be neat to allow others to plan a garden of their own on a patch. But where we are there would be no interest. There is so much land around.
To be honest, I have been begging my partner to consider moving. I can't stand the ticks here. I hadn't even been outside today and I have had two on me. At bedtime I found one biting the back of my knee...that just sends me flipping crazy. Plus not feeling well...I could throw in the towel any time. I would miss the horses mostly.
Bruno, I saw a program on t.v. last year. It was a documentary about a number of people living naturally. Some had bought farms and another fellow, who lives in Manitoba, had a piece of land and was cultivating a large garden but doing everything by hand and he lived in a tent. Then took the produce to town.
I wish I could remember more...it was so interesting to watch I would love to see it again. Except we don't have t.v. here., ha,ha.

Where do you live?
Joy

[Joy]

I couldn't help but laugh as I picture you making up a little sign for the ants Sheila, ha,ha. But you had some success with it! I like that you are open to try things. could try to quiet my mind...but that would be a difficult thing right now. Can you tell I'm feeling negative. As far as guidance. I have decided that I no longer will pray or even think about God let along ask for any help. The universe...perhaps if I can think about it as just free energy with no one directing it but that is a big change that I haven't accepted yet. Sorry, I reread what I wrote in response to your post and I don't mean to be rejecting an idea. I need time to get my mind around it. If I can find my mind.
hugs,
xox

[Sheila]

Ha ha! Me and my little sign!

Don’t worry, Joy. You’re going through a transformative process. It’s fine if you don’t feel like asking for guidance, and I thoroughly support you if you happen to be feeling mad at God or the universe at the moment!

I had a wondering -- do the ticks leave the pigs alone? And, if so, why?

Have you talked to your neighbors who have lived there a long time? What do they say about tick control?

What happened to the guinea fowl idea?



***Thanks for the pig, Stan!

[Joy]

Hi Sheila,

Love the pig! No, pigs have been lunch for the ticks too. We found some powder pesticide that we put on their backs which has helped alot. Underneath they have a lot of them that get red and sore. Everyone seems to be in the same boat with the ticks and am hearing more complaints. As it is farm land it is impossible to keep all the long grass at bay except in the yard. I believe most of the farmers use diseal oil on the cattle. Not too much to do for them. I have heard a few stories of people that have lost some young animals because of the ticks. Guinea Fowl apparently are good for it. Problem is that they are expensive at $25/bird and you would need a number of them to make any difference. We found one person selling them and considered the idea. There doesn't seem to be many available. We decided that loosing the birds to the coyotes would be expensive tick control. Personally, I am staying inside except when I need to be out. My partner had to drag me out for a walk tonight. I can't stand finding ticks on me, inside my clothes. I have the itchy crawly feeling for about 3 hours after going out.

We walked down the driveway with two dogs and two cats at our side. It was so funny I wished I had a camera! We all went for a walk together, and then we all went to check on the pigs. Then we all went to feed the horses. Crazy. Little kitty sat in the feed bin and my kitty, Georgie, even ventured there until he saw the horses running full out right up to the feeder. When you see that you think there is no way they can stop and Zoooom, Georgie was gone under a pile of wood!

Tonight the horses were in a funny mood. The mare, Bonnie, (actually Bonnie Belle for beautiful bonnie) enjoys being checked for ticks and backs up with her butt to us waiting. I had never seen such a thing. So we went through her mane and tail and over her body and she was just loving it. But a cat fight broke out under the wood pile with hissing and spitting and the horses sprang into action and ran off. Then they circled back and Max was so angry. He was threatening through the fence, thinking it was the dog that caused the stir. We had just walked back to the house with the dogs and one cat in tow when we heard the coyotes howling and yipping. There was a pack of them hunting deer in the field by the pasture. I could hear at least 3 different ones and probably more. They sound quite frightening as they howl and yip and bark. I ran over to the horses and they had been heading out to towards that area. I clapped my hands and called and boy, Max ran full out back to me at the gate! He was anxious over all the noise of the coyotes. I liked that he came to me for comfort. And I was happy to see Georgie, my city kitty, slink back to the house.

[Luc]

That's one funny emoticon there. At some point, very close to this;

[Sheila]

Goodness, what an adventure you’re all having. I feel terrible about you being so imprisoned by the ticks. It sounds like it’s a worse season than usual. It’s very annoying, but the important thing to remember is that they’re not Lyme ticks. So, you just have to come in and take all your clothes off and go over your body and your clothes closely.

The persistent crawly feeling is really typical of w/d. Any stimulus will trigger a reaction that you just perseverate on for awhile. That will get better.

[bruno2006]

Hi Bruno,

What a good idea. I like that you are going to pursue something like that. Maybe one day when I can get well enough I would consider what you are suggesting. I would never have thought about that on my own. thank you. Right now my partner and I are just starting out. We are renting here. It needs a lot of work to get it ready to be productive. It has sat unused for a couple of years but had been used for cattle. What is crazy is the little barn had broken glass all through it. Light bulbs, window panes and glass medication vials (hundreds of these) all thrown on the ground and in the cracks of the barn. There is glass outside in the pasture and I had been going out picking it up with a shovel and pieces when I find them. Broken glass panes under the manure. Who does this? Even the flood lights high up on poles have been shot out. The glass is found scattered below. So there is lots of work to do still. If we could get our health together we would love to add some fencing and let the pigs go free range. Get some chickens and make it a working farm. There is lots of land and if it were in an area that wasn't so remote it would be neat to allow others to plan a garden of their own on a patch. But where we are there would be no interest. There is so much land around.
To be honest, I have been begging my partner to consider moving. I can't stand the ticks here. I hadn't even been outside today and I have had two on me. At bedtime I found one biting the back of my knee...that just sends me flipping crazy. Plus not feeling well...I could throw in the towel any time. I would miss the horses mostly.
Bruno, I saw a program on t.v. last year. It was a documentary about a number of people living naturally. Some had bought farms and another fellow, who lives in Manitoba, had a piece of land and was cultivating a large garden but doing everything by hand and he lived in a tent. Then took the produce to town.
I wish I could remember more...it was so interesting to watch I would love to see it again. Except we don't have t.v. here., ha,ha.

Where do you live?
Joy

Hi Joy,

there are a few places around the world that offer help for people who are experiencing extreme states like anxiety, depression, and psychosis and I know three of them off the top of my head. I dont recall the names but one is in Sweden, one in Canada, and one in Ireleand. These places offer a place that is quiet, away from the city, and typically on a farm or something similar to a farm. You go there and basically heal by working the land, detoxing, rebuilding using nutrition, psychotherapy, and other holistic therapies. The one in Canada was started by a lady who was cured of Schizophrenia after receiving treatment by Abram Hoffer the orthomolecular psychiatrist. She only charges $75 a day and her approach is to cleanse and rebuild the body and I believe she lives in a rural area.

To me, there is no doubt that a simple life on a farm, close to nature, eating organic foods, and having meaningful work can be very healing. Of course, it could also be tough like having to deal with insect problems like you all and the work in general can be tough.

Anyways, I think I just have big dreams about a place to recover while going through withdrawal because this has been the hardest journey of my life. I am 19 months out and still struggling. I often am able to cope, but sometimes I want to give up, go live in the streets, or head to a commune.

I live in Texas...

[Sheila]

Bruno – If you’re interested, there are one or two threads in Start-ups about such places – for war vets and for animals, I think. I also read about a self-supporting non-profit / for profit farm operated by people with I think serious mental health problems. Tremendously successful in every way – healing and financially.