Hi everyone. Just joined. I have 5 acres that I am working on and find myself doing much of it solo. My Mom lives with me but she can really only help with planting/transplanting, harvesting and preserving. I get the heavy work, in and out. One of my neighbors said to me once that I was the "haulingist" woman he had ever met. My property does have a slope so I've moved a lot with a small cart behind the lawnmower and two wagons, one without power other than mine and one that runs on gas. Thankfully I'm still reasonably healthy and when my back is bothering me, I rest.
I have spent some time identifying local businesses that do good work that I can hire for carpentry, clearing, etc. And there is a young man not far from my house who prefers to work contract and I can hire him for miscellaneous work when I have enough to make it worth both our time. The young man who maintains my small gas equipment is also available during the winter when his work is slow. Most folks around here grow food as a matter of survival and have for generations. So, when we get together we talk about how the garden is growing or who is doing what in their yards. When I had about 1.5 acres of my property cleared of miscellaneous plants and started planting fruit and nut trees it was the topic of active discussion around the table at the voting booth. My rainwater collecting also generated lots of dicussion for a while. While neighbors always volunteer to help, none of us ask very often. But it is good to know it is there.
Sharon
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