When Gamers Become Farmers

[Aeolius]

The past couple of months, I have been searching for my next abode. After the birth of my third child in December, my neighbor Jack casually mentioned that he thought I would be looking for more land, soon, to build a bigger house. He had a few acres, he said, and then he took me out to see it. Turns out "a few acres" were actually closer to twenty acres. "Keep the key" he told me, tossing the key to the padlock which secures the gate at the end of the 3/10 of a mile gravel driveway.

Slightly overwhelmed, I decided to enlist the services of a realtor, who showed me five to ten acre lots in my area. I was less than impressed with each, turning back to Jack's land at the end of each day.

The twenty acres is comprised of pastures, woods, a creek, a barn, a singlewide trailer, and a metal-sided utility building. My little John Deere would not be a match for the acres of grass in the pastures. The woods are enchanting; I have seen deer, raccoon tracks, and countless birds. A woodchuck the size of a large pug apparently lives in one of the stables in the barn.

So, with the help of my lawyer, I drew up a contract and made an offer. Three days later Jack accepted. Now the fun begins; my wife and I are interviewing builders and architects. Hopefully, within two years, we'll be finished with the building phase.

I talked with city planning and will have a perc test done next week. I'm also going to have the existing well evaluated. I loathe city water and am on well water now, so that's not a concern. The singlewide trailer is to be removed by Jack, per the contract, and I will have the barn demolished, as it currently sits where I would like to place the house.

I am in so much trouble. My daughter already wants a horse. I want an alpaca and have had my eye on the Scottish highland cattle that graze in a nearby field. Goats (pygmy), chickens, and pigs(pot-bellied) have already been discussed. To my dismay, I discovered muntjac deer could not be imported into my state.

Jack has a friend mowing the pastures for hay until the end of the year, after that I suppose I'll be looking for a John Deere larger than the one I currently own, and the obligatory bush hog for mowing. Two days ago, I purchased a UTV - not an ATV mind you, more of a golf cart on steroids.

 

[Steve Jung]

That's a big step, Aeolius. Good luck with the building.

 

[Crothian]

So, two years gaming at your place??

That looks really cool, I'd love to have that kind of land. Best of luck with the building of the house, I've heard it can be frustrating. My sister had some delays when she had her house built. Don't forget to put in a moat and a dungeon, and a really big gaming room

 

[Hand of Evil]

You know, with that bike/hiking trail you may want to think about horses, renting them out for trail rides.

Also contact your local farmers coop for other information.

 

[Cthulhu's Librarian]

Wow, that looks like a nice piece of property. Best of luck with it, and with the construction!

 

[BrooklynKnight]

Might i suggest you build a gamer hut since you're starting from the ground up?

And a small apartment over the garage for wayward travelers so not to keep em in your house ;-p

Oh, and lots of gun racks for when the farmboys come courting your daughter. *snicker*

 

[Angcuru]

YOU GIVE ME THAT LAND RIGHT NOW!

Wow, that's just awesome, man! I hope I can afford a nice chunk of land like that someday. Not like here in NJ, where you get a Bathroom and an 10 X 20 room for $1,000 per month or so. Buying land, OUT OF THE QUESTION!

The biggest chunk of private residential property I've ever seen was when I was building a house up in Tewksbury, and to give you an idea of the land costs in that area, Tom Selleck owns a house there. EXPENSIVE. The only reason this guy could afford to build that house was because his Steel Manufacturing Plant went under and he got a huge windfall with his insureance, for the second time in almost as many years.

ANYway, how much did the land go for?

 

[DaveStebbins]

With kids and livestock, you might want to take a pointer from my sister and brother-in-law. Their kids were 5 and 7 years old when they got their first cow. They named it Mr. Steaks so the kids would know what to expect and not get too attached to it as a pet.

I always thought that was a cool idea.

Good luck, the place looks awesome! I hope it turns into everythings you've always dreamed of.

 

[Ashwyn]

Congratulations!

 

[Silver Moon]

Sounds familiar. Kriskrafts and I raise sheep. We only own two acres, so we keep the flock to a small manageable number, which means the kids are now used to the fact that several go into the freezer every year. A few, however, are more like pets and the kids actually take them for walks using dog collars and leashes.