I own land again!

[Kathy]

Well, I am now the proud owner of 10 acres with power at the road in Ft. Stockton, TX! ;D I'm 68 miles west of Odessa,TX and less than 100 miles south of Carlsbad Caverns, NM. Marfa,TX is about 80 miles south west of my land and that's the home of the mysterious Marfa Lights.

I know it's not TN but land prices were so high here and I have lived in TX before and loved it.

So there's going to be a lot of new situations to get information about. Gardening in a desert like area will be one of the main ones. I'm used to starting plants in the late winter/early spring and now I'll be doing more winter gardening.
I'm aware of the water situation and I've been researching water collection methods-rainwater as well as dew.

Over the next year, I'll be learning how to recognize all of the new plant life-which ones are good to keep and which is on the list of those that need to go.

The critters out there will be different also; jackrabbits, roadrunners, ,mule deer, bird life, ringtail cats and of course the full range of snakes and bugs. ;D

But for a rock lover/geology buff this is a dream come true. And it's mine-paid in full!

We're going out in April for my birthday and also the Rock and Gemstone show!

With a little luck and a lot of planning, I'll be spending my 2007 birthday on my own land. ;D

Here's a couple pics of the town area:

[Deleted]

YEA!!!! That's really good news!!! Glad to know you made it to the post office and bank and back alright...heehee. I am really happy for you girl!

[Deleted]

Great roadrunner! And congratulations!



Your pictures made me miss the wide open spaces in Texas. When I first moved east after living in TX, I felt a little claustrophobic because I couldn't see past the trees.

I hope everything works out for you. Enjoy your land and your new scenery!

/VM

[dlangland]

Good for you, Kathy. Deb ;D

[bbird]

Wow!! I'm so happy for you. ;D I could tell in your post that you missed having acreage. It will be exciting to hear how you plan, and live on your new property.

Congratulations

[Kathy]

Thanks everyone! I think after I get out there in April, I'm going to start a thread called Kathys Great Adventure! ;D Post pics, plans and progress-it might help someone else who chooses the raw land route.

Now you all know why I've been asking about travel trailers and other unusual questions for someone living in an apartment!

I didn't want to say much until the deed was in my name-now it is so I can share my good news.

[auntieemu]

Well, this accounts for some of your questions .............. Glad for you both. This should be an interesting saga. Does the place have water for a well?

[Kathy]

I figured some of you wondered what the heck was fueling those questions.

Yup, there's water in the area but it's less abundant than here. Average yearly rainfall is 11-16".
The area farms all have drilled wells(approx 150-200') and that's the route we'll go too but I still hope to use the rainwater catchment for part of our animal & plant watering. ;D

[painteddaisy]

Congratulations !!! (((((HUGS))))) That is such happy news !!!
I've never owned land but I can sure imagine how squirrely you must be getting in that apartment! I hope your move goes very well, keep us posted.

[angiem2]

FAntastic Kathy.. ... one of these days I may have some property, if only a house on an acre. But I can wait.

I'll be looking forward to your adventure.

Angie

[bobclark]

congrats!! owning land is the only thing that keeps me halfway sane. Im sure you will love it there .

If there is anything I can do to help let me know.

[bergere]

Outstanding!! Am so very happy for you Kathy.
I spent 4 years in San Diego,, learned a few things about gardening in really dry areas! If you have questions I will try my best to answer them!

[Kathy]

Here's a pic just down the road-TX FM 1450 from my place! Now I have a great excuse for that new camera!! ;D
Thanks for all the offers, I don't think we'll need physical help but you're all invited to come for a true Texas BBQ and campout!

Bergere, I may be picking your brains as I start planning for the gardens.

[dirty]

congradulations . how were you able to research and find land so far from where you live?

[Kathy]

I have friends all over the US and a few foreign countries. We had lived in TX about 20 yrs ago and I still have friends in both TX and NM.

When we started looking at what we wanted for our 'golden years', as much as I love snow and cold-that isn't practical for us since Tom has arthritis and a serious aversion to the cold. ;D

And we knew we wanted somewhere with rocks-I make natural mineral & gemstone jewelry and prefer local stones. If nothing else, I'll have plenty of stones-that area is known for it's agates and other semi precious stones.
Also, we wanted a place that wouldn't require a mortgage-been there, done that and I don't want to get back into a mortgage situation since we're in our 50's. No zoning and few neighbors was just icing on the land cake!

Through the years our house sizes have successively been getting smaller and it's working out ok. So now; we'll build a place that fits our needs but won't need a bank. Simple, energy efficient and paid for-it doesn't get any better than that! ;D Right now, the house that I'm thinking about would be less than 900 sq ft.

My first priority is to get the invasive plants under control. Then it will be getting the gardens, orchard and water system in place since we can be building as the orchard grows and the garden is producing.

We talked and since we're still relatively rugged, doing the heaviest, hardest work first made sense while we're still in the best health.
Building the house won't take nearly the amount of sheer strength that cleaning up 10 acres, building raised beds, getting orchards established and fencing will require. Plus if it comes to it, we can hire help with the heaviest part of house construction but getting someone to clean up only specific native plants or fencing would be harder. ;D

[bobclark]

I wish I knew you were looking for land kathy. there is 20 ac. right next to me that you could have got.

Im shopping for a neibor

would enyone else be looking for land?

[Kathy]

bob, I would have loved to be your neighbor! I sure hope my new neighbors are nice.

I'll make sure I let anyone who's looking for land know about the property next to yours.

[Deleted]

I just saw this thread....

Congrats Kathy!!! I can't wait till I have a place like that again. I know you'll love it there!!!



[glow=purple,2,300]Kaza [/glow]

[nappy]

Guess I was in my own little world and didn't notice this thread either. Best wishes to you, Kathy, in this new adventure. I was wondering about the travel trailer thread and had thought about responding to it as this is a possibility for hubby and I. We were unable to sell our property last year and now have second thoughts about leaving it. With some soul searching and financial adjustments we've found a way to get to warmer weather in the winter which is our main goal. We own a 5th wheel and an appropriate size truck to pull it so next winter we'll be going south to ?

Nappy

[Kathy]

Well nappy, once I get my place together a bit-you'll have a nice warm winter spot to visit in the winter!
Two weeks ago it was already 85 degrees in Ft. Stockton ! ;D

There's lots of flea markets and natural wonders in the area, including the Marfa Lights!

I really do hope some of my online friends will come down/over and visit.

Kaza, maybe once your kids are out on their own; you'll consider a nice warm southern destination for your next homestead. Land is much cheaper and you don't have a lot of neighbors. Of course you'd have to turn in your long undies for tank tops & shorts.