Back up homestead & livestock caretakers

[Kathy]

When I lived on the WI homestead, I had a local teenage farm kid who was my back up. He knew how to care for all of my animals including the goats. ;D His family owned a 200 cow dairy as well as having pigs, chickens & horses.

I didn't have that same back up in KY and it sure made life more restricted. Truthfully every time I left the farm even to go to the store; I was aware that there was no one to care for the critters if I got in an accident.

Do you have a back up caretaker for all of lifes unplanned events as well as vacation trips, funerals & medical appointments?? If you're using your older children at this point, who are you thinking about using once the kids move on to college, marriage or other locations?

[Deleted]

We have no backups, and during the summer it's not so bad, but in winter, I worry every time we have to go shopping. You never know when a snowstorm is going to shut down the freakin' highway, and then that's it - they won't let you through. So we tend to overshop in the beginning of winter, just in case we dare not go to the store during questionable weather.

Remember, shopping for us is an 8 to 9 hour ordeal, what with the driving time and all the places we have to stop at to get things. So I'm ALWAYS in a hurry on shopping day, because I don't like to leave the dogs in the house that long. In winter everything is worse, and takes longer, so I worry twice as much, and try to hurry twice as fast. Poor Rich...

~Lannie

[bergere]

Had back ups at the old farm, though we rarely went anywhere.

Don't have any back ups here.
We make sure they are safe as can be, if we have to go shopping or such for the day.