I'm finally a land owner!

[pgmrdan]

I've posted here before but it has been a few months. I thought I'd say HI again and say that we are now landowners.

Been living in residential areas of Iowa 11 years but I haven't felt like an Iowan until less than 2 days ago. Since signing a contract back in July we were finally able to close on our land Thursday night. Now I'm no longer a Missourian in Iowa. I'm an Iowan. (I still love and miss Missouri though.)

In south central Iowa we bought 20 acres of mostly hay fields with some timber and a small field that's gone wild.

Since we're going to build a house on the northeast corner of the property I'd like to buy another 10 acres from the neighbor east of us so we'll have a good amount of land on each side to act as a buffer in case someone wants to build closer to us.

Now I'll need to start running some fence along the new property line. I also have a list of other things to do. I'm going to need (OK, want) a tractor for some of the heavier chores - snow removal, hauling firewood, making a garden, landscaping, etc.

Anyway, we're going to have a house built there in the Spring of 2006 and finally move out of town. Until then I'm going to go play...er, uh, work out there at every opportunity. I can't wait!

Dan

[John *.?-!.* cub owner]

Congratulations. my wife and I were both raised on farms. The most unhappy times of our lives were when we lived in town for 2 1/2 years. It was a town of 200 people, and we had great neighbors with a corn field joining our back yard, but it was still to crowded. I guess since you finally got some land we'll forgive you for leaving Mo., but you'll still be a transplanted Missourian. LOL

[beaconlight]

Dan why the fence? To keep animals in or animals out. Two of the best ways I know for new neighbors to seem unfriendly to existing neighbors is fences and posted signs. People many times tend to feel (what did i do to him/ and well if they are that unfriendly) I know that i am over stating it but it can make questions. Then you have the other side of the coin as I did. bought 40 acres 20 years ago from one of the neighbors Jim an old farmer cutting back. We had an agreement that he could farm, pasture or hay the place. If it helped him good and it kept me from having to worry about it going up to brush. 5 years later I got a call from the Jim, Bill you have to post the place. If you can't get up I'll do it for you.
You know in your heart and soul that some thing is radically wrong at this juncture. Jim, whats the matter. Kids, (from one of the colleges are partying down there) I wondered soooo, Jim continued there has been some shooting down there at night. Of course it was I'll be right up, and remember Jim you have use of the land so treat it as if you were the tenent. Run any one off you wish, call the sheriff or what ever else. I got a shock when he responded I'll have the troopers on them. ( didn't know that he had family on the state police and uncle Jim was their favorite uncle). Took a couple of days off from work went up and Jim had it posted before I got there.
Thewre is always an extra burden on the new guy. rightly or wrongly. I visited neighboring farmers when jim no longer used the fields and offered them the use. Didn't get any takers till I smartened up enough to offer the use for rent. Of course it was $1.00 a year in cash in advance. Then it was ok. Farming is kind of dying out in my part of Deleware County but one of the Neighbors asked to run sheep in one field. He needed a little more pasture. He fenced it. People in the neighbor hood started to talk till they saw the sheep. Then it was OK. Beverly and I feel right at home and are invited to visit when in the country but we do our share too of trying to fit in.
Another time I visited a dairy. This guy milked at strange times but it worked for him. After a few mins Dan said I have to milk and then fix the spring to clean up. He had a spring boxed and pumped to the house and barn. My friend Mike and I went to the spring and found a problem with the coupling between the motor and the pump. We went to town bought one and installed it before Danny was finished milking. Things like that help people see what you are made of and the good feeling continues into your other contacts in a new place.
Long winded but you get what I am driving at. Do you want to be a neighbor or that city guy down the road?
Bill

[pgmrdan]

The place was previously a horse farm. The male owner got a job out of state so he and his wife moved and put the place up for sale. We're buying a portion of the place that's just bare land. New owners that are buying the house, buildings, and remaining acreage are moving in this January. They're horse owners too. We're not.

I'm putting in fence posts next to each surveyor's stake to establish the property boundary before the new owners move in.

"Good fences make good neighbors." as the old saying goes and I believe it.

Once they move in I'll talk to the folks to get a feeling for whether they are going to graze the fields or hay them. Then we'll either put in a complete fence or maybe even take the new posts down if I feel that I can trust them. Right now I think we'll probably fence the 1/4 mile property line in the spring. Plus I have another 1/2 mile of fence that is in need of repair. That'll keep me busy.

[Dale51]

They're horse owners too. We're not.

Good luck with them some are the salt of the earth.
We have some that are ????? they ask us not to hunt or land so there horses would not get rilled up by gun fire.
This was during deer season????



I'm putting in fence posts next to each surveyor's stake to establish the property

That is a smart thing to do then you know where the lines are for the rest of your time on earth.



"Good fences make good neighbors." as the old saying goes and I believe it.

??????

If your saying to make sure they stay on their own land then
your back to being the city boy in the country.

[pgmrdan]

"If your saying to make sure they stay on their own land then
your back to being the city boy in the country."

Nope, I'm not saying that at all.

I'm aware of country etiquette and protocol. I also know that just like in the city, out in the country you have nice people and not-so-nice people. You aren't issued a halo when you buy a place in the country.

Friendly neighbors will always be allowed to cross my land and if they ask, they'll be allowed to hunt on it too. I plan on asking for permission to hunt on my neighbors' lands.

I just want the new owners of the adjoining land to know that I know where their land ends and mine begins. That's all a fence or row of fence posts means to me.

I'm a nice guy but I'm not a push-over.

BTW:We've already told a couple of guys that they can keep haying the place after we've bought it. No charge. They seem like nice people.

[RedNed]

Dan,Good luck with your new property.In the movie "Field of Dreams".What did Shoeless Joe Jackson say. By the way, cubs love Iowa.

[pgmrdan]

Since we plan on building our house on the new property in the Spring of 2006, this new addition (born 11 hours ago) to the family ought to be able to enjoy the new place. She's our first grandchild.

[beaconlight]

Congrats Grandpa. To Grandma & Mommy & Daddy too.

Bill

[Bigdog]

Congratulations Gramps! Better go find a cub for that little girl and start restoring it now.

[beaconlight]

How you doing Dan? How was the winter? We haven't heard from you in a while.

Bill

[pgmrdan]

Still doing fine.

Grandaughter is just over 5 months old now and is doing very well.

Been working on the land a little bit this spring. Took down some old barbed wire fencing and took out the fence posts along about 1/8 mile frontage. (1/2 mile of barbed wire rolled up waiting to be disposed of.) Cleaned dead trees out of the ditch along the road.

I almost have the wife talked into letting us raise a few head of cattle once we get moved onto the place.

I flush turkeys every time I walk the place.

We're still planning. Next we need to choose a builder to put up a house.