We visited or first homestead (not counting the one that we are currently staying in) last night. Ruellen and Carl were a couple who has kept full time
jobs as an RN and a Microbiology teacher but had managed to build a house, and addition, a barn, two sheds and a cob house (well that was mostly the sons initiative) along with
maintain an acre of orchard in cultivation and an acre of garden under cultivation while still maintaining this homestead. Over the years they have kept
chickens (which were nearly all eaten), a cow Matilda (but they had wrist problems and could not maintain the milking) and pigs (which they fed the milk by products from the cow so
when they gave away the cow they gave away the pigs we assume). They had sixty acres altogether most of it was wooded area on a ridge near Belmont, Indiana ion Brown County near Nashville, IN which
is the most hilly and wooded region in all of Indiana that I have seen thus far. They have a very friendly German Shepard named Tucker and a pile of wood in front of their house about 15 feet tall. They have
the most out of control kiwi';s I have ever seen, a hardy Kiwi variety that apparently tastes like the food of the Gods and takes down trees like any good Chinese does (think Kudzu and the original name of Kiwis is Chinese Gooseberry).
We have a lovely venison meatloaf for dinner and were very grateful for all the great information that they gave us. Thank you Ruellen and Carl!
