A big THANK YOU to everyone who has sent in their photographs and stories. I hope by sharing other people’s pictures and stories here on One Hundred Dollars a Month we can all learn something new. This is a guest post from my friend JJ’s son Jonathan.
Our property is made up of five acres, four of which could be cow food (that’s in the process of being fenced in so it can be cow food), an area for pigs, chickens, and sheep, a garden, and a barn. Oh, and a house.
My dad and I spent all last summer building fence for the animals, mostly by hand. When I say “mostly by hand,” I mean we dug the first half of our holes with a shovel, digging iron, and a post-hole-digger.
Talk about sweating-there was not a hole that went by where I was not daydreaming about an icy river! And then we dug the rest of the holes with a mini excavator that made a not-so-mini hole to fill back up again.
Even though it was a back-breaking, sweat-soaking job, it was well worth all the time and hard work we put in to it. You see, I can look out the window and say to awestruck guests, “Those perfectly straight posts were put in by my own hands. See those crooked posts? Those are my dad’s.”
My sister is in charge of the chickens and sheep. The chickens were not always my sister’s. They used to belong to my parents’, but Dad didn’t like to take care of them. Anyway, my sister, who loves animals, wanted them. If she took care of the chickens, buying feed for them and giving them water, she could sell the eggs to Mom and keep the money. Smart, huh?
We also have a fairly good-sized garden, big enough for 20 tomato plants, 15 long rows of corn, a giant bush of red raspberries, ten plants of zucchini, (ten more than I’ll ever need), cucumbers, several pepper plants, and a bunch of other things. You might think that since we have a big garden we love to garden… well, if that’s what you think, you’re wrong! Mom doesn’t enjoy it, Dad thinks it is a waste of time, my siblings throw fits when they hear they have to pick even just one onion, and I start muttering “things” when I have to weed the strawberries. All in all, we don’t like to garden.
“But, then,” you ask, “why in the world do you garden if you don’t like it!?” Well, a garden is cost effective—it’s like growing money, but in veggies. It’s a good way to learn discipline through hard work and perseverance. Furthermore, garden produce is healthier and tastier because it’s fresh since all the fruits and veggies you could ever want are just a few feet away from the kitchen table. I guess I just like the giving of the garden, not the energy that goes in to it. Sorry garden lovers, try not to judge me too much.
I just know you are probably dying to know more about me and what I do, right? Right. Well, I work with my dad doing construction, building shelves, tearing out kitchens, putting on roofs, and digging holes. I just finished my first solo project, a storage shed for my uncle from scratch. It was the most educating and fun outdoor project I have ever done.
I love to listen to music (which is what I am doing while writing this), everything from classical to modern pop, and even country. I am in a treble choir so I have to sing in falsetto. It’s actually a lot of fun. Finally, I want to be a paramedic someday. As soon as I turn sixteen I hope to get my EMT training, the first step in meeting my goal. And that’s me in a nutshell (a small one, mind you).
~Johnathan
If you would like to have your garden, chicken coop or something you’ve made featured on One Hundred Dollars a Month, here’s what I’m looking for:
- Your Garden Pictures and Tips – I’d especially like to see your garden set ups, growing areas, and know if you are starting seeds indoors this year. If so, show me some picture of how you are going about it.
- Your Chicken and Chicken Related Stories – Coops, Chicks, Hen’s, Roosters, Eggs, you name it. If it clucks, send us some pictures to share with the world.
- Cool Arts & Crafts – Made from your very own hands with detailed {and well photographed} pictures and instructions.
- Your pictures and stories about your pets. The more pictures and details the better.
- Garage Sale, Thrift Store and Dumpster Diving pictures and the stories behind the treasures you found including how much you paid for them.
If I feature your pictures and the stories behind them on One Hundred Dollars a Month, I will send you a $20.00 gift card to the greatest store in the world: Amazon.com.
Go HERE for the official rules.
jamie says
Love this! I was 2/3 through reading it before I realized it was your friend Jennifer’s son. I love her blog too, but it was great to see their life through different eyes!
Tammy says
This post is totally awesome! Thanks for sharing!
Tracy L. says
Favorite garden post to date! Love the pictures and your honest writing Johnathan.
Jane says
This has been one of my favorite garden-guest posts, too. I love the honesty, Jonathan. You are a breath of fresh air (just like your mother). 🙂
Tamara says
Ditto! And Jonathan, you are quite the writer yourself!
Kathy says
Nice job, Jonathan! I’ll be sure to share this with Isaac. 🙂 He has wondered sometimes if he’d like to be an EMT, and I’m sure he will be interested to know how that goes for you.
Jessica says
Jonathan! Good work on the shed! I follow your mom’s blog regularly, I love the adventures you and your siblings have! Keep up the great work!
Mrs. Chow says
This was a fantastic post! I loved it! You should seriously consider writing as a hobby or a way to earn extra money – you write better than a lot of grown ups!
Candy C says
Really enjoyed reading this and your style of writing. It was as if you were talking right to me. Might want to consider writing someday…articles, blog, etc. My daughter earns quite a bit of fun money writing articles as a side. Keep writing every day even if in a journal.
Camille says
SO much fun that you had Jennifer’s son as a guest post writer here, Mavis!! Way to go, Johnathan for sharing your perspective on hobby farm life! It made me smile…keep writing! 🙂 Camille
janet says
Well written and I enjoy your honesty. Great job on the shed!
Victoria says
Maybe Jonathan should consider blogging…I thought he did a great job, it was informative, entertaining and well written. I as totally surprised to find out how young he was and I enjoyed his garden entry probably more than any of the others (and I liked all of them!). Great job Jonathan and thanks for posting it Mavis!
Sharon Norvell says
Wow. This has been one of my favorite posts. Thank you for sharing! I feel the same way about gardening, as well.
Lisa Millar says
This was a great post! Am laughing so much about the lack of love for gardening!! Considering it looks like such an amazing garden space!!
I loved the feet photo! I am always posting photos of my grotty feet on facebook for my friends and family to admire! (Pretty sure they appreciate it)
Fantastic ambitions too – my husband is a nurse and I have friends who are paramedics… amazing people that we couldn’t do without!
Thanks for the great read and photos!!
Darlene says
Loved Johnathan’s post! It was great to read his side of life after reading his mom’s blog. Wonderful!
Darlene says
Perhaps The Girl or Monkey Boy will post?!?!
Erin M says
I loved this post. Does Jonathan have a blog? I would follow him in a heart beat!!
Pam says
Hubby and I started out doing those fence post holes by hand too. Then we invested in a PTO and auger for the tractor. Best money we ever spent.
Jenn in Indiana says
Did I miss something? Who is Jennifer and her blog? It sounds like I need to be in the know!
Mavis Butterfield says
The link to Jennifer’s blog is at the top of the post.
Kathy says
You rock Jonathan. If I had a son, I would want him just like you.