Had a 4 hour drive today for an early start to the work week in the morning
Many years ago I wanted to quit my job and ranch for a living.
I was broke and couldn't find a bank that'd loan on land.
I could buy a car or house easy but nobody would loan me money for land. I always thought that was stupid as a car deprecates and a house could be trashed.
I always thought land would have been a safer loan.
Anyway there came up a place for sale that was rough and sandy with poor access that nobody wanted to buy.
The guy owner financed it to me and I was in heaven for awhile.
Then it became too small and I wanted more.
I had some equity now after having this place, equipment and cattle, but nothing was available close to home.
I fiund a place a couple hours from home that I liked and sold the first place.
It wasn't but a couple years of being away from my wife and kids took its toll so I sold it and made a little on it and bought place closer to home, but it became too small.
I wanted to quit my job and ranch for a living.
I got the place bought right and prices for land in the area were on the upswing.
It was a good hunting place so I priced it pretty high.
Finally some hunters and I worked a deal lower than my list price but I come out pretty good.
I now had a little something to work with, for a poor working man that is , so I went shopping.
I still didn't have enough to buy a big place like I wanted but there was a place 7-1/2 hours away that was good sized and it'd carry more cows per acres than where I was. It had a few issues so was priced where it fit my budget.
I pretty much emptied my pockets getting the place but it was a long ways from work and home.
I partnered with my neighbor on some cows. He looked after the day to day things in exchange for grazing his share of the cows.
I liked to have wore out a pickup running back and forth.
I was gone from home all the time and felt like when I was off work I had to be at the ranch.
Things went south at home. The partner deal with my neighbor wasn't working. I couldn't look after cattle and work my job too.
Leasing wouldn't make a dent in the payment.
It needed some water improvements and to buy out a neighbor that bordered it that would connect it to a good county road.
I didn't have what it was going to take to get that done.
I had no choice but to sell it
I justified it in my mind by thinking I do the next one bigger and better.
I looked the world over and didn't find the big ranch I promised myself.
I needed a place to land as I was living pretty hard, so I got a little place with plans of flipping it when a big place came a long or putting several little places together.
Somewhere a long the way I've either become lazy, lost ambition, beat down and defeated. I don't really know.
I've got to where I enjoy not having the responsibility of cattle and making it pay.
The little place doesn't take much of anything. I can hang out, piddle with a few cows, sit in the shade and take it easy.
When it's time for work I can leave with no worries
I'm right back to the way it was when I bought my very first place
I do feel guilty that I failed or given up and quit
Many years ago I wanted to quit my job and ranch for a living.
I was broke and couldn't find a bank that'd loan on land.
I could buy a car or house easy but nobody would loan me money for land. I always thought that was stupid as a car deprecates and a house could be trashed.
I always thought land would have been a safer loan.
Anyway there came up a place for sale that was rough and sandy with poor access that nobody wanted to buy.
The guy owner financed it to me and I was in heaven for awhile.
Then it became too small and I wanted more.
I had some equity now after having this place, equipment and cattle, but nothing was available close to home.
I fiund a place a couple hours from home that I liked and sold the first place.
It wasn't but a couple years of being away from my wife and kids took its toll so I sold it and made a little on it and bought place closer to home, but it became too small.
I wanted to quit my job and ranch for a living.
I got the place bought right and prices for land in the area were on the upswing.
It was a good hunting place so I priced it pretty high.
Finally some hunters and I worked a deal lower than my list price but I come out pretty good.
I now had a little something to work with, for a poor working man that is , so I went shopping.
I still didn't have enough to buy a big place like I wanted but there was a place 7-1/2 hours away that was good sized and it'd carry more cows per acres than where I was. It had a few issues so was priced where it fit my budget.
I pretty much emptied my pockets getting the place but it was a long ways from work and home.
I partnered with my neighbor on some cows. He looked after the day to day things in exchange for grazing his share of the cows.
I liked to have wore out a pickup running back and forth.
I was gone from home all the time and felt like when I was off work I had to be at the ranch.
Things went south at home. The partner deal with my neighbor wasn't working. I couldn't look after cattle and work my job too.
Leasing wouldn't make a dent in the payment.
It needed some water improvements and to buy out a neighbor that bordered it that would connect it to a good county road.
I didn't have what it was going to take to get that done.
I had no choice but to sell it
I justified it in my mind by thinking I do the next one bigger and better.
I looked the world over and didn't find the big ranch I promised myself.
I needed a place to land as I was living pretty hard, so I got a little place with plans of flipping it when a big place came a long or putting several little places together.
Somewhere a long the way I've either become lazy, lost ambition, beat down and defeated. I don't really know.
I've got to where I enjoy not having the responsibility of cattle and making it pay.
The little place doesn't take much of anything. I can hang out, piddle with a few cows, sit in the shade and take it easy.
When it's time for work I can leave with no worries
I'm right back to the way it was when I bought my very first place
I do feel guilty that I failed or given up and quit