Downsizing PHASE II or When the heck did we get all this stuff?

Phase I was moving into the smaller house.
Phase II involved several long talks with my husband and  three type written pages of lists.

List one: Things that can go now.

List two: Things to give to my son and his family.

List three: Things to give to my daughter and her family.

List four: Things that we will need to sell later - still using them or just not ready to part with stuff. You know we might need it. This will be Phase III

After all the list making was completed and carefully reviewed and cussed and discussed I spent several hours posting the things we either don't need, don't use or just can't see how we will ever be able to fit it into an apartment when Brian gets into Vet School - the things on list one.

Then I spent the better part of today answering emails and returning phone calls and answering the door.

Gotta love Craig's List. :^)

Most of our horse stuff is gone. The compressor and tools are gone.
I'd list everything that's still here but I'm tired of typing. So if you're curious go to craigslist.org and pull up Bloomington, Indiana. Look under Farm and Garden, Tools and Arts & Crafts. You'll know the stuff is ours because we are the only people who list Bean Blossom as our location. LOL

Maybe you'll find a treasure!

You are either moving forward or going backward....

...but you just can't stand still or as my Daddy always said "Piss or get off the pot."

So here we are with horses, pigs, cows, ducks, rabbits, chickens, sheep, pigs, guineas and turkeys. And Brian in school full time to become a vet. And I'm working full time. So tough decisions have to be made and followed through on. I hate letting any animals go, but we have to get the chores down to something that doesn't cause stress and anxiety every day.
We've decided to sell the Haflingers - Bonnie and Clyde. And our milk cow, Hazel and her heifer calf, Gaia. Some of the sheep have gone to live at my son's. Some of the sheep are going to be going to the processor for meat.
We've already sold most of our RW's. We are keeping just 3 sows and 1 boar.  We'll still have plenty of RW pork for sale.
We are cutting down the chickens to just my mom's Auraucanas and my Buckeyes - minus all but 2 roosters. So we will have eggs available.  All of the broilers will be in the freezer by mid September. 
The ducks and guineas are self sufficient so they are staying.
The bunnies are no bother & they are Kacie's project, so they get a reprieve. 
The turkeys will be gone when we get close to the holidays - Yummy pasture raised main dishes you know!

I think I am the saddest to see Hazel and Gaia go. Hazel is so kind and gentle. Even Brian,  who has little affinity for cows, loves Hazel. She is the undisputed queen of the barn. Gaia is the princess and will be a great milk cow when she grows up. It's hard to sell a baby you bottle fed from 3 days old. :^( 
If you know anyone who needs a great cow or a sweet heifer, give them our number. 812-521-1063

 We need to simplify our lives as well, so much of our accumulated hoard must go.

Our new motto is: "When in doubt throw it out." (or sell it or give it away). The most frequently asked question: "Have you used____ in the last 6 months? Can you honestly say you will use it in the next 6 months?" If the answer is no... it must go!

So far we've sold off our pony cart and a walk behind sickle bar mower. We have a manure spreader, several hay wagons and hay wagon undercarriages with wheels and a horse drawn passenger wagon with double harness for sale.

Next we'll be clearinf our the garages. Then it's the house.

We are looking at ways to simplify our daily chores as well. We've created 5 gallon self feeders for the chickens and float controlled self waterers for them as well. We bought miles (actually several hundred feet) of garden hose so we can more easily water hogs and cattle.

Long term we will be reducing the size of the garden and increasing the intensity of the gardening.

I admit there are several things that fail the question test, but I refuse to give up my spinning wheel, loom and kiln. I just can't admit I'll never have time for them again.

All this sorting and moving is depressing but at the same time liberating. I just wish we were already done with it. :^)