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I'll be around here, but keeping up with the farm and both websites takes a bunch of time. I would certainly contribute to a new homesteading thread in honor of granny, if anyone decides to do that. If you hear anything, let me know! And you can always send me a message at the farm website.

And no, for the past two years our temps here in Kansas have been higher than normal in the summer, and rainfall has been lower than normal. I'd rather be in Washington or Oregon, but the politics and homeschooling laws are pretty sucky. Maybe northern Idaho would be my choice. I really don't want to be on a coast, but at least further north the summer temps wouldn't be so bad, so everything wouldn't need as much water. If the summers continue on they way they have here, I just don't see how I can stay long term. We'll see.

Kentucky is so, so beautiful. What made you choose that state?

I've lived in Tennessee and hubby is from South Carolina, and while I love to visit, the southern culture is just too different for me.

Kentucky is so, so beautiful. What made you choose that state?

I've lived in Tennessee and hubby is from South Carolina, and while I love to visit, the southern culture is just too different for me.

Then maybe there's something I need to know before deciding ;) What's the southern culture?

We are looking at a variety of issues and trying to come up with the best compromise. Weather is a biggie, as well as farm/house/acreage prices. Taxes and state politics another, esp gun laws. I've always been from dry areas, Texas and California, and would love to see some green for a change. I mean trees, lots of trees, not just grassland. Pretty terrain, trees and hills, is on the want list. And I'm sick of hot summers also, and especially don't want hot and humid. So, looking at the weather all over the US, esp with my 8500 mile driving trip in August - Texas and Arkansas and Tennesse were out! The weather was miserable, near 100 with 80+% humidity. The highs dropped 10 degrees in KY and VA, making it bearable. VA was by far prettier than KY, along the Blue Ridge Parkway especially, but I don't like how they voted in November! And another concern is the big cities on the coast voting the rest of the state tax increases - we get that all the time here in CA, where the red counties are outvoted by the liberals. I don't want to get in that situation in VA. Idaho was gorgeous - but the winters look pretty bad. Two months of summer will make growing anything difficult as well. I like the independent spirit on WY, MT, and ID - but it seemed too rural, even for me. Long stretches of empty road. Anyway, that's my thinking for now. I want to see Missouri on my next trip out. Oh, and I LOVED Iowa - the farms were so beautiful, like patchwork quilts all over the hills, and the smell in the air was so clean and fresh. Hubby looked up house/farm prices at my insistence. But then - alas, the winter weather there is as bad as Idaho! Who would've thought? But at least, we know things can grow there. But they are wishy-washy as far as their politics go. There is no one perfect place, but anything will be better than CA, so I"m sure we'll be happy enough anywhere else.

Oh, another criteria. I won’t live in any state within 2 or 3 states of the border. All the border states are ruined. The states next to them are close to it. I’d like less diversity and more English spoken!

Oh and rainfall looks good in KY as well. For farming, ya know? And it’s in the center of the country, so it appears the weather is moderated some. Not as bad as more southern states in the summer, not as bad as more northern states in the winter. The counties we’re looking at voted about 70% Republican in the last 2 elections too, with the state going that way as well. The governor and legislature appears to be primarily Republican most of the time. Gun laws are pretty good too. Oh, and people were SO friendly. The nicest of any state that I stopped and spent time in enough to get a feel for it.