I kind of hope that Gunny finds this thread, joins the site, and chimes in. I'd love to hear his recollection of that day, LOL!

I probably wasn't a good fit for the structured nature of the Marines - especially as an Officer. My father was an old school Marine, and I remembered him enough to know better. I lacked the maturity needed at that time, but looking back I still feel a sense that I missed a great adventure and my chance to serve.

Yeah, I didn't see anything like that! That would've been pretty exciting.

Sounds like your weekends are booked solid with farm work. I don't think you could take a vacation if you wanted to.

The Officer Selection Officer never once mentioned the incident. I believe the gunny was incentivized to get Candidates through the screening process and into OCS so I doubt he mentioned it.

Our weekends have literally been sun-up to sun-down. No exaggerations.

We can't vacation because of the chickens (and future sheep and goats). We have to be around to ensure they have safe drinking water, the electric fence is protecting them, etc.

You'd be surprised what sort of mischief chickens can find. We've had them fly over the fence and get stuck in bushes, eaten by coyotes, one had his head stuck in the little container we carry the eggs in (we couldn't catch him so just around backwards with a tiny bucket stuck on his head), one will get outside the wire and then freak about because it can see the other chickens through the fence. ALL SORTS OF MAYHEM happens when they do this.

Owning 26 chickens is a lot of entertainment (in addition to work).

Our biggest problem to date has been: we're trying to complete 5-10 years worth of work in two years. We are also doing everything on a "beyond hobbyist scale". For example, we currently have 34 fruit trees. 34 x $30 + 12 dead = A LOT OF TIME AND MONEY! As an architect, I'm pretty uptight about everything looking a certain way. This means EVERYTHING is laid out in the field with equipment and measured to the 1/8th.

THE ANAL RETENTION ISSUE HAS CHANGED WITH TIME!

Its odd how you start to realize there are a lot of things you can obsess over that don't really matter. For example, we spend days design (in CAD) and then laying out (in the field) our orchard. Guess what...trees are NOT perfectly straight. They are bent, gnarled and grow unevenly.

Yes, I had chickens when I was growing up. We just kept them as pets really. They foraged for their food and drank from the horse troughs. The only work we really had to do was keep the coyotes away and cull some roosters from time to time.

I can relate to the way architects see things. My father-in-law is a retired NASA engineer and he is the exact same way.

He not only frustrates himself, but everyone else too!

He bought the plans for his house from a homebuilder in the late seventies and built the house himself with some help from his brothers. The only work he didn't do was pour the slab. Way overbuilt. The wall studs are 2x6's. It's about a 3000sf 2 story home.

After seeing your "List" I can't believe Y'all got all that in just 11 acres. Well actually less than that counting the house and barn and any other outbuildings you have.

Seeing how you've got things laid out I bet you could design one heck of a "Country Town".

And again, thank you so much for sharing your journey with us. Just reading about it and specially seeing the pictures is relaxing and calming. Haha and I am sure you're saying WHAT calming and relaxing!

Gary, Can't you just clip the feathers (On only one wing) to keep the Chickens from flying off? OR would that put them in to much danger of not being able to "Escape" if need be?