22 Acres and a Chicken Coop

We are in the midst of deciding whether we should weather it out going over Bozeman Pass every day in the winter, or move closer to Bozo or Belgrade.  We love living in Livingston.  We know almost everyone and have good friends here.  L-Town is a cool little Montana town and quirky as hell.  We have cowboys, neon lights on old buildings and wind.

We love our house.  It's got its issues but it has character and we started our life together here.  We are outgrowing it because both of us love to collect things.  Jeff brings home these pieces of electronic equipment and is happy as a pig in dirt.   I can tinker with it he says.  And it sits wherever he has put it, and gathers dust.  I try to make sure his electronic toys remain in the man cave. We definitly deserve each other but we are outgrowing this house.

All Jeff has to do is mention something, and I'm on it.  Mention moving and I get excited about a new place to put my stuff.  Yet, this time I haven't felt that excited about moving until I found it.  An ad for a house up Trail Creek (Crick) Road.  22 acres and a chicken coop.  Then my heart started racing.  I'm in Montana, this is how it should be.  22 acres and a chicken coop.  And horses.  Maybe some goats.  A couple more dogs wouldn't hurt either.

The house sounds like it is primarily off the grid and was built by the people who own it.  Woodstoves to heat, propane to cook and heat water, a spring and a well.  I didn't think to ask whether they have electricity up there.  Maybe I shouldn't assume.  I want to live Montana, but I do like electricity.  Half mile of unmaintained dirt road to the house.  The owner told me it wasn't so bad in the winter; you have to have 4 wheel drive, and drive over it enough, and you're good to go.  I asked her if the driveway was on a slope and she said not much of one.  I think I am a bit worried about that 1/2 mile of dirt road in the winter.

None of this makes good sense for us and we both know it.  But I love the idea of 22 acres and a chicken coop and a house that's heated by wood stoves.  She said they don't have any curtains up because they are at least a mile from anything and who wouldn't want to scare the critters on a nightly basis?  There would be critters:  bear, mountain lion, elk, moose.  Big critters.

22 acres and a chicken coop.  I could do this.