Dennis,

My great grandparents arrived here by wagon train, back in the late 1800s and early 1900 to 1906.......just after North Dakota gained statehood.

They came from Germany looking for an opportunity to start up their own farms. They arrived in Wisconsin, via the Great Lakes, where they hooked up with fellow countrymen from Germany, then began their trip out to the Dakota Territory.

They eventually settled in Mohall, North Dakota, which is 10 miles from the Canadian line, in central North Dakota. My grandmother was born in Mohall, as was my father. I was the first of the family to be born in a hospital, also in Mohall.

I've lived in North Dakota my entire life, with the exception of a few years that I spent in the Army, traveling about the country. When my time in the Army was up, I came back to North Dakota. I love the peace and quiet....the freedom....and the low cost of living here. Nothing like spending a day on the lake and rarely seeing another person.

I have 5 acres just outside of Cando, which is 120 miles east of where I was born. My property taxes are 260 dollars per year. Electricity is 10 cents per kWh. Gasoline is $3.22 per gallon, currently.

Propane prices....coupled with our very long winters, can make heating expenses very high, so I took it upon myself to install a wood-burning furnace in the basement. I heat my house and water with free firewood. We have a propane furnace which we use for those days when the wood-burner can't keep up with -30 temps and the wind blowing at 40mph.

We raise 100 chickens each summer, providing most of our meat for the winter. We purchase a whole hog from a local farmer each year, providing us with our pork. Beef is something we have to buy at the local butcher shop.

We also have a 1/3 acre garden, which provides all of our vegetables. We do a lot of canning and freezing. My wife is diligent about making sure we have enough on hand to last through the winter.

I look forward to seeing the stories written by our other members. It's a great way to get to know our members better, and what a great topic for discussion!

Joel

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