Covered Pines
Andrea & I purchased Covered Pines in the Fall of 2007 after years of heartbreaking pursuit.  When we finally got our hands on this property, it had been foreclosed on and abandoned for over a year and a half.  It has been quite a chore getting the property back to a respectable appearance.  It will continue to be a major project bringing this 8 acre property back to the beautiful place it once was.
We have three beautiful children that we are raising here at Covered Pines.  Our oldest daughter is in college.  She has more of an interest in Andrea's exotic birds (i.e. umbrella cockatoos, cockatiels, love birds, eclectus parrots, ect.) than the larger animals. Our 10 year old daughter has a deep compassion for all animals and can be found doing her homework in the barnyard or by the pond with the cows.  Telling her teacher that the dog ate her homework would not be a stretch by any means.  That brings us to our
6 year old son.  He is usually trying to catch something (tadpoles, chipmunks, fish, etc.) or shoot something with his BB gun or run over something with the four wheeler or the kubota tractor. He does have a fondness for the chickens and pigs, and he is usually the one who gathers the eggs and catches the chickens.
Although we only have 8 acres here at Covered Pines, we have learned to utilize the land to allow us to raise a wide variety of animals.  We currently have 3 pigs,  5 guineas, 3 rabbits, several chickens, exotic birds, dogs, cats, and of course our cattle.  I pasture our cattle at a friends house to cut down on the expense of feeding hay year round.  I'll bring the cattle home from time to time to keep the limited pasture down, but take them back for the majority of the spring, summer and early fall.  In the winter I  feed hay and supplement with grain or protein tubs.  I love having the cows at home, but without David's (our friend) acreage, it would be difficult to raise our cattle. 
Our purpose in owning Covered Pines is to:
                                     Teach Our Children:
                                                                       - where food really comes from (not Wal-mart)
                                                                       - to have strong work ethics
                                                                       - to establish an appreciation and fondness for animals
                                        Have A Stress Relief From Our Real Jobs
                                        Establish Strong Family Bonds Through Our Farming Activities
                                        Give Our Children a Safe Place To Roam and Play
                                        Promote the Lowline Breed of Cattle