As a child, I had taken many trips out to northern Louisiana to visit relatives. As a city boy born and raised in southern California, it was my first exposure to country life, and I loved it. But back then, it didn’t occur to me that I’d live here someday.
It’s strange how God works sometimes, isn’t it?
Yet, my fiancé, Doni Anthony, and I wound up moving here in April, fulfilling a dream we had since shortly after we got together.
The Charles family has deep roots in this area going back to the time of slavery and Reconstruction. One of my ancestors who had been enslaved managed to work hard enough to buy his freedom in South Carolina before making the trek out here to establish a new life.
As a kid, I remember coming out here and learning how to fish. I learned firsthand about Southern hospitality and friendliness. I remember my dad driving my mom and me down a country road when people walking on the road began waving at us as we passed by.
“Do you know those people?” my mom asked.
“No, that’s just how people are out here. They wave,” my dad replied.
It was here that I shot my first gun, a .22 rifle that belonged to my late grandfather. Now, as an adult, I use this same firearm to protect our chickens.
Yes, we have chickens. More on that later.
Alright...time to fire this rifle for the first time in over 30 years!
— Jeff Charles, Doni's St. Bernard🏴 (@jeffcharlesjr) April 4, 2024
Let me know what you think! pic.twitter.com/ugQM0d6MV1
There are a myriad of reasons why Doni and I decided to move to a rural area and why this place has been perfect for us. For starters, it’s such a beautiful, quiet, serene place, a far cry from the noise and traffic of city life. It’s also not far from Lake D’Arbonne, one of my favorite places to visit as a child.
To put it simply, it is the most peaceful place I have ever been.
Shortly after moving here, we began our journey as chicken farmers, which is another thing I never thought I would be doing in my adult years. We started with a small batch of pullets, and then we may have gotten a little addicted. We ended up purchasing various breeds, including Rhode Island Reds, Easter Eggers, Blue Stars, and several others.
In fact, many of them have finally begun laying eggs, and we are incubating our first batch right now. Hopefully, they will hatch soon.
Good night, what color is this egg to you? pic.twitter.com/6Mm4wdkzgB
— Doni 🤓🏴🏴☠️ (@DoniTheMisfit) October 22, 2024
Some reviews have come in about our eggs...storytime....🥰🥚#CoopNSeethe https://t.co/i1ji4EgJvM pic.twitter.com/yLfE8xYDfe
— Doni 🤓🏴🏴☠️ (@DoniTheMisfit) October 16, 2024
This little peep has grown so much in only 3 to 4 weeks.
— Jeff Charles, Doni's St. Bernard🏴 (@jeffcharlesjr) July 12, 2024
Chickens are defiitely some fast growers.
And she's still a brat.
😂🤣😂🤣#CluckAroundAndFindOut pic.twitter.com/U251kQhBXL
We recently got two new additions to the family as well – two of the most adorable puppies on this planet. When they grow up, they will be instrumental in protecting our flock from predators and other threats – at least the ones I don’t shoot.
BREAKING: Doni and I have some new additions to the family.
— Jeff Charles, Doni's St. Bernard🏴 (@jeffcharlesjr) October 16, 2024
Meet Leia (white and brown) and Luna.
They will be the Guardians of the Chicken Galaxy!
Aren't they adorable? pic.twitter.com/ok2GbsIbnt
Leia and Luna wanted to say, "Hi."#CutestPuppiesInTheWorld pic.twitter.com/0yZV9ZEacn
— Jeff Charles, Doni's St. Bernard🏴 (@jeffcharlesjr) October 23, 2024
We just started a Substack called “Coop and Seethe,” on which we will post content related to chicken farming and liberty – which go hand in hand.
In the future, we will also get into raising other types of livestock and gardening, which brings me to my next point.
One of the primary reasons why we chose to live in rural Louisiana is because we wish to become more self-sufficient while living further away from areas where the government is more intrusive in everyday life. We are not the only ones. While I would not yet call us “preppers,” this is the direction we are headed, as are millions of other Americans.
As fears over post-election violence and disasters such as the COVID-19 pandemic are increasing, we decided it makes more sense to live in an area where we would be less affected by these types of occurrences. Again, we are not the only ones. I wrote an article discussing this last month. Become a VIP subscriber so you can read it!
More Americans are seeking to become more self-sufficient and less reliant on the government or major corporations for their security and safety. It won’t be surprising to see millions more doing the same as we are.
All in all, we couldn’t be happier. We live in a small town with a close-knit community and have already made plenty of friends. Escaping the hustle and bustle of city life is one of the best decisions we have made thus far, and there will be plenty more stories to tell as we travel this path. In the end, liberty is the goal. The more self-sufficient we are, the more liberty we will have. This will be the first of several pieces I will write documenting our experiences in rural America.
At a time when federal and state governments are expanding and becoming more tyrannical, liberty-loving Americans will have to seek out ways to insulate themselves from the inevitable consequences. Part of fighting for liberty for all is living these values ourselves however we can. I, for one, am looking forward to what the future might bring.
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