Mid-October we moved 15 minutes away to our farm! At first, we were numb. We had prayed and waited for a farm for over 9 years. Now that the numbness is wearing off, we have a lot of work to do. Relocating fence rows. Cleaning out the large red barn and several outbuildings. Planting fall flowers for winter and then to get excited to see blooming in the spring. The list goes on and on. What animals to have during the winter and who to buy when Spring is arriving?
We have all 12 of our grandkids living here in Tennessee. Three of our four children also live here. How exciting it will be to watch them help raise and learn about the animals right along with us.
Looked up Farming for Dummies, we found an obscene amount of books on taking care of goats, chickens, cattle, compost, herb & spices, fruit trees & gardens, mini-farming, hydroponics, growing perennials for food for your livestock.
The home has been redone. Built in 1977, add-on’s, and an abundance of out buildings and the big red farm on 11 acres with a field beside us and in front with an amazing view of Tennessee hills. We fell in love.
Trying to comprehend that we have a farm, I touch my head to see if it is numb. I still feel dazed. Like having someone pinch me because I might be dreaming!
We had, just a week before, been going back and forth on whether we should move to Florida, back to where we raised all of our kids. Get a home. Get a sailboat and learn to sail. Buy more homes, fix them up and rent them out and/or do the airbnb.
Going through the anticipation of inspections- termite, home, then the appraisal, to the closing. We prayed and gave all our worries to the Lord. We felt so refreshed and laughed saying, “We know better.
Best to always pray right away and give our worries and stress to the Lord.” Then we received a text message from our REALTOR!!! It read, “CONGRATULATIONS!!” And then colored confetti fell from the word!
We are newbies, but we are hard workers. We do not give up. We pray together and we are not ashamed to ask people for help and guidance.
We can do this. Then I wake up again, but I am only slightly worried. Our days were numbered before we pack up and move to the farm. We have our work before us. We read books. We watch youtube videos. We walk the farm with our gopro and camera phone. We watch the gopro video at home and continue to discuss what animals go where. Should the garden go here? My microgreens will be in this outbuilding that has a/c and heat. The barn needs a lot of TLC as does the chicken coop. The list and stack of books does not end.
The funny thing is, being a woman, you would think I was wondering where I was going to put all my furniture? But, I have become so preoccupied with the outside, and whether our cat will eat the chickens or run under my feet like always and I fall? What kind of dog is the absolute very best and if we find the best, should we get two more?
Finally, at the end, I have to admit, we will learn, and we will make mistakes, we will ask other farmers questions, and we will love it because this farm was started because we wanted an amazing life for our family, our 12 grandchildren. We want a legacy to leave them. We have to start sometime, and we have to know that any farmer had to start sometime whether it was like our grandchildren will, very young, or later in life like us.
Photos of my dad and his parents and grandparents before him working on the family century old farms in Brownsburg, Indiana, I feel them encouraging us. They know it won’t be easy, but they know if we fail, we get back up again.