"From Hayfield to Booming Homestead." ~J. Bowen
My oldest wrote this on one of his craft and writing assignments last week. It really couldn't be more accurate. One year ago, this weekend to be exact, we entered into a stage of unrest for our family. We had waited over a year to purchase a home with 18 acres of land. A year ago, we found out it was going to be at least another 3-4 months. We had already given our landlord, at the time, notice that we would be moved out by August...that drug out until almost November of last year. He had already re-rented the place and was needing us out. We decided that we couldn't wait another 3-4 months (after already waiting 1 1/2 years) for the place to open up. So, we walked away completely distraught, and not having any idea what we were going to do. We spent a few days talking, contemplating our next move and trying to figure out the best move for our family. We knew what we wanted for our family and our future, but at that point, we didn't have any idea how we were going to get there.
So, as we spent our few days talking, we agreed that we wanted something that we could pass on to our kids, have someplace that we could raise livestock and have the horses that we loved, and have room to grow. It was about 5 days later that my hubby and I started talking about his family's farm land. We had 2 different areas to consider, and they both had pros and cons. For someone who grew up in town, and had only lived outside of city limits...never on a farm, either one was going to be an adjustment for me.
September 25th, we got the blessing of a lifetime. We talked to his family, agreed on ground and prices and began another new adventure. September 29th, we went in search of a house trailer, manufactured or modular home, that we could get in as quickly as possible. After looking at 7 different styles and sizes, we found one that fit our needs and budget. After that, we got busy with the mortgage, and preparing the hayfield to have a home on it. This land didn't have any utilities, and was a wide open space. We broke ground for leveling on October 2nd. Within a week, we had the leveling done, the lagoon dug, the electricity in, the plumbing in, and the septic in. We scheduled the water meter to be put in, framed the slab, added the rebar, and poured the concrete. We finished our mortgage papers, got the materials for framing in the under side of our manufactured home, and scheduled the delivery of our new home. Our home was brought in on October 24th. By the 25th, we were cleaning it, and getting our rented house finished packed and getting our moving crew organized. On October 29th, we moved everything out of our rented house into our new home. It took a little bit longer to get our heat on, but by the 1st of November, we were living in our new home. We even had Thanksgiving here, in our home. We know that for everything to go as smoothly as it did, that our homestead was meant to be.
Since then, we have fenced 3/4's of the property, added chickens, cows, horses, and pigs. We also added 3 gardens accounting for almost an acre, added a horse barn, chicken house, and storage unit. We are no where near being adjusted or organized, but we are on our way! We have accomplished a lot in a years time. My husband and I have worked very hard to accomplish what we have. We've spent money to get projects done and not leave them undone. We still have a lot to do, and hopefully our second year on the homestead goes even smoother.
It's hard to believe what can be accomplished in a year, but it's also a matter of how bad you want something as to what you are willing to do to get it done. We have done almost all the work ourselves, and had some help from family, so we didn't have to hire in a bunch of work and wait on their schedules, but we worked hard.
I wish each of you, your own stories of determination and reaching your goals.
~S~
