Can you guys believe that I bought this place six years ago? That’s insane.
When I started blogging (and back then blogging wasn’t even really a thing) and I was twenty-three. That was thirteen years, three houses, and a whole lot of power tools (and gray hairs) ago.
There was my first house, that looked like it came straight out of a fairy tale:
My second house– the one spent 18 months living in a garage to build– and sincerely thought at the time would be the last house I ever owned…
And then this place…
The very unexpected adventure. I mean, literally, two days earlier I finalized the plans with the little cottage I was planning to build with my architect and I was out looking for a nice piece of property when I stumbled upon this place…
And then decided to buy it that very day. While I was sitting in a bar. Like normal people do… obviously.
What followed– after a late-night beer-fueled online auction– was one of the most stressful months of my life, spent trying to finance the house (that I’d never stepped foot in) and work with a kind of shady online auction-house to complete the purchase.
And at the end of that whirlwind, when the papers were signed, I grabbed a bottle of champagne, and ended up here:
And almost every year since. (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017)
(Including last year, which was maybe the shittiest Victory Lap ever, since my greenhouse had blown over earlier in the day.)
And yet, through all of that, here we are. Year Six:
In some ways I feel like the farm really came into itself this past year. Most of the things I wanted to get established– the animals, the garden, the fruit trees, the vineyard– have all been started, and now I get to sit back and watch them grow.
Things look better around here. The garage siding is no longer, well, this…
Even though there’s still work to do…
There aren’t any dumpsters semi-permanently parked in the driveway (I mean, for the moment.)…
The interior of the house is still 50% disaster, but things are in the “getting better” phase, and there’s a real good chance this kitchen will get done this year…
Well. Okay. Let’s not hold our breath for that one.
It’s nice, after six years, to see things start to come together. Which means, of course, the big project for 2018 will be making a huge mess by tearing all the rotting siding off the back of the house, and spending another summer doing this…
I mean, it has been eight years since the last time I sided a house, so I guess I’m due. Also, I’m way better with a hammer now.
But before all that work starts I’m going to spend this early part of spring enjoying the daylight, the animals, and the anticipation of all the wonderful things that will grow out here this year. And, of course, the sunsets.
It’s never going to be easy, but I didn’t sign up for “easy” six years ago… I signed up for awesome.
Via Home http://www.rssmix.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment