Category: Sunday Thankfulness

Today, I am thankful for a warm home;

Daily eggs from my hens;

Pups who love us unconditionally, even when they were left for more than a week in boarding;

A freezer full of homegrown vegetables and chicken to nourish us this winter.

The health and funds to travel twice this fall and winter, the opportunity to see the Bahamas and to revisit Mexico.

The love of my hubby and our children and grandchildren.

     Almost 9 years ago, we began looking for retirement property.  I wanted a cabin in the woods and for Christmases, I received a picture of a cabin in the woods by a lake, a cabin birdhouse with a sign in it’s yard that read “Cabin in the Woods” as my wish list always started with Cabin in the woods as item 1.  We began internet searches for about 10 acres, originally looking in the Charlottesville, Harrisonburg, or upper Shenandoah areas of Virginia.  Those areas were getting much more per acre than we wanted to spend.  The summer before our search, we spent a 4 day weekend at Rocky Knob CCC cabins on the Blue Ridge Parkway in the south west part of the state and we loved the area.  Land was more reasonable and it seemed plentiful, but often in plots much larger than the 10 acres we sought.  We spent a December weekend, many, many hours being driven around several counties and nearly every plot was 30 or more acres.  This piece of heaven was one of the earlier plots we viewed and we fell in love, though it is 30 acres, not 10 and mostly hay fields, not woods.  We have large trees in the hay fields and woods surrounding us.  The 10 acre lots we saw, we realized put us closer to neighbors than we had envisioned.  It would have been plenty for the house, gardens, orchard, even a few farm animals if the area permitted.  That is not an issue here.  We are surrounded by mountains, woods, and farms.  Our fledgling homestead had no house on it, no well, no electricity, and had been perked for septic, but too many years prior to still be valid.  We made the purchase and started a new experience, building a house from 5 hours away.  You see, we still lived in the home that we had raised our children in, in Virginia Beach.  Our eldest son and his family moved to this area so that he could be the general contractor and he with a patched together crew, did all the finish carpentry, stone work, built all my kitchen cabinets, did all the tile work, and made all of our interior doors.  We sold the coastal home, moved into a rental for a year, then I moved to an apartment in the mountains and unretired for 3 1/2 years and hubby stayed in an apartment in Virginia Beach with youngest son and started a 3 year process of winding down and selling his law practice.

     It took a few years to work out the kinks of how to homestead.  Son had put in a large garden, that helped get me going.  I learned to can and bulk freeze produce.  We forage for berries to make jam.   This year, we added chickens for eggs and meat.  Feeling the need to start small and learn farm management and animal husbandry a bit at a time.  A year ago, we began horseback riding lessons and joined a Horsemaster’s club to gain more experience.  We chat up our farmer neighbors every chance we get regarding beef cattle.  We certainly have the space for horses and cows and the grazing will help reduce the area that must be mowed.  We will likely still have a neighbor hay for us for a hay split, as adding that much farm equipment seems unwise.  Each spring, it is hayed for us, each fall, we brush hog all 30 acres.  That process has been on going all week and was finally completed today for the season.  There may be one or two lawn mowings before the frost.

     I am ever thankful to my husband for making this life change possible and to our eldest son for his skills and ability to run the crew;  to his life partner for her work on our home and for mothering our firstborn grandchild; to our beautiful daughter and her family and our youngest son and his family for sharing their children with us and including us in their lives.

Life is good on our mountain farm. 

This week, I am grateful to my hubby, who stayed on the farm to care for the dogs, 10 big chickens, and 15 two week old chicks. They aren’t cute anymore. In my week gone, they have tripled in size and become feather growing eating machines.

My son will enjoy the protein they provide on their 3 student budget.

I am thankful for the opportunity last week to help them out with laundry, cooking, and grandson time so they could settle into this year’s schedule with less stress.

Together, we explored 4 museums, the zoo, and the aquarium. Got in a pool afternoon, lots of reading and snuggling as we sat together in a big chair. He is a lefty, as am I, so I also taught him to tie his shoes.

For my garden, though the seaon is drawing to a close, I did harvest an 8 quart bucket nearly full of tomatoes and peppers that will be processed later for the winter fare.

And for my chickens who filled several dozen cartons while I was away. Two more of the girls finally figured it out and now we are getting green and pink eggs too.

Hopefully my knitting group will be in the market for some eggs this week.

Life is good on our mountain farm.

Our moutain farm and the beauty it provides for peace and thoughtful work and pleasure.

My hens and their daily presents, and my loving hubby who indulges me this project, the time to work the birds and gardens, and his willingness to take over their care while I embark on a week of childcare in Northern Virginia.

Our gardens for their food to nourish us and their flowers to provide color and beauty indoors and outside.

For our two healthy, playful pups who entertain us with their antics and offer unconditional love.

For my loving family who keep us in their lives with calls, pictures & visits, allow us to be occasional care givers to their precious children. To my sibs who both blessed me with their generous nature recently.

Life is good on our mountain farm.

Our moutain farm and the beauty it provides for peace and thoughtful work and pleasure.

My hens and their daily presents, and my loving hubby who indulges me this project, the time to work the birds and gardens, and his willingness to take over their care while I embark on a week of childcare in Northern Virginia.

Our gardens for their food to nourish us and their flowers to provide color and beauty indoors and outside.

For our two healthy, playful pups who entertain us with their antics and offer unconditional love.

For my loving family who keep us in their lives with calls, pictures & visits, allow us to be occasional care givers to their precious children. To my sibs who both blessed me with their generous nature recently.

Life is good on our mountain farm.

     I am thankful for the 10 days that we have been able to share with our daughter’s family and their friend, their children’s Godfather.  The weather was beautiful most of the time, we hiked, swam, played with puppies, visited, ate and played.  We travelled a couple of hours to celebrate both my father’s 90th birthday and the baptisms of two of our grandchildren.  We “adopted” a new son, the Godfather of the children.

     I am thankful that we had the opportunity to attend these celebrations and to travel safely.

     Grateful that hubby was able to leave as we did yesterday morning, but travel north another couple of hours to attend the wedding of his nephew and get home safely last night afterward.

     Thankful that our generous hens are now producing about 5 or 6 eggs per day, more than we can enjoy alone. 

     Life is good on the mountain.

     Below, left to right, my Dad, a strong, vibrant 90 year old; Christian, our newly “adopted” son; Rich our son in law, standing facing the camera.