Grow where you're planted

The 1 year anniversary of making settlement on the farm is rapidly approaching (June 13). The first few weeks were a whirlwind of activity (mostly on John’s part) as we got fence installed and ready to bring our horses home.

Summer passed quickly and our goals for the property began to take shape. We received some old photos of the farm which gave some guidance on how we wanted it to look.  During Fall we converted the barn back over to horse stalls and the feeling of  home grew stronger. 

Winter was a lot of trial and error on caring for the animals and trying not to freeze or get stuck in our own driveway, but it was ok…because we have a backhoe…and also a tractor…and a skid steer.

Now as Spring draws to a close and Summer is starting once again it feels good to look back on all we have accomplished with our barn and our land (ok, the pastures are still a “work in progress"…but whatever). It is easy to forget all you have done when so much still lies ahead but I think it is important to look back and feel proud about previous accomplishments instead of only focusing on “what’s next”.  

The most important thing I learned from this property in the past year is that home is not so much a place as a state of mind, something you create for yourself and those you love. That’s what we are doing, making what we want out of what we have for ourselves, each other, and the animals that make our lives whole.

At the end of the day, we all have to play the hands we are dealt, and my hand, so far, has been a pretty damn "lucky draw".