31 Days of Green Acres - Day 14

Welcome! This post is part of a 31 Days Series and if you'd like to read other entries, please click here.

Yes, I've written about this before.

And, I've appreciated the chance to consider it more carefully as I've written.
It makes our experience more intentional and rich.

Today is Sunday, the best day of the week.
We kept to our usual practices.

And we rest.
Even here, at Liberty Farm Chronicles, we rest.

Blessings friends.
Back tomorrow, yes?

Thank you Nester for hosting this 31 Days event.  
If you'd like to catch up with any of the 1200+ bloggers who are posting every day this month, please click here.

31 Days of Green Acres - Day 13

Welcome!  This post is part of a 31 Days series.  To read other posts, click here.

What a wonderful rainy day we had!

The thrumming drops on the roof kept us all curled up snug in our beds until after 8 a.m.
I can't think of anything better for Weekend Farmer Husband than a chance to sleep in.
He got up to speed quickly though, and one of our barns continues it's transformation from dark, dirty, silt floor useless space to bright, clean, useful space.

I'm happy to report that my son's paper is coming along nicely. I however, am still "stuck".

So, let's go back a bit, and add some details to how we landed at our current property.
Remember I said that we at one time (at least on paper), were financially committed to 3 properties?
You'd think from the outside looking in any sensible person could avoid a problem like that, right?

We didn't intend for it to happen.
But, in a seriously depressed housing market and following a striking economic downturn, we were stunned by the amount of "activity" our newly for sale city house generated.
Before we even signed the listing agreement we had an appointment for a showing.

And, the showings never let up.

Early on that created the sense that we'd better have a place to go since it appeared as though our house might sell quickly.

Although keeping the house ready for a showing at the drop of a hat while home schooling and raising our brood was a mighty lot of work, it was promising, and Weekend Farmer Husband charged me to go find a house as quickly as I could since there was the pressing possibility that someone would make an acceptable offer.

Before long we realized the city house would not sell quickly. And it wouldn't likely sell for as much as we owed.

So, Weekend Farmer Husband encouraged me to press on even more diligently in finding a home because he could foresee the strong possibility that we would have to sell short, or could worse yet be involved in foreclosure as his mind was entirely made up that we would not remain in our current home or lifestyle. He advised that it would be best to move forward in the event that credit or lack of financing became an insurmountable barrier.

I found a lovely 4 acre piece within our criteria with a beat up old farmhouse.  We made an offer.  And the third party broker representing aforementioned property made a counter offer.  Our offer was acceptable, but we'd need to wait six weeks to hear if it was approved.

Time at this point seemed like a good friend so we agreed to the terms, and carried on as normal except for showing our house.

But, time grew more unfriendly, and Weekend Farmer Husband grew suspicious that the buyers agreement we had signed would fall through.

So, he sent me out again to find another house.
I did.
We made an offer.
They accepted.
A earnest money deposit was placed in escrow.
And, now, we were obligated to three houses.

Good thing Weekend Farmer Husband's business sense is so sharp.
The first deal fell through shortly after.
Now we were trying to sell the one house and we were in eager pursuit of what has become Liberty Farm.

Thank you Nester for this 31 Days opportunity.
Interested in other 31 Dayers?  Click here!

31 Days of Green Acres - Day 12

Welcome!  This is part of a 31 Day series.  To find other posts, please click here.

If you're like me, you're an extrovert.

Your energy comes from external sources.  People in particular charge your batteries, but other experiences or things can keep your tank full.

My favorite way to energize is to spend time with my family or intimate friends.

When that's not an option (rare, but sometimes...), I turn to books, blogs, and become a beauty seeker.

What could this possibly have to do with 31 Days of Green Acres, the story of Liberty Farm?

Thanks. Thanks for asking, because it is relevant.

Remember a couple posts back I told you I was a construction widow during the demolition, remodel/rebuilding process?  It was challenging to keep my chin up and see the light at the end of the tunnel because so many days were so  - lonesome.

Well, it's kind of happening again.

Remember, this property and home of ours, they're better than a century old.  And, winter is coming.  So, Weekend Farmer Husband has taken on epic projects during this course of unemployment, and with the inevitable change of season he works from before dawn to well after sunset to beat the hard freeze. He's in our home maybe 7 hours a day, six for sleeping, and the remaining one for other necessary matters like eating, and the rest of the hours are in barns or on the property.  Fixing, restoring, redeeming, chasing hard after a vision.

And after the hub bub of home education, home keeping, and mothering has subsided, it's quiet and this lonely girl craves something to power her up.

Enter the camera.  I keep taking photos, more than I'll ever be able to sort and use, to capture and chronicle this beautiful life.  And I crop, sometimes edit, and place in folders to make easy access to the images that fill my viewfinder and keep my spirit from being too desolate.

It's been a long week.  Weekend Farmer Husband and I just reunited face to face.  I'm invited to go see his progress.  Oh, how I will affirm and encourage him.  He provides abundantly well for us and these Green Acres.

But, before I go, I want to tell you that the pictures from today's post are from right outside my front door.
This view and brilliant landscape of autumn glory stopped up the drain of energy loss and filled me right up with wonder and gratitude for where I am today and the loving service of my faithful beloved.

Thank you Nester for hosting this 31 Days event.  Click here if you'd like to check out any or many of the 1200+ other bloggers who've joined in this challenge.

31 Days of Green Acres - Day 11

Welcome! This post is part of a 31 Day Series.  If you'd like to read the other posts, please click here.

Phew!  Turns out I'm not the only one feeling the burn of this 31 Days commitment. Several others have posted similar angst. It's helpful to know that I'm not alone.

And, oh how lovely your comments were (are).  Thank you for your abundant kindness.

I'm not a runner, but I've heard some of my runner friends and family describe a part of their training/running that includes coming to a really difficult painful part of a run.  And, although their body might be screaming at them to surrender, it becomes a critical exercise for them to push through.  They learn to  trust the strength they've acquired, the many training events/runs they've participated in before, sometimes their coaches, and they push through.  Not only do they report pushing through victoriously, but they so often report "runner's high".

This writing business is not all that much different.

I do feel amazing when I've written something that's interesting to me, that connects with readers, and that above all leaves a record of the fact that I belong body and soul to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Writer's High?

I do think I know what the current struggle is.
Yes, I'm barely keeping up the pace of life.
(In fact, I may have recently admitted to a friend that my teenagers are "kicking my fanny" in the schedule department.  I love how vibrant life with them is. My body, and sometimes a foggy brain, reminds me that they're the youngsters - not me.)
The uber busyness does make the problem more difficult to address, but it isn't the core issue.

The realization came when "coaching" my one of my son's through a difficult writing assignment for his College Research and Writing Class.

His topic on a surprise assignment (as in - not on the syllabus), is really broad.  Too broad.  And he's struggling to narrow it sufficiently to write a 750 word essay.  Just when he thinks he's got a foothold, the topic mushrooms in his brain, and he can't make his way through the mechanics of sorting, organizing, and editing content.

It's a shared problem here at Liberty Farm.  I'm not sure what to write about next.
But I've come to a couple of understandings:

I've decided it's better to keep the commitment of writing here every day (even if I don't stay on topic), because my personal opinion is that it's better for a reader to come here and find something they weren't expecting than to find "nothing".  It's an assumption, but I'm willing to make it.

And, I'll keep trying.

It may come together quickly and I'll find my muse.

Maybe not.

But, the story continues as we live each precious day out here on Liberty Farm.
And, like I advised my son, it will be through writing that I'll solve the problem.

Thank you Nester for creating this opportunity and sharing it with better than 1200 other bloggers!

31 Days - Day 10

Welcome, this post is part of a 31 Days series.  If you'd like to read the other posts they're in a nicely ordered list for you here.

Well y'all, my mom is here for a visit.  It's been almost two years since she's been here, so we're gonna live life to the full during our time together.

What does she have to do with the 31 Days?

Here's the story.
I was grumbling.
Yup, ugly.

My pages views had a nice little spike at the beginning of this event.
Not so much anymore.
Some faithful readers and friends have left heartening comments along the way. Blessings.

Some real life friends have wondered, "What are you writing about anyway? What's 31 Days?  What's Green Acres?"

You can see my trouble, yes?
If people just aren't getting it, I've really got my work cut out for me as  a writer, and although I enjoy writing, I don't describe myself as a writer.  Too much responsibility.

So, I'm killin' myself a little to be here, and the story will get told.
It must.
I'm committed to capturing this legacy in the form of story.

But, my mom suggested that my posts have been a little on the "light side".
I've not been giving you enough to sink your teeth into...she wonders if you need a reason to stay.

See, my mom does have something to do with all this.

So, let's do a little experiment, ok?
This post is all pretty much writer's angst and there's a stark absence of anything "farmy".

Wonder what the page view stats will show tomorrow.
Will you come back?

No pressure.
Hah!

What does this really tell me?  You?
I've lost my way a little bit.
Perhaps I need to spend more than 1/2 an hour working on this.
Have I underestimated the commitment and overestimated my capacity?

I'm quite an inexperienced blogger.
Perhaps this is normal.

So, really, in the end, I'll probably lean into this a little longer, see if I can write something of greater substance/interest.

And, if not, no matter.
I'm here to chronicle the journey.

Not generate page views.


Thanks Nester for this opportunity.  I'm grateful in spite of my silly rant above.  
If you'd like to connect one or some of the 1200+ other bloggers who've taken the 31 Day challenge, click here.

31 Days of Green Acres - Day 9

Welcome! This post is Day 9 in a 31 Day series.  To find the other entries, please click here.

Today is jam packed with good things, so I've got the tiniest sliver of time to visit with you and keep my commitment to be here everyday this month.

And, since I'm getting here earlier in the day, I'm happy to report there's a steamy fresh cuppa pumpkin spice  keeping me company. :-)

On Day 3 I wrote about a very brief conversation Weekend Farmer Husband and I had that was the catalyst for our decision to leave a very comfortable suburban life, move to the country, and take on what most days seems like a life long restoration project.

One of the things Weekend Farmer Husband saw very clearly at the "time", (still referencing Day 3), was a window of opportunity to partner with our older sons.  He intended to hand over as much of the demolition, remodel, rebuild, and restoration as he could.

Our older sons swung hammers, operated sawzalls, used crowbars, shovels, and brooms with wild abandon and absolute trust.  You've gotta imagine that they had very little vision for what this would become, so it was a massive trust exercise to take a wall down and wonder if you'd really ever get a bedroom, or if perhaps you'd just be camping in your own home until you moved out.

They filled eight 40 yard dumpsters.

For you engineering and or visual types, yeah, that's right.  We pretty much sent the whole house away with the waste truck.

You know what's next right?
The rebuild.

They swung hammers, framed walls, insulated, ran electrical, put in plumbing, added new gas lines, hung drywall, taped, mudded, sanded, installed fixtures, painted, trimmed out, and the list goes on.

And, in the end, they truly have as much ownership in our property in hours of labor as anyone, with the only possible exception being Weekend Farmer Husband himself.

Are you wondering how old these sons were when Weekend Farmer Husband signed them up for their construction internship?

Seventeen.

Fourteen.

Just boys really.

I asked one of them a question recently trying to remember a date when we made a decision about Liberty Farm.

His reply, "Two thousand and awful!"

It was awful.
And, it was good.
Both.

31 Days of Green Acres - Day 8

Welcome! This post is part of a 31 Day Series.  To find the other posts in order, please click here.

I can clearly see two mistakes I've made so far in pursuing this goal of posting for 31 Days.

First, each of these posts have been written hours and hours after my last cup of coffee for the day.  The little boost from caffeine gets applied to other important matters in the day.  If I were to drink a cup when I've been writing this series I would have yet to go to bed this month.  But, in addition to these posts I'd be all caught up on thank you notes, laundry, pantry cleaning, basement sorting...I'm starting to think being up all night is a good idea!

(Wait, I often am - with my light sleepers - never mind.  That's right , I remember now why it doesn't make any sense to have a late night cuppa - I'll be parenting (gladly) not working on projects.)

Second, and this is a biggie, I can't believe I've been massaging this keyboard completely devoid of chocolate.  This one I'm having a harder time making sense of.  Who in their right mind takes on a mammoth project without considering the role of salted dark chocolate, salted caramel chocolate, hot chocolate, chocolate chip cookies, chocolate cake...

O comfort chocolate, I crave thee!

And now on to the farm news:

We brought a new kitten home tonite.

Her name is Onyx.
Ooo, Onyx, that's fun to say!
(For all you Elf fans out there...)

We've learned some lessons about hanging on loosely around these parts, especially to cats.

They are an essential part of farm life and have become a precious part of family life.

Trouble is, they have an incredibly high mortality rate.

This is our 7th kitten to be introduced to the barn in less than a year.  Of the seven, four have perished.  It's heart wrenching.

We don't treat them badly, so neglect is never the cause.

Raccoons, a hawk, and twice curiosity have been the cats' end.

So for now, we fully enjoy the fun of kitty play.

But, she's gonna have to be tough.  Farm girls are, you know.


Thank you Nester for hosting this 31 Day blogapalooza.  Are you interested in checking in with the 1200+ other bloggers who joined the party?  Click here!