The one question we get asked over and over again is are we out of the property yet and the answer we give is “it’s a process”. Before we started this journey we thought that we would buy our land then get electric, water and septic on it and move out there into our shop that would be built until our home was built and all of this would be done in a matter of just a few months. Then we started down the road and found that it all takes time and you have no control over how long something is going to take. Waiting on water meters and connections, waiting on electric company to come approve where our temporary pole will go, waiting on the septic man to come mark where the septic can be dug, waiting on people having time in their schedule to do the job and even waiting on material for the job. While waiting, we are so busy doing so much work because there is so much to do just to get everything ready for when you do get approval for each step along the way. Just trying to keep the land mowed is a daily job with all our acreage and without a tractor or bush hog yet.
Despite all the work and the time it is taking every time we go out to the land we smile because it is our happy place. We have yet to have one person come out to the property who hasn’t said what an amazing piece of land we have. We know we were very fortunate to get such a beautiful place that gives us privacy but still has us within 15 minutes from modern conveniences.
August began with school starting. Hana began teaching at her new school, Sara started teaching at her new school, and Daniel started going to his new school. Claire is continuing to home school and I am able to spend time with her and Vincent and help with that. We rediscovered Portland Public Library. This was the library Pieter, Sara and Hana use to enjoy and now our grandchildren are enjoying time there. Vincent loves all the toys and Storytime and Claire loves the teen room and having a quiet place to work on her schoolwork. We also joined a home school group that meets there just like the one I used to belong to over 20 years ago when I was home schooling Pieter and Sara. We also found an Amish market nearby to explore.
Our son Bill came up from Austin the first week of August to bring Edwin’s side by side. We bought a small bush hog that could be pulled behind the side by side so we could keep up with the property and we began mowing. We had quickly found that hiring someone to bush hog the property as often as it needed it would be too costly so time to take it on ourselves.
While Bill was up here visiting some of us went to the local drive-in movie in Lafayette to see the movie Twister. The drive-in has been there for over 70 years and is a very popular place. The food they serve is so good that even if people don’t want to see the movie drive out to get take out from the drive-in. We enjoyed our movie but decided before we go again we need to get a boom box since trying to listen to the movie from the car radio while sitting outside was not that easy. So Frank picked up an inexpensive boom box for our next time at the drive-in.
As we are mowing the property we are finding out how much hidden barbwire the previous owner left behind, just throwing it down in the grass when they were done with it. That has led to some adventures of unwinding barbwire from our bush hog’s blades. Not a fun experience. We also spotted a beautiful doe on our property and all the hunters in the family are hoping she might have a boyfriend or two come visit our property.
We hired a member from our church to help us with all the things we needed to do. The property we are building on has a milk house and a horse barn but both need lots of work. When we first bought the land we didn’t even know what was behind all the trees which had overgrown and surrounded these buildings. As our helper Jose cut back trees we started to see what we had. We decided that the milk shed would become our tool shed and the horse barn will be for large equipment. We ordered a dumpster out to the farm and began the process of cleaning.
As we worked with him on cleaning them up we found hidden treasures within. Some of things we found inside where unique like old glass Clorox bottles from the 1950’s and an old milking machine. We also found where there may have been a moonshine still or least a place they gathered to drink their moonshine behind the barn. One items we found, that we weren’t allowed to throw in the dumpster, was an old tire which got repurposed into a swing for the kids. We also collected all the old nails and tin left behind from the old hay barn that had burnt down before we bought the property and hauled them off to the recycle place.
Some of us did take a weekend off working to go visit the museum and log house on the campus of Western Kentucky University. It had several levels to the museum which included art, exhibits, quilts, and antique furniture. After we wandered around the museum we headed over to walk through the log house.
We also took a break to go to another drive-in movie this time with the grandchildren where they enjoyed seeing. Despicable Me 4. Our boom box on the hood of the car made all the difference in being able to hear the movie.
Bill moved up to the Tennessee the last week of August. He was the last to arrive in Tennessee but the first to move out to the property. He and his son are roughing it on the property. Their dogs are now the property protectors. We had our water meters and where able to run water to him through several long hoses. He purchased a generator to give him power, plus he was able to use his solar panels to keep his RV up and going. We also ordered a porta-potty brought out to the property. Up to that time we only have a bucket with garbage bags to use for serious business and the whole farm for anything else. So it was nice to have somewhere to go when we needed to go.
The next item on our check list was to get our mailboxes up so we could start receiving our mail. The post office was glad to finally be able to deliver to us and we were glad to not have to keep going into town to get our mail from the post office. Frank and Bill worked together to get the mailboxes up and we were so excited a few days later when our mail began to arrive.
August 31st was the start of Labor Day weekend and my birthday weekend so we all took the day off to go to Nashville and have a fun day out. We went to the Opryland Hotel and rode the boat through the hotel. Then it was off to lunch at the Cheesecake factory and to wander the mall. We finished the day with a backstage tour of the Grand Old Opry. It was a perfect way to celebrate! I much prefer to do activities with my family to getting gifts any day.
Now we will have to wait to see wait September brings. We hope to all be able to move out to the farm by the first of October and that the shop will be built before the end of that month so we will all have a warm place to park our RV’s for the winter months.
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