4.22.2013

risk assessment

The first week of April we went to go look at a property for sale. It was beautiful land but the house and accompanying barns were in such disrepair that the thought of rehabbing them was overwhelming, even for a fallen-down-farmhouse-romantic like myself. So we imagined we'd need to tear them down, and the price for the land was unjustifiably high without any usable buildings. We came home despondent, but agreed we were done looking at land for the season. We forced ourselves to live in the present. Spring was approaching and it would make more sense to look for land again in the fall, after the harvest.

The very next morning while we were doing chores, a friend was leaving a message on our machine, telling us of a small farm property and the owner who was getting ready to sell. Despite our promise to live in the present we went to see it.

We did so the very next day. We didn't walk more than 50 yards from the car. We didn't go into the house or the barn. We both said yes. It was the same reaction we had to leasing the farm we are on right now. It was the same synchronized reaction we had to moving to the pig farm in North Carolina. Some things just feel absolutely right. That was April 2nd.  20 days later our offer has been accepted.  We have a signed purchase and sale agreement. We are in the midst of inspections, septic, water, home.

I cannot believe how fast this is coming. We have been wanting our own farm ever since we quit our office jobs and our city apartments in San Francisco.  We are extremely superstitious about this place and I feel greatly nervous just writing about its possibility here.

But I had to. For I needed to explain my absence here. I needed to give you a little idea of chaos that is going on in mind, body and farm here at Longest Acres.

We are eager and in love with the property and this has coincided with the onset of spring. The time to till and plant a garden is imminent.  Winnie, our milk cow is about to calf and thus about to flood us back with milk. We have an entire barn and attic and 2 room home to pack up and move. I am now 7 months pregnant and becoming more useless by the hour. The wild ramp harvest is just weeks away, and we've made commitments to restaurants and stores in Boston. We need to find replacements for ourselves, here at our current, leased farm. I'm looking to expand my sheep herd and Louisa and I have been talking about goats. There are many balls in our proverbial air. This is a less than ideal time to go away from the farm for a weekend (like I just did) let alone move all persons, animals, and possessions.

Fortunately, the new property is just a matter of miles away from where we are now. We go there nearly every day for some form of inspection, or just to lust after it, or sit on the covered porch. Yesterday I did a small amount of tilling in one of the gardens. Today we are bringing a truck load of this winter's manure over (because that shit is gold, and you don't just abandon it). We've been advised to do nothing at the property until we have closed and title is in hand. That is good, sound, sensible advice that we will quietly ignore.

It's all about risk assessment. This is a big summer for us with the arrival of the baby coming smack dab in the middle.  We are taking the risk that things don't work out and we find ourselves and our animals and our possessions homeless and me 8 1/2 months pregnant. That could happen, I suppose. Though I have faith somebody would take us in. More overwhelming than that fear is the ideal of a seamless transition. We want everything perfectly in line so that, upon closing, we can move that day, sleep there that night, milk Winnie there that next morning, water the tomato plants in that next afternoon. Weed the onions that evening. Hill the potatoes. Eat dinner on that porch after having jumped into the pond for the season's first swim. Close in the chickens, water the sheep (and goats?) and cows and pigs in their respective pens and lay our tired bones down on our mattress on the floor of the empty home that is Ours.

We are ready for this Forever Home to come to fruition. I think we are nearly there. For good measure our fingers, toes, hooves and scaly chicken feet are all duly crossed.

59 comments:

  1. this is so exciting. i truly hope it will work out for you. i will be looking forward to hearing more! good luck :)

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  2. Congratulations and good luck!!

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  3. SOOOO EXCITING!!!! Can't wait to hear more.

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  4. Good Luck!! So exciting!

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  5. Fingers and toes CROSSED, hard, for YOU!

    xx

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  6. My toes and fingers from Canada are crossed for you too, we went thru that 4 years ago so I very much know the feeling you have in your mind and body!

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  7. We did the same thing nearly 4 summers back when we bought our place and before it closed, and I was in the early stages of pregnancy with our first - tilled the neglected garden space, planted tomatoes surrounded by little bits of chicken wire to keep off the deer,and corn, beans, etc, tilled the back field for more growing space, irrigated the pastures. Took longer than we thought to close, and the garden didn't produce all that much, but was totally worth it! I always say, gardening in a space for one extra year is that much extra experience at getting closer to how to perfectly garden there! :) Fingers crossed that it all works out for you!
    katy

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  8. Good luck! I wish I could help out!

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  9. You're crazy. ;) But it sounds wonderful! I'm sure it will all work out.

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  10. It looks gorgeous! A pond to swim in off the front porch is about the dreamiest thing I can imagine (other than the ocean out back!) So much good thoughts and prayers to you guys for a seamless buy and transition. Congrats!

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  11. Congrats, Kate and Nick! How awesome for you all. Many blessings.

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  12. Fingera and toes crossed here too!!!

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  13. How wonderful! You must be so excited about all the changes coming along in your life. Blessings!

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  14. Kate! Yahoooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <3 <3 lemme know when yall might need help packing / moving. xxoo meg

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  15. Happy Earth Day dear Kate and Nick~
    an auspicious day to share the good news.

    This old intern will help with the lugging ASAP.
    love and hugs

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  16. I wish you all the best! Yes, it sounds daunting but often if we wait for the perfect timing, it never comes. Plus, you strike me as someone who is more than capable and will make it work. I moved house, with little time to prepare, at 8. 5 months pregnant (not a farm, mind you) and - while less than ideal - it wasn't impossible and I survived. It sounds like you have a lot of people who care and will help. Good luck!

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  17. Just based on that single photo, I would've said yes too! Congratulations, guys.

    shalan

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  18. Beyond excited for you, what a dream - fingers and toes are crossed from across the ocean!

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  19. Oh congratulations, and fingers/toes crossed that all goes according to plan. I admit to experiencing worry/skepticism at how you two would handle a new small one in a two room cabin with an outhouse...wishing you all the luck in the world!

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  20. how truly wonderful! everything crossed for you guys!

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  21. Just this one picture already looks so great! fingers crossed for you!

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  22. Kate! I´m very superstitious too! but I think love can do amazyng things! I´m very happy for you! I will send tons of love and positive energy for you both so that everything goes just right!!!
    july.

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  23. The one photo is gorgeous!!! I would have said yes too just based on this picture!

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  24. I am so incredibly excited for you guys and it looks beautiful and I cannot wait to see more! I hope that the move goes smoothly and that everything works out wonderfully. Big hugs.

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  25. Oh my!!! Exciting!!! And overwhelming! It sounds like a lot to do, but I'm sure you guys will figure it out... Now I can't wait to get my land approved and signed and start watering the peppers and tomatoes!! =)
    Your Porch (yes, with a Big P...) seems pretty idyllic for a fresh beverage after a hard days work... jealous...

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  26. so happy for you!!! we just received an acceptance on an offer too - such an intimidating, nerve-wracking experience. best wishes for easy inspection process and here's to hoping we'll be in our forever-homes soon!

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  27. Congrats on your new home and the smooth move to it!

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  28. Oh and the property looks beautiful! God Bless your new home for your new family!

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  29. wooow!!!! these are really good news!!! congrats!!!

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  30. What wonderful and exciting news! Hope everything goes OK!

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  31. Congratulations...I wish you all the best for your new home and future, dear Kate!
    Greetings from Germany
    Birgit

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  32. Oh this is so exciting! I'm a long way off getting my little patch of land here in Blighty, so I love following your story - if it happpens for others, it can happen for me, right?! I have duly crossed everything crossable, looking forward to hearing about you settling in to your Very-Own-Home! BBxx

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  33. Congratulations, this is exciting ! Hope you'll find joy in this new home.
    It's the first time I leave a comment here, your blog is great !
    I'm french and I have to apologize for my english.
    Emmanuelle

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  34. So exciting, and we are off to auction this very week to bid on what could become our forever home, so my fingers are well and truly crossed for us and now for you too.

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  35. It looks amazing. I have no words for how much I envy that pound. And porch.
    Best of luck with everything. My fingers and toes are crossed for you too!

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  36. P.S: Goats are amazing creatures. We are looking into getting some when we settle in France. I hope you'll manage to add some to your beautiful farm!

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  37. Oh my gosh, Kate! How exciting and nerve wreaking and everything else. But you gotta go with your gut, and trust that it will work out. I can't wait to see more pictures. That porch and view look unbelievable. Good luck!!!

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  38. BRAVO! je croise les doigts:)
    Alexandra from France

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  39. Congratulations and good luck.
    Katerina ff
    Greece

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  40. Oh my goodness, this sounds so dreamy. Sometime soon I hope to do the same and have my own little farm. I grew up having pigs and loved it so.

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  41. Hi Kate!

    I was just thinking about how much our lives have diverged from the Facebook days... and there is also still a half-written letter I have with your name on it. I'm so happy for you that you're living out your dream. I totally get wanting a place to call your own. I live in a really nice apartment in the Mission that I've had for 4 years, so the rent is actually reasonable, and to get a place of my own now seems virtually impossible. But I'm definitely having those desires as well. I hope that this house works out for you and Nick! I'd love to visit you someday, help you out on the farm and meet your growing family.

    xoxo
    ~Adelle

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  42. Have you thought about getting llamas? They're really friendly, have great wool, are crazy clean(have special spots where they go to the bathroom), you can actually bring them inside and they will not break one thing, and they make the cutest babies that loves to kiss your chin with big, soft llama lips. I went to a llama farm in Maine 18 years ago, at the age of 15, and it is one of my fondest memories ever. Leon and Joan are old peace corpers that went to Peru in the 60ies and fell in love with llamas. If you are able go and visit them at their beautiful farm/bed&breakfast at 'Pleasant Bay Bed and Breakfast and Llama Keep' outside of Addison, Maine.

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  43. PS. I just realized it's probably around a 6 hour drive, depending on where in Vermont you live, but it really is a great experience!

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  44. OMG OMG OMG!!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!! I can't wait to see pictures! Feel the cyber hug! So wonderful!

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  45. This year is YOUR year. I am so happy for you. Wishing you so much luck and happiness!

    Anna

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  46. ooooo! i am so excited for you!! <<>>

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  47. Yay, what wonderful news!! I think all of us who have been following your search from afar are so excited to share in this good fortune with you! And I can in part understand/sympathize as we're also facing a move in a month with a toddler and pregnant mama (although not nearly as far along!) and a whole lot of plans for our new backyard homestead that we wish we could get our hands on already. Best of luck as you finalize everything!!

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  48. Oh my lord. I can understand how overwhelming this must be. Hoping and hoping that this transition goes smoothly for you. I wish you a thousand helpful neighbors/townspeople/friends and family.

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  49. Intending all good things for you !!

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  50. This is it.
    I really love your blog/writing. there's an incredible freshness and at the same time, edge to the farmer girl. Somehow I think you could be tranported to the cover of Vogue and back to the farm in a day without missing a beat.

    Best of luck

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  51. Amazing! We were going through something similar (minus the pregnancy and the animals) just one year ago yesterday. That was the day we closed on our house and we did move in that night and we did start painting the next day. It was perfect and it is possible! I will cross all fingers that it goes so smoothly for you. Owning your own place is terrifying and so rewarding!

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  52. love love love love love this. i have so much happiness for your little family! best of luck!

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  53. Kate,

    Hi! Just wanted to throw this out there - have you ever heard of WWOOFing? Could your farm be eligible? I have many friends who have spent springs/summers helping farms out, and learning a lot themselves in the process.

    This is the first time I've ever commented on a blog, so I feel kind of dorky, but I'm wishing you lots of luck and good vibes!

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  54. Wow! How exciting! I'll keep our respective fingers, toes, paws, and scaly poultry feet crossed for you guys too! It just sounds so perfect =)

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  55. So happy to hear this news! What a big summer you have ahead ofyou! I am looking forward to following your journey into farm ownership and parenthood.

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  56. I hope you enjoy your new home. It looks wonderful. I think I commented before but it didn't post. Whoops. All the best! - Holly

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