Way back in 1792,
family members inherited large tracts of new land from homeland royalty. Then, just like today, the next generations thought they’d like to live elsewhere.
Alternatively, they could just run the place into the ground. That first sentence is not us. The second sentence is a lot more like us.
Shortly after arrival,
we traded in the thrilling “Elks, Lions, and Rifles” starter-bundle for the ”Horses, Plows, and Two-Man Saw” starter kit.
Turns out there’s only so much fun in having a cabin with a blanket for a door, while keeping the fire lit all night long to keep the wolves at bay.
We embraced the full boss of everything plan:
Two brothers and a hand saw built the house around a three story, five hearth chimney. There was a barn raising, then tapping the maples, corn sprouting, and a welcoming of cows and sheep.
Since Amazon did not yet deliver over the river and through the woods, we got ourselves a spinning wheel, spun up yarn, wove fabric on a loom, sewed our own woolen petticoats, embroidered our own shirts, and even obtained multiple shoe forms. Despite our apparent genetic tendency to keep everything 'just in case', in my decades here, I’ve seen everything but shoes.
Vintage outhouse chic
When I moved in, in 1981, the plumbing was circa 1950’s - vintage outhouse chic. And household climate control was strictly “wood stove or we’re freezing.” Some things have changed since then.
Sometimes winter water froze during the ice age of the 1980’s and before, or the summer tap ran dry.
Family milestones range from joyous births to dramatic deaths and elopements with the words, we’re leaving! We can discuss this at a later date.
Our business plan
for acreage is best described as an erratic expansion and contraction strategy (50 - 600 ≠ 200 acres). I’m not good at math but I think that formula works.
It’s my understanding that in the early 1900’s our living room doubled as the general store, the post office and the funeral home. It might have also been the site of competitive drinking and poker games. Seems having multiple jobs stretches pretty far back.
Now that’s it’s been 233 years of turning wilderness into fields, and fields into forests, I thought we should start inviting new people into this ongoing farm drama. I’m sorta sick of my own stories, and my children have heard all this before.
Looks like you are the wider audience. Welcome.
