Having both grown up in the country, we really wanted to have our three youngest kids grow up in the country as well. We had both tried city living and found that it just wasn't "home" for us. We began our search for a forever home. The real estate agent called and told us about this great place that had 40 acres,a house, a barn etc. It sounded like just what we had been looking for and we could not wait to see it. The first time we came out here, we wondered if we would EVER find our way back to it if we bought it. We are talking way out in the country! We knew it was perfect when we walked in and there hanging on the wall in the kitchen was a sign that read, "SINGLETON". However, we found out later that our perfect house already had a contract on it. We were very discouraged but continued looking. Willy worked out of town a lot at that time and was not home when the realtor called to tell me that my perfect place was back on the market (the sale had fallen through). He told me to discuss it with Willy and let him know if we were still interested. I immediately told him that I did not need to talk to Willy to be able to tell him YES! We bought our "perfect place" and moved the kids to the farm. It was a hard adjustment for the 14 year old son, but the two young ones loved it immediately! As luck would have it the school bus came right up to the house to get our kids. At the time, only the 14 year old attended school. We got him enrolled in this small school. Within a few months, he admitted that even he liked it here better than in town.
We tried our hand at baling hay, and the big round bales only became resting places for the local pack of coyotes. By the way, these same coyotes frequently serenaded us at night. The hay was also great for the kids to climb up on and play. However, it took up a lot of space, and due to our less than quality hay we had a hard time selling it. We then took up gardening and gardened for several years. The kids learned all about squash bugs and how to get rid of them (manually) as well as how to shell peas and pick other vegetables. The fresh produce was amazing until the deer and wild hogs decided to share the bounty! Needless to say, they did not fully comprehend the idea of sharing. We tried everything to keep them out of the garden, but they found the veggies too irresistible and worth any risk.
It was not unusual for us to come out with the kids to get on the school bus and find wild hogs in our front yard. This made the kids a little edgy and thank goodness this phase did not last long. The hogs were a little edgy with our presence as well. We still see evidence of their presence, but haven't actually seen them a long time. The deer are still daily visitors, especially since we made the decision to plant most of the place in pine trees. The pine trees provide a perfect route for the deer to traverse our property. They have grown accustomed to us and our dogs and are not easily dissuaded either. We see ducks land on the pond and spend a few days before continuing on their way each fall. My husband has even seen a couple of eagles fly over. There has been no shortage of timber rattlers, rabbits, squirrels around our place, and our youngest kids have grown up very close to nature. The boys have always been very comfortable wandering through the woods "exploring".
Buying this farm was one of the best decisions we have ever made. Living here has been such a blessing not only to our kids, but to our grand kids and various nieces and nephews that plan a visit each summer. They of course take part in the daily chores which now includes the chickens, turkeys, ducks and pheasants we raise. They are having fun, but we know they are learning a little more about differing lifestyles. Our youngest kiddo is 18 now and will soon be attending college. As our own kids move off and make their way in the world, we hope to keep improving the farm for grand kids, and other kiddos that want to learn about country living.
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