Farm-iversary 12

Posted on March 4, 2024 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

Saturday marked 12 years since the farm became ours. Ellie, Cigo and I had a great day. We had nowhere to be, nothing pressing to do and no one to see. We kept the gate closed (which has always been a sign of a good day for me) and boiled sap, crafted, swung, tidied, played and enjoyed our time together.

Sometimes I question the farm. Is it the right choice for us?

Would life be easier or happier if we lived somewhere else? A neighbourhood where Ellie could play with other kids or ride her bike on asphalt. Somewhere we could walk to the library or the park. A yard where I could handle the grass and snow myself (but still have room for a garden and chicken coop).

I follow a few bloggers who have downsized or tried country living and then returned to town. They write about how happy they are and how it was the right move for their families. Should I consider changing my mind?

On Saturday, those questions didn’t enter my mind. We had a balance of work and play, inside and outside. Cigo had two big runs (and reminded me that it’s pointless to give him a bath at noon if I’m going to let him go for another run after lunch). Ellie played on her swing (who needs a park?), rode around in the trailer, understood the need to do a little early season outside clean-up and was willing to help, explored along the creek, experimented with her loose parts obstacle course and so much more.

She is an independent, confident, capable child, and the farm is a huge part of that.

I asked Ellie a few weeks ago if she’s ever considered living somewhere else. She looked at me like I had three heads, and said, “No.” She loves the farm, and I hope that I can continue to build that feeling for her.

Part of my desire to stay on the farm is her future. I am not optimistic about climate change and the future of the world. The farm is protection—food, self-sufficiency, safety—if she needs it someday. It’s also my chance to do a little bit for climate change—protecting nature, sequestering carbon, restoring soil and forests.

It’s also Matt. The farm was both of our dreams, but when we got here I saw that the farm was vital to Matt in a deep way. I don’t want to betray that.

There are other good reasons to be here, both practical and emotional. Financially, we can live here fairly affordably. Philosophically, I believe this lifestyle is good for us. Creatively, I love a fixer-upper house and the property, barn, gardens and house inspire me so much.

No matter the questions, I come back to how important the farm is to me spiritually. Rereading my previous farm-iversary posts, the theme that is constant through the past 12 years is how special this experience is and how meaningful it is for me. That is still true.

The spirituality of it has changed over the years. Now it’s less about the beauty and peace of the property and more about experiencing it with Ellie and seeing her thrive and enjoy it.

We go through seasons in life, and this season is about her. This season is also likely the source of some of my questions. Managing the property on my own with a young child is a big juggle. I’m not doing as many projects as I want to because I can’t right now. But going through the weekend where she took on some of the work and recognized the need to care for the farm filled my spirit.

This farm, her, me. Matt and the generations that have been here before us. The animals, plants, water and life. There is magic here. I am grateful for the 12 years that we’ve had, and I’m here for the future of our family at this farm.

Farm-iversary 10

Posted on March 7, 2022 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

A decade. We’ve been here at the farm for a decade.

Ten years sounds like a lot. But it feels short to me. In the life of this property, 10 years is a blink.

When we came to the farm, we were told that the previous two or three owners had each lasted only a few years. I hoped that we would break that streak. Now I hope that someday the farm may become Ellie’s and generations of our family will be able to live here and be part of this special place.

Be part of.

In living at the farm, I’ve become conscious that it’s not really ours. The land is its own. We care for it. Tend it. Enjoy it. Use it. Benefit from it. But it is its own being that has a life far beyond us.

A friend gave me a book for Christmas, Braiding Sweetgrass, that discusses an Indigenous philosophy of land and nature. The author advocates for a “reciprocal relationship with the rest of the living world.”

Since moving to the farm, my attitude a lot of the time has been that nature knows what she’s doing and works best without interference. A reciprocal relationship isn’t quite that. Reciprocity means tending the land so that it will tend to us. Sweetgrass thrives when it’s harvested–moderately, carefully and considerately.

I’ve always been conscious of the long history and future of the farm and wanted to do my best to honour that. Now I’m considering that honouring means being a bit more active. Cutting back brush and vines that are infiltrating the forests. Somehow clearing some of the phragmites from the pond and re-establishing cattails. Learning more about regenerative agriculture and working with our farmer to try some new (old) things.

Ten years at the farm is special. In part, 10 years feels short because living here still feels so novel. Each year, the impact this property has on me increases. And my desire to care for it–and ensure it cares for Ellie and those who may live here in the future–grows too.

Farm-iversary 9 and a new project

Posted on March 1, 2021 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

Tomorrow marks 9 years since the farm became ours.

I’ve been trying to think about what I want to write for the anniversary, and I haven’t been sure what to say.

Looking back at previous farm-iversary posts, year 4 feels closest to what I’m feeling right now.

“Four years ago, I started to live one of my dreams. It’s been a pretty amazing opportunity. Something I don’t take for granted and that is incredibly meaningful for me.“

Obviously, life has changed a lot since I wrote those words. But they’re still true. This place is special. I feel Matt and my Dad here, and I see meaning all around us. I don’t take that for granted at all.

But rather than being sentimental today, what I really want to do is celebrate.

Because we are about to embark on a new project.

It’s big.

It’s something I’ve wanted for a long time.

It’s a… garage.

I’ve been planning this for years–9 to be exact. Our official planning process with a contractor and blueprints and permits started in the fall. Demo is underway (the old indoor pool is finally going away). Construction might start this month, depending on the weather.

Nine years ago, during the home inspection.

I have so, so many more details to share. I think year 9 is going to be good. Stay tuned.

Do you celebrate your house’s anniversary? What projects are you tackling this year?

How to find your dream farm – Farm-iversary 8

Posted on March 2, 2020 by Julia at Home on 129 Acres

Today is marks eight years since farm became ours. This year, our farm-iversary obviously feels different because Matt is not here in person. It’s really because of him that we are here in this place that means so much to us both.

Finding our perfect farm took a lot of work, persistence, patience and guts–most of which I credit to Matt.

How to find your dream farm

I know a lot of people share our dream of country living, so today I thought I’d share my advice for how to find your dream country property. Fittingly, there are eight.

1. Make this a shared dream

Fortunately, Matt and I were on the same page right from the start about moving to the country. We perhaps had different reasons for wanting a farm, but we were working towards the same goal. This teamwork is very important. The search for your dream country property and then the actual living there are both hard. Fun and wonderful, but hard. If you’re a couple or a family, this decision needs to be made jointly.

I am more aware than ever that not everyone is a couple. You may be single and want the country lifestyle–and you absolutely can achieve it. Find a friend, family member (children count), someone who can encourage you and believes in your dream.

Matt and Ellie on the tractor

Even though Matt and I don’t get to do this together anymore, I’m so happy that I get to do it with Ellie. She loves the animals, the barns, the tractor, the outdoors, and her joy makes me happy.

2. Know what you’re looking for

It’s great to talk about moving to the country, but to actually make it happen and find the perfect property, you need to know what matters most to you. Farms come in all different shapes and sizes.

Think carefully about what you want and be as specific as possible.

Things like property size, style of house and any features on the property like woods or water all influence how you live on a farm. If you’re planning to work the land or raise animals, those are also important factors to consider.

Maple sapling alongside the driveway

For us, I was happy with anything over 10 acres. Matt wanted at least 50. I wanted water, and initially thought either a creek or pond would work. As our search progressed, I realized the pond was really important to me, so our criteria became more specific.

We wanted a fixer-upper house, and we certainly go that. While major renovations are not everyone’s choice, I will say that you can change a lot about a house, but the property is harder to change.

As you develop your wish list, balance being narrow and broad. You want to be specific about what you want, but open-minded enough that you can actually find a farm that works for you. For both our house and property, we had 17 items on our wish list. Here are our lists for the property and the house.

3. Pick your area

Search area is part of knowing what you want. This will determine the type of land you buy–whether it’s rolling hills, flat fields, woods, marshy. It will also determine the price you pay. Prices vary greatly depending on where you look. If you’re willing to move, you might find a more affordable property.

Big field

For us, we wanted to stay close to our families, so we decided that our search area would be within 45 minutes of our hometowns.

4. Get pre-approved for your mortgage

While moving to the country and buying a farm usually begin as emotional decisions, there are a lot of practical considerations, like your finances. You likely will need a mortgage to buy a farm (and if you don’t, good for you). Visit a few banks or credit unions or other lenders before you begin your search to get pre-approved for a mortgage.

This process will help to guide your search as it may set the budget for you. As well, it can make things easier and quicker once you find your dream farm to have financing already set up… though be prepared that financing a farm will still be more complicated than a regular house. Here are my tips for financing a farm.

The house on June 1, 2017

5. Run your numbers

While the bank is a good start, it shouldn’t be the only step in your financial planning process. Try to project your monthly expenses on a farm. Consider mortgage payments, utilities (which may be higher in the country), property taxes (which may be lower because you pay a rural rate) and other costs of living. Also consider vehicle costs, as you will likely be driving more once you move to the country.

Figuring out how much you are comfortable spending will help to determine the budget for your dream country property. It might also help you to avoid sticker shock once you get your first country electricity bill.

Fieldstone fireplace with barn beam mantel

6. Be prepared to stretch your budget

I completely agree with the strategy of buying less house than you can afford in most circumstances. But for the farm of your dreams, I’ve learned that it can work out if you stretch your budget.

I’m not saying spend beyond your means. All of the work you went through in #4 and #5 still apply. But you may end up going to the max of what you can afford.

For Matt and me, once we saw this farm, our budget jumped by nearly $100,000. That’s a huge leap (even though we were still within what we could afford), and one that caused me a sleepless night before we put in our offer.

If you’ve run your numbers, understand your finances, know what you can comfortably spend and have your mortgage approval, there isn’t a huge risk to upping your budget. It may make you uncomfortable, but you can do it.

7. DIY property search

We worked with a realtor throughout our search for the perfect farm. I think realtors are a helpful resource for finding, evaluating and buying properties. However, we–mainly Matt–also looked. All. The. Time.

We developed a technique of find a property on MLS (or one our realtor sent to us), look it up on Google Earth and Google Street View, look up the municipal or tax record to see the actual property boundaries. Then, if it was still ticking our boxes, we would do a drive-by. Only then would we book a viewing with our realtor.

This is obviously a lot of work, but it saved us from seeing farms that didn’t meet our criteria.

Matt and I in front of the farm

For this farm, Matt found it online on Jan. 1. It had just been listed and we were able to jump on it quickly because we were looking when a lot of other people–including our realtor–weren’t.

8. Persist

Our search for the perfect farm took a year and a half. Over that time, we saw a lot of farms. We even put in a few offers, which were outbid. We got frustrated. We argued. We debated settling for something less than what we wanted. We despaired that we would never find the right farm.

If you know what you want, don’t settle (too much). Keep searching. Keep working. Keep thinking and talking about your dream to encourage yourself to keep going. Eventually, you will find what works for you and hopefully it will be everything you dream and more.

Country living is not for everyone. But when it’s a dream you’ve held for a long time, as with Matt and me, it can be the absolute perfect fit for you.

When Matt and I moved to the farm, I immediately saw a huge change in him. He seemed more relaxed and comfortable. He loved it here. I am so, so glad that we made this move and that he got the time here that he did.

Matt mans the wheel of the Kioti CS2410