So, I believe we have actually hit the threshold- we are now "real farmers"! This week Phil purchased himself a genuine 1961 Farmall C tractor. Oh how far we have come!
This hits a new point on our quest for simple living...although we have been so busy that it doesn't seem so simple, just different. We made the move from Washington State to Iowa in November, 2005. We wanted to scale down our lives from two incomes to one so I could stay home with our then-7 month old son. We wanted simpler lives, time to enjoy family and life. After much soul searching, we left our two-bedroom, one bathroom home outside of Seattle, and moved into a four bedroom, one one and a half bath 1925 farmhouse on 5 acres.
The house is old...and was last updated in 1970-something...which makes for some interesting carpet and paint, to say the least. However, underneath it all is a beautiful old house full of charm. We just have to uncover it all!
That is the short version of where we are and what we are doing. We are here on a dream and a prayer...believing that God will provide direction and provision for us. We left both of our families and all of our friends at home in Washington, which has been very hard. Before this move, neither of us had lived more than an hour away from home.
Staying home has been another new experience. Having always been career driven, this shift has definitely challenged me in new ways, but also taught me a lot, too. After graduating college, I worked for Target for three years in Human Resources. I loved the challenge, the fast pace, and the "importance" of it all. But on the flip side, with a new baby, I never felt I saw him enough. The house was a mess and no one ate like they should. I always felt divided, never enough for either work or home.
We found our house on the internet, and on a whim took a look at it. Phil flew back because I had to work...and ended up buying a house that I had never seen. Now that's trust! Phil took a job as a finish carpenter to pay bills, and I am able to be at home. In the evenings, we sit by the fireplace and read...and we have every evening and weekend together. For fun, we work on our house and take trips to "town", which is about 45 minutes away. We are definitely country bumpkins now! What a change from living 3 minutes from the grocery store.
So, that kind of catches you up to today...we looked through the seed catalog this morning over coffee. I can't wait to start a garden! I know nothing about it, but found a great website online through Iowa State. Thankfully Phil has done a bit of gardening at home. The greatest part about the whole farming thing is that we have only farmers for neighbors and church friends! So, when we need help, have questions, or whatever, people have been more than anxious to give support! Phil works with some guys that all either grew up on farms or have one currently. Every night he comes home with "The guys said this about the garden" or "they think we need this kind of tiller". One of them is actually giving us a plow and a disc for our tractor, because he simply doesn't need it! Amazing!
Oh yes, on the other side of things, our kitchen is completely gutted...we decided the 1950's metal cabinets just weren't going to cut it, and ended up taking everything out. We have been eating out of a crock pot for three months now, and I finally ordered a stove two days ago. It should be here by the end of the week! I am thrilled! Now all we need to do is finish the floor and hook up the power...small feats, right?
Ok, enought for today. I'm off to unpack a few boxes into a few newly painted closets.
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