“My window faces the South, and [we’re] almost half way to heaven…”
(Please see the notes on this song at the end of the post!)
~*~
Follow me, through the woods…
keep going!
Past the pony who’s escaped his pasture.
Hello, naughty Pony!
Past some pretty new flowers of spring.
We’ll follow along the creek for a bit,
and beyond the water pump,
and the pond,
to…
The new Farmlet!
An antique home (174 years and counting) on 23 acres with a pond for Polly and Frellnick, and that wonderful walking trail you just accompanied me on through the woods and along the creek!
Looking from the front you will see the rock fireplace, which is where the old log cabin was constructed in the 1840s. Later, the home was expanded in the 1920s to the proportions you see here. In 2006, there was an addition of a large bedroom and bath in the back. All of the wood for the construction over the years came from the property.
I can’t wait to show you the inside, but wait we must until the escrow closes.
I feel as if I am in a dream, and now understand why God said, “No” the first time around.
We are so blessed!
~*~
I want to thank each and every one of you for your prayers and heartfelt good wishes. They mean so much!
May all your blessings be returned to you tenfold!
~*~
NOTE: The refrain above is from “My Window Faces the South.” It was written back in back in 1937 by Jerry Livingston, Abner Silver and Mitchell Parish. I always assumed, incorrectly, that it was a Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen original. Who knew? I sure didn’t! It was made popular by Fats Waller and has remained so to the present day.
CREDITS: Want to know more? Go to Community Voices HERE to read all about it.
Life on the Farmlet 
Over the moon excited for you!
Thank you, Jayme!
Doin’ some happy dancin’ here – CONGRATULATIONS!
Thank you, Deb!
Oh, and (so excited I forgot to mention; ) pretty sure your little gem is one of my favourite spring ephemerals, Hepatica…
http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Hepatica+americana
Deb, they do look very similar, but the leaf form is very fine, almost like maiden hair fern. Also, there seems to be an average of seven petals on the flower (6 to 8). Yours has a definite 6 petal structure. We’ll have to keep looking because I will want to know about everything that grows there. 🙂
Okay, if there are leaves already present, it’s definitely not Hepatica; so I pulled out the big guns for this one (my Audubon North American wildflower guide (flower #55/description page 729; ) then looked on PFAF for the link. Is this it?
http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Anemonella+thalictroides
Also thinking that you’ve got a great place for mushrooms to grow, what with all of those conifers along your walking trail… (More botanical treasure hunting – this is SO exciting: )
That is EXACTLY it! How did you do that???
And THANKS. Deb! I hate mysteries when it comes to native flora, and I love natives! 😀
LOL! You’ll just have to get a copy of “National Audubon Society.. Field Guide to North American Wildflowers.. Eastern Region”
ISBN 9-780394-50432-2
It has a great “outdoors-proof”, brilliant lime green vinyl cover and roughly the first third of the book is photos for plant identification: starting with flower colour, petal shape/sillouhette – from simplest to most complex forms, seeds & fruit… But, to be absolutely honest, the book pretty much fell open to the right page; )
And PFAF? Well, PFAF is just massive and hands down my favourite source for in-depth plant information: )
Y’know, seeing all of those evergreens along your walking trail gets me wondering about harvesting and growing mushrooms too: )
Just used my ‘rewards’ on Amazon to order it new for 60cents. 😉
Thanks for the recommendation!
60 cents? Now THAT’S a bargain! (And you’re quite welcome: )
😀
Deb, I think you may have asked this question in an email, but the black pipe you see by the well is rain water runoff from the little cabin. The roof on the cabin is metal so I think that should be safe. (???)
Hi Lynda, Although rainwater alone should be be safe enough, any contaminants on the surface (from Mr. Mallard or anyone else who might wander by) could be washed into the well. You should probably check with the local Public Health Unit for the specifics regarding wells in your area, but that pipe should definitely empty downhill of the well opening.
Here’s a link regarding water wells from the Province of Ontario (there’s a TON more info on wells and drinking water here, on the Ministry of Environment website)
http://www.ene.gov.on.ca/environment/en/resources/STDPROD_085800.html
OH! We don’t drink that water. We have city water. The spring that is under the well pump feeds the pond down below. At some point I might like to use the well water to irrigate with, but NEVER to drink it. I will check out the page though due to issues with the aquifers that may not be seen. Thanks Deb!
Ah, no worries then, eh? But I did wonder (in the email, I think?) about whether this little trickle was more constant than what was coming out of the “big o” pipe. Too bad really, to me at least, a spring-fed well would be awesome… (I’m spoiled, I guess, being raised on well water, just can’t stand the taste of chlorine; )
I can’t stand tap water taste either. I use a Brita filtering system to clean it up! 😉
Is it definite? Yeeha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
YES! No April Fools Jokes this time. 😀
Ooh, very cool. God is good, God is great… I do have one question though. What happened to the pony?
Yes he is! As for the pony, well, we were walking with the Real Estate Agent at the time, and he didn’t seem concerned at all. This is up in the mountains of [edit], AL. Very quiet and remote. May we assume that he took himself home for dinner. ???
Aha! I knew it!
God’s plan revealed itself.
And you were standing right there…. 🙂
Yes!
Thanks, Mary!
I am thrilled for you. God bless your new home and keep the poultry and pets safe from predators.
Thank you, Yvonne! We will be working on pet security before we even get to move in. There are other delays to moving as well, but those will be discussed in another post. (soon!)
Thank goodness! And what a farmlet 😀 Well done you.
Annie, now you know why I was so disappointed when I thought we wouldn’t get it. It is everything we ever dreamed about and more. We are so blessed!
So, hope you’re going to keep us updated! Delighted for you.
I will! Holding my breath at the moment…
The house inspector found some really scary stuff under those old floorboards…
YIKES!
Uh oh… You probably don’t want to specify but the imagination just runs wild: dry rot, mold or fungus, carpenter ants, termites or worse? Is there a basement, crawl space, or …? Yikes!! And, thank goodness, at least you two weren’t so head-over-heels in love that you didn’t forgo the home inspection! Hugs (with fingers crossed): Deb.
No we didn’t, Deb, and I even arranged to be there so he could show and tell me everything he found. (We got burned by an inspector who was a “Yes man” when we bought the house we’re in, because I was in California when the inspection was performed.) I will be posting on the inspection tomorrow when he sends me his formal report. I will tell you that they were all health and safety issues.
I like this inspector, BTW, because he is very thorough! The realtor will be presenting the results of the inspection to the seller, and then we wait to see if he will fix it or reduce the purchase price enough to compensate.
This looks perfect!
Somebody pinch me, because I still can’t believe it myself! Thank you, Mara!
i suspected when we strolled through those lovely trees, that a wonderful surprise awaited! it’s beautiful, and i’m so very happy for you! z
Just wait until you see the guest house/quilting space/man cave… 😉
how great!!!! i’m so happy that this is going to happen and you move forward into a new chapter!
Yes, because we are bursting at the seems on this little acre of earth! 😀
I’m so happy for you, and yes, just a touch envious, too. That’s exactly the kind of place I’d love to have and never will. But now you do, and it’s clear that all the delays and crooks in the road were worth it. I love the history, and I love that 23 acres, too. Funny – the place up in the Hill Country I used to go to in another lifetime was 23 acres, too. You can have a lot of fun with 23 acres!
How far is the new place from where you are now? When will the move take place?
Now – here’s the bad news. [edit] I’ve been keeping a trip up to Oxford and Muscle Shoals in mind because of the music – Fat Possum in Oxford, Fame and MS Sound Studio on Jackson Highway. (That’s where the Stones recorded “Brown Sugar”. Aretha Franklin recorded at the Fame studio – both of them offer tours.
OK. Time to curb my enthusiasm. My point is – you’re now directly in the crosshairs of my travel target! I may get to see your new place someday,in person. How cool would that be?
I’m just so happy for you. Can you see me smiling? 😉
Do you see ME smiling??? 😀
I will post more on the rest of your comment a bit later today, I promise!
Linda, you said: “Now – here’s the bad news. …My point is – you’re now directly in the crosshairs of my travel target! I may get to see your new place someday,in person. How cool would that be?”
***How is this bad news? *** AND, BTW, you are one of the few people I know that is aware of the RR and R&B history of Muscle Shoals! I would love to share some time with you there. 😉
Answers to your questions:
1. Distance from here to there is 82 miles.
2. Move in? We can’t get in until the current owner moves out. (Although she has agreed to let me begin my planting and gardening!) She is in her 80s and we have given her extra time to sort through and manage her move. Wouldn’t you? 🙂 THEN we need to paint and patch while the home is empty, so……. We don’t have a ETA on moving in. But that is OK.
3. “How cool would that be” you ask? Well, If you don’t know, then I’m not telling!
Hooray.
Thanks, Tom, I hate to use such a tired cliche, but I was doing the “happy dance” last night! 😉
Umm…. you said guest house/quilting space? Oh my goodness. How often you plan to invite guests? You want a permanent guest? :-}
Anita, I do like to have guests. 😀
My friend from ‘Day by Day the Farm Girl Way’ was just here last month for a whole week! Before that we had friends in from California for a visit. Obviously, I haven’t had visitors as often as I would like, but when we get the two room, log cabin that is also on the new property fitted out, then we will be ready for guests! So much to do, and so much fun too! 🙂
Be sure to email us your new address! Lots of fulfillment going on. Does this shorten Bob’s commute or is he taking early retirement? We’ve been so out of the loop. We can’t find [edit] anywhere! The only thing that comes up with a similar spelling is [edit], where [edit] lived. Is that the place?
Don’t worry, we will send you our address when we get moved in. We are giving the owner plenty of time to sort through her belongings, have an estate sale, and get moved out. She had been there a very long time! We can wait. Yes, [edit] is where [edit] lived! However, we are out in the mountains to the southwest of the town.
Oh, it is, I see you mentioned [edit] once, so that is the place. I can tell you’re excited! Hugs!
Kathee, we are excited! It is more than we ever dreamed of.
I am so happy for you and Bob!! My goodness, what a little gem and just right for your needs. What about Bob’s work? You know me, the worry wart! It looks just perfect. I can see Mr. B and I are going to have to mosey that way when we get a chance. It is just GORGEOUS Lynda!!
Lori, thank you! It is way bigger than we had planned on. If it had been a full on farm, with pastures covering every square foot, then we would not have considered it. THAT would have been too much work! But because about 3/4 of it is lightly wooded with a well established trail, well that narrows it down quite a bit! There are about 3 or 4 cleared acres on the north end that have also been well maintained but not fenced. It is my (future) plan to fence and cross fence them for my little goats. And, yes, you simply must come back and bring Mr. B this time! You know we would love to have you.
Awesome! Congratulations on the new Farmlet!
Thank you, Evil Squirrel, as you may guess, we are very excited about the whole thing!
Gee, it seems that I have come across your blog at a very good time!! How fun for you and how lovely that all of these folks are so excited for you as well. CongratulationS1
Thank you, LB! It is exciting! There are so many things to do, and I have all the time I need to accomplish them in. It will be fun sharing it all with my friends here. 🙂
What great news!!!! I was hoping and praying that things would change for you. I thought it might have when I saw the pony. Yea!!!!!
Thank you Margaret! And, hey, what is it about those little ponies? They are everywhere! 😉
Well isn’t that just dandy! Yay, yay, yay! See, it all works out 😉 Just one question, does the pony come with it?
Don’t I wish, Dou Dou! 😉
I know everyone else has left the same note, but still – CONGRATULATIONS! How wonderful.
Nancy
Doesn’t matter. I am glad for every one of them.
Thank you, Nancy!
Forget the house–I’d pitch a tent to live there! Well, maybe not for long, but it is a beautiful lot.
LOL! You’re not the first person to say that, Patti!
Heavenly and really hard to find words for how lovely this is. 🙂
Us too. We are still trying to fathom how it came to be ours. All we can say is that we feel blessed.
Thank you!