PLEASE NOTE: Today’s post is taking place at the Hazel Green Farmlet location, and not on the Mountain Farmlet!  😉

The old place died today.  No one was sad about it.  It was an evil, killing place.  Over the years it had been the ruin of four happy marriages, and had drained the bank accounts of at least five people in the five years since we moved here.  Most were people thinking to patch the place up and “flip-it.” Sadly, one of the unsuspecting buyers was a young family who had put down “earnest money” on the place to secure their purchase.  They wanted to make it a home for their family.  Thankfully, they found out the truth of the property in time.  They may have lost their $500. deposit, but their health, marriage, and their bank account are intact.

Unbelievably, the frame had been built onto ground with a very high water table.  The soil would not allow for a good draining septic system, and for all appearances… the frame was built onto the soil! This allowed for moisture to wick up into its framing,  and then the termites came.  One of the owners over the years removed the wood flooring and tried to pour in a foundation.  The foundation not being attached to the house, well, it was ‘floating’ and when the rainy season hit each year the water came up and then under the tiling and carpeting.  One buyer even tried to dig a pond… a scary deep pit, onto the back of the property.  It was his hope that the water would drain into the huge void and keep his home dry.  I am afraid he did not understand about water tables.  It of course did not work.  When the rain came the pit filled with water and became a lake, the water table still rose to level beneath his home.  He was no better off for his spent time and energy, and perhaps worse off, because now he had a murky mosquito infested swamp back there.

In the last two years the place had become an attractive nuisance.    Late in the night it was being inhabited by

“…young ruffians who came there to smoke and drink.” 

This, of course,  led the younger children into believing that the place was haunted!  Thankfully, the neighborhood is close-knit, and kept a watch for trouble.  The sheriff was called out a few times and this quickly put an end to the trouble with trespassers.

Abandoned, ugly, rotten to its core,  it was a dangerous eyesore on our little street, and now it is coming down.  The backhoe made the first cut.  Timbers cracked and nails shrieked as the bucket tore at its frame,  but the evil place wasn’t done yet.

As the backhoe worked on breaking its bones the house spewed clouds of plaster dust into the air.   

Laden with mold spores the stench was horrible. 

Having completed my early morning chores I beat a hasty retreat into the house!

~*~

As I write, its remains are being bulldozed by county workers into the now dried out pond mosquito swamp.  The whole space will be filled in, properly graded for good drainage, and grass planted over it.  When the new owners are done it will be a park-like setting for their family BBQ’s, and in summer  a place for neighborhood gatherings.

I have no idea how much the last unsuspecting buyer paid for the place, but I know he sold it at a great sacrifice to his wallet, to someone local who knew its history and wanted it gone. 

Our neighbors,

and we,

are grateful for his interest in making that happen!