Day 25 - Farm Treasures

The first few weeks of moving were a blur. Figuring out time to work on the house, corralling three kids, and managing my wife’s third shift nursing shifts and connected sleep schedule made every day an adventure. Add in the meetings and hours spent preparing a classroom connected to the start of a school year just a few weeks away and there was literally no time to rest. We were very happy to be calling this place home, but needed to hustle in high gear to make it feel like a home before the school year swallowed up all of our time and energy.

Enthusiasm defeated exhaustion every time so even though our plates were full, we were still hungry to learn and experience every bit of our new property.

Inside, even though we unpacked box after box, it felt like we didn’t make a dent in unpacking. Even after setting aside the best boxes (something I never thought I’d ever have the desire to do) and storing them in a stall in the barn, we reached out to the social media world to let them know there were stacks of boxes available should they want to come and pick them up.

Outside was a welcome break from the cardboard city we were creating inside. We brought some of the old house with us by transplanting a few prairie plants and starting our own mini prairie. We set up bird feeders to let our wild friends know they were welcome. We caught toads, tree frogs, and glimpses of our resident sandhill crane pair. 

We also started our first substantial farm project. Upon my oldest’s request to have a spot in nearby nature where she could relax, read, and revel in the power of nature, I took our “new to us" riding lawn mower and created a reading trail for the kids. 

Even though it was technically a small project compared to what was ahead of us, it was exciting to get outside and create something we would be able to enjoy. Every day we found something new to explore and enjoy.

We also found plenty of unexpected and unwanted items. Let’s call them farm treasures.