And the farm
and life would look something like this….
Beef,
chicken and pork grown here. Minus
hormones and genetically modified feed, of course!
There will be a hen house and a small barn for the cow, a horse and a
small shelter for two pigs. There’ll be
a dog and, I don’t wanna know how many cats!
There will
be a store house… a cellar, if you will, with walls lined with shelves of
canning jars and supplies, fresh and canned fruit and vegetables and freezers
containing meats and other foods for the fall and winter months. There will be a couple of small homes with
porches dotted with pots overflowing with flowers of every color and shade. Attached to the side of one little abode is a
greenhouse which can be accessed from the inside of the house or the
outside. The greenhouse is large and
inside you’ll find flowers and fresh vegetables and herbs ready for the picking
for tonight’s dinner. Attached to the
other house is a dog yard, a kennel and several sweet yapping puppies ready to
distribute joy to whoever passes by. There
is a main house. It is simple and not
too large but full of laughter and love of life. We have a small yard but big enough to run
and play. Down another path but close to
the house there is a large garden just finishing up its summer occupation of
growing food for the people who live on the farm. The orchard is nearby where children are
climbing the trees and stealing cherries and apples and fall pears. There are bushel baskets dotted here and
there. Half full to bursting and ready to
be taken to the storehouse to be canned, stored, frozen, prepared for jams and
jellies.
There are
outbuildings… garages and machine sheds storing old cars, mowers, tillers and
snowplows. The tools are organized and
the garages are heated to be comfortable even on the coldest of days. It’s well lit to almost seem as if the sun is
shining. There are lifts and every
necessity for maintaining the vehicles that reside on the property. Somewhere near the machine sheds is another
inconspicuous looking building. Big barn
doors grace the front of the building and a chimney exits the roof. Upon opening the doors you’ll find a
blacksmith’s work place. Anvils and hammers,
stock metal and even a small laser cutter.
Center stage is a gas forge. The
smell is of hot metal shavings that have been grinded off the art projects
hanging from the walls and propped against shelves throughout the little
shed. On almost any weekend day you’ll
find those doors open for several hours while the fire in the forge is kept hot
to make repairs on tools, to give demonstrations to local homeschoolers and to
just simply create.
Back in the
main farmhouse the kitchen is large, consuming nearly half of the downstairs
square footage. In it resides a large
gas stove with a pot filler and large sinks for rinsing, washing and
canning. To one side, the old farm table
stands. There are school books piled up
here and there and eraser dust on the benches.
The names of dear ones are carved here and there all over the
table. Fresh baked bread is cooling on
the counter as is a fresh batch of homemade strawberry jam. In the tiny library, an old cat is nestled in
on the ancient leather ottoman taking a nap in a ray of sunshine. There are some books here and there laid open
and scattered on table tops. It is a
quiet room with shelves that stretch to the ceiling full of books new and old
on almost any subject you would hope for.
A set of encyclopedias line the shelves for easy access and a small
secretary sits in the corner ready for use.
Across the
hall is the laundry. Out the door is the
line where sheets and towels float gently on the breeze promising to bring the
fragrance of the wind indoors for many days to come. Everyone is about being industrious or taking
a break from their day's work. Tonight is
dinner with our families at the main house.
We’ll spend this evening planning and preparing for our coming guests at
Thanksgiving. There is a bunk house
located just off the barn and come November it will be full to bursting with
cousins telling ghosts stories and staying up all hours of the night! The trees that frame the farm have been
planted specifically for Thanksgiving weekend… they are our Christmas trees.
The family
dinners at the main house are always loud and loving. The table is loaded with more food than even
our large family can eat and everyone heads home with leftovers. We love that their homes are just down the
path! I go out as the stars gather for
their nightly dance and collect eggs.
Overwhelmed by God’s grace, mercy and provision, I stop and raise my
hands to the sky glorying in the way the breeze seems to flow through my very
soul. It’s just what we wanted,
God! It’s everything we’ve hoped for and
yet so much more! To share this life
with our loved ones and to soak up each moment with them. We do so appreciate the opportunity that
you’ve given us and we hope that each day we will embrace that and show each
other love and allow each other failures because God, we can do no less than
what you have done for us.
Amen.
