Another weekend is gone. At least it was a long one this time. We are alway a little sad when we leave the farm. Every weekend there seems to be a good one. Yes, we work hard. Yes, we haven't had plumbing until very recently. Yes, there is no TV. Yes, we live in a barn. But when the day is done & we are sitting in front of the fire, we just smile at each other & know this is so right. It is a little strange to only feel like you are at home when you are away from your weekday home. Oh, we miss some things. Like the kids. A lot. Wish they could live up there with us. But they all have their own lives. And they are happy with those lives, which is all a parent can hope for. We know they understand our need for the homesteading life. When we make the final move, it will be hard. Torn between two lives...This morning as we left, there was quite a bit of ice on the ground & the van. It gets a little scary traveling down the driveway when it is icy. We made it & are home in Illinois now. Mia (the cat) is very happy to see us.
We almost have the stairs done. There was more insulating done in the basement in the form of heat tape. Next year we hope to have a back-up source of heat in the barn besides the woodburner. We will be getting a propane tank this summer that we will need for the stove but we aren't sure if we will be adding a few more solar panels to the system for radiant floor heat or use a small propane furnace. We love the wood heat for when we are there. Too bad there are pipes that freeze when you are gone!
The stairs were one of those BIG steps (ha ha) that makes us proud of how far we have come from 2 years ago in March. The barn was Amish built & owned for 4 years before we bought it. The simple life to the extreme. A family of nine living in a barn among the machinery for a furniture & sewing business. No plumbing, no electric, nothing fancy or even close. The lower level (basement) of the bank barn was a dirt floor with creasote posts & home to horses, chickens & a little mean guard dog. We talking lots of manure, dead rats, etc. It smelled a lot to say the least.
This is the barn basement the day we closed. The Amish apparently don't clean everything out before they move as the English do (and as per contract).This is after a few changes we made
New posts & a concrete floor made it all the difference. It no longer smells like a barn & we could have a great roller skating rink!
We'll be in Illinois until Friday afternoon & then back to Wisconsin for more of what we love.
1 comment:
You have come a long way on it. It's looking better everytime I see it, but seeing how it was when you bought it was something. You should be proud of yourselfs.
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