Farm Views

We have decided to call our new place a farm. It isn't very big, but we do hope to get most of our food from it, so a farm it might someday be.
Here are some more photos of it.

You saw the house yesterday:

It needs painting, inside and out, and some boards repaired, and a new roof, but it is big enough for us and our studio (if we can get the basement dry!!) and it is shady and cool.

There is a small field off to the north:

That field goes to the fence, pretty close to the home on the other side.

And another bigger  pasture  in the back, that goes all the way to the trees, and about 20 feet into the woods to the west:

Altogether there is about 2.4 acres. The back pasture is about 1.8 acres. The side field is about .15 acre.

We would like to have a large garden, bees, chickens and rabbits, and maybe a cow.  I would love to have a pig, but they smell so bad, I'm sure the neighbors would complain, so I doubt I will do that.

According to all the self-sufficiency books, 2 acres is enough to raise most anything, but what the books forget is that a quarter acre is for the septic field, and really can't be used for much.  I think I may make mine a native flower garden for the bees.  It is sunny, and right by the driveway up front, so I need to make it look presentable.

The place is between Bellevue and Clyde Ohio, in a small unincorporated village called Colby.  The property has been empty for about 10 years, though it was mowed and looked in on by a neighbor, so it doesn't have an abandoned look.

Independence Day!

We got the truck unloaded yesterday evening, pretty late.  It seems fitting to move into this new place on Independence Day.
Today we spent finding and unpacking the stuff we need to live for a while.

The local fireworks are showing tonight, but I am too tired to go, so Snow took the others so I can hit the sack early.


I love the new place.

Even though it doesn't have water yet.
Or a water heater.

I need a shower, so that little lack-of-water problem seems really important.

The handyman we've hired says he will be able to  get the pump from the delivered water cistern up and running on Monday, but no one will fill the cistern until it is inspected. We found another cistern that collects rainwater. It is hidden under a huge old bush, but we noticed that most of the downspots are diverted to join behind that bush, and some clearing away showed us the cement lid of that hidden cistern.  We also think that cistern is the reason there was thigh-high clear water in the basement when we first saw the house.  It seems to overflow into the basement when it gets full.

BUT, if it is full, we might be able to use that for watering the garden or washing the car, eventually. And actually, with the Clyde Cancer Cluster pretty foremost in my mind, I think cleaning that cistern, repairing it, filtering that water and using it for drinking might be the best.

Until then, we are buying drinking water, and washing up in the sink.

Well, Happy Independence Day! I'm off to bed!!