OF BUILDING DREAMS & BATH DRAINS

Hey friends.

I don’t know about you, but I’m a little in shock that it is somehow September. Last I remember it was June, and while I was still in the midst of pandemic-planning for the summer, I was cautiously optimistic that the worst was behind us. And no while we didn’t have grand travel plans for the next two months, we knew we were lucky enough to spend our summer in our very own spa-like retreat complete with zen pool, butterflies, and peace a-plenty.

Somehow I blinked and its all PSLs, sweater-weather and bizarre back to school routine. (Tim started teaching behind plexiglass to masked cadets spaced out the appropriate distances.)

Meanwhile I’m over here begging for a few more weeks of summer sun, lazy days by the pool and in the gardens, evenings grilling out and watching the sun slip slowly behind the rolling hills.

Don’t get me wrong, I adore fall. Every year Tim mercilessly mocks but ultimately enables my basic girl leanings by encouraging my embrace of all things autumn.

But this year, it’s not time yet, it can’t be. It feels like just a few weeks ago I was getting over the crushing injustice of not being able to vacation in Hawaii. (i know, cue the violins). But Tim was speaking in a conference there in March, we had never been, and were all set to spend a few extra days soaking in some tropical goodness. It came down to the week before, it was all kicking off with COVID at this point, if you remember. Also bizarrely this was the season when you couldn’t find toilet paper for love or money. The conference organizers did the right thing, as much as it pained me, and cancelled the conference.

Since then our travel has consisted of a flying day trip to Tennessee to give my momma her mother’s day gift, a flying trip to Norfolk for Tim to become a US citizen (!) more on that later. And then for me, a flying weekend trip to the outer banks for some much needed beach time.

So yeah, it’s been a strange season, as it has been for everyone, and the effect it’s had on time has been incredibly bizarre for me. In some ways it feels like no time at all has passed. At other times it feels entirely possible that we have now been at Hidden Meadow for a full year.

That’s right. As of August 9, 2020 we have been farm owners for one year. Happy Anniversary to us! Instead of champagne, we cracked open some craft brews and did the most satisfying thing anyone can do, ever. We made a list. Not just any list, a list of our projects over the past year. And it went a little something like this:

• Primed and painted the living room, kitchen, pantry, and downstairs bathroom walls and ceiling
• Had our 15 acres of 10 ft high weeds bush-hogged
• Bought 4 goats
• Built goat shelter and fenced in a paddock
• Redid our upstairs guest bedroom, removing a strange built in bed, repainting
• Bought a lawnmower
• Harvested 2 million pears, made pear jam, cider, sauce and lots of tarts
• Tore out ceiling and walls in upstairs bathroom to find and fix a skylight leak
• Repainted Tim’s office
• Bought and put up 400 ft of electric fence for our goats
• Planted a wildflower garden
• Designed and built tiered vegetable gardens above our pool
• Cleared out dry creek bed, cut down 15+ trees
• Split and stacked 2+ months of firewood so far
• Replaced our beast of a woodstove with a smaller one (it still weighed 500lbs and we had to move it up from the basement, fun times)
• Planted vegetables, lilacs, roses, herbs, azaleas, hops, ivy, iris, orchids and a lot more
• Bought and raised 5 chicks and 4 baby guineas
• Built chicken run for said chicks and guineas
• Raised 4 ducks
• Brought home farm dog Islay (or Holly Creek Appalachian Meadow if you’re fancy) to help with animal wranglin’ and as a bear & deer deterrent (bonus, she’s the best and cutest and smartest ever, we’re not biased, this is the general consensus) 😉
• Moved electric, put up drywall, painted and finished downstairs bedroom
• Installed whiskey rain barrel
• Pressure washed concrete and wall around the pool, stained retaining wall and garden beds
• Harvested 2,634,812 tomatoes and counting
• Began upstairs bathroom renovation, (with a good friend’s help) moved plumbing, laid new tile, put in radiant heat, clawfoot tub, new vanity, new fixtures.

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Okay I’m exhausted just typing it all out again. But it feels pretty good to see written out what we’ve sweated, planned, and worked so hard on for 12 months. And no the bathroom reno isn’t done yet, our first pasture fence or run in isn’t in yet, but I’ve accepted it. It’s fine.

If I start to feel like we failed in our first year plans I just read the list again. And again. It’s starting to sink in, every time our friends or family has said: “you’ve done a lot.”

So I’m trying to rest in that. We’ve done a lot.

I know I’ve been a bit remiss in my posting schedule but plan to get back on track with my weekly posts. I’ve got some really fun fall activities lined up I can’t wait to share with you all.

We miss you our friends and family and hope you’re all staying well.

Until next week.