I spent the long weekend at my adopted family’s farm. While I’ve done this many times, this one was particularly special – it was my last ‘taste’ of farm life before I close on my own farm in just a few weeks. And because I’m the luckiest person in the world, my farm (the “little farm”) is right next to my family’s farm (the “big farm”) – so I completed my long to-do list just a stone’s throw away from the rest of my life.
A Weekend of Farm Tasks
I would have liked to forgo the rest of my to-do list in favor of a weekend in the garden, but unfortunately there isn’t yet much to do. We typically plant on Mother’s Day, which should be well past the risk of frost, but the lows for the last week have been in the 40s. This is a bit too cold to comfortably plant tomatoes and peppers, so they’ve been sitting in the greenhouse getting leggy.
I love lilacs, and thankfully my new farm has a few already, but I truly believe you can never have enough. As such, I decided to experiment with rooting lilac cuttings from the big farm’s bushes. Lilacs are finicky to root – they are best cut in 6 inch segments from new wood in late spring or early summer… or so I’ve read. I took five cuttings of various sizes and ages, dipped them in rooting hormone, and planted in a mix of compost and perlite for excellent drainage. With an investment of $0, I’ll be thrilled if even one takes root.
Our annual hay delivery usually comes in the last week of June. This year, I’ll have to take a break from my own farm tasks to help with it, so I took some time to start tidying the hay loft early. This involves pushing all the unusable hay scraps and mounds of dust down into the aisle below, before scooping it into the Gator and hauling it to a separate compost pile. It’s a nasty job, so I wore a respirator. After scooping as much as possible, the battery-powered leaf blower was key to returning the barn aisle to its original state.
I spent some time playing with my tools, particularly scything and rehabbing one of several yard sale axes I’ve collected over the years. Scything is new to me, but I’m starting to get the hang of it – it’s spectacular for cutting back the overgrown grass and bittersweet in the big farm’s orchard, and I know it will be incredibly useful for a variety of tasks at the little farm. Chopping wood is not new to me, but I’m glad that the muscle memory is still there – although, the muscle definitely is not. I’ll have to start slow.
I also exercised both horses and, for their entertainment, brought them out for some on-property trail exploration. Both are lacking in fitness (honestly, same) ever since the ice storms rendered riding impossible this winter, and my horse, Virginia, is a bit green. I’m really looking forward to putting in some serious miles this summer and forevermore now that I’ll be living right next door.
I also cleaned and conditioned all of the horse tack. Some people do this every time they ride! I won’t reveal how many times I’ve done it in the one year that I’ve had Virginia.
Planning My First Week of Life on the Homestead
While this weekend was a nice reprieve from packing, it marks the beginning of the home stretch towards closing day. There were moments during this process where I really felt like I had it under control – as if, on closing day, I would know the exact right steps to efficiently take to turn this farm into the perfect semi self sufficient homestead.
With just a few weeks to go, I have thrown in the towel on over-preparation. There are a few things to be planned by necessity, but others will happen as they happen. I want to enjoy the most exciting transition of my life – NOT timeblock every moment for peak perfection, only to get lost in the schedule and suddenly realize I missed the magical moment where my dreams became reality.
I do have a few important tasks for the first week: I need to scrape popcorn ceilings and paint before my furniture is delivered and the unpacking begins, and I have scheduled a consult with a solar installation company. But other than that, I’m staying flexible – the DIY tasks, improvements, decorating decisions, and garden installations will all happen in due time.
I think this is the weekend it finally started to sink in: I’m less than one month out from realizing a lifelong dream. It’s completely insane.
Between packing and finishing up the school year, the updates may be few and far between for the next few weeks… but after that, expect a deluge.
Talk soon,
KC