INSPECTION TODAY

Well, we had our home inspection today. No real surprises. There is a little bit of work to do on the house once we close, but nothing major. Most of the work we need to do will be on the yard.


I took a little walk around the yard and looked at some of the trees. There is a big apple tree, a huge lilac, and a smaller tree, which we think might be a plum. That will make some good jam. I have never made anything with plums before, so learning will be fun.

Anyone know what this is?? The little fruits are slightly fuzzy.

OUR FARM TO BE!!!

I am buying a house!!! I am so excited because it will be our first home. I have been renting up until now. It is on a little over 6 acres of land. Much of it is wooded, and some of it is a mess. It looks like the land will need a lot of work... but it will be all ours. I am going to work very hard on the land and eventually turn it into a farm!!!

It has an enclosed porch on the left side, as you can see in the photo and a huge deck in the back running the entire length of the house. The house is nice inside with 4 bedrooms, so all 3 kids get their own room. It has a fireplace, and even a huge pantry. There is even an extra room that I haven't decided what to do with yet. Maybe a library? It gets lots of light inside. The house itself doesn't need much work. Yay!!! That means we can spend lots and lots of time outside in the yard.

Eventually I want chickens, at least 2 goats for milk, ducks, geese, a couple of cats, 2 dogs, and bunnies (they are the kids favorites, even though I know they are dying to have a dog too). I have been doing lots of research about all sorts of farm animals, and browsing lots of poultry catalogs. I think I want a mix of good laying hens plus a few of the more rare heritage varieties of chickens.

By next spring I should be ready to start acquiring a few animals. I plan to have a working farm/nursery where I can sell perennials, fruits, veggies, and some special tropicals like plumeria and brugmansia. Plus I will have the chicken eggs and hopefully if I can learn how to use the goat's milk I can sell homemade goat's milk soaps, in addition to the sugar scrubs I make now. Plus as always, I will still refinish cottage furniture and sell the gorgeous chandeliers and chandelier parts. As if that weren't enough I want to try my hand at maple syrup although I don't know if I can make enough to sell. I will probably be able to get enough for our family's needs though.

I have a grand scheme in my head and can't wait for the closing date at the end of this month so we can get started. There will be lots of firewood to sell, so anyone in Eastern CT come on over and buy a cord of wood. I will keep posting lots more photos as we start working. Eventually the entire front will be lovely cottage gardens filled with english roses, boxwoods, hollyhocks, bleeding hearts, lilacs, and charming flowers everywhere you can see. What a beautiful picture I have in my head.