Property Tour Sans Snow...

  With the recent rains and melting snow, the somewhat seasonal streams that run through the property have really come alive.  These two videos come from an area that might end up seeing a lot of blog exposure because of how easy they are to access on foot.  Jennifer and I took trip into the woods of the west side of the creek today.  Like some sort of trophy earned through great effort and skill, I showed her the location of the Northwest survey pin and gave her a glimpse down the Western border that I hacked through the overgrowth and marked with flags.  She hasn't quite got her bearings on that side, but she did enjoy the trip...well, that was until I had to "help" her up an embankment that was attempting to swallow her whole!  Anyway, she finally got a chance to stand beside the enormous tree that resides over there.  Snapped a pick of her below.

  There is so much that has to be done.  We pray for guidance, patience and the resources to accomplish it all so that one day we can say, "We did it, we finally have a farm and we're working toward a self sufficient existence."  Right now, that seems so far away.  I remind myself to focus on the baby steps because one day we'll be off and running!

Top Bar Hive Basics

Jen's Photos...

Daydreamin'...Want a glimpse?

Light Haven Farm - A Reality

I once read,  "Good fences make great neighbors."  But, in this case, "Well defined property lines make for the best of neighbors." It was with this mindset that I had made it my mission, before anything else, to locate and mark the edges of our parcel.

1:33PM, November 15th, 2014 represented a small victory and milestone of sorts.  This was the point in time that several weeks of searching had finally been rewarded.  Discovering a 30" reinforcing bar topped with a taupe colored plastic cap and driven to within only inches of the soil proved to be difficult.  Ten year's worth of vegetation sprawl and forest growth masked these 6 points very well.  A small yet measurable amount of assistance was extended through the title company's encroachment survey. Fluorescent ribbons fastened to tree branches in an undecipherable pattern were only faint clues.  A lone stake, driven near the perimeter of a muddy hole revealed the first surveyor's pin.  176 feet away, using a gas powered brushcutter, the overgrowth was sliced back to barren ground and within inches of the the plotted location, the second pin was revealed.  Connecting these two points and extending a straight line cut 550 feet into dense overgrowth, prickly brush and a multitude of saplings revealed the final missing point.  This survey marker was the most elusive and difficult to find.  
At times, through the course of several weekend trips spent trudging through the forest, the thought of paying someone to locate it was looking like the only viable solution.  However, we were blessed by seasonal weather.  The almost instantaneous change in climate wiped the wood of green, brown and orange and white washed it with a thick cold canvas of snow.  Disappointment was replaced with elation as my foot was lifted from the ground, peeling back a layer of snow with it.  Within the muddy outline of my boot print was the final pin.  "Thank you God!", I exclaimed as I peered upward to a bright blue sky mixed with large puffy clouds.
Now that the acreage has been physically documented and the boundaries definitely located, the process of brainstorming its future have begun.
We acknowledge God's plan for our future through the circumstances leading up to this point in time.  In every decision we make, we'll look for His guidance, wisdom and direction.   This blog will detail all that we can dream and through His Grace will come to exist. Jennifer and I invite you to follow along in our family's journey as we attempt to return to a way of life that seems to be lost.  Not so much simpler, but more naturalistic.