Moving to the Homestead

I wonder who's going to be plowing this steep driveway? Hmmm! 

I apologize for my semi-long absence. We just had a crazy couple of weeks with moving to our "new" 1900s farmhouse. It has already been quite the adventure and we've already learned a few important things about being a homeowner and about self-reliance.

1. Just because you have a well, doesn't mean you're totally set for water.

In the 5 days since moving in, we've already had a couple frustrating experiences with our water shutting off unexpectedly. It turns out that we had run the well dry. In Maryland?!? It rains a lot here, right? Well, it turns out we live on a ridge that doesn't get as much water as other places. The person my husband talked to said that she has two wells dug at her house, and her mother has three! Our house only has one for four people. I'm beginning to understand why we don't have an outdoor spigot and why the previous owners put gutters on the smokehouse to collect rainwater in a rain barrel. I'm going to have to take a leaf out of his book.

See, living in suburbia, I did think about our water consumption, but the water was always there in never-ending supply (unless there was a water main break). Here in rural-ville we are totally dependent on the water table and are subject to regulating our own water useage - until we dig another well, that is. Even though Maryland does get a lot of rain, we are going to need to be more cautious and prudent with our water use. That really means only one load of laundry a day! (I made the mistake of doing two loads of laundry, taking a shower, and then my husband tried to take a shower. The water shut off in the middle. Oops!)

2. No one is going to pay me to mow my own lawn.

Well, I never seriously thought that, but right in the middle of mowing the half of our .82 acres that isn't wooded, I thought, "Man, I should get paid for doing this. Oh wait. This is MY grass. No one's going to pay me to mow it!" hahaha!

3. There are more bugs in the country.

Huh. Go figure! Right now I really loathe earwigs (ew!), stink bugs, carpenter bees, and sugar ants. Hey, bugs, I live here now, not you!

I am totally stoked to have my own house where we can build and do everything I've always dreamed of doing. I even heard a neighbor's rooster crowing off in the woods, so I know I'm not alone. I'm really hoping to get some chickens soon. Where do you get some chickens around here, anyway? I even have my spots picked out for some raised beds. My poor itchy spring planting fever is going crazy! At least we've been able to pick some of our potted strawberries and lettuce.