Congratulations! My childhood memories were a1929 farmhouse that always held the aroma of bacon cooking, it was not nearly as grand as the house pictured here, but it was still way out of my price point...heavy sigh.
I feel for you! When we looked at this house we were in between living in two of the most expensive cities in the world. A huge reason why I was determined to buy it was based on how impossibly affordable it was by the standards we were used to. Turns out living far away from everything comes with a hefty discount!
Each window had a different view, and not a single one revealed another building. Just the heart-achingly variegated green of upstate New York in summer, a glimpse of the pond my grandfather had dug out as a young man, the fluttering of the lilac bushes, whose scent my mother dreamt about at night.
Takes me way back. I grew up in similar surroundings. All the green. And the night skies too. Oh my goodness, I’d give just about anything for one more trip back in time to that place/space. Katie sounds like the best kind of friend :-) And also: the house is beautiful. I love the photographs.
I'm loving this !!! I wish I could have bought my grandparents's house when it went for sales. I still think about it and it kills me we couldn't keep it within the family
I wish that for you too! It does come with a certain amount of pressure, I will admit. I'm here for life now, which can be very comforting and very suffocating, depending on the day.
I’m invested! I’ve always longed for a family home with some acreage that I could go back to. My side of the family lost it to the other side of the family.😟
I loved that you included the photograph in taken in front of the house when your family no longer lived there. It is something that was done in my family as well and it always made me so nervous! Now that I have the photos, I am grateful they did. I'm happy for you and your husband and am looking forward to part 2.
Thank you for this comment, Nancy! Now I'm daydreaming about a photography exhibit composed entirely of children being made to pose in front of familial landmarks.
I'm happy you made quick work of those shrubs blocking the view from the porch. Haha. No wonder no one lived there for 30 years. The shrubs were too big. But seriously, I loved reading this and didn't know your great grandparents bought it from the Rose family. I've been mistakenly identified among their ranks by people up here.
Mine was the opposite, theirs was 69 acres in what became wine country, fortunate only for their heirs (of which I was not) so I am just grateful for the memories of singing "the hills are alive with the sound of music" at the top of my lungs where no one but the sheep could hear. Best wishes, looking forward to reading more of your stories!
Holly - I can relate to so much of this glorious “buying the farm” story unfolds from the beginning to the “on going” chapters I am gleefully anticipating. Finding the balance between the calming state of isolation and the craving to have easier access to basic practical amenities and social interaction is something I grapple with from time to time living on a ranch located in the wilds of BC. One day I hope we can meet over coffee and exchange the challenges and the utter joys that our similar lifestyle choices present to us. I can hear the laughter - such fun.
Until then I will continue to read your Wednesday postings and revel in a shared experience. We first moved here when our children were ages 18 months and 3 years old.
No store. No school. Kerosene lamps. And, an outhouse. For a city born girl that was a wee bit of a shock. Haha! But that is another story.
Ahhhh - my heart beats with knowing and understanding. I grew up in the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains in Virginia. I look at my childhood home on Zillow all the time just to see what the estimated cost and property taxes would be. I deeply miss the trees, the cacophony of cats and dogs and chickens and ducks and horses....that moment when you felt like the way you were living was not right and the farm called to you. My partner and I are looking for our forever home. Your story gives me all the feels! 💗
Feeling choked up at the end of reading this. Is secret dream of mine has been to buy back my childhood home in Vermont that my parents built.
That your parents built! I want this for you.
Congratulations! My childhood memories were a1929 farmhouse that always held the aroma of bacon cooking, it was not nearly as grand as the house pictured here, but it was still way out of my price point...heavy sigh.
I feel for you! When we looked at this house we were in between living in two of the most expensive cities in the world. A huge reason why I was determined to buy it was based on how impossibly affordable it was by the standards we were used to. Turns out living far away from everything comes with a hefty discount!
This part, that you wrote here, Holly:
Each window had a different view, and not a single one revealed another building. Just the heart-achingly variegated green of upstate New York in summer, a glimpse of the pond my grandfather had dug out as a young man, the fluttering of the lilac bushes, whose scent my mother dreamt about at night.
Takes me way back. I grew up in similar surroundings. All the green. And the night skies too. Oh my goodness, I’d give just about anything for one more trip back in time to that place/space. Katie sounds like the best kind of friend :-) And also: the house is beautiful. I love the photographs.
I am already looking forward to part 2.
Thank you for sharing Holly.
I'm loving this !!! I wish I could have bought my grandparents's house when it went for sales. I still think about it and it kills me we couldn't keep it within the family
I wish that for you too! It does come with a certain amount of pressure, I will admit. I'm here for life now, which can be very comforting and very suffocating, depending on the day.
I can imagine...
And now I have to read the rest. I don't even know you but I already want you to be happy there!
I’m invested! I’ve always longed for a family home with some acreage that I could go back to. My side of the family lost it to the other side of the family.😟
I’m hooked! Can’t wait for part two 💕
I loved that you included the photograph in taken in front of the house when your family no longer lived there. It is something that was done in my family as well and it always made me so nervous! Now that I have the photos, I am grateful they did. I'm happy for you and your husband and am looking forward to part 2.
Thank you for this comment, Nancy! Now I'm daydreaming about a photography exhibit composed entirely of children being made to pose in front of familial landmarks.
Loved this! 💫 I need to read part 2 now ☺️
I'm happy you made quick work of those shrubs blocking the view from the porch. Haha. No wonder no one lived there for 30 years. The shrubs were too big. But seriously, I loved reading this and didn't know your great grandparents bought it from the Rose family. I've been mistakenly identified among their ranks by people up here.
Mine was the opposite, theirs was 69 acres in what became wine country, fortunate only for their heirs (of which I was not) so I am just grateful for the memories of singing "the hills are alive with the sound of music" at the top of my lungs where no one but the sheep could hear. Best wishes, looking forward to reading more of your stories!
I did that too, running down the hill with my cousins!
So much fun, given the opportunity I'd do it again, wouldn't you?
I’m staying tuned!!
Holly - I can relate to so much of this glorious “buying the farm” story unfolds from the beginning to the “on going” chapters I am gleefully anticipating. Finding the balance between the calming state of isolation and the craving to have easier access to basic practical amenities and social interaction is something I grapple with from time to time living on a ranch located in the wilds of BC. One day I hope we can meet over coffee and exchange the challenges and the utter joys that our similar lifestyle choices present to us. I can hear the laughter - such fun.
Until then I will continue to read your Wednesday postings and revel in a shared experience. We first moved here when our children were ages 18 months and 3 years old.
No store. No school. Kerosene lamps. And, an outhouse. For a city born girl that was a wee bit of a shock. Haha! But that is another story.
Cheers, for now.
Ahhhh - my heart beats with knowing and understanding. I grew up in the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains in Virginia. I look at my childhood home on Zillow all the time just to see what the estimated cost and property taxes would be. I deeply miss the trees, the cacophony of cats and dogs and chickens and ducks and horses....that moment when you felt like the way you were living was not right and the farm called to you. My partner and I are looking for our forever home. Your story gives me all the feels! 💗