our little fixer upper on the prairie

Pictures of our new home! Assuming all goes as planned- the only home my youngest children will remember. And the place all my children will come home to on the holidays.

This is my favorite room. I love the cedar walls and can't get enough of those awesome views.

This is what you see standing at the front door.The area just left of center there is where the wood stove will go. To the left behind that is the kitchen, to the right is that favorite room of mine.

The kitchen.




If you go back to the "this is my favorite room" picture, you might notice some lovely water damage on the ceiling. Here is my teen son up on the roof applying some temporary patching across the leaking area. The wind howls here and there are no trees to act as a windbreak. The roof shows it! That (weirdly) tall building on the left is a shop/barn. You can see it too has been wind blown. Much of the siding has blown away.

The view out the front door (which is kind of really the back door. The mobile home was set in such a way that when you drive up the driveway you end up at the back, sliding glass door. The front of the house faces away from the driveway and where you would enter when coming home.)

And here's the other side of the house, and the back - front door. :p

The view from where I'll milk. AAAaaaaaahhhh. There is little better in the world than watching the seasons change whilst milking a cow. This will be a wonderful place to watch.

Deer prints.

Here is the little pond we'll put our ducks on, who will be very, very happy. It's all jam packed with dead cat tails now. Since I know nothing about pond care yet, I don't know if that's normal.  Are we supposed to ever clear them out?

At one end of the pond is this... thing. I wonder if it's some sort of pond pump.... thing. Does anyone out there happen to know? (And if you want to recommend any pond care books or websites that would be fine, too. ;)  )

 So, we've got a leaky roof and wind damage all over the place. We've got terrible carpets, no appliances, and cosmetic problems galore. A scary shed we call the Dr Seuss shed because it looks like it's going to topple over any second, and deadly wires exposed in several places that should be 3 feet underground. A pond that needs fencing to keep kids safe, a shop/barn without doors, the porch has fallen off, and the well pump, pressure tank and wiring all needed fixing/replacing to get our water going. The fences are falling down, the house is full of mouse poo, there is trash and glass everywhere on the property.

 

It could be called shabby, it's true. But to me, I can clearly see PARADISE buried under all that glass and junk! I'm in love.

A Little Bit of Land

A little bit of land is all I ask.
Just a small place to call my own,
Where I can put down roots, so deep, so deep,
That great-grandchildren will still call it home.

Is it so much to ask? A lane of trees,
Bringing birdsong and colored leaves,
A grape arbor, the roses beyond,
Sweet lilacs, holding in their arms, the lawn...

Tulips and yellow daffodil,
Spattered up and down the cedar hill,
Sweet gurgling brook, fresh and cool,
The brush beyond, sheltering grouse
And sage, and shy, sweet deer.

Oh aching heart, hungry, hungry soul,
What little bit to make a grateful whole.

Is there no spot in all this Universe?
A little valley, with a cabin home,
A bit of garden I can call my own...

I would not bruise the land, or tear it apart,
But keep it beating with a happy, blooming heart.
Each bit of soil, which God had surely blessed,
Would be a cozy home for seeds to rest...

And grow and nourish, comforting all men,
With fruit and shade, and food for every soul.
A little bit of land, to call my own,
Within its small confines, a loving home...

And fertile soil, no matter the toil,
I would so grateful be, if God
Would take a little chance on me,
And give me a small plot of lonely sod
That needs a gentle hand, and God.

(By Jennie Senrud Hutton)