Greetings from the Vermont Taiga! It has been way too long since I last offered a farm update. My only excuse is that it has been crazy busy on a number of fronts. And although it can be overwhelming at times, things are going well.
So what has happened since the last time I wrote?
We got the trees in the ground. Nearly 600 trees and shrubs, to be exact. It was tough work, but we got it all done in a single day. It would not have been possible without the help and back-breaking labor of several friends and family members. I know that several years from now, when we have a food forest growing in our backyard, Allison and I will have you to thank!
We (nearly) finished the major renovations on the house. There are some niggling details that are still outstanding, but the old house is looking pretty darn good! But like all old houses, once you finish one project, ten more projects pop up in its place.
We’ve made a game plan for 2018. Major projects planned for 2018 include:
Solving the drainage issue that turns our basement into a swimmable body of water each spring.
Building a woodshed.
Fixing the fireplace. (Update: we just got that one done already. Thanks, Alfred!)
Refinishing a spare room in the house with old barn wood to create the coolest home office ever.
Raising some sort of poultry. It’s going to be either ducks or chickens. We can’t make up our mind yet.
Fixing up the porch. It’s been looking a little worse for wear lately. We’re going to try to spruce it up this year. We might even add a few screens to confront black fly season.
Taking down the barn. Yep, the old girl has got to go. We’re still trying to finalize the takedown plan. (EDITORS NOTE - 04/26/2018 - Hold that thought...)
It’s going to be a fun year. After all of the progress we made in 2017, I can’t wait to see where we end up by the end of 2018. Stay tuned!