The fun is in the journey

For most great adventures, the fun is to be found in the journey rather than the destination. Over the years we certainly had a lot of fun as we worked to get to our farm. But there was a lot of physical work, restless nights, anxiety and self doubt that threatened to derail this idea of our farm. A year ago I wasn’t confident if we would ever get here. Until of course, we finally found ourselves here at last.

The metaphysical bit of string

Since arriving just two short months ago we have been working really hard again – but this time on projects that hold the promise of long-term gain. We’ve built a goat pen to hold our new “kids”. We cleared yaupon shrubs and opened up the land around the house to let in the cool breeze. And as of yesterday, we have four raised beds we can start planting in. All this movement in the right direction should make me happy. But overshadowing our work has been a lingering issue. A metaphysical bit of string that kept us tied back to Seattle – our old house.

The gamble

When we originally set out to find our place we faced the same conundrum most homeowners deal with – how do we buy a house without first selling ours? But when the property that would become Humblebee Farms became available it seemed as if the universe parted the seas for us. The price was low enough that we could make it work – though it was a bit of financial gamble. And the setup (land WITH a house) meant we could move in right away. But we still had to finish the massive remodel on our 4-plex to make it sale-ready.

One foot here and one foot there

For a while we spent a month here on the farm and a month back in Seattle. Trying our best to find balance between excitement of the new place and the drag – but necessary – work that we had to done to complete our old place. Finally at the end of February we set our listing date. We targeted the start of the spring housing market frenzy with a mid-March date.

Well, you all know what happened then. The proverbial crap hit the fan. We found ourselves scraping the bottom of our piggy bank while dealing with a completely unanticipated blow to the real estate market. What now?

Hello, universe

I’m not one who identifies myself as particularly religious. Most who know me well would probably even argue I’m completely the opposite of a religious person. But life events have a way convincing you there’s something in control beyond yourself. Call it the universe, or karma, or god, whatever. Some things just can’t be explained by the logic found in science (and believe me, I know science, I have a degree in it). So I shouldn’t have been surprised that our home buyer literally just strolled onto our property one afternoon. He was exactly as we imagined. Someone in tech. Someone who wanted a turn-key and would appreciate the extra attention to detail we put in. Someone what could see the potential of the location (right near the light rail).

The only “hitch” in the plan was the offer details: either a discount of 15% or a full price offer – but contingent on the sell of his other investment property. It’s a long, boring story that I won’t go into. But they key thing here is that this was in April. Fast forward to July and the roller-coaster of the process had us wrung out and frustrated. Now more than ever I just want to be done with Seattle and our old life. Then, one day two weeks ago Escrow called we need you to sign paperwork asap.

Here at last

So here we are. Finally firmly planted in Paige, Texas. Sitting on 96 acres with a wee little log cabin. Surrounded by majestic pines and craggy oaks. Serenaded by a cacophony of bird song and cicadas. With one chapter firmly closed, I finally feel like I can get to work writing the next on in this book of life. This time, it’s on our terms and at our own pace. Finally, I am fully here at last.