CABIN DREAMING.
Jesse and I are having trouble doing much these days except dream and sketch and plan for our future home. We know absolutely nothing about construction and architecture - which makes this even more of an adventure! Currently, we are planning on a small cabin - off-the-grid and made with as many salvaged and local materials as possible. We will be clearing a lot of our land to turn it back into pasture, so we'll have a lot of accessible lumber. However, we are also interested in alternative construction methods like straw bale and cob houses. Oh, the possibilities!If you want to get a little glimpse into our brains these days - the site freecabinporn should do the trick . We love perusing it for ideas and inspiration...but I warn you. Be prepared for the minutes to turn into hours as you look through the photos - it is easy to get lost in there.What would your dream cabin the the woods look like?
*all images from my inspiration folder and freecabinporn- Hannah.
HOME AGAIN.
On Tuesday morning we got up early, took care of the animals and hit the road––off to look at another piece of property. Our destination was a few hours away, and admittedly a little further away than we were typically looking, but among the many wonderful responses we'd received after being asked to leave, it was an opportunity we couldn't ignore.If you ask us what we want for ourselves––where we see ourselves in ten years––we're likely to just say Bugtussle: we want our own Bugtussle. It's where we interned and fell in love, but it's more than that; Bugtussle is our dream farm.We want the off-the-grid cabin, and we want the creek. We want the barefoot children and we want the woods. We want gardens and animals and pastures, but most of all, we just want a homestead among a friendly community of family, patrons and neighbors. After we were asked to leave our farm in August, however, we'd never felt further from our dream––further from Bugtussle. It was sad to lose our farm, but worse to know we were a full year further away from our goal than when we started. But...in case you haven't guessed, Bugtussle was where we were headed last Tuesday.The farmers, Eric and Cher, met us with big smiles and even bigger hugs when we got to their cabin. They took us just up the road to an old homestead site and a small plot of five acres they were offering to sell us. The land was heavily overgrown, but potential was everywhere. With enough work, there were places for gardens, ponds, pastures and more than enough space for Wendell to lord over. We walked around the three barns, two of which would likely have to come down soon (or would just come down on their own), but one barn was restorable and charming. In the large high tunnel––an unheated greenhouse we'd also be taking over––we saw a place we could put veggies as early as, well, now. Most dauntingly, but most thrillingly for us, we studied a weedy plot where there used to be a house, and where we'd likely build a house for ourselves––our cabin––just a few minutes from our mentors and adopted family, the Smith's.So with that, and with overflowing excitement, we're proud to say it's official: the search is over! Starting this winter we're going to be building a cabin and a garden; we'll be restoring a barn and clearing woods, chipping away at our slab, hoping to sculpt something beautiful, or at least something we can call home. It seems we do get to have our own little Bugtussle, and it will just so happen to actually be...in Bugtussle!- Jesse and Hannah
UPDATES: THE FALL SHARE & THE CAT.
Sorry for the lack of farm or garden related updates lately....but that is pretty much how it goes around here. Aside from being in limbo - this time of year simply doesn't require as much work up in the field. So, you will just have to make do with an update on the Gladdie cattie. She is still a tiny, sickly thing, but it has all been worth it because she has turned out to be an excellent mouser.
Speaking of the neglected garden, our very last main-season CSA delivery is this week! Hard to believe it has been 15 weeks already! We still have garden full of food...but as much as we would love to announce our FALL SHARE, we just don't feel confident enough in our situation. It is still unclear when we will have to be gone from our house/garden, so until we do know for sure - we are going to be selling food week-to-week. If you think you will be interested in getting a CSA basket of food in the near future and live in the Versailles/Danville/Lexington-ish area, make sure you are part of the mailing list! (You can sign up using the link at the bottom of this post or email us at roughdraftfarmstead@gmail.com) We will send out a message each week with the harvest and deliver on a first-come-first-serve basis. It is not ideal, but we are hoping this allows us to continue to feed our friends and family and make the most out of our beloved garden.- Hannah.
WENDELL WEDNESDAY.
It has been a rainy Wednesday. My drive home from work was a terrifying journey through some crazy flash flooding and powerful gusty winds. Hard to even remember those dry days of the drought.- Hannah.