One of the main drawbacks to our homestead is it presently lies on a rather busy highway. I say presently because there is a likelihood that, in a few years, the road will be re-routed away from us as we are right on a large curve. However, with visibility comes an opportunity for witness--and, of course, gossip.
It's amazing how many comments and questions we get about our cabin progress. When the walls were up, but no roof, and with just a few small windows on the front side, I had multiple people ask if we were building an ark. Others asked if this was going to be our vacation home. I politely let them know we're going to be moving the family in there--all 7 of us--once it's done.
The ark comments have stuck with me, though, as in many ways I feel a little like Noah. Not because we're doing anything prophetic or remarkable, but because it can be a lonely, vulnerable process doing something outside the mainstream. We are constructing a home that is smaller than most people's garages, and our family is much larger than most modern families. And while the project is modest in financial circumstances, it has still involved a significant commitment on our part, and caused us to wonder whether we're crazy or will be able to complete the project.
In the end, I'm reminded that this home really will be an "ark' for our family--it will be a place for us to further separate from the world, while remaining in the world. It will be a place where, on a frosty January morning, I can wake up to stoke the fire and watch the deer and turkey from our back window. It will be a home where the walls and floors age with our family, and will serve as a diary of sorts as the children leave their dings and dents and scratches and, undoubtedly, crayon marks.
The more I wonder if I've lost my mind, the more I'm convinced God is present in all of this, and leading us to a deeper, simpler relationship with Him and our family. Lord willing, we will enjoy our first Thanksgiving meal and Christmas morning in our new home.
Here are some recent pics of our progress. I'm also going to include a few video links showing our progress with the
strawberries,
asparagus, and
potatoes. Enjoy!
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| First year growth on thornless blackberries on trellis |
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| Old hay growth that will be plowed for next year's garden expansion |
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| Mowing the hay/grass in preparation for fall tillage |
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| Native patch of overgrown raspberries on terrace. |
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| Raspberry patch mowed with sickle mower to permit new growth next year and, hopefully fruit |
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| Clipping and picking butternut squash |
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Kids gathering pumpkins from garden
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