Five Green Acres

In November of 2007, we set out on a journey. Leaving our city-sized starter home and our city-sized yard and our city-sized neighborhood behind, we packed up and moved to the country. Yep. These City Mice decided that it was time to put on our Country Mouse hats and blaze a new trail for ourselves. We decided, rather suddenly in fact, that we needed SPACE. To grow our family, to grow food, to grow our minds. Our New Home Search derailed very abruptly from the “biggest-city-yard-we-could-afford” to a very different track entirely, one called “The Farmette”.

And somehow, the home of our dreams found us: a spacious, well-loved Victorian home nestled in five acres of rolling hills. Oh, there’s a pristine trout stream in our back yard which pretty much sealed the deal for my husband. The Chickens (Lovely Ladies, as we call them) sealed the deal for me – 15 beautiful laying hens that were the icing on this delicious cake. All this, and we’re still within spitting distance from our beloved city, Madison.

So here we are, beginning our transformation. From here, we hope to grow our own food (that’s veggies, herbs, and some meat too,) produce our own energy, make by hand as much as we can, and hopefully instill in our growing family the skills, values, and little nuggets of wisdom that we’re able to pick up along the way. And laugh – let’s not forget that most important part.

To be fair, we acknowledge that we’re certainly not the first to undertake such a journey. Scores of folks before us have made this pilgrimage “back to the land” and undoubtedly scores after us will do the same. Regardless, this journey is our own and we bring to it our unique perspectives. We’re a young family: Andrew and I (Mary Jo) are both hovering around 30 and Isadora is 2 1/2. I was trained as a fine artist and have translated these skills into the design arena, making functional art for ourselves and our home. Most recently, I’ve begun my training as an herbalist, which is a journey unto itself. Andrew, besides being the breadwinner and Financier, is a rather skilled Handyman, and brings what is perhaps the most valuable to the creative table: Patience. He acts as the grounding rod which allows our visions to take root. And we’ve not strayed too far from our roots: both Andrew and I grew up in the country, with a strong foundation of family, hard work, and home-cooked meals. Speaking of food, we’ve developed a bit of a Foodie status during our time in the city. Honestly, with access to such great, diverse food, who wouldn’t? You can expect lots of talk to come of what we’ve grown, prepared, and enjoyed on our plates.

Have I hooked you yet? It’s a sort of Crafty Blog-meets Mommy Blog-meets Eco Blog which fits me just perfectly. Join us – the journey promises to be honest, colorful, delicious, and no doubt humorous as we forge this new path.