Our Journey to the Farm: Part 10

We made it! All in a whirlwind of 8 days, we’d poured the concrete slab, welcomed an onslaught of family, saw our house go up in 4 ½ days and finally got our power connection. Windows and doors had been ordered and were coming.

 

Packing Up and Moving Out!

Starting Monday, we had four days to be out of our rental home. Our little farmyard below the greenhouses had to be moved up to our land. And I needed to set aside whatever was necessary for living in the little 8×12 power shed.

Everything else needed to be packed up. So all that week, we were busy moving, packing and hauling our stuff away.

By the last day, I was so tired, I felt numb all over. Everything was forced and mechanical; I was simply going through the motions. I started cleaning at daybreak and didn’t stop until after dark. Going, going, going, our huge home had to be cleaned before we left. That was all I knew.

But finally, it was finished.

I remember crawling into the loaded van by my man and just sitting there, with a strange numbness surrounding me. After we’d driven part way to our new home, the tears started slipping. I pulled my coat collar up around the my ears and them it come.

Everything hit me all at once and I suddenly felt the overwhelm of the past 6? 7? 8 weeks! Everything I’d been too busy and exhausted to acknowledge, flooded over me in one tsunami-like wave. I was empty, weary and hollow inside.

I only wanted to sleep. And that was the plan. We’d move into the shed and there, I would rest for as long as needed.

 

The Home of Unpleasant Surprises

I wish I could our first night on the property was a joyful experience. After getting a bite to eat, I started feeling a bit better. Crawling into bed, we discovered that tiny particles of pink insulation were filtering through the house-wrap we’d put up on the interior walls. The lumber that formed the shelves above our bed had been used for concrete forms. They too were dropping tiny bits into our bed.

I was so tired that first night, I hardly noticed. But by the second night? I would have been happy to torch the place! We needed to spend some time on a proper setup! Because the concrete was also sweating and everything on the floor was damp. Not even the roof was breathing properly!

 

By the third day, I’d had it! I washed my hands of the place! My man sent me into town while he worked to improve things.

And when I came home, it was (mostly) in order. The roof had proper airflow, the floor had been raised up, both walls and shelves surrounding the bed were covered with a thick plastic to hold the insulation and concrete bits back.

Things were finally ready to be lived in.

 

Enjoying Little House Living

Once things were properly set up, I found myself enjoying my small space! Because it was so efficiently put together, it felt larger than it really was. Housework and cooking was minimal. Everything was simpler, and I was finally getting the rest I so desperately needed!

When people of our valley got wind of what we were up to, they floored us with their generosity. From house-sitting opportunities to folks offering us their basement suites, we had more than a few alternative options available! However, we kept repeating the same phrase: “thank you, but no.”

Because we wanted to complete the project as quickly as possible, there was great advantage to living on the property. Work was just across the yard. My man could pop in for hot lunches. He could even go back to work after supper, if needed.

 

It worked well for me, too. I couldn’t work at my man’s pace. But living on site, I could pop over and give help when needed. On my good days, I could even work for a few hours!

That little house was exactly what I needed!

Truth be told, I fell in love with our tiny, cozy home! And every time I looked at our real house, I’d wonder if we’d built it too big? Did we really need all that space?

But then my man would come home at night and after we’d tripped over one another several times, I realized that perhaps a bit more space would be nice.

Our building project continued to move forward and soon, Christmas was just around the corner. We decided to stay home that year and spend it with the people of our valley. And that, my friend, is exactly what we did!

Click here to read part 11!