We Bought the FARM!!

So many pictures from today.  It's a little funny to finally own the rest of the property.  There is so much to inspect and explore that it will take a week or two before we know all that we really have.  

During one of our tours of the property I saw an area up in the corn crib that had stairs leading to a little room.  I knew that the kids would instantly claim this area as theirs and create a club house or playhouse in that area.

I was right.  All I had to do was show them where it was and instantly they began to sweep it out, plan how they would paint it, where they would need chairs, fabric, a play kitchen, etc.

Mike will need to power wash that area first for the kids as they won't be able to stay out of there.  The boards all look solid so that's good.

Below are the pictures.

I think we should just get them tetanus shots now.

Below is one way to get up to the spot- but the stairs are inside and a much better way to get in.

The stairs go up through a floor-trap door that opens up into the upstairs loft area.  The kids felt so cool flipping up the trap door---- 

The back of the barn.

This is my favorite part of the barn.  It's hard to make out the April 1910 in red that is right above the Sept 1942 marking.  I think it says C.S Stonesifer under the April 1910.  

We will be getting some paint and putting our name underneath tomorrow.  What a great piece of history on that wood.

I was using my mother-in-laws camera- so this shot is terrible but I was amazed at how the light comes in the boards on the side of the barn.  You don't see all those spaces in the boards from the outside or the inside when the sun is set high in the sky.  

the kids at the pond

We have frogs and turtles at the pond.  Geese also come by and lay eggs near the pond.

Purple martin houses.  You close them up during the summer and then clean them out for the next spring.  We have 2 big houses like this that crank up and down on this tall pole.  We'll have to read about what to do with them.  We like purple martins because they eat mosquitoes and other bugs.  We had never been at the farm after 7:00pm and tonight we saw them all come out and dance around the pond and swarm over the fields for the bugs.  Very, very cool.  I will need to take some video.

Mike was showing us how to clean out the nests and he got stung by a wasp.  I don't like wasps.  Bees are cool-- wasps...... I'll just have to learn to avoid them.

We have lots of wineberries growing in the enchanted forest.   I think we either have peach trees or cherry trees in the enchanted forest as well.  I hope the 1 big one is a peach tree.  It hasn't flowered yet, so that's a good sign.   

One side of the house.

The garage/shed.  The kids were already into everything and all over everything.

We own a tractor.  Never in my life did I think we'd own a tractor.  After Mike took it for a short ride, he said that it's not big enough- he needs a bigger one.......

Talk about a gentleman farmer.....notice the K-swiss workshoes.....

The kids all want to learn how to drive tractors now....

The front of the house.  yes, the outside needs some TLC but the house is structurally great and the inside just needs some color and new carpet and we can then start moving stuff in.

This is the side the addition will go on- so we'll have to move those trees or cut them down.

Side of house for addition.

Corn crib.

This is an old smokehouse. The hooks are still in the ceiling.

I love Margarets look.  Little House on Prairie style outfit, pigtails, and muck boots.  The kid can wear anything and look like a million bucks.  She does not get that from her mother... :)

And so the day ended.  Tomorrow we work on getting water to the garden.  We've been lucky with rain so far but the garden is now in need of water...... Mike should have fun this week figuring out how to irrigate the garden.