I kept saying, "But you're the Department of Agriculture."

Going to auction on October 29th on this place. Fingers crossed. It is pretty much in the middle of Nowhere, PA in fact - if I didn't know better, I might be convinced that this house is right off of the road Robert Frost was referring to.

I've been reading and re-reading all of my books by Joel Salatin. I'm working on getting all the financing put together to make sure that IF (I hope I hope I hope I hope) we get this place that all the financing will run smoothly. No apple trees, or grapes, which is a bit of a bummer. But it does have rhubarb that is about five feet tall, 100 year old peonies and six blueberry bushes that look to be about 20 years old. There's a peach tree in the back yard. There is quite a bit of acreage, more than we were looking for initially - but that means PO-TEN-TIAL to do all sorts of pastured farming down the road. I'm thinking pastured beef followed by pastured poultry & eggs. Maybe a little.... well - that will come in time I guess.

It is REALLY hard not to get excited. We've been out to the farm about three times and finally saw the inside of the house today. It is everything you'd expect from a 100 year old farmhouse...perks and quirks galore. Two weeks until the auction. If we don't get it - I'm sure something else will come along so I'm not going to sit in the corner and hurumph my way through the winter. ...Well, actually I will.

Found out something really interesting today though - The USDA has a loan service called USDA Loan Service and it (according to the website) provides loans for Rural Development that don't require any money down, in fact - they will even roll the closing costs into the loan! USDA...Loan... Department of Agriculture... Rural Development Loan. One would think that this is a loan for Small Farmers, right? For agricultural land development of a small farm? I was shocked to find that is not the case at all. The USDA Loan is for people to get when they are specifically NOT going to generate any revenue from agriculture. According to the man on the phone, the loan is actually to pay people NOT to farm!! You would use this loan if you want to buy land and build more houses on it... NOT be a farmer. Even the guy on the phone was laughing about this...until I asked who I should talk to about agricultural mortgages. That was when he transferred me into a general mailbox where I couldn't even leave a message at the sound of the tone. Pretty sad if you ask me. I kept saying, "But you're the Department of Agriculture." He would say, "I know".

Hello Officer.

Here we are in our rental - one step away from my own personal heaven. I've spent hours and hours convincing Joe that this will be great for the boys, better values, small town feel - away from the lights and crime of the big citAY...and our car is broken into. Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice. After the officer (who seemed to be VERY inconvenienced) left, Joe just said, "well...he was in a great mood wasn't he?". UGH - the definition of hell is being one step away from your own personal heaven.

OK, We're here...now what?

I went to the Meadville Market House - Second Saturday event this last weekend and was greeted by what I believe to be a veritable cornicopia of Kindred Spirits. Alice is the Market Master and she had been kind enough to open the "store" for me early one day earlier in the week so I could buy some farm fresh eggs. I walked around in awe and amazement at all of the local produce, handmade crafts and pottery from local artisans. It was amazing. I introduced myself to her and let her know that I grew up here and had recently moved back to the area. We finally made the break, fled the rat race and were hoping to find a farm within the year.

She (who hears this type of thing daily I would think) asked what kind of farm and I told her that I hoped one day it would become an educational farm where we were dedicated to the preservation of heritage breeds. I let her know we were still working in other jobs - but...we had a dream. Her eyes lit up - she let me know I should come to Second Saturday, it was the last event of the season - and she would introduce me to some of my fellow "unconventional farmers". As I walked from booth to booth (links in my Links to Live By)- I talked to these business people that had never met me yet every one offered "anything they could do to help"... a strong pair of arms, mechanical assistance on broken down tractors, invitiations to come out to their farms anytime just to walk around and ask questions. It was amazing. And I don't even have a FARM YET!!!

Alice came up and handed me a bag of Organic Meyers Lemons from a friend of hers that had a farm here in NWstrnPA and moved to California where she has a lemon farm now. My eyes then lit up.

It should be less than a year before we find what we are looking for and are able to make the move. I have tickets for the upcoming Mother Earth News Fair in Seven Springs, PA at the end of this month where I may get to meet and ask Joel Salatin to actually sign one of the books that he's written. I'm thinking "You Can Farm" will be the one I take (since I've read seven of his books lol) - that is the one that really changed things for me.

Half of me can't believe we are here in PA. The other half of me can't believe we are here in PA. So close...yet so far.

It all started...

.......You get the picture.

Pauline was always making jam, canning pickles, baking bread, making pies, cooking a roast, etc. and I would just sit there and make my pot holders out of the stretchy fabric and my spiky square loom. That is where it started. And here is where I am today... I have uprooted my entire family (husband and two sons) from just outside of Washington, DC to about 2o minutes away from Linesville, PA where I grew up.

We didn't have to leave our high powered careers to make the shift, so don't think of me as a martyr or anything. But it has been quite a journey. The first step was convincing my husband, London-Born-City-Boy, Joe, that it was a good idea to sell the house that we built from the ground up, leave the only home that he and I had known together and leave the only friends we really thought we had. That took five years.

Then we had to sell (FSBO) the 6700 sqare foot McMansion house we built - right when the real estate market collapsed. That took a year.

Then we had to organize a move, purge 10 years of crap, hire movers, take mulitple UHaul trips and get the boys in their new schools. That took four weeks.

WHY? I've wanted a farm for so long that I can remember being teased in high school about it. Today, after reading every single book by Joel Salatin, Animal Vegetable Miracle, The Omnivore's Dillema, books on mules, books on chickens, books on the Family Cow, books on ducks, books on turkeys, jerkys, orchards, seed saving, sustainable living, financial freedom, radical homemaking...and so many more. I have subscriptions to "Grit", "Mother Earth News", "Mary Jane's Farm", "New Pioneer Living". (sigh)... we are now in Meadville, PA renting a TINY house from a crazy landlady and I still haven't found my farm yet...OK our farm... well - my farm.

It will come. And as things progress, I will fill you in.