Not Eighty Acres

Well, we did it. Not eighty acres. One.  One acre.  Well, a quirky 1.25 acres in Armstrong.

It has been an exhausting couple of months. We sold our condo in a whiplash week.  Not expecting that. We thought we would have more time to suss out North Okanagan properties, but the reality is we already learned what we could get with what we could afford.

We have been looking for places since last July. And while the larger acreages we have seen have been stunning – a couple like a Sound of Music vista – most were logistically, practically, untenable. Acres of clay. Unregistered well or a bone dry one.  Mystery septic tanks. Disputed property lines.

So, this little place, an estate sale, popped on our radar outside of our established search criteria but a great area, new septic tank and field, new hot water tank, fruit trees, fertile soil. We decided at first viewing.

The house was built by original owners, a couple who died with a year of each other.  So the property was strewn with the bric a brac lovingly accumulated over thirty years inversely proportional to the ability to maintain it.

I feel a lot of love in this place and sadness, too. We would like to think that we can bring joy back to this land with care and respect.

The house and property need work and a lot of it.  Some trees need felling, most particularly the ones that have grown up butting right into the house and the ones that threaten to fall on top of it.

We have bears and deer and while there is fondness for seeing them from the deck as friendly neighbours strolling onto the property for a morning hey ya, the farmer in me thinks some boundaries are in order and would prefer the proximity be across a fence and not from the fresh garden planting.

So while this was not our original vision, we are thinking of this iteratively.  While still working full time we have a chance to get to know the area, get to know the land and build our skills and capabilities. Learn and scale up.

My son, Ben, is helping us out for a couple months doing a lot of the time sensitive consuming work impeded for the moment by work and work travel.  This is a blessing.

Mosquitoes are plenty this year and Ben has been working in the thick of them tearing down the old chicken coop that we plan to rebuild in the spring. Just many of the tasks around here I am grateful to pass off to someone with a strong back and a higher bug tolerance.

I was out in the back this afternoon preparing to container plant beans and potatoes with Ben (Melody potatoes, if you are interested, recently brought to fame by Season 3 of Clarkson’s Farm) when he made his way down to me with our new neighbour. She came with fresh baked muffins wrapped in foil still warm and fragrant with brown sugar and cinnamon to welcome us to this rural neighbourhood. I love this place.