Paul's New House

One thing that is new at the farm is that Paul's new house is going up in the far end of the old hayfield. (Based on how this family operates, we will probably still be calling it 'Paul's new house' 20 years from now!) I should really say, Paul and Laura's new house, because it truly is a labor of love by both of them - with some substantial contribution from their builder Chad. For those who remember the lay of the land, Paul and Laura have 13 acres at the top of the farm, including a little more than half the sugar woods and the top 1/3 of the hayfield.

The views from this house are just spectacular. Looking northward, towards the lake, on a clear day you can see miles of the lake from a 10-mile distance. And there is not ONE house in sight! Just incredible. Plans are they will move in by the end of the year.

Paul's putting in a wood-burning furnace, which will augment his oil burner. These are pretty interesting for people who have large woodlots or good sources of hardwood for burning. My neighbor has one and he claims it works like a charm.

Meanwhile, back at the 'old house' we are continuing to work on farming plans. We had all of the open fields round-upped (is that a verb?) in August and this will enable us to plow in some areas and create agricultural land. Although I don't like the use of a lot of agricultural chemicals in general, there is just no way to get this land back in planting shape in any kind of reasonable time frame without it. For now, we'll put in about 6 acres of hay - hopefully will get it seeded and the field started by fall before it gets cold. And the plan is to work 1 acre into shape to plant blueberries. Total we have about 5 we could put into blueberries or evergreen trees, but want to start with a smaller patch to test varieties and growing conditions. An acre will be 1000 plants or more, so its still a lot of blueberries! Three years from now, we should have a nice little 'pick-your-own' patch!

Recreationally, we hosted Farm n' Fun in July, which despite bad weather attracted about 150 friends and neighbors for great music and fun. Weather in July and early August was hot and sticky - but the pool was refreshingly cool, and the kids and I swam every day. Dog days!