Welcome to the Farm
Salutations! I’m kicking off my farm life posts with a background introduction so you can get to know us. The last 2 years have been a whirlwind of changes—from moving states, multiple job changes, camper living, to finally owning our own house together. Yes, you heard me right, and we actually did most of that in just ONE year. We’ve already been in our house a full year so I’ll be making some ‘past’ posts to get you up to speed on where we are at now and all the renovations we have done since (especially the camper renovation).
Hi, I’m Robert.
I’m the one making these posts, and my other half is David, he’s the one you’ll see in photos and videos doing most of the home renovations. I’m a graphic designer by day and a plant enthusiast the other 90% of the time. David is a full time personal trainer and aspiring bodybuilder. I’m originally from the coast of South Carolina but moved up to the mountains of North Carolina, and that’s where our little plot of land sits. Younger me always wanted to live in the city but now I don’t think I ever could. I’m overjoyed with the idea of building a little homestead here in the foothills.
When did our farm life start?
We got our house keys in January of 2021!
At the end of 2020, we moved out of the camper and sold it to use as our down payment, and stayed with my parents while we house hunted. We were already looking at homes 2 months prior to moving out of the camper and after being with my parents for one month we finally found one. It then took 2 months to close. Oh, and we were also closing over Christmas/New Year AND during COVID shutdowns which also didn’t help, but we made it work!
What was our first month like?
Well, our first month was very, very cold. We had nights in the teens and days in the 30’s. Two weeks in I had friends higher up the mountain get snow and started to get worried that we were just a little too far south but I got my wish and we got snow in our 3rd week. Our first week was also filled with lots of fast food because guess what, our house didn’t come with ANY appliances. So takeout was our only option until we got a fridge and stove delivered. Mom came to the rescue in our 3rd week and brought us a washer and dryer as a house warming gift.
How was our first summer?
Like any southern summer it was HOT. Our ac fan even died on us in August while my parents were visiting, I guess that’s what happens when you buy a house built in the 50’s and the ac/furnace was built that same year you were born (1991). Aside from some other hiccups the weather was lovely, I enjoyed every thunderstorm we got—and we only lost power once and that was just for an hour. Our house is actually cinderblock, you’d never be able to tell but she is built STURDY. Half the time we didn’t know it was raining until we looked outside. So far this is my favorite picture of our house, surrounded by greenery (although we will be landscaping), ferns blowing in the wind and BLUE skies.
If you are curious about what we have in store, follow along to see how we renovate and re-energize this little plot of land. We already have a name for the farm but I’m going to keep that a secret for a little while longer.