Here I am for the first time pouring my heart out to complete strangers. Well, hopefully not strangers for long. I am inviting you into my little universe. Welcome to Finch Haven Farms. Before I get ahead of myself let me start at the beginning. The very beginning. I am a big city "yankee" brat. I was born in Chicago but my parents, pioneers that they were, packed it all up and moved almost 2,000 miles away to a little town not even on the average map. I was only three at the time but looking back now as an adult I give them great respect. I am sure that it was not easy leaving all your relatives with a tot in tow and moving to a small town in the middle of nowhere. Be that as it may I am glad they chose to plant roots here. Edgewater is a small town nestled between "the world's most famous beach" and the Kennedy Space Center. I took for granted the fact that I could watch the shuttle launch from my back yard or drive five minutes and reach a beautiful white sand beach. Growing up here had it's advantages.
I met my husband soon into our being here although I didn't know it then. We grew up side by side and eventually, happily ever after. We bought our first home together at 20. I never flinched at what in retrospect was a major life change. It was a charming bungalow in a historic downtown neighborhood of a quaint college town about 45 minutes away from Edgewater. I adored that house and to this day, although it is nolonger mine, it holds a special place in my heart. Even now, If I close my eyes, I can see its rooms in great detail. Every crooked doorjam, every sticky lock, the skeleton key that still worked for our back door. Every beautiful flaw. I didn't mind all those things that a home inspector would terrify you with. Cast iron pipes, original tin roof, termite damage, drafty original windows. I loved them all because they were mine. So began my love affair with vintage things. I almost felt as a caretaker for the home. I wanted to preserve, not upgrade.
Eventually the heart strings pulled us back to our family and our roots and we moved from our little house into a home in suburbia. It was by all intents and purposes a great family home. Problem was we had the contents of a 900 sq. foot home in a home almost three times the size. Jumping into a major renovation and design mode we eventually made the home ours. It was great while it lasted. One night, our lives changed.
We decided to take the plunge, having a family. We tried for only a month and were surprisingly successful. It all seems to be going exactly as planned. For those who don't know me personally, I always have a plan. Then one night we toyed with the idea for someday, just by chance, if his parents were to want to move we would consider purchasing their home. I initially had butterflies. Another opportunity to try my hand at renovation was just what I needed to keep my creative juices flowing. Then I came to my senses and convinced myself that was a possibility far in my future and wrote off the whole notion. To my surprise his parents came to us with just that idea a few weeks later. We all decided that it was in everyone's best interest to trade homes. We could buy theirs and they would live in mine. It sounded simple. The catch? We needed to do it in 30 days.
I took all my experience in the real estate and mortgage business and poured myself into the process. We weren't even sure if the bank would fund our endeavor since the market was crashing. In the end we got it done and moved on the 4th of July. When all the dust settled buyer's remorse set in. We had changed everything and during the process lost our chance of a family. It was devestating but I had no time to think about it, there were walls to paint and boxes to unpack. We slowly began to see the house as ours instead of his parents. Little by little we forgot where her furniture used to be or what picture she had on that wall and it became our home. I decided this home needed the nostalgia of our first home. The small plank hardwood floors. The five panel doors with skeleton key locks. The pedestal sinks with mosaic tile baths. I wanted it to be a balance of old and new.
There are still some projects left to do but living in the home as it is has taught me a lot about myself, my family, and how we want to live in the space. I found my passion. Hobby farming. What? You can't believe this city girl could milk a cow? Don't doubt. My parents let me try many things growing up. I was the treasurer for our local FFA chapter. I raised prize winning sheep and chased a pig or two. I found my true calling here in Shady Oaks. The home that started as my cage has become my refuge. Finally our homestead has a name, Finch Haven Farm. I forced my husband to convert the storage shed behind my house into a chicken coop and my mother bought me chicks as a housewarming gift. It has been a joy to watch them grow in their space. My niece and nephew are in love and carry them around whenever they can. I relish the day when I get my first egg. We started a garden and I have great expectations for this place.
And so I bring you back to where I started, my first time sitting here baring my soul and my life to those who can relate. I have so much more to share but that will have to wait for another time. I hope you can follow me and share my tears, my joy, my challenges and triumphs as I set out on this journey to change the world, or at least my world. I'll be sharing with you style ideas, recipes, gardening and more as I embark on this challenge of sustainable living, here at Finch Haven Farms.
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