They converted the original barn to a workshop for my grandpa’s mechanical and welding pursuits that we would always refer to as ‘the garage’ and the chicken house into what we call ‘the barn.’

Over the years, they raised a variety of animals including chickens, geese, turkeys, quail, cows, and horses. Though both worked full time jobs, they spent every spare moment on the farm. My grandmother created a large pollinator garden where she tended roses with names that symbolized each of her grandchildren and hung her hummingbird feeder, attracting as many creatures as she could. Later she added the pond water feature, arbor swing, and a rock garden. She also maintained a large herb garden complete with a path and an antique water pump, a large vegetable garden where she grew most of the vegetables for the family, and flower beds along the buildings and property edges. Grandpa tended the small apple orchard, worked the fields with his collection of antique John Deere tractors, restored a couple of antique cars, and was a general tinkerer of all things.

In 1990, I moved in with my grandparents and, even after moving out a few years later, I continued to spend much of my time there until Andrew and I married in 2002. However, despite growing up on my grandparents farm and spending copious amounts of time with German Baptist cousins, my childhood interests led me indoors with crafty and intellectual pursuits. As a child, it annoyed my grandmother to no end that the closest I came to spending time outside was reading on the garden swing. It wasn’t until my early twenties, after already having three children and living in our starter home in the suburbs, when I came across Animal, Vegetable, Miracleby Barbara Kingsolver, that I jumped on the local food movement and began to dream of one day moving back to a farm and the lifestyle I grew up in. The moment I realized my thumbs were not naturally green and that gardening involved a lot more than plopping seeds in the dirt and waiting for them to grow, I started to lament all the knowledge I’d lost along with my grandma when she passed in 2006 and regretted not listening to more of her gardening wisdom.

What she did successfully pass on though, in abundance, were the memories of how much joy the gardens had brought to her. The work ethic, perseverance, and happiness she had found among the flowers and dirt and within the kitchen where she shared her efforts with the family. The days when every available kitchen surface was covered in jars and the pans steamed from morning to night. The seed catalogues that were scattered throughout the house with dog-eared pages and the way she would gaze out the bay window on her garden everyday after dinner was done and the dishes were cleaned but before she sat down in her recliner to relax. Her “oh” of delight when catching sight of a rare hummingbird at the feeder she diligently kept. The rainy days, even when she had plans to work in the garden, that she would faithfully devote to crafting, board games, and puzzles with me and my cousins. The stories she would tell about her own childhood, the family anecdotes she passed on, the history facts she could work into any relevant conversation, and the way she could find joy in the face of any adversity. In all these ways she instilled a passion for nurturing life, preserving memories, cherishing the “little” things, and caring for others that I will always aspire to emulate. 

After my grandfather passed, my husband and I had the opportunity to purchase the property. At the time, three of our four children were young adults and beginning to venture off to live their own lives. Still, downsizing from our “built this century” five-bedroom, three bath, two-story with finished basement of nearly 3,000 sqft in the suburbs to an old farmhouse with two-bedrooms, only one bath, and less than 1,000 sqft in the sticks was a daunting challenge. But the promise of 7 acres, “free” eggs, and the memories of the best parts of my childhood ultimately pulled us thirty miles north to start our new life on the farm. 

Among the things left behind when we took possession, we found a box of old photos from when my grandparents first fixed things up during the late 80s (you can see the entire gallery here) that helped me piece together a few things. For instance, I did not remember that the hall closet and library shelves were things they had added. I also had long since forgotten that I “helped” with the installation of the bay window that my grandmother loved so much. The display case that we removed from the living room had originally been a window back when the front room was still a porch, was turned into a small inset shelf, until finally Grandpa turned it into a glass display case for his toy JD tractors in the mid-late 90s. And yes, I do in fact have a faint memory of the lovely stone and countryside panelling in the living room.