| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| sugarsfarm |
Posted - Jan 22 2006 : 10:12:57 PM
my farm...
My great great grandfather Jacob bought 2 neighboring farmsteads when he and his wife came from Pennsylvania,(Jacobs parents immigrated to the US from the Netherlands) They settled in Woodward, Iowa (30min north of Des Moines). Since 1902, except in the 1970's when my house sat empty for a few years, someone from my family has lived and operated the farm that I live in. The other farmsteads house burned in the late 70's and remained houseless until the 90's, when a cousin built his family a very nice new farmhouse. Today both farms still remain in the family. I have lived here most of my 22 years.I have recently started to take over, while my dad prepares to move to Missouri. He is going to join the ministry and lead a baptist church near the lake of the Ozarks. So for now i live with my boyfriend in a "mother in law" apt. that was built on the farm, until the spring when we will move into the house. The farm consists of 40 acres. We have an alfalfa field for hay, corn and soybeans. We also raise pork mainly for our own food. We also have chickens, the numbers that we used to have has considerably lowered over the years, but i plan on buying more to sell eggs, cause everyone loves fresh farm eggs! Of course theyre cats, about 20 of them, and 3 very wonderful farm dogs.
I cant wait to get started restoring the house and farm. It needs to be groomed and cleaned, we have managed to collect quite a bunch of stuff over the decades. Its my job to go through it all and keep the most important, throw away what isnt and sell what can be sold.
So thats my farm! Its quite a wonderful place and i couldnt be happier that i get to live here!
Leah |
| 18 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| akcowgirl |
Posted - Mar 31 2006 : 12:35:24 PM
Can you con some of your friends into comeing out and helping you put the roof on the barn? Roofing is very easy once you get the sheet metal up there. that is the hard part. We built our whole house with out having to hire anyone. all our friends would just drop by when they could and we would feed them and provide the drinks(beer). that way you would atlest save the labor costs. Also do you have a bargin builders store or something like it? we got our roofing from there and it was much cheaper. Or you can sometime get it second hand and just use the existing holes for the screws. Just a few thoughts.
Valerie
Alaska Girl all the way
 |
| sugarsfarm |
Posted - Mar 29 2006 : 09:18:54 AM
So the barn roof need to be redone....my dad has decided to put metal on it for now just to keep it from anymore damage. Unfortunetly just the metal alone will be $2,000 and the labor hopefully around $1,000 (we still havent gotten an estimate). We would put it on ourselves, but my dad recently broke his thumb (with a hammer..OUCH!) plus hes "just not like he used to be", as he says. But $3000 for a cheap metal roof sounds so expensive!
You must be the change you want to see in the world.
Mahatma Gandhi |
| sugarsfarm |
Posted - Mar 20 2006 : 09:37:25 AM
Thanks Kristi! and good luck with the move! i also have sooo many ideas for this place but no money! it will just take time...no hurries. When you get all settled in post some pictures of your new place!!
You must be the change you want to see in the world.
Mahatma Gandhi |
| lonestargal |
Posted - Mar 19 2006 : 08:03:35 AM
Very nice pictures Leah!! I love old buildings like that as well. I'm moving next week onto my 40 acres as well. We don't have all the history like your farm does though. Right now there are 8 head of cattle there and an old horse. I have plans to change all that though- . I want more cattle and breed and sell the calves, I want pigs, chickens, my girls want rabbits, and I would love to grow some kind of crop. I just can't decide what to do. All that takes so much money though and DH and I are pretty low on funds at the moment. Oh well, I'm not even 30 yet so I have to keep in my mind that I have to take baby steps and eventually I'll have what I dream of. Good luck with your place, it looks wonderful!!! |
| sugarsfarm |
Posted - Mar 18 2006 : 11:07:23 PM
I just gotta keep sharing!!! haha im just so excited to get this farm in shape, and PLUS ive got this fancy-schmancy camera so i can show everyone!! I was outside all day today cutting down horrible vines that have taken over EVERYTHING! they are feisty!! and cleaning up flower beds and what not...and of course gettin' my hands dirty!
-------------------------------------------------------------
BEFORE:
AFTER:
------------------------------------------------------------------
and this is my apt on the farm. i dont have a before pic of this one but just imagine alot more rose bush...and of course...VINES!!
ok well im sure ill share more pictures later!
You must be the change you want to see in the world.
Mahatma Gandhi |
| sleepless reader |
Posted - Mar 11 2006 : 07:50:29 AM
Great pictures! What a blessing to be able to keep the farm in your family for so many years. Your place looks wonderful :)
Sharon
Life is messy. Wear your apron! |
| Aunt Jenny |
Posted - Mar 10 2006 : 9:48:45 PM
Loved the pictures Leah!!
I would try to save that washhouse too...I love that sort of thing. My hay barn (which is behind the garage...is one of those old "gotta save it" things to me..ugly as sin but I just love how it feels inside. There is a wood floor (cellar below it!! and it has a holey old metal roof with patches that don't match..the front has a horrible bunch of piled cinderblocks where I someday picture a little woodend deck porch and rocker to sit and watch the animals. My husband wanted to tear it down and I had a fit. It hasn't changed since the day we moved in, except it has hay in it now, and was full of car parts and misc old stuff before..but I like it!
I loved seeing all your pictures..looks like a great place!!!
Jenny in Utah
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com |
| Photobugs |
Posted - Mar 10 2006 : 9:38:55 PM
Fabulous! Be sure and post inside photos when you get a chance or get it fixed up. I love old farm house kitchens!
Thanks,
Pamela
"I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!" |
| sugarsfarm |
Posted - Mar 10 2006 : 9:28:12 PM
Yep theres an upstairs and downstairs 3-4 bedrooms, a bathroom and a half-a-bath, den, living room and kitchen. i enjoy the barns too..there arent to many old barns around anymore!!
You must be the change you want to see in the world.
Mahatma Gandhi |
| bubblesnz |
Posted - Mar 10 2006 : 9:23:10 PM
Great pics Leah. I adore the barns you guys have over there. Does the house have an upstairs and downstairs? Love the style of it. All the best with your venture. |
| sugarsfarm |
Posted - Mar 10 2006 : 8:58:02 PM
So i finally got a digital camera and i went crazy taking pictures!! So id thought that id share some of what i took...
-------------------------------------------------------
This is the smaller of our 2 red barns...i didnt take a picture of the other one for some reason...haha...
-----------------------------------------------------------------
This is the old garage, its full of equipment and other misc. things that just got thrown in there over the years...even the old shutters that were on the house...id like to put them back on when the remodling starts...
-------------------------------------------------------------------
this is the pig/hay barn...
------------------------------------------------------------------
This is the washhouse that i am desperatly going to try and save...its a little tilty, but id really love to make it into my studio.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
The front of the house...my dad closed in the beautiful front porch, Ill have to bring it back..haha..
-------------------------------------------------------------------
The poor old chickenhouse...its been neglected for a few years and we are left with only 3 chickens....
--------------------------------------------------------------------
The back door to the house, there was a deck on the right but we had to take it off a week ago because of a pipe that had to be dug up, you can see part of the railing on the ground...oh goodness..
You must be the change you want to see in the world.
Mahatma Gandhi |
| sugarsfarm |
Posted - Feb 01 2006 : 11:04:02 PM
we hire out to farm the land...we just dont have all the fancy and expensive equipment...my dad is still here, and we are slowly taking over...the farm unfortunetly right now doesnt offer much for finacial stability, id like to change that, but my dad has a mechanic shop and fixes tractors, trucks and other equipment, i go to college at Iowa State, and my boyfriend works with audio equipment in Des Moines. We stay pretty darn busy! |
| jenny louise |
Posted - Jan 30 2006 : 02:15:06 AM
Good luck, Leah. Are you going to crop the land or will your cousin? Will you have to have an outside job also? It is so nice that your place can stay in the family...how wonderful.
Jenny in MI |
| dairygirl87 |
Posted - Jan 28 2006 : 10:36:59 AM
Wow, consider me jealous... ;)
Congrats, it's sounds beautiful! You're a lucky lady. Good luck Leah and welcome!
-Laura Ann
"No race can prosper until it learns there is as much dignity in tilling a field as there is in writing a poem..." |
| westernhorse51 |
Posted - Jan 24 2006 : 4:16:51 PM
welcome Leah, your right at home here. Your farm sounds great. Your very lucky & blessed. Michele
she selects wool and flax and works with eager hands Prov.31:13 |
| westfork woman |
Posted - Jan 24 2006 : 10:14:48 AM
Welcome, Leah, so good to see somone interested in continuing a family heritage. Good for you girl. Kennie Lyn
Greetings from the morning side of the hill. |
| MBurns |
Posted - Jan 23 2006 : 12:38:18 PM
welcome to a fellow Iowian. I live close to Cedar Rapids. my husband and I just bought the farmstead at my parents farm in Iowa County 15 miles from Iowa City. |
| Aunt Jenny |
Posted - Jan 22 2006 : 10:17:53 PM
Welcome to the group Leah!! Sounds like you live on a wonderful place..lucky you!!
How neat to live somewhere with such history in your family and all!! I hope you will jump in and get in on our conversations..we talk about most anything!!
Jenny in Utah
It's astonishing how short a time it takes for very wonderful things to happen...Frances Burnette
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com |
