Richard's Lovely Farm

Farm. The word conjures up great feelings for me. Gardening, birds, wildlife, creeks, sunshine and snow. The list goes on forever. The children feel the same way, so we are on a quest to find the perfect hobby farm for us. It must include some adorable outbuildings.

Our neck of the woods has a lot of these properties, but currently, none are on the market. You see, when a farmer owns a lovely piece of land with adorable outbuildings, only death will part him from it. He is loyal to his land. He loves it more than any earthly things, sometimes even more than people. He will speak of his cattle as if they are his children. His greatest wealth is in the sunsets and the beaver dams. He knows of the fox and the falcons. He follows their lives with close attention. He knows of their offspring and their habits. It is an enviable lifestyle, in my opinion.

So the kids and I drive the country roads as a hobby, as we are in between sports and have a lot of spare time in the evenings. We scouted out an old wonderful property that appeared abandoned. Hundred-year-old dilapidated house. Two small CUTE corncribs. Chicken coup that hasn't been used in a long time. Barn in great shape. Beaver dams and a lovely fox running through the meadow. It was PERFECT.

On our drive-bys, it appeared to be abandoned, until one Saturday afternoon. A truck was parked by the barn, and there was a man in the corncrib, picking up cans.

They BEGGED me to stop and talk to them. By golly, there were a lot of life lessons in my response. I could be shy, which is my tendency. I could be respectful of his quiet time on the farm. I could I could I could find every excuse not to stop. But I wanted to show the kids is it good to be assertive, to talk to strangers and see how they respond, to take a chance.

I parked the van and walked up the hill. The old guy with the long white beard saw me and shouted, "NO! I am not selling you my farm!!!". I laughed out loud. How in the heck did he know? And it seemed kind of rude, like he wanted me to go away. But as I got closer, he smiled and I smiled, and he came out of the corn crib.

He told me the story of how he used to drive by this farm as a child, going to visit his aunt and uncle up the road. He loved this farm. As an adult, in 1969, he was finally able to buy it...a life-long dream come true!! He wanted the beaver to come and they did, after 30 years. He helps them build dams by leaving trees for them. His cattle used to be very happy there, and he would come every morning to break the ice for them. He has falcons and a falconer who comes to tag them. One of his baby falcons that flew the nest made it all the way to a life in Florida!

I tried to walk away several times, but he kept talking. He talked for about 40 minutes. The similarities to my farmer-father were striking. I really wish they could meet.

His coat was held together by a large safety pin, because it is his all-time favorite jacket. He has new ones in his closet. Just doesn't care for them.

Richard was a delight, and he told me of a farm that might be for sale up the road. "Now if you buy it", he said, "come tell me 'cause I want to be the first to tell everyone about our new neighbor, Kate". Haha! That made him laugh. Oh, he was precious.

He sells blueberries here in town, so I hope I get to be his customer. Funny how life is so entertaining sometimes!!