It’s official!!! We are the proud owners of a 13-acre farm in southwest Wisconsin. It’s exciting but I don’t think it will truly sink in until we are there in person. I can’t wait to be in our new home! It will be the first house we’ve ever owned.

The farmhouse was built in 1910. It has four bedrooms and two bathrooms and measures about 1800 square feet. Here are a few photos:

There’s so much to do in the next week before we move our household from West Virginia to Wisconsin. It seemed crazy but we headed to Ontario for a family vacation immediately after closing on the house. Despite the odd timing the opportunity to spend time with family and enjoy the tranquility of the north woods was too great to pass up. It was totally worth it but now it’s time to get packing!

It’s a bittersweet feeling, leaving West Virginia for the next chapter in our lives. When we first relocated to Charleston to do headwater steam research we assumed the move would be short-term. At first we felt isolated and out of place, and due to the nature of our work we felt the ecological impacts of coal deeply. Over time we began to feel a part of the community, and we were surprised by how vibrant and alive Charleston really is once you’re in the loop. Once scaled back our field work we ventured to some of the breathtaking natural areas in the state and we began to see what a treasure West Virginia really is. Now, as I look around at the mist-covered hills, I realize it will be difficult to tear myself away and I wonder exactly when the subtle, unassuming beauty of the state first seeped into my bones and became part of my being. I’m consoled knowing that, with so many lifelong friends in West Virginia, we will most certainly be back often.

In the meantime, we’re working to get the farmhouse ready for our arrival. All the old carpeting has been removed, and to our relief we’re told that the wood floors underneath were in decent condition. Before we move in we’re getting a ventilation fan installed in the basement to deal with radon gas. Several things will have to wait until after we move in, like a new metal roof and a front porch floor. I can’t wait to pick out paint colors and start digging in the flower beds.

Our goal for the coming year is to grow as much food for our family as possible while beginning to develop our business plan. The fields are currently being leased out to a corn grower, but it doesn’t affect our plans because it’s too late in the season to plant crops. Our first focus can be in the greenhouse. This fall we can start greens for eating over the winter, and later we can start our seedlings for planting in the spring. I have a feeling we will have our hands full getting the house fixed up as well! I can’t wait to get started.