The property search began...
I'm not sure how exactly we narrowed our search for the perfect retirement spot, but I think it was a combination of familiarity and family that drove us to search the northern part of Arkansas (and of course the thought of a warmer winter in a state with a balanced budget may have helped a little)! My husband had attended John Brown University in Siloam Springs Arkansas, following in the footsteps of his Uncle, as 3 of our daughters did by following in their dad's. Our oldest daughter not only completed her undergrad but also a graduate degree there, married while attending JBU and settled in the area to raise her family. So, while our heartstrings are pulled in many different directions with 4 daughters, the winters are milder, real estate taxes are easier on the budget, and half of our 10 grandchildren live in Arkansas. So the search began in Arkansas.
We must have looked at hundreds of properties online and actually drove down three times in search of land or a home to make our own. It was the least likely one we decided to make an offer on. The offer was accepted and the rest, as they say, is history.
Insert drum roll here..... This is it! ....So what do you think? Take a moment and catch your breath!
Yeah, we know...it needs some work. Okay, maybe LOTS of work. But we've never been afraid to roll up the sleeves and get in and get dirty! Oh, and did I mention we're bringing my 96-year-old mom along on this journey? She is wheelchair bound, legally blind and deaf and is dealing with age-related dementia, she is diabetic, has congestive heart failure, afib, and high blood pressure. That should help make this transition easier ...right? Did I mention I love a good challenge?
But now for the really hard part, packing up 39 years of hoarding, ahem...I mean living, and moving it all 700 miles away to a house that isn't quite finished, in need of lots of work and with my mom in tow.
As this new chapter in life begins, and we learn to navigate our way into retirement in search of a homesteading lifestyle, we invite you to check back now and then to see how it's going. Mind you this could get interesting! While we come with years of experience at life in general and with lots of building experience, (that's how we've actually made a living up 'till now) we have never become dependent on each other to this extent or dependent on the land to this degree. Other than container gardens and small backyard garden plots, we have little experience in growing our own food or raising animals as a food source...we do have a dog and over the years we've had a pet rabbit or two, a couple of ducks that disappeared (yeah pretty sure they didn't just fly off) and some koi fish which the local raccoons enjoyed more than we did....so needless to say we have a lot to learn.
We invite you to follow along on our journey as we venture toward becoming more self-sufficient, no we're not planning an off-grid lifestyle... but then you never know...always keep your options open as they say! So, stay tuned.
To make sure you won't miss any of our updates simply click the subscribe button below. We hope you'll stay in touch. ...
Blessings, Brian & Jan
Numbers 6:24-26
We must have looked at hundreds of properties online and actually drove down three times in search of land or a home to make our own. It was the least likely one we decided to make an offer on. The offer was accepted and the rest, as they say, is history.
Insert drum roll here..... This is it! ....So what do you think? Take a moment and catch your breath!
Yeah, we know...it needs some work. Okay, maybe LOTS of work. But we've never been afraid to roll up the sleeves and get in and get dirty! Oh, and did I mention we're bringing my 96-year-old mom along on this journey? She is wheelchair bound, legally blind and deaf and is dealing with age-related dementia, she is diabetic, has congestive heart failure, afib, and high blood pressure. That should help make this transition easier ...right? Did I mention I love a good challenge?
But now for the really hard part, packing up 39 years of hoarding, ahem...I mean living, and moving it all 700 miles away to a house that isn't quite finished, in need of lots of work and with my mom in tow.
As this new chapter in life begins, and we learn to navigate our way into retirement in search of a homesteading lifestyle, we invite you to check back now and then to see how it's going. Mind you this could get interesting! While we come with years of experience at life in general and with lots of building experience, (that's how we've actually made a living up 'till now) we have never become dependent on each other to this extent or dependent on the land to this degree. Other than container gardens and small backyard garden plots, we have little experience in growing our own food or raising animals as a food source...we do have a dog and over the years we've had a pet rabbit or two, a couple of ducks that disappeared (yeah pretty sure they didn't just fly off) and some koi fish which the local raccoons enjoyed more than we did....so needless to say we have a lot to learn.
We invite you to follow along on our journey as we venture toward becoming more self-sufficient, no we're not planning an off-grid lifestyle... but then you never know...always keep your options open as they say! So, stay tuned.
To make sure you won't miss any of our updates simply click the subscribe button below. We hope you'll stay in touch. ...
Blessings, Brian & Jan
Numbers 6:24-26
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