Wednesday, April 27, 2011

living their dream

When my in-laws decided to move from their cute bungalow on a quarter acre to an older home on a 100 acre farm, I tried to be excited for them...but it was difficult. My mother-in-law was approaching 60, and her husband not too far behind. But they shared a passion for horses, gardening, and the outdoors, and their quarter acre just wasn't cutting it. Their dream was to own a farm.

Being the "worrywart" that I am, I just couldn't help but think of the upkeep,

...the expenses...the long term. I thought it might be too much for them. They decided to take the plunge...and I decided to bite my tongue.

But this Easter...I finally got it. I finally understood why they did what they did.

It is what makes them happy.

And we get to "reap the rewards", too, so to speak. What other families get to do these things at Grandma and Grandpa's on Easter?

Muck around in a long driveway full of mud, and then have your boots washed out using a hand pump.


Go for a long, long walk...


...to a secret spot where Grandpa is building a little cabin from scratch.

Hang out with Auntie while absorbing the beauty and silence of nature.

Pet and ride horses...

...run and explore...


And even use an outhouse. :)


Beautiful memories made. And look how happy they are.


I'm so thankful they had the courage to live their dream.

5 comments:

  1. Wow, they are a young looking 60! The farm won't be too much for them if they aren't actually trying to farm it for a living. That's when the work gets hard. If they are more or less just 'puttering', then they can do as much or as little as they want/feel. If they have any decent fields (mostly trees in the pictures) it likely wouldn't be hard to find some farmer to rent them. That's what folks do around here when they don't/can't crop the fields themselves.

    It looks like it was great fun on the weekend. And you are right, your in-laws sure look happy.

    Paula

    ReplyDelete
  2. It's really cool, because they are boarding some of the neighbour's animals in their barn, and they get all their hay for their horses for free...all they have to do is harvest another one of their neighbour's fields. :) As a hobby farm, things are working out just beautifully.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Your pictures brought back my memories of going to my grandparents' farm in Connecticut. So many fun times, and none of our activities involved sitting down. =) Those memories you made with your kids this Easter will definitely last a lifetime!

    ReplyDelete
  4. well don't they say 50 is the old 40 now ☺ nearing 50 I see how we treat older people here . as if they cannot do things once they hit 50 lol
    I think of my aunty freda going off in her fishing boat to lift her nets at age 70 !
    I am not of good health I've always had allergies and sensetivities but still I long for when we can move and live a more physically challenging life in the bush .My mum will be 80 in 2 yrs and she is always off in the bush tromping around tree planting etc.
    I'm sure getting the farm gave your inlaws a big boost ☺ and what a joy for your kids to visit them ! I do hope they consider goats ;-)

    ReplyDelete