The Origins of Sand Plum Cottage
The farmhouse was built in 1922. She's a little old lady- creaking in the chilly mornings, beautifully aged and dutifully worn, with a winter's draft that can't damper the warmth found within. Some mornings, when the silence falls heavy, you can hear her stories of time decayed and child grown tall.
Arriving back at the farmhouse cottage is a sort of coming home for me. It boarders the South end of my parents property of 60 acres, land which encompasses my entire childhood, adolescence and which became my landing place over many years of seasonal trial and error and the building of my tiny house home.
When I was three, my parents moved us into what I now call the cottage, a one story house built in 1922 with wood burning stove, lofted ceilings, sloping wood floors, no running water and an outhouse, which my Dad was very disappointed to discover the sellers had loaded up and taken with them upon completion of the sale. For the first few months of settling there, I experienced my first memories of life. I have none before this home, oddly enough, and it stands in my mind as faint daily rhythms of water being hauled in 5 gallons buckets by my mom, exploration of the nearby sheds and farm equipment left behind, and endless summer days exploring a vast acreage. Before moving in in the winter of 93, my parent's had built an addition onto the house which included two loft bedrooms, an office space and a bathroom. This remained our home for a few years until my parents built our next house on the same 80 acres, followed by their current and primary homestead built in 2002.
The farmhouse has been a rental unit for my parents over the years, and I had the joy of renting it for a couple of years in my early twenties. The house holds such charm and character, and I never quite departed from it emotionally, even when I eventually boxed up all my things and hit the road for Montana and adventure in the backcountry in 2015.
It would be impossible for me to adequately express my sense of belonging to this land and acreage. It is a connection which has taken root so deep such that the ties which bind my heart to this native ground have shaped and grounded me at every turn in my travels and growing, and I am sure in many ways yet manifested.
And so, with great joy, I am returning home, with Danny and baby Munckster along for the adventure this time around! We will be purchasing the cottage this October (2021). I am beyond excited to capture the journey and share with all who desire to follow along as life on the homestead unfolds. We're talking potentially excessive details of my over eager plans of going sustainable, trying our hand at renovating, landscaping, utilizing the original stone well, attempting a root cellar, goats, chickens, fruit orchard, canning, tobacco and hops growing, intentional daily living of our Catholic faith, cat collecting, and not least of all...keeping our land whole and free as patriots and beneficiaries of this great country.
- Jenne
The original cottage lower level built in 1922. This photo was taken in Spring of 1993 when my parents purchased the single story house with no plumbing, renovated the whole space and added on an upstairs addition of 2 rooms.
Comments
Post a Comment