August 6, 2020
2 minute read
345 words
11 photos
Gold in the dirt…
Somebody or the wind buried treasure in our cornfield. We discovered it by accident on a trek out to the back of the property to check on our bees. A tree. And then another and another and a trio! Bravehearted little saplings testing their newfound liberty. Our neighbor said he was astonished that the seeds survived and made their home on land devastated by decades of herbicide spray. Some kind of resilience. In just a year, here’s the beginnings of a forest on 10 acres cultivated for generations.
We started marking them so we could save them from the mower. Some 40-50 in all. Siberian Elm and Eastern Cottonwood. Good fast-growing, hardy trees. We didn’t know we were buying a forest. 😊
Once their roots are more established, we’ll transplant them to form a windbreak at the north property line.
In June, our acres blossomed into patches of reds and yellows, purples and pinks. It seems wildflowers were also undaunted by the years of farming. Lia harvested seeds so we can cultivate our land with brushstrokes of wildness in future years.
Highlights from June and July…
Walls above our heads
Electric line in from the pole to the house
We bought some cows!
Had neighbors over on the 4th of July
West wall completed 
friends setting forms
getting leverage 🙂 
Lilly rockin’ the power tools
tossing concrete 
this Joshua builds walls
Calves? Nope, they’re minis. 🙂 Forever cute.
In God we trust.
Over the next few weeks…
Finishing the walls
Raising the roof 🙂
A toast, to you and yours…
May the bells of love and liberty
Ring in your hearts a thousand’s thousand years.
EXTRA special thanks this month to these delightfulest folks…
Mama Tiffany, Mama & Daddy Brace, Robert’s sisters and Ransom, The James Siblings (Joshua, Sammy, and Lilly), Nam, Chris, Jeremy, and you-who-shall-not-be-named, you know who you are.
Thanks for being here.
See you out there…
RxL
It’s an incredible journey you are on! I can just imagine Uncle Ed cheering you on!