That got my attention but what he said next set off an immediate alarm in my head. "And I've talked to our neighbor on that side and he's interested in buying it." DING DING DING!!! Huh?!?!?!?!?! Say what?!?!?!?!!?
Someone else owning on our property?!? (Notice the use of "our" for land that may well have been the playground for a good part of my growing up years, but did not in any legal sense of the word actually belong to me.) "No, dad. No." I said before I even had timeto think about it "Don't sell the land. If you're sure you want to get rid of it, Glen and I would be interested." And though he looked surprised at first, he soon looked pleased. And suddenly I was pretty darn pleased myself.
My parents bought land and built a house (and when I say "built" I mean that my dad did just about part of the building himself) on it when I was 8. This was only the second home I'd lived in and the first with running water or an inside bathroom (and that's a story for another time!). That house, and the neighboring 5-acre tract of land they purchased to go with it, hold so many memories for me.
The 5-acre tract that was up for sale includea a large pole barn and 1/2 of a pond (the other half is on his property). It's where my brother and I spent lots of time exploring, hiding, sledding, riding our horse, and just being kids. It's where my own kids learned to fish and hunt. It's where my grandkids are now learning the same thing and their families do some tent camping. And just a few months after that conversation, that 5-acre tract became ours. The hubs and me. All ours.
Luckily, Glen agreed right away that it would be wonderful to buy the land and build our dream home. He could imagine the home we could make there, the fun we could have, and the memories we could make. He even pointed the importance (and convenience. My parents both still in very good health, but it's comforting to realize that we'll be right next door to them if and when they need us.
So, we've been busy over the past few months designing our new home, and taking care of some miscellaneous stuff (more about that in future posts). Things will get busy fairly quickly now as we get closer to breaking ground this spring. I still want to pinch myself sometimes that we're doing this. Building our dream home, on the hill, by a pond. And near a barn, and some woods. With deer, geese, and raccoons, among other critters. The place is perfect, and we're awfully excited about the whole thing. So without further ado, here is the land from the back and front.
And here is me and our doggie, Bailey, on the lot.
Now, can't you see why we're excited? More posts to come in the next few days as I catch up with where we are now, including house plans, and details of the process so far. Thanks for stopping by...visit often, and let us know what you think. :)
