Workshop Progress!

Back in February we began construction on our first farm building: a workshop! You would think that we would build a barn first. But y’all… I can’t even begin to tell you the amount of equipment we have collected. We have several tractors (some big and some little), and each tractor seems to have its own special attachments! My husband and dad are the farm mechanics. And they seem to believe that all of these “toys” are necessary to the success of the farm. Well, these things need a home. And the farm mechanics need a dry flat area to keep them all serviced, running, and in tip-top shape. So, we decided the first building should be a workshop!

I also want to state here for all the world to know. My husband is absolutely amazing. He has loved and encouraged and supported me so much as I journey from being a stay-at-home-mom to creating this dream of a horse farm. So, when he made his case that he needed a workshop. How could I really say no? I did convince him to let me add on some massive holding bays for storing hay and shavings though. :-)

The workshop was supposed to be done around the beginning of May. Unfortunately, we have had several setbacks. We are hoping that everything will be completed towards the end of October!

Ford Mainline

WE FOUND A CAR! IN THE WOODS! So, we decided to go hiking today through the woods on our property. There’s probably about 10 acres of wooded area for us to explore. I tried exploring them over the summer in the 90 degree heat and gave up quickly. Now, the leaves are gone. It’s much easier to find your way around. We gathered the kids, some water, a few snacks, and went for a walk. Never did we think we would find a car. It’s not in great shape, but I still think it’s pretty cool that it’s hidden back in the woods. It is a Ford Mainline. I’ve never heard of it before, but apparently they were built in the 1950s.

The Secret Garden

There are so many treasures on the farm that we have yet to discover. The girls were exploring the other day and found a concrete sidewalk. There was so much overgrowth, especially thorny bushes, that we didn’t realize how long it was or where it went. Today, we cleared some of it off. We now believe that it was once a standing line for skeet shooting. We think that it will make an incredible spot for a garden though! It will take a lot of work (like everything else on the farm), but it’s going to be awesome when finished!

The Road

We have a road. Well, half of a road. Roads are expensive! We have a preliminary design for the farm. This road is the first step down the path of making it a reality. We’ll need the road to get everything back to the middle of the pasture where the barn and workshop will be built. Still no fencing, but that will come. Hopefully the grading for the building sites will begin next week! fingers crossed

Autumn

Why, oh why, is it still 90 degrees outside? The survey is complete! We have a good start on the overall site design. The fields have been hayed and are ready for fertilizer. The kids discovered the art of sliding off of round bales. We have been hard at work remodeling the bathroom in the house. We bought a truck! The girls named it marshmallow. Lots of little things as we slowly progress forward.

Hidden History

You never know what you’re going to find on a forty acre farm. As part of moving in and gathering information to design our horse farm, we had a boundary survey done. The surveyors ventured around the edges of the property to mark corners and delineate the property lines. So, for fun, my husband and I decided to hike through the woods and follow their flags around the property. We didn’t even make it half-way around the property! This heat is crazy! Why did we ever buy a farm in the middle of a Georgia summer?!?

While following the flags, we made an exciting discovery — a building! Hidden amongst the overgrowth and brush, there’s what looks to be an old animal shelter. We weren’t able to really get a good look at it, but we plan on eventually clearing out around it… so there will be more pictures to follow.

This got our curiosity stoked. So, we started exploring other little islands over overgrowth around the pasture. We found TWO more buildings! You would never even know they were there if we hadn’t been searching for them. Some day I would love to learn more about the property and the Ledford family who owned it before us. I feel like the land could tell us a few stories…

Farm Life

We officially closed on the farm on July 3! Every day brings the new realization that there is so much work to be done… and we don’t have any of the equipment to do it! So, we have proudly welcomed to our family “Old Gray”. This is an old Ford 8N tractor gifted to us by my brother-in-law to use to start getting the farm under control. We have also added a bush hog, wood chipper, and auger to our collection of toys. We are currently working on renovating the house, creating site plans with the civil engineer, and getting quotes to build a barn. During the week, we operate business as usual. On the weekends, we turn into crazy farmers just trying to figure it all out! The most important lesson we have learned so far: “Never buy a farm in the middle of the summer in July where the days are above 90 degrees and the humidity hovers at 70%.”

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New Beginnings

Everybody has a dream. I didn’t even know what mine was until we threw a My Little Pony themed birthday party for my then turning-four-year-old daughter. We had the cliche idea to host it at a nearby stable, complete with pony rides! The entire time my little one was being led around on a sweet pony, she was watching the big girls in the arena jumping. Before the party was over, she innocently asked me, “Mommy, when can I do that?”

Six months later, my daughter was still asking me to take riding lessons. So, I found a trainer willing to give her a chance. This was not easy when she was only 4 years old and weighing in under 40 pounds. It wasn’t long before her older sister and even I, myself, were taking lessons. Less than a year later, I purchased my first horse - a warmblood named Roo. Although I loved the barn where we took lessons and boarded, I couldn’t help but wanting a place of my very own where I could have more horses and spend as much time as I’d like. I wanted a place for my kids to be kids, ride tractors, have picnics, and go on trail rides. I wanted my own farm. Thus began the dream that has become Blackberry Pastures.