We’re total opposites. That’s supposed to be a good thing. . . Right? Some days when you live and work together all day long being opposites requires a merry heart – which is good medicine.
Jessica is an incurable epicure, an artist’s daughter, lover of beautiful spaces, seeker of the perfect cup of coffee, and the very slow crafter of what is sure to be an epic novel when the twins finally get out of diapers.
Kevin is the determined force behind the word homestead. He’s the consumer of leftovers no one else wants to eat, the setter of stones, the “let’s make sawdust bucket toilets work for us”, and the digger of fence post holes in sub-zero weather.
We survived for many years through the various places Kevin’s engineering work carried us. The kids were school nomads and Kevin gardened and planted trees compulsively despite never staying long enough to harvest. We hungered for something. Roots? Community? A sense of connection with the natural world around us? A slower pace to life? Time together?
A worsening, chronic health issue with Jessica and a timely job loss for Kevin prompted some redirection and the purchase of our beautiful 9-acre farm on the top of one of the Appalachian mountains. We moved during an inhospitable, historically-cold December with our four kiddos, a little band of milk goats and a flock of chickens. That December our goats alternately roamed free over the mountain or loitered on the porch glaring at us through frosty windows.
It has been two years. The decrepit, diseased apple trees are reviving, producing less-diseased apples. The goats are contained in the pasture. The freezer and pantry are filling with items preserved for winter. Pigs, sheep, ducks, bees, a horse and a milk cow joined the motley crew outside.
Kevin is exploring his passion for permaculture, animal husbandry and the way animals and plants work together on a sustainable farm. He has been able to reap a harvest. Jessica has fallen absolutely in love with einkorn flour, an affair that produces frequent, adorable treats.
Pull up an overstuffed chair, have a croissant and espresso, rest and laugh and learn with us. In the midst of this modern time, tumble down into the half old fashioned world of a homestead on the top of a mountain where we need high-speed internet to do our work and schooling and we prioritize homemade wine and nutritious desserts.