# Highland Meadows ~ Journal From The Very Beginning



## Highland Meadows (Mar 6, 2021)

Hi everyone! Someone mentioned starting a journal and I thought it was a great idea especially since this is the beginning of achieving our dream farm. To start my husband and I along with our two boys just moved to Southwest Iowa from the East Coast to our new 30 acre farm "Highland Meadows". We moved in during one of the coldest weeks of the year here (it was -8 degrees the day we arrived at midnight) and since everyone is backordered for furniture we have been using lawn chairs and boxes😂 This property is pretty much a blank slate except for the pre-existing brick ranch and 32'x60' workshop/barn other than that our property is all extremely flat fields. Here are some pictures that we have taken since being here:

-Katya our loyal Akita who has been the most amazing guard dog-





-Fenrir also known as "Finn" our goofy husky-




-Gimli our little cuddly sheltie-




-The boys eating breakfast for the first time in our new kitchen-




-Morning view out by the workshop-




-Sunset view off of our back deck-




-"Barnyard mix" ducklings due to hatch March 24th. All 20 eggs are developing beautifully! (I absolutely love Nurture Right 360 Incubators. I have three already lol)




-Our ducks in their makeshift duck area in the workshop where they will be staying until the end up the month when their brand new duck coop and pond will be finished!-




I will keep this journal updated especially since we will have a lot of exciting new adventures/projects happening! So far we have planned:

-A new duck coop (This month)
-Hatching new ducklings ( Dutch Hookbills too!) from our current flock (This month until July)
-Fencing in the property (Starting Today
-A new barn 42'x70' horse barn (Build start date sometime May/June)
-DIY Limewashing our brick ranch home (definitely including pictures!)
-A new hay barn (haven't figured out the size yet) (End of this year/early next year depending on timing of other projects)
 -Last, but not least hopefully adding some fury new additions to our farm! (Trying to be patient until the barns are built 

I will be sure to keep our journal thread updated as new adventures begin to unfold!


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## Finnie (Mar 6, 2021)

Your dogs are adorable! (And so are your kids.)

What an exciting adventure you are on. I’m happy to be following along.

I used to have a tricolor Sheltie. After she passed I got a sable merle (rough) collie.


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## SA Farm (Mar 6, 2021)

Following too


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## Highland Meadows (Mar 6, 2021)

Finnie said:


> Your dogs are adorable! (And so are your kids.)
> 
> What an exciting adventure you are on. I’m happy to be following along.
> 
> I used to have a tricolor Sheltie. After she passed I got a sable merle (rough) collie.


Thank you! I love Collies! I think down the road a Collie might be our next dog too.


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## Baymule (Mar 7, 2021)

30 acres! Wonderful life that y'all are giving your boys. You are off and running on life's greatest adventure. Congrats on the move to a better life!


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## Mini Horses (Mar 7, 2021)

Lot of projects there!!! Wow.  I remember looking at my latest new farm, here, 21 yrs ago.  Just land.  You at least have a house and barn!   It will help maintain sanity while you "improve" your farm.    I can't wait to follow your journey.


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## Highland Meadows (Mar 7, 2021)

Baymule said:


> 30 acres! Wonderful life that y'all are giving your boys. You are off and running on life's greatest adventure. Congrats on the move to a better life!


Our boys were the biggest motivating factor with this move. We had some land in what was at one point a nice neighborhood with good schools not too far out of the DC area. We knew it wasn't where we wanted to live permanently, but we were happy with it initially and that's where my husband's job had him. However, over the past 5 years the area has significantly degraded from the environment we wanted to raise a family in. My husband is a Software Engineer who loves his job and we didn't want to just pick up and move considering jobs for software engineers are not exactly abundant in very rural areas. Then this past December we received a phone call late at night saying that his job wanted to give him a promotion if we could pick up and move within 2 months to the nebraska/iowa area. We of course immediately said yes, everything fell perfectly into place from finding this house only 30 minutes away from my husband's work (before he was driving 1-2 hours depending on traffic), being able to close within a month and selling our old house within a week of putting it up on the market. Now we are here starting our new adventure!


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## farmerjan (Mar 7, 2021)

A big welcome from the general area you left!!!!  I am in the western part of Va....Shenandoah valley area, and I fully understand your feelings of the neighborhood changing and such.  That is such a wonderful thing that the job move came about just as you were thinking that there needed to be some changes.  Sometimes things work out right....as yours surely did.  The very best of luck with the new "start over" in your life.  

I just bought a house on 2 acres that was part of some property we rent and it is a good move for me to get out of renting and into my own place.  But, I don't think it will be my forever place as things have changed alot here in the nearly 40 years I have lived in this general area.  My son is raised, on his own, and we farm together, but I am not happy with the way things have changed in the area.  Too many of the "washington elites" buying in this area (2-3) hours out of the beltway.... and the fact that the state has definitely gone away from the agriculture/home/family/church/and decency that it used to be so much more aligned with.  I surely hope that your more rural area will give you the kind of place to bring up your sons to be decent, hardworking, respectful members of society.  
It sounds like you are well on your way to a great start.  

Hope it warms up for you soon too!!!!


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## Finnie (Mar 8, 2021)

Highland Meadows said:


> everything fell perfectly into place from finding this house only 30 minutes away from my husband's work (before he was driving 1-2 hours depending on traffic), being able to close within a month and selling our old house within a week of putting it up on the market


Wow! Obviously it was very much meant to be!


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## WyoLiving (Mar 8, 2021)

Wishing you great success with your new adventure!


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## Finnie (Sep 9, 2021)

Highland Meadows said:


> Our boys were the biggest motivating factor with this move. We had some land in what was at one point a nice neighborhood with good schools not too far out of the DC area. We knew it wasn't where we wanted to live permanently, but we were happy with it initially and that's where my husband's job had him. However, over the past 5 years the area has significantly degraded from the environment we wanted to raise a family in. My husband is a Software Engineer who loves his job and we didn't want to just pick up and move considering jobs for software engineers are not exactly abundant in very rural areas. Then this past December we received a phone call late at night saying that his job wanted to give him a promotion if we could pick up and move within 2 months to the nebraska/iowa area. We of course immediately said yes, everything fell perfectly into place from finding this house only 30 minutes away from my husband's work (before he was driving 1-2 hours depending on traffic), being able to close within a month and selling our old house within a week of putting it up on the market. Now we are here starting our new adventure!


How did summer on your new farm go?


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