Where are the Homesteaders?

I have met so many lovely people here on the blog who are dreaming of their future homestead.

Thousands of you, actually.

Some of you are living on small plots now doing the best you can to raise food.

Some are in cities longing for that simple country life.

Some are rocking 7 acres and are ready to expand.

I hear from so dang many people who would give anything to have 23 acres with rolling pastures, lush gardens, and cozy barns already in place.

Except, I can’t find them.

At least, not in Kentucky.

I am coming to a reality that kinda breaks my heart.

MAYBE THEY DON’T WANT A FARM

As we are selling our homestead (more on that HERE), I have come to realize that most people don’t want a farm.

Furthermore, the likelihood of a like-minded family buying our place and carrying on with the vision is looking bleak.

The more we show our place, the more we are realizing that the future owners are probably not going to be homesteaders.

It is likely that our charming homestead has a future without gardens, critters, and probably will contain lots of grass where farming once happened.

*Insert tear*

Most of the folks who have come for a ‘showing’ at our homestead are looking for the country life without the farm.

In spite of the Coronavirus, we have shown our home several times and have a couple of families deeply in love with it.  We are praying for an offer soon.

BUT the common denominator from all the feedback has been a negative response to the fencing, barns, and gardens.

They don’t want them.

• The gardens are ‘overwhelming.’
• There is too much ‘outdoor maintenance.’
• They want a home, grass, and woods.

THEY WANT THEIR GROCERIES FROM THE STORE

Incorrectly, I thought the response to the fencing, barns, and gardens would be positive…

not so much.

I know that the rest of the world is like, “duh,” but I really thought someone would step onto our farm and see all we had done and LOVE every bit of it.

They could garden without needing to plow, till or put up fencing.

They could go get a goat, or cow, or horse and move in the first day.

• The watering systems
• The barns
• The fencing
• The gates

Everything is done.

But, it seems that most folks aren’t excited about it.  In fact, all this work, all we have built, all that time, all we have poured into this little slice of Kentucky, could be a deterrent.

THE DREAM ENDS

My brain is actually beginning to process TAKING DOWN buildings, gardens, fence… and putting in GRASS.

Which makes me want to cry.

All this, which we have spent ten eleven years creating, could disappear in a weekend.

I don’t know why I even care.  We lived HUGE in this place.  We saw dreams happen.  We thoroughly embraced the beautiful life of homesteading.  AND we are doing it still at the new homestead.

As long as we sell the farm, get our money out of it, and can move on I should be thrilled.  But my heart is in this place, and it kinda breaks contemplating empty pastures and seeing grass where gardens once grew.

For now, I am ‘being still’ and praying.

I hope an adorable family who wants to grow tomatoes and maybe get a pony will find our place and be thankful forever.

But, it looks like that may not happen.

🙁

Candi