A Farm for All Reasons

Two years ago, my husband, Mark, and I decided that we wanted a change from our urban surroundings. We were living in Denver, Colorado. I was employed as the Director of Education of The Gabriel Foundation (a parrot welfare organization) and attending the University of Colorado. We were relatively happy with our lifestyle in Denver, but I was a nature girl at heart. I started to half heartedly peruse the "For Sale" ads on websites such as Land and Farm. Much to my surprise, there were quite a few affordable options available to us if we wished to move to a more rural setting.

Both my husband and I had tossed around the idea of living in an intentional community/eco-village in the past. All of the co-housing projects we had looked at were either extremely pricey or in a location that he could not move to and keep the same job. We were concerned about the looming Peak Oil crisis, and we wanted to start to work on a degree of self-sufficiency. Even though it would be years before we had to be self reliant, we knew it would take time before we could even hope to achieve this goal. I also wanted to live somewhere that I could not help but feel intimately connected to nature. Denver is a nice city with lots of parks and open space, but nothing beats being able to watch twenty plus species of birds from your living room window.

Mark and I made a magical list of all our desires for our perfect piece of property. I wanted to be able to keep chickens, sheep and other farm animals. Mark wanted to be located in the mountains. We both loved the idea of a house near water. We wanted an older home that didn't require an immense amount of "fixer-upper" work. Ideally, the house would have a unique character that was suited to our personalities. We wanted a wood heated home with the potential for more alternative energy projects. We knew the climate would be one of the critical factors in our ability to support ourselves, so we asked for a place with a temperate climate and a long growing season. Mature fruit trees would be a nice bonus. I would LOVE to have a studio. Of course, this all had to be within our price range.

In only a few weeks after starting to look at property, we found a farm advertised online in Ferrum, Virginia. It had a house built in 1905 which was thoughtfully restored in the nineties. There were plum, pear and walnut trees. There was a little creek that ran down the mountain valley right next to the house. There were barns, both ancient and modern. There was a lovely little guest house which would be ideal to either rent out or use as a studio. The property was fenced for horses in a way that was perfect for sheep! Ferrum is a microscopically small community, but it is close enough to Rocky Mount, Virginia for any necessities. There is even a very nice small college in town.

In August, 2 years ago, I flew out to Baltimore to do a driving tour of Virginia. The last stop was Ferrum. I looked at real estate along the way, but my heart was set on this farm. I was trying to be realistic and honestly compare prices and options, but the Ferrum Farm always showed itself to be the most suitable and desirable place. Little omens kept popping up indicating it was the right place for us. It was located on Stanley Branch Road, and the original builders of the farm were the Stanley family. Both my grandfather and my parrot's name was Stanley.

I play the harp. When I mentioned that to the house's former owner, she almost flipped. Apparently, when the original Stanley family lived there, they had a music room that included a large harp. The seller strongly felt that the ancestors of the house would dearly love to have another harp staying there. We bought the house, and we made our moving plans.

The preparation and trip to move 11 pets (5 parrots, 1 dove, 3 cats, 2 dogs), two people, and our junk from Colorado to Virginia was brutal and endless. We pulled up to the farm at 2 am the day before Christmas. The first thing we noticed was the overwhelming sound of rushing water and complete silence. No cars, no people, no animals, just the creek next to our front porch. Seeing anything but the stars was impossible. There were no lights anywhere. It was heavenly.

It seemed crazy to give up our lives in Denver for a completely unknown future in small town Virginia. However, I felt completely drawn to this farm and this gorgeous, sacred land. We had to make the leap. Luckily, Mark and I love it here. We are currently raising Icelandic sheep, chickens, a peacock, our parrots, guinea hens, cats, and dogs. There is never a dull moment with all of the critters around. We have a large garden and are going to continually expand it. Mark has begun to retrofit this home with solar technology. I am starting a business making hand dyed fibers, art and crafts. We have met lots of new Virginia friends. Things are looking up for this little farm.