I am coming to the end of a career in government service (U.S. Customs) and in preperation for that event in my life I have explored many options in great detail. My choice of what to do with my life is to move to the country. I remember my childhood days on a farm in New England that belonged to my Aunt Hilda and her parents. It was a small chicken farm run by the three of them-her parents were the day to day managers and she held a full time job with U.S. Customs. With her salary and the extended family helping the farm was a success and provided a pleasant home for them for many years.

I have had the oppurtunity to care for livestock and garden over the years since, but not live in a rural environment. I have taken care of horses, chickens and raised a family garden with modest success.

I have most likely romanticized country life to some degree, a natural failing. On the other hand I am a pragmatic person and love a challange of my own making. To help keep my failures to a minimum I have been studying up on farm skills and knowledge. No doubt I will be a source of amusment to the real country folk who will be my neighbors.

I started looking for country property a year ago; watching the ads on the internet. I narrowed down the location of my country place to a few states. I tried to get insight into the areas of interest by talking to people I found from these states. I visited the states of particular interest to get a first hand impression of the area. I made a real estate hunting trip that took me through eleven states and numerous real estate offices. I found a place that I liked and within my budget in Kentucky. This place is an old Amish farmstead that I will call "Oak Spring Farm".

Why "Oak Spring Farm"? Here is were emotions come in to play. That day I had looked at several farms (5) and each had its good and bad points. This farm seemed to be home to me. The layout of the house and barn set back from the road with its own country lane I had seen in my minds eye for a long time. I walked through the house and felt it was a good place. In the barn I could smell the hay and hear the horses outside whinneying as they conversed among themselves about the strange visitor inside their barn.

I walked the fields and smelled the alfalfa in the hot summer sun with two of the horses as my companions-I spotted where the Amish owner had his deerstand. I had dozens of un-spoken questions some of which I knew the answer to almost intuitively. The real estate agent was smart enough to leave me alone with my thoughts and only led me to where the pond was fed by a spring hidden at the stump of an old oak tree; hence the name "Oak Spring Farm".

Will my dreams of rural life on a twenty four acre farm in Kentucky come true? Will my dreams turn into a nightmare? Who knows what the future will bring. I think it will be very interesting.

My neighbors are going to be Amish, Mennonite and Kentucky farm folk. They have a lot of experience in rural living I hope they are kind to this new neighbor.

The house is both old and new, the original homestead is about a hundred years old. There have been several additions and modifications over time. There are many repairs needed- actually projects that need to be finnished; such as the siding on the washroom, and front porch and the upstairs bedrooms need finnishing off. Oh, I forgot to mention there is no electricity or indoor plumbing. There is pressure water from the county. The heat is from woodstoves in the kitchen and parlor. The Amish don't believe in frills.

I admire the Amish for their commitment to their way of life. The family that lives on the farm now seems to be doing well. The owner is a saddle maker and does very good work. He runs his machines from a motor installed in the barn with belts and drive shaft. His wife is very busy with four children to care for and a large house to run all by hand. Her washing machine is the old wringer type run by a small gasoline motor, works fine. She uses a solar powered clothes dryer (clothes line). The privy is convenient to the washroom; just a short walk from the door to the little house.

This could be very interesting.