Do You Ever Think About Moving to the Country?

As I sit on my back porch writing this, morning is dawning. The sun is beginning to send its rays over the treetops, birds are singing, and steam rises lazily from the surface of the pond. The quiet beauty of nature never loses its power over me.

June 2018 marked the 4th anniversary of our unconventional leap from a subdivision in the burbs to a 25-acre horse farm. In 2014, lured by open space, open sky, the quiet of rural Virginia, and a picturesque pond situated behind the house, we made the move to our “hobby farm”.

What Exactly is a Hobby Farm?

Hobby Farm: a small-scale farm, operated without the expectation that it will be the primary source of income.

The irony is that I fled my rural roots when graduating college, moving first to Charlotte, NC, then the suburbs of Richmond, VA. I never imagined I would seek rural life again. But, having a family does change your perspective. And we felt God leading us to make a change, to branch out, to grow some of our own food, and to experience country living with our kids.

We’ve enjoyed coming home to this farm. More of our time is spent being active and outside. We have learned to grow and to build. And we have enjoyed opportunities to open our home to family and friends. In the past four years, we’ve learned lessons about operating and managing a farm, but perhaps the most important lessons we’ve learned are about ourselves.

Hobby Farming Does Look Romantic in the Magazines!

Yes, hobby farming looks like a dreamy lifestyle, with days full of collecting eggs, cutting flowers, and sipping tea on a porch. There is some truth in the romantic ideal. When my husband and I sip wine while sitting on the dock overlooking our pond, all feels right with the world. But that only happens after the hard work is done. And, sometimes, we even make lists of maintenance tasks we spy while we’re there. That’s not so dreamy.

Living here is also like having another job. The maintenance and keeping of this place is no joke. There are acres of grass to mow, fences to fix, barns to paint, and the weeds, oh, the weeds. When I return from my romantic stroll to collect eggs, I often return soaked with sweat as I take off my manure-covered boots. And then there was the day I got kicked by a horse that wanted my chicken feed, which was decidedly unromantic. But that’s another post…

Truth be told, sometimes we wonder about the wisdom of our decision to make this move. But then we have a few families over and share this place with them, or we go for an impromptu swim in the pond with our kids, or we enjoy an entire meal we grew ourselves. And we remember why we made this change that has turned out to be more effort and more impactful than we could have imagined. We are stewards of this place, for a time. While we are here, we will do our best to take care of it, enjoy it, and share it.

Do You Want to Know More About Hobby Farming?

I would love to sit here all day and write, but the chickens need feeding, the garden needs picking, the squash bugs need squishing, and the weeds need hoeing. I plan to write more about our experiences here for those of you out there who may be considering a move toward the rural life. Maybe I’ll write about it tomorrow while I steal away to the porch with some tea…

Have you ever thought of moving to the country? Does the idea of growing your own food, raising animals, or being surrounded by nature appeal to you? What questions do you have about hobby farming? Leave a comment and let me know!