Welcome to Serendipity Farm!

Welcome to Serendipity Farm!  I have to say, this blog and website were planned last year so that people could follow us on our adventure to create a sustainable farm on 111 acres in northern Minnesota following many of the ideals of sustainable farming gurus like Joel Salatin.  Well, we were "Hit by a Farm" (to name one of my favorite farm memoirs by Catherine Friend) and things started happening around here before we even got the boxes unpacked!  We got our first goat, May, and then a pony, and then another goat, and then a few more goats....  Well, you get the picture :)  I had two Asian water buffalo on hold for at least 6 months before we even moved onto the farm.  Yeah, I was a bit excited to get down to this farming thing.  Personally, I never get tired of farm memoirs, especially from people who grew up in the suburbs thinking that avocados were a right and that cowboy boots like these were cool!

We are new to farming.  Completely.  You see, I grew up with Firefox books in the bookshelf and stories of the horse and hobby farm my father always wanted, but we were suburbanites.  Like most girls, I had posters of horses on my walls (next to posters of Shaun Cassidy - wait, does that date me??) and dreams of green pastures.  Why is it there is never any horse poop in those pasture photos, anyway? 

As I got older, that dream never died.  It got further and further away as I had kids, lived in the suburbs myself, and ran women's ministry programs at church.  A farm truck would *never* have looked right my in driveway.  Seriously.  I would have been written up by the housing association.  I am sure there was some covenant banning rusty old beat up trucks parked outside a home in the subdivision I lived in.

Fast forward 10 years.  Life took a few SERIOUS turns.  At my urging (well, shoving, actually), my parents and my family moved onto the most beautiful farm in Northern Minnesota.  I was determined to live on the land and make my kids appreciate "The Good Life" - those of you who are English will appreciate that reference.  For awhile this farm was within our reach, and then just out of touch, and then finally it was ours.  Our first night sleeping in the farmhouse was one year ago on Christmas Eve.  Our first morning in the house was Christmas morning.  What a gift it was.  My parents have now built a home on this land are are living just across the pasture from us.  Pure bliss.  My dad (at 68 years old) finally got his horse.  And I, at 24 years old, finally got mine.  OK, the math probably doesn't work there, but I am not ever owning up to my true age.  But be warned, I have enough life experience to fill at least 24 years.  But NOT double that.  Well, maybe not so far from doubling that.  But I will not say for sure.  Wait, there is that Shaun Cassidy remark earlier.....  Well, I am sure you can take a pretty accurate guess how old I may be. 

I thank you for your interest in following our farm adventures.  I am looking forward to telling you the good, the bad, and "The Dirty Life" (another amazing farm memoir written by Kristin Kimball) we have on the farm.  Welcome again to Serendipity Farm!