From Tumbleweeds to Shade Trees!

About a year ago, my husband retired and we moved from the West and the home we’d lived in for over 25 years to a 100 acre farm in the South.  I don’t think there could possibly be countryside that holds so vast a change as that!  These last 11 months have brought about so many changes in my life and so many adjustments but every day I am so very thankful for our new life here.  There are things about the South that I love;  like walking barefoot in the grass (instead of sand being so hot you can’t put your bare foot in it) and having a garden and not watering one time all summer (instead of watering day and night for months and getting a few tomatoes and a few squash), driving a few miles to pick fresh strawberries, blueberries, peaches, and apples (instead of not having that option at all).   Where we lived in the West was very beautiful and there are people that would choose to live there in a heart beat.  But for me, I’ve decided that I belong here in the South and a southern country girl is what I am!  I hope you’ll enjoy my photo tour showing the change in our lives this last year.

Two thousand miles between the road out of our property in the West

into the one leading up the hill to our farm in the South!

From tumbleweeds to shade trees.... what a shock!

This old jeep was our son's from when he was a teenager and it actually made the move with us. 
Not sure if it looks better in the sand or the grass!

The change....  from our animal's point of view!

My husband built this swing out of an old leaf spring from a car and attached it to another turning car part with a swing on each end - our kids could really get that thing spinning! 

We weren't able to move it with us and that was sad - but what is more fun than a huge swing that goes way out over the hillside?

We absolutely loved the world famous lake that was just minutes from our house.  We raised our kids boating and swimming on that lake.  But now we have a different sort of lake not too many miles away and we moved our same old boat, so now we'll enjoy watching our grand kids grow up swimming and boating on a different lake.  After all, water is water right?!

The desert has some very pretty flowers and it is amazing to see them growing right out of the sand with little to no water and very poor soil.   But one thing you will rarely ever see is a green background behind the flowers!

Every single year I would try to grow a garden in the desert and every single year I would cry with frustration when there was very little fruit for my efforts. Here in the South?  I had a garden with very little effort and NO water (other than the rain) and I had vegetables in abundance.  You cannot imagine the excitement to pick bushels of cucumbers every couple days! 

These were all views from just minutes from our house in the West.  It is some of the most beautiful  country that you will ever see.  People come from all over the world to see it.
But when you desire to get back to the basics of a simple life and live on a farm, this is a very harsh, almost impossible, environment in which to do that. 

This is now the view that I see out my window every morning.  I recognize that there are many
beautiful places in the world in which to call home.  But for me - I'm thankful that this lush, green countryside is my home now and I wouldn't trade it for anywhere else!