Still pinching ourselves

The roof is done. Brand new, new trusses, new hayloft, new shingles. It looks great and we saved it probably just in time. I don't think it would have been standing after another Michigan winter. We also have new gutters on the house and the flashing repaired on the chimney's and new beadboard trim put under our front porch overhang. We are thrilled to have the hard work done before winter. At least the exterior hard work! The interior still has a long way to go. Still need a bathroom, and a kitchen and a lot of windows. But we are making progress. Thank goodness we found "bushhog Mike", he is the guy who I found on Craigslist to cut our pasture. Then he introduced us to his brother-in-law, who ended up re-roofing our barn. Gotta love small town connections! Everyone knows everyone, and apparently they all like to help out their neighbors. And so far, everyone we have met has been someone who we hope to know for many, many years.
We also are getting lots of eggs now. Even blue ones from our Auracana, Frida. We plan to move the chickens into the barn for winter so that they have more room to roost, and more warmth.
Now I have to work on finding more furniture. We need a dining room table, a couple of chairs for the living room, and some other odds and ends. Back to searching Craigslist and various resale and vintage shops.
So, our little farm is coming along. It's a slow and steady process but we love being there. Every time we arrive, a sense of calm and gratitude washes over me. It is a place of serenity and joy. I look around at what we worked so hard for and it just makes me smile. We still pinch ourselves when we are there, still in a bit of disbelief that we actually made it happen. Dreams are obtainable, you just can't ever give up.