News from the homestead: Living a great life in a great space
In late 2024, while doing my pre-purchase tours of what would become Wittbrich Acres, I was filled with the idea of endless opportunities this space might afford. I didn’t see the house as “being too big for just two people”; I didn’t estimate the number of hours it would take to clean it or deal with stinkbugs—I’d never even heard of them (must be a county pest!); I didn’t consider that we would move from a property where we didn’t even own a lawn mower to one requiring hours on a zero-turn and countless more waging battle with endless weeds.
Perhaps it was naïveté, but on that day all I could imagine was opportunity. I could picture my large, blended family celebrating together. I could practically hear the sounds of my grandchildren running and romping around the grounds, clamoring for Grammy to take them to see the chickens. The mini-hill in the back (actually, it’s our septic system) was the perfect size for my young ones to sled down independent of any pesky adult intervention, and the slightly bigger one in the front yard where the older ones could launch their sleds and set to outdoing each other in speed and distance. I could hear myself telling people about how happy we were to receive such a blessing at this stage of our lives. I pictured the wonderful outdoor gatherings we could host in our spacious yard. I knew right where I would place my Christmas tree. I could see myself canning apples and pears and berries that grew right outside my door. I imagined the smell of fresh baked bread. Of course, it didn’t bother me at all that at the time I didn’t know how to can apples or pears or berries, and baking bread was something I left to O&H.
I was a real estate agent’s dream come true in that I immediately placed myself as a resident in the property that was love at first sight. Of course, it also positioned me to overlook a few things I should have paid more attention to, but those are stories for another column. This one is about filling a space that admittedly is too big for two people, with everything and more than I imagined on that lifestyle-altering day.
As we approach our second anniversary of our purchase of Wittbrich Acres, I can honestly say that we have found a way to use every bit of our property in living our great life here.
My dreams of family events have been permanently etched in our tally book of experience dividends. My Christmas tree graces the very spot I knew it must. My walls echo with the sounds of our large blended family and of my grands exploring and creating memories from Grammy and Papa’s house that I hope will stay with them forever as I know they will with me.
A Place to Gather
Wittbrich Acres also affords us the space to host events we might not otherwise have been able to do. Recently, we held a special wine-tasting fun-raising event to help support SecureFutures. The seven-course evening started with appetizers on the deck overlooking what I now call our “chicken condo complex” and our upper and lower garden spaces. The group then moved indoors to be seated and served wine and food pairings from around the world. The event was facilitated by Scott Haraty, who donated his time and expertise to making the event a smashing success, culminating in a sizable donation to a worthwhile cause.
Twice a year, Mike invites his pilot friends and their families to join us at the Acres to celebrate all things flying. And we love simple entertaining as well; an intimate dinner with a couple or two who don’t mind listening to me prattle on about all the wonderful things I’ve learned – like how to preserve apples, pears and berries and how to make some pretty spectacular sourdough bread (if I must say so myself), and things I’d never heard of before moving here, made mostly from what I once called weeds and set to with the force of a ships captain felling a would-be pirate. Now those “weeds” fill my shelves as fodder for medicinal tinctures, salves, oxymels, and more.
Of course, no visit to Wittbrich Acres is complete without a visit to the chicken area and, for the more fearless, to the apiary to witness my honey bees going about their graceful, amazing work.
More Work, Even More Joy
It’s true that at Wittbrich Acres there’s a lot more cleaning and a lot more chores than I refused to allow myself to see at the onset. But there’s also more joy, laughter, peace, harmony and gratitude as we continue to live our great life in a space that seems (at least for us) custom-made for it!
We love to welcome clients to see the property. If you have grands or other young ones who might be interested in learning about chickens or bees, let me know at tami@toyourwealth.com and we’ll arrange a visit!
