Life at the Farm

Photography by Brigette Bilups

A couple months ago we had a team of guys working underneath our house to fix some structural damage we had discovered. It was actually a pretty intense process because our house was “sinking” at an alarming rate. To the point where they conducted an investigation to make sure we were not sitting on a….sink hole. Which is story for another day in itself. Spoiler alert: no sinkhole. But still a lot of damage that needed to be fixed.

So one of the workers comes up to ask if we had a potted plant somewhere because there was water POURING down in the crawlspace. Well I can assure you there are no potted plants in our house causing that type of leak…but we do have a frig - and that frig was leaking.

Within a couple of hours the floors were ripped up in my kitchen, the island was moved and fans were placed to try to dry out the subfloor. The good news was we would be getting new floors. The bad news was we would need to move out.

We were all set to go with the new floors when the “big bad sickness” hit. Suddenly the thought of people coming in our home didn’t seem like the best idea. So we pushed the construction time back and lived with a kitchen half hardwood half subfloor for several months. Until insurance called and told us to find a place to live so they could get moving on it. Because of the “big bad sickness” we needed to be out for a month. And that’s where the farm comes in.

We were able to spend the entire month of May at the farm. It didn’t take long for it to feel completely like home. Since we had to completely move out of our current house, we brought several of the girls toys and their cribs with us to the farm. While it felt like a lot, I’m glad we did it and I think it really helped the girls settle into a new place quickly.

We were greeted each morning by the sun, there are no trees around the barn so the natural light was stunning all day long. Most days I would forget to turn on the kitchen lights because the windows in the main room are amazing. We would have breakfast at the little nook to the side of the kitchen or out on the porch. The girls and I would walk down to the river in the mornings and then swing on the downstairs porch. Jane Taylor and I spent a lot of time just playing in the barn. I think all that covered space was a dream to her. And we did a lot of watching of the cows. Seeing them shift from one side of the farm to the other. It was so much fun.

The unique thing about the farm is you are still very close to town but you feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere. I loved the sense of rest that came with being there. It was a great place to just reconnect as a family and have a change of scenery.

Jane Taylor still talks about “our farmhouse” and says “we will go back when our house breaks again!” Now I am not hoping for our house to “break” again, but I can say the farm is a place we hope to visit again soon. We drive by and check on the cows every once in a while. And I thank God for the extended time we got to spend there.

So if you are coming to visit Tennessee, or just need a staycation with a change of scenery. I highly recommend The Farm. You know a place is special when you are sad to leave because it feels just like home.