Making the Land Work With Us
I am a firm believer that even though we "own" our land, we don't own it. I know I've talked about this before. We are here for but a short time, and the best we can do is be stewards of the land. It is a gift and privilege granted to us, one that I am grateful for everyday and do my best not to take for granted. As a long time member of a 12 step group, one of the most crucial messages I've taken to heart is "to keep the gifts we receive, we must give them away." I am always happiest, even-keeled, and most serene when I am in service to, or sharing of myself with others. Selling a part of our land never felt right, and now I understand that there was something bigger planned for our homesteading path.
Changing Directions
We've been pretty cozy up here on our top 19 acres. Oddly, disjointed below, our other 5ish acres have sat pretty untouched, minus a couple of downed trees, for the last year. Even before we have become new stewards of the land, I believe the land has been fallow since the 40's or 50's. Originally I intended to farm/garden down there, but realistically it's pretty far from the rest of our homestead.
To help contribute to our overall long-term plan of becoming debt free and then building up savings and various investments to retire on the early side, we brainstormed ways to use our land to help reach that goal, while also building our community. We tried to sell off a couple acres for awhile but nothing seemed to fit mutually for anyone involved. Then came Patty.
We've known our neighbor Patty since before we hit the Paw Paw scene. When browsing through the Marshall Junk Shop before she sold it, she listened as we described our dreams for a rustic kitchen table, and she procured it for us. Then a desk for David's work. Then we learned we would be neighbors as the crow flies, like it does in Madison County. Peripherally we knew Patty's situation was eventually going to need to change as she was renting and the land her house sits on has been for sale for some time. I don't even remember how we all came around to it now, but the details have all seemed to organically come about. Patty wants to stay on the Paw Paw loop near her close friends and well-known neighbors. She's always dreamed of building her own house, like us. We want more great neighbors - someone we know will respect the land and our other neighbors.
A Different Way of "Community"
In first consulting our accountant for possible tax implications, she stated "boy, you all sure do things differently up there in Marshall." I don't think she could've said it any better. Being a close community, families, neighbors, and friends have to take care of each other. Life is tougher in these mountains. The locals who's families have lived here for generations know this deeply. But it's something folks who move here must learn on their own.
There's a kind of double implication living in Rural Appalachia. Not only do small town code of ethics apply here, but the geography of a rural mountain county means that most folks live way off the beaten path. It's out of necessity that we learn to rely on our neighbors. There is no room for treating people bad in this small community when our survival depends on community problem solving and accountability to each other. I feel so grateful for our amazing neighbors here on the Paw Paw loop. We wrestle with a sentiment often, as they have proven themselves to give and give and give with never asking for anything in return. I often remind us about the laws of giving in that the more you give away, the more comes back to you. I know from my experience of giving that I feel so full knowing I've helped. But I also know that in the big picture of life, that we never know when we'll get a chance to give back.
I chuckled when David told me what our accountant said. It was equally fitting, and something to aspire to. I want to do things differently; change the course of how our community comes together. That's a big part of why I want to share here what we are curating, so that others can learn from our journey and perhaps recreate it, or use it as inspiration for some other form of community connection.
Carving a New Path
After circling round ourselves, and then with a lawyer several times about how to make it work mutually for all parties, we settled to redraw the deed as joint tenants so we all have an equal stake in the property. If we should pass on to the next life before Patty then the land would remain hers until she passes and the other way around if Patty passes, the land would come back to us. Patty gets land at no cost and makes all improvements and builds her home. She gets to stay in her beloved community. We gain an awesome neighbor (that our neighbors know and love) and steward of the land, 2 cute dogs, Flopp and George (who love the creek!), and a potential future investment.
Patty's been working hard on the stages of house planning these last couple of odd winter months, and work got started last weekend! It's so exciting to see something happening with the land across the street. Our good neighbor Pete has been doing the tree work, and a friend from Revere will be helping out with the footers. I thought our beginning process was fast, but man Patty is rolling!
A basic road bed already exists coming in from the main road frontage, so after tree clearing and grading, number 3's were laid the other day all the way down to the bottom where Patty has staked out her house site. I'll continue updating progress on our new neighbor and her project. But for now, welcome to our family Patty!!