This idea of owning land and producing “something” is not new for us. As a young couple we left the suburbs of Southern California and moved to the foothills of Tahoe, purchased 10 acres, and started to figure out this whole farming thing.

Oh, but wait…I guess that’s not really our first taste of farm life. Shortly after we were married, we lived in an apartment in Orange, California down the street from the mall. Not a corn stalk to be seen for miles..yet we had chickens.

Frick and Frack

Yep…chickens. They were named Frick and Frack and they actually lived in the bathtub of our second bathroom until they got big and stinky. At that point we did bring them to the country to run and peck and simply do what chickens do! (sidenote – funny, we didn’t have too many houseguests at that time)

I was hooked. Since that time I’ve had a fascination with chickens and farm life. Although because my mom came from a large farming family I guess it was already running through my veins. My husband too. Even in the city of Los Angeles, his Italian grandpa grew dates and vegetables in the backyard of their home overlooking the freeway.

Wine, food, family, and the land…even city life can’t fully wash you off it’s allure once you’ve tasted it.

Adventures in Cool

Our first land purchase was in Cool, California. 10 acres of land that had a 1200 square foot shed on it that we converted into a home. We were in hog heaven…literally!

The kids were little and we really loved it. The property had 3 bass ponds, a little water wheel, mountain lions, star thistle, and great neighbors! We of course got more chickens…the designer kind that popped out little blue eggs as well as the regular sort. But this time my husband built me a beautiful chicken and turkey coop that was connected to a large garden area. With little “building” experience he got the plans, a few tools, and just figured it out.

There’s something magical about working with your hands and making your own stuff. From there we went on to build a couple of sheds, a dog run, and various other little projects on the property.

And, I went about figuring out the best way to plant the garden and keep it watered and bug-free without the use of chemicals.

Lots of happy days on that property, which I’ll tell you more about as we go on. But for now I guess it’s just important to know that seeds of that kind of life – out in the country and growing something – were planted a long time ago. The roots were always there, and I believe they are strong…we just had to go through life and become seasoned so that we would be ready when the time was right.

And now, I think the time is right to move into our next phase of life. And this phase includes a vineyard and winery. I’m so excited!