Forethoughts ~ Buying A Farm
We thought we knew what we wanted,
put earnest money down the day we first saw
the farm (fools rush in).
We wanted to be on water, and this has three-fifths
of a mile of river frontage. Did not know we'd be here
for five of the six highest floods on record.
We wanted to be secluded. Over a mile back
from a one-lane county road. Road work and
tons of rock that would cost a small fortune.
No access to potable water. Three wells dug but
no good water (sulphur and salt, the culprits)
but a cistern off the barn still works.
No electric. A right-of-way lawsuit
with our neighbors. Lawyers on all sides lying to us.
Turns out they had no clear title to their place.
After forty years we wake to our view
of the river bottom and the surrounding hill,
often socked in with river fog. Can't imagine
seeing anything else every morning.
_________________________
Jonathan Greene
Going Through It
Broadstone Books, 2023
