Welcome to the circus ::cough:: we mean...
Welcome to our love story. Join us as we navigate the world of farmsteading in rural Virginia. Armed with little more than stubborness, adhd and google- we’re excited to share our adventures, challenges, and the lessons we learn along the way*.
Stay tuned for updates on our progress and all the ridiculous moments that come with this new chapter in our lives!
*But seriously, we have each other and a dog, so what could really go wrong?
Our Story
Let us start by explaining the name of our love story and our farm - This Must Be The Place.
It may sound familiar to some of you born before 1990. Perhaps you've heard of a little band called The Talking Heads?
In 1983 they released what Andrew & I consider our perfect love song, This Must Be The Place.
When you listen to the song it's a little "off", a little weird, but it's fun and catchy with a dash of sweetness. Listening to David Byrne talk about it's meaning and his thoughts on This Must Be The Place, he discusses a non-traditional melody that most musicians would refuse to play. He wanted to create something inspired by love that was naive, honest and raw but wasn't corny or lame.
Let me continue by emphasizing the difficulty of naming your farmstead. It's pretty serious business. Ever have to name a child, well I'd imagine it's a lot like that.
That said, Andrew is a clever genius and kept pushing for what may be the most unconventional farm name ever, and so here we are. Sharing our love story. Our love for each other, our love for nature and our love for life.
When we met, we bonded over our appreciation of nature and wilderness and animals and all the stuff. We weren't young, but in retrospect we were certainly naive. We had been around long enough to know when a good thing came our way, and we fell in love with each other for who we were, who we had been and who we wanted to be. We spent our early years fostering dogs and figuring out what we wanted "being a couple" to look like. Eventually we got married in a cave and our honeymoon was spent tent camping in tornadoes. Since then we've recognized each other's thirst and need to be out of an urban environment. Andrew is called to trees and solitude. Pam, to animals and dirt. We are truly biophiliacs.
But how do we create an oasis surrounded by nature and animals, something that allows us to soften our shells and play in the dirt? How can you create a gentle life through loving each other and caring for nature in today's economy while failing to be independently wealthy? Well, apparently you strap on your ADHD hyper-focusing boots and get to driving all over the east coast until you settle on a patch of paradise located 7 hours from everyone and everything you know.
So there we have it. You're all caught up! I mean honestly, we have each other and a dog... so again, how can this possibly fail?