October 11, 2009. Artemas, Pa. Country Home.

Our initial intention in 1972 was to purchase our own home in Bethesda, then try to find a home in the country to be used on weekends.  Ken was brought up in a small town, Parry Sound, and spent a lot of time out of doors and in the woods, so he had a large desire to get out of the city at regular intervals.  I was up to anything new and the boys , then four and three years old were willing to do anything that involved action.  We looked in all the jurisdictions available to us in Bethesda; Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and decided that a two hour drive was the maximum drive we could tolerate, so we put a circle on the map for our target area and we started looking.   We settled on Mann township in Bedford county, Pa. as the taxes were low and the population had the smallest population in Pennsylvania.  Our search was not random.

Our goal for the children was to learn and get to know another group of people with different sets of skills, far from the big city atmosphere.  Also we wanted other tasks for the kids too, other than taking out the trash and setting the table and helping Ken with the yard.  Our first farm was primitive, because that was what we could afford, but it did everything it needed us to do.  We were able to hike the land and make fires.  We got to know the local farmers well.  The boys were introduced to weapons, at first to sling shots, then BB guns, followed by twenty two's.  The result was everything we needed and wanted.  The boys both hunt and fish and enjoy both.  They are  competent in the woods.   During the 50TH summer in Nova Scotia, the fire pit down by the water was the center of the action for the younger set, orchestrated by  David, who learned well to make fires at our first farm.

Our goals set when we bought our first farm were accomplished.  Our pattern has been established successfully.  First we decide what we want to do, then we investigate the options, next we explore our opportunities and make the decision.  Finally, we manage the operation.  It has taken both of our skills  to accomplish our task.  It has a system that has worked.  And now we both love our new farm, which is definately not primitive.  But if we had not purchased our first very primitive farm, we would never be here living in our lovely new hill house.  And we are pleased and grateful.