For some time now I've considered chronicling the adventures of my little farm. There have been far too many "you just cannot make this stuff up" stories over the past few years and there are more to come, I'm sure. So here we are at the beginning which is really the middle or maybe just the middle of the beginning.
To begin, there is the matter of the name. My farm had to have a name. In the early days, when "my farm" was just a dream, I struck upon the name Cooinda. It's an Australian aborignal word that means, "happy place". Perfect! Because my farm was going to be the ultimate happy place. Ever heard the expression, "man plans, God laughs"? Yeah, I'm the poster child.
I stumbled upon the property that was to become my little farm in a series of little accidents. To be honest, I bought the place mostly on a whim and an impulse. Oh, I did all the proper things. I worked with a reputable real estate agent and had all the pre-purchase inspections and negotiations. But to be brutally honest, I entered into this like I do most major decisions - I just closed my eyes and jumped.
It did not take long for me to realize that this was not my "happy place." It was Alice through the Looking Glass and my version of Wonderland was strange and overwhelming. One afternoon, while examining the handiwork of the previous owners and trying to jerry-rig yet another hole in the dilapidated field fence, it just came out. WTF?! And while it officially stood for "White Trash Farm" we all knew what it really meant.
WTF is a place where you find termites in the workshop. And it has an above ground pool that hasn't been tended in years. It has a (stolen?) boat dumped in the woods and a car buried in the back pasture. It has a burn bin containing aerosol cans and everywhere you look there are zip ties and mason jars. The first year was hard but little by little it got better.
One night, after a particularly good day, it came to me. Serendipity Farm.
Merriam-Webster defines serendipity as "luck that takes the form of finding valuable or pleasant things that are not looked for". Dictionary.com states that it is "1. an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident; 2. good fortune; luck."
When I tried to explain it to a friend, she said, "Oh, Happy Accident Farm." Yes!
Even with all the challenges this place has brought, it's the best thing I've ever done. It has truly been serendipity.
