I
was born and raised on a farm in northern Illinois. I moved to a small
town when I was 27, then on to Chicago, where I lived for nearly ten
years. In 1993, I moved to northern Indiana, which abounds in
lovely farmland at prices that seemed very reasonable to me, at
least compared to the price of "black gold" farmland in
Illinois. So I bought an 82 acre farm between Indianapolis and Chicago.
My 91-year-old mother, Charlette Siemers, who still lives on her
farm, was appalled when I told her
I had bought a farm. "What are you thinking? You will get wrinkled
like a prune sitting on a tractor seat! It is hard work! Why don't
you just enjoy your retirement? Travel!"
"Mom," I said, "you still tend tub gardens from a lawn chair. I guess the acorn don't fall far from the
tree!" She didn't have any smart answers for that.
There was no house on this piece of land, so I constructed my dream
house - a passive solar house situated on the back of the property.
It has a large atrium on the south side, bermed into a small hill.
This is the solar collector, supplemented by a couple of wood-burning
stoves. The north side of the house has a couple of decks that look
out over the wetlands and Crone Creek, which runs across my land.
I got interested in biodynamic organic farming a few years ago.
The tillable acreage is being prepared for certification. It is
currently lying fallow, but I am using the biodynamic
preps because it provides the best quality and tastiest organic
fruit and vegetables that you will ever eat!
If I had $10 for every time someone has said something negative
about my choice to move out here, I wouldn't have a mortgage. "Are
you crazy?" "It's so far away from town." "What
about clearing snow out of your drive?" "It's going to
be lonesome." "It's a lot of work." "You're
definitely crazy."
And then I stand on the land and listen to the birds and the tree
frogs, I watch the creek running crazily and brightly along its
crooked path, I walk down the dusty lane to the pond, dogs trotting
beside me, and I know that I am home.