We moved to Ky in 1995. My husband really wanted land. This conflicted somewhat my desire for a nice house. Anthony would have liked to have 100 acres. Three or four acres was fine with me. We ended up with about 30 and an older brick house. Just recently the original owner of our property died which has caused me to reflect on our land. Although my husband really wanted the land, I have fallen in love with it. We have several cultivable fields, some woods, a creek and a barn.
At first we just cut hay on the place and sold that. More recently, a farmer has had part of it in cultivation for us. He grows either corn or soybeans. This income, although not much, usually covers the taxes on the place. We had lived here at least 10 years before we came up with a suitable name for the farm. My husband suggested jumping deer farm or windy bottoms. (It is windy here and we do have alot of deer) Finally we thought of Clay Creek Farm. We have a creek at the back of the property and it has seams of clay through it. In fact there are several clay pits close by. That name finally felt right. The place has gently rolling hills and some flat areas. There is a pond by the barn. I love the freedom the land affords us. We can take our three large dogs out walking without a care in the world. Grandma put a trailer behind us when she got older and needed some assistance. Since her death our kids have taken advantage of the trailer. It sits empty now but my husband has some plans for a large workshop at that site someday. We both think about what we might grow here and supplement our income. My husband is interested in pasture land and grazing animals. I think about Christmas trees or pumpkins. We do have 30 chickens and are currently overrun with farm fresh eggs. Our garden seems to do better every year as we learn some arts of cultivation. The land does take some work which luckily my husband enjoys. He has cleared scrub trees and keeps it bushhogged. It's a good kind of work too. There's a satisfication in cutting your own wood and
growing your own food. And taking care of the land throughout the seasons is enjoyable. We love to watch the wildlife and to dream of the possibilities. The land gives you a sense of responsibility to something greater than yourself. It's something that I hope will continue after we are gone.
