Olsen Farm

Tag: land

Yes. This IS a blog about a toilet. And so much more. 

For nearly six years we have been living with a toilet that needed a pot of water poured into the bowl to get it to flush. Things that humans put in toilets are not things we wish to spend lingering time with, patiently waiting for the extra pot of water to do its job. Nobody’s got time for that shit. Literally. Not the greatest- a disgusting frustration- and an uncomfortable obstacle to have to explain to house guests. Not to mention the appalling amount of water wasted with each pot-full.

This toilet became a metaphor for every obstacle working against us in creating the sustainable, low stress life we aim to live. It needed to go. 

IMG_0798This old aluminum pot lived beside the toilet for almost a decade and needed to be filled in the sink and poured in the bowl with just the right timing for the toilet to flush 

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A hand-made sign lived above the toilet with directions for house guests on how to use the toilet water pot system for flushing.

Trying to solve this problem- we bought a new toilet as a Christmas gift for Chris’ Dad in 2016. But he became sick quickly that winter and we did not have time to install it while caring for him in his last months. The brand new toilet sat in a box, taunting us, for nearly three years.

Chris’ Dad built this house in the early 1980’s. Chris grew up here- his heights measured on the kitchen door jam. It is more than just a house to us- it is a home. Despite all the cracks, messes and broken bits, it is our home. After purchasing the family land in 2019 and coming to an agreement about purchase of the house we are FINALLY allowed to start making needed repairs. The toilet was first on our list!

This weekend we finally decided to tackle our toilet problem. No more disgusting, broken latrine. No more wasted water. No more water pot for Olsen Farm!! What we thought would be an easy project turned out to be much more involved after finding the subfloor rotted, and the sewer pipe needing repair as well. After six hours and lots of help from our friends (THANK YOU Jere and Paul!) our brand new toilet is fully installed and functioning- no pot necessary.

IMG_2301Our brand new low-flush toilet, completely installed! Dreams do come true!! 

The house needs many costly repairs, this toilet is only a small piece of what we will need to fix in the coming months and years. The toilet water pot has been retired, and the old toilet is in the yard with a R.I.P sign. Replacing a toilet may seem like a small victory, but it is one that signifies obstacles we have overcome and we will be celebrating! 

There are two farm dumps on our 28 acres, one far back in the woods from the very early years settlers lived here and one more recent, closer to the house we currently live in. It was common practice for farms and homesteads to have a ‘dump’ on the property (and in many places, still is common practice) where all the no-longer-useful things would be put out of sight. The lasting impact on the land from being ridden with chemicals, glass and rusty metal was not something on anyones mind.

Since purchasing the family land in October 2019, we have begun the long process of digging out broken glass, rusty metal, dishes, old tires and unidentifiable trash from our farm dumps to reclaim the forest and re-build healthy ecosystems.

Today we removed four chicken feed bags (they make great sturdy bags for sharp trash!) full of old tire parts, broken dishes, metal, barbed wire and broken bottles- and our work has only just begun.

Sometimes- amongst the shards and rusted bits- we do find treasures. A little window into what life was like at Olsen Farm before we lived here. Anything that can be salvaged or repurposed is saved to be displayed on the farm.

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One of three shovel heads found in the farm dump, this one will be sanded and painted for a yard display. 

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An assortment of barrel rings, ready to be hung on the chicken coop wall! 

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The treasure of the day- an old horseshoe- giving us a little luck and inspiration to keep on digging. 

It is our responsibility to do better for the land than the generations before us, not because they were ‘bad’ and we are ‘good’- but because it is what the earth needs.

We will be doing many more farm dump digs this year- if you would like to volunteer your time and join us please be in touch! 

‘We bought the farm’ is an old-timey way to indirectly say someone has died- often referring to death in a battle, or plane crash. While we did have our share of battles with debt collectors and nay-sayers (no plane crashes though), for us it holds a more literal meaning- after over two years of fundraising and negotiations with family we have finally purchased 28 acres of the family farm lands!

These 28 acres include Sachum Brook, running along the West side of the property. Forest trails through mixed hardwood forest, a vernal pool in Spring and magical hemlock groove, blueberry and apple orchards, our gardens, apiary and chicken coops as well as the original farm house (now condemned) built in the 1790’s.

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Forest path that leads across Sachum Brook to the vernal pool and hemlock groove

 

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Big bend in Sachum Brook, a favorite spot year round

 

The idea of owning land feels strange and disconnected- what does it even mean to ‘own’ land? It has always been our goal to prevent this acreage from being developed, to protect and re-build our four generation family farm and preserve habitats for wildlife, birds and native plants. Our owning the land on paper will allow us to do all this- and more, but we think of ourselves more as stewards than owners.

This land is home to the animals we raise- chickens, honeybees, an Australian Shepherd and three crazy cats. It is also home to incredible wildlife, birds, insects, amphibians and mammals. The old farm house has been a home to little brown bats for years, we have great blue herons fly over the yard regularly. Barred and great horned owls visit and call- bluebirds return to nest each year. This year we had dozens of monarch caterpillars and butterflies- and found a praying mantis in the garden.

We have seen bobcats, a fisher, coyotes, black bear, fox and a mountain lion (yes, it was a real mountain lion!) in the yard. The hemlock grove is home to some very large porcupines, and the vernal pool has had spotted salamander eggs two years in a row. Deer love to come snack on fallen apples, raccoons and skunks are regulars too.

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Bluebird houses on the meadow edge- we have had nesting pairs for the past three years

 

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Our apiary- all 19 colonies- nestled between old apple trees and our vegetable gardens

 

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Our three chicken coops, with a mix of bantams and standard birds stand on the other side of the old apple tree

 

While the work of a farmer is never done- this land purchase is a huge step in the future of Olsen Farm. THANK YOU to everyone who has supported us along the way- we truly could not have come this far without each of you.

If you are local to the Berkshires- please join us Saturday, November 9th from 4-6 PM at Dottie’s Coffee Lounge 444 North street in Pittsfield to celebrate!