Steve and I have been doing the sort of thinking that went into deciding what’s right for the Goat Boys, for ourselves. In the last few years, much in our lives has changed, but our physical space has not. It’s better to be proactive about these things than to have to make decisions and major life alterations when you’re forced to.
Our sons are grown and gone. We fly out to see them more than they come home. Which is how it should be. We now live in a large house that has spaces that are no longer useful.
I used to spend three seasons of the year gardening.
I shared the garden with people – it was on two garden tours, and I held chicken keeping classes here.
I also welcomed the many creatures that came to thrive in the yard as much as I did.
But my back can’t handle the bending that gardening requires, so I no longer spend my days on my knees in the earth. I developed a severe allergy to wasp stings, so I no longer reach my arms into plants that might harbor stabbing insects. The property is still beautiful, but it doesn’t give me the tangible joy that it used to.
Steve and I have taken our time, researched places to go, and thought about what lifestyle would suit us going into the next decade or two of our lives. Several of our friends are downsizing to Boston, but city life isn’t for us. Instead, we found this.
A small house on a small hill in southern Maine.
It faces a beaver pond. The landscape is stunningly beautiful as is, without me putting in a single plant. Mowing it a couple of times will keep it this gorgeous. (Although, I do need a small electric chainsaw so that I can keep the white pines from growing up in the field. Steve has promised me one for Mother’s Day)
This move will mean the end of the HenCam. HenCam went live September of 2005. I’ll miss it, and all of you who I’ve met through it. However, I won’t miss having to shovel out the cameras, or the complexity and expense of keeping them running! The website and it’s content will remain up. I hope that my FAQs and blogs will continue to help people.
I’m also hoping that the new owners of our house in Carlisle will want a starter flock of hens. If not, I have a friend who will take them. The Beast and her minions will stay. It’s best for them to be in this home pond that has kept them healthy for so long. I’ll be providing complete directions for the new owners and will be only a phone call away!
Phoebe has a wonderful life in her little barn and pen. I could recreate that in Maine, but Phoebe still misses her boy, so if the new owners have children that would dote on her, she might prefer to remain here. We’ll see.
Scooter, of course, stays with me. He’s happy as long as I’m around, and there’s a patch of sun.
I’ve found a boarding barn near the new house. There are endless miles of trails right out the door. I think that Tonka will like life in Maine. I’ll fill you in on his new home after we move.
This house that has been such a good place for us for so long is now for sale. You can see the listing here. It’s been a happy place, and I’m sure it will be for whoever moves in. Meanwhile, I’m excited to see the change of seasons at the little house on the little hill on the beaver pond. It’s not in the heart of moose country, but maybe one will wander by!
Best of luck, my sister has moved to Newcastle Maine and loves it!
Thanks, Elisa. I’ll still come down to your barn in CT – just not as frequently.
This post brought tears to my eyes, but change is inevitable.I have been looking at your hen cam for years and have enjoyed it so much.
I wish you luck and happiness in your move!! I am sure Tonka will love his new barn. I will look forward to your posts about your new life in Maine!
Thanks, Sara. So good to have you as part of my on-line community.
Yay! Welcome to Maine! I am beyond thrilled to have you as a neighbor and a trail buddy! This post is bittersweet, and it certainly brought tears to my eyes. Moving is like finishing a good book. It was wonderful and you’re sad that it’s over, but the new place will be wonderful too. Now to fill in those next chapters in your life! Congratulations!
Our two mellow geldings are so going to love moseying down the trail together!
Wow; big, exciting news! It makes sense, and you sound at peace. (I hope that’s not just an act for the blog 😉 I look forward to following you through all the changes; I love the style and setting of your new house.
I am genuinely excited for this move. I’ll post more about the setting of that new house – there’s a 4,000 acre nature preserve behind it, home to a long-lived, endangered turtle species.
Your home in MA is beautiful but Maine is so wonderful. I look forward to you sharing your next journey with us.
I happy you’re still part of the journey1
Even though I am very excited for you, I found this news brought a lump to my stomach. It`s funny how despite only knowing a person through social media, it does not lesson how entwined you become in their lives.
You first became such a positive mentor to me with the `henblog`, when I was brand new at chicken keeping. I went on to spend so many mornings catching up with all the latest news at little farm and often felt compelled to add my own comments and stories. I learned so much through your writings and also enjoyed hearing the stories from other readers of your blog.
Your house and property also felt like old friends, some how. Familiar through all the years of photos…just like all the animals that have called it home. What a special place, in deed. Thank-you for sharing it this way with so many of us.
Good luck with your house sale. I am thinking there are some very lucky people who will close on this little piece of paradise. Your new home is also lovely and full of promise to be equally fulfilling in your new life. Imagine….a Beaver pond! Change is good. Looking forward to hearing more about your adventures in Maine. 🙂
Thank you for your thoughts. That beaver pond should be fascinating as it wakes up this spring. Stay tuned!
So happy for you. When I first came to the HenCam I will admit it was because I fell in love with the goats and the dogs. I spent many happy hours watching all the happenings. Can never thank you enough for the pleasure you brought to my life. I wish you all the best in your new happy place. Cannot wait to hear the news from Maine…..the new chapters of you and Steve’s adventures❣️
I drank my morning juice out of the sweet little glass that you sent me years ago 🙂
Wonderful news for you! When is the move happening? What are people called that live in Maine? Mainers? Mainerds? Mainerites? I don’t know! Lol
Called “Mainers.” We’ll move after this house in Carlisle sells. A couple of months? It’s all in flux!
You make beautiful spaces and help people wherever you go, Terry, and you will undoubtedly continue to do these things in your new space. Best wishes as you and your husband move to Maine (it’s nice here! Welcome!). Thank you for helping me.
The new space has beauty all around it, and big windows to let it in. The house needs some reconfiguring to make it more functional (and I’m super fussy about my kitchen) but it’s got all the right ingredients to make a lovely home. Thank you for your warm welcome to Maine!
Oh my goodness, so much is changing. I think you are doing this at the right time for you and while you have less animals to move. I am sure you will make your new home just as happy as this one has been and it will be a new and exciting chapter in your life. It will free up your time to do the things that you most want to do. I look forward to following all the changes and seeing you settle in to your new surroundings. I too have gained so much experience from you in keeping chickens and have followed you for so long and enjoyed all that you do so thank you and I know there will be many more adventures to come.
There will be more adventures. Stay tuned 🙂
The HenCam blog has given me so much in-depth information, including many very excellent illustrative photos, and the cams provided me the rare opportunity to observe the ladies’ behavior every moment of the day, which I have found fascinating, amusing, at times alarming (Misty with all her chasing and pecking!), and always educational. I appreciated Steve’s shoveling the snow and keeping the cams going—both not easy work.
Thank you for generously sharing your experiences and knowledge and for documenting both with such care and detail. I found you only in October 2018, but your blog filled me in on all the years I missed. I hope to study animal behavior more formally at some point, and I feel like you taught a 13.5-year long course with HenCam. Thank you, also, for always answering my questions so quickly.
I wish you continued happiness at your new place in Maine. But, you aren’t really planning to leave the ladies behind, are you?
The Ladies are healthy and comfortable in their home, and in good weather, can free-range. The property in Maine abuts 4,000 acres of wildlands, filled with predators. It would be a challenge to keep them safe, and anything that I build new for them wouldn’t be as spacious as the barn that they have now. The option of staying with me might not be the best for them. But I still have time to decide!
I do hope that you study animal behavior – you’ve already proved yourself to be an insightful and astute observer!
Will really miss watching my daily fix of the web cams, but wish you all the best with your move. It will be a new and rewarding chapter in your lives, the setting of the property sounds wonderful, and I can see you and Tonka having some great rides through the nature reserve. Having followed you for many years I cannot say thankyou enough for all the help I gained from your Hen blogs. Will you still be writing the cooperative horse blog so we can follow Tonka and yourselves? if you aren’t carrying it on I can fully understand as it must take up a lot of your time. Once again best wishes to Steve and yourself on your wonderful new journey 🙂
YES! I will continue to blog here at the Cooperative Horse. Keep posting your comments, Jan!
This is such exciting news and a new book opening for you. Main thing is the animals will be in good hands and you still will get news from them. Southern Maine is very beautiful. I go to Maine at least once a year, sometimes 2 to get my Coastal fix and Ocean energy. Hope you will be living close enough to go ride on the beach with Tonka, he should love that.
I enjoyed your sharing so much these last years, so glad you will continue to post and it will be a pleasure to discover your new life. Little Scooter is so adorable, lets hope he adjusts easily to the new environment. Lots of Nature around is always great and give quality of life.
Enjoy your new projects and life in Maine, you can always go and visit the Moose LOL ! I do regularly in May-June and their wonderful world.
Enjoy this new journey. Looking forward to discovering more through your lens.
Best wishes !
Well Terry, a new chapter eh? I had a feeling something was going on! Is that why Tonka was tossing his grooming tools around? (I had quite a chuckle about that!) Your house in Maine looks delightful, and while all your faithful web-followers will miss your tales of life at Little Pond Farm, and your neighbors will surely miss your pie parties, we all know you and Steve will be creating more happy memories on Beaver Hill. Thanks for inviting us to share in your adventures for the last thirteen plus years – It has been a great joy!
I have a feeling there will be some dramatic stories to tell from Maine. Crows and vultures already pointed me to a deer carcass!
Hi Terry and Steve,
Very interesting adventure – well done.
We think of you often – we still have two of our flock..Golda and Lola – almost seven years old! They are still laying – we are amazed!
I’m sending a link to The Co-operative Horse to our 13 year old granddaughter in Squamish BC. She is passionate about horses and has her first ‘real job’ as a stable hand out where they live…a few hours a week and more in the summer when school is out. She will love your website. Also…we are anticipating a new grandbaby out there – a boy (we have four grandgirls). This is a second marriage – so a new family is beginning..fun for everybody.
We’ll never forget our visit to you and still appreciate how much you have helped us become good hen farmers.
X0 Miriam and Gary Hedderson
It was great having you come down here for that class! Kudos to you for having vibrant old hens.
Oh Terry I’m very sad to lose you in my neck of the woods, however totally understand this move. Your new boarding barn for Tonka is perfect.. love the in and out access and the fact you have miles of trails and closer to your home. I will keep checking in for updates on the both of you. Thank you