After the death of Frits’ stepfather, his mother was anxious to sell the farm and move closer to us. By this time all the animals had gone except her small herd of miniature Sicilian donkeys. Several years earlier Grethe had purchased her first donkey from somewhere in the Midwest. Elsie was delivered riding on the back seat of a Volkswagen Bug. Standing less than 36 inches at the shoulder this was not as preposterous as you might think. Those long ears however drew some open-mouthed gasps from other travelers on the highway, I’m sure.
The Randolph farm sold quickly to an acquaintance wanting an organic dairy producing facility so by mid summer we knew a larger place had to come sooner rather than later. Our second child was due on a October 2nd so juggling a couple of horses, a herd of donkeys, some chickens, a couple of sheep, a mother, a toddler and a very pregnant wife was plenty for one man. But now we would have to move.
Just up the road the perfect place was waiting. The Bedell Farm hadn’t seen animals in a while and the little red farmhouse, 2 barns and 34 acres were looking for a new owner. The house was mid renovation and would be perfect for Grethe once complete. The animals would have plenty of room and we could build our second home at a later date. Grethe was willing to commit the money from the sale of her farm to cover part of the purchase price, around $60,000, so the deal was done.
Frits went to work completing the renovation in short order so his mother and donkeys could make the move. Phew, we could take a breath, finish the house and prepare for a new baby. Or so we thought.
Hearing about the purchase of our new property raised interest from a local couple who were house hunting. Well before we were ready to sell, we had an offer. As they say in the real estate market, ‘the first offer if often the best’. This would appreciate our initial investment of $5,000 to $58,000, albeit with massive amounts of sweat equity. We accepted the offer! Closing would be the middle of September just two weeks before my due date.
First we had to find a rental, then move and still complete some unfinished projects, namely a full bathroom. The first rental we thought we had secured, a house in town that was for sale, went under contract within days. Then I jumped out of the back of the pickup while holding Devon. The combined weight of a two year old and an 8 month pregnant belly was too much for my ankle. It crumpled tearing ligaments and requiring a cast. Then 4 weeks before my due date I started having contractions! Rushed to the hospital labor room the contractions were stopped medically but not before I had witnessed a woman brought in by wheelchair about to give birth before even making it to a bed. With no doctor on hand and the nurse not quite understanding the urgency of the situation, this poor woman delivered in a wheelchair with me in a cast on the other side of the curtain. I was able to go home with instructions to do nothing if I wanted this baby to go full term.
With so much at stake you would think we would be panicked. I don’t remember feeling particularly anxious although that seems unlikely now. Both Frits and I had positive attitudes and although we had no money to hire help we had very good and generous friends. Within the next couple of weeks it all came together. The rental we found had three bedrooms, was close to town and had a barn with stalls for our horses. Directing the packing and unpacking from a chair while my friends rushed about with boxes was not the way I like to do things but it had to be. Sarah was born one day early, the night after my mother arrived to help. Since she had been trying to push herself out for several weeks the actual labor and delivery was very quick making it to the hospital with just a half hour to spare. At least I made it to a bed and didn’t suffer the indignity of a wheelchair birth!
The winter of ‘76/‘77 was perhaps the most difficult for our family. There will be time later to recount these adventures so stayed tuned!
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