Selling, Selling, Selling

Sorting everything to sell...what a mess!

Things are a complete wreck as we sort, pack, and sell our belongings. In preparation for moving to South America we are selling our homestead and most of our earthly possessions. Lord willing, the closing will be July 30, and we still have a lot to get rid of. The buyer wants mostly just the land, so is giving us time to sell everything else before closing. At first we weren’t really thrilled about completely dismantling our homestead. In fact, when the neighboring lemur conservatory gave us an offer for just the land, our first reaction was, “No way!!” After working hard for three and a half years to build our homestead, it was unthinkable.

The Lord gradually changed our minds as we realized their offer was a very good one, paying us well for our three and a half years of work. We recognized the Lord’s provision, selling our unique property at a good price without realtor or advertising. That is exciting.

Taking things apart is not fun, but it does allow us to keep things we otherwise would have left behind. We hope to use the same solar power system in South America, which is an advantage as we are not alternative energy experts and using the familiar is less stressful. We also hope to dismantle and keep our windmill for pumping water.

We have lots and lots of things for sale, with folks coming every day in answer to Craigslist ads. All the sheds, chicken coops and small barn must go, and our tiny house is going back to Silver Oak’s cousin who sold it to us. The big hoop house we were using as a greenhouse or bio shelter needs a new owner. We’re selling fencing, lumber, masonry items, border rocks, vintage landscaping ornaments, plumbing, tools, farm equipment, and furniture. Our clothesline, the 4,000 gallon water tank, milking stanchions, lawn furniture, and rabbit hutches are all for sale, and though we’ve sold lots of things, there is much left.

The chicken coop and barn, looking sad and lonely with no chickens or goats left. It feels strange to have no farm animals for the first time in 20 years.

Cleaning things out of the bio shelter for the sale.

An empty rabbit hutch waiting to be sold.

We are saddest about selling our edible plants. The citrus trees, olive trees, star fruit, Florida apple and peach trees, banana trees, fig trees, Barbados cherry tree, a good sized neem tree, and the mango tree are sold or are waiting to be transplanted on another happy homestead. All of the edible shrubs such as cranberry hibiscus, katuk, chaya, moringa, Okinawa spinach, Malabar spinach, and garlic chives, which have been providing delicious nutrient-dense dinner salads for us every evening, are available for purchase. Our sugarcane, lemon grass and citronella grass, horsetail, elderberry, beauty berry, and lots of pineapple plants loaded with beautiful pineapples are for sale as well.

Mature pineapple plants and young spineless prickly pear cactus to sell

Wonderful delicious pineapples!

One of our mature edible moringa trees, with working pitcher pump in the background.

Edible leafy plants cranberry hibiscus (false roselle) and chaya (spinach tree)

Potted cranberry hibiscus and Nam Doc Mai mango

Beautiful clumping bamboo on the left, neem tree in the center, and the red shed must find new homes.

Our sugarcane patch...sugarcane is easy to transplant so this could be a good jump start for someone wanting to grow their own.

As we pull things out to sell, and take things apart, our homestead is feeling less and less like home, and more and more like a small nursery and building supply location. As much as we have sold, there always seems to be more left than before. We are constantly sorting and trying to discern if there is something we should keep and take with us, sell, throw, or give away.

Today's mess on the deck

The mess in the house, which is looking rather bare.

Landscape border rocks ready to sell

Now my pretty arbor is sold, and our front yard looks a bit rough

We are hoping to ship a small 20’ container of items to our new home in South America. It will be filled to the brim with useful items, saving us time and possibly money over searching for unique items in unfamiliar territory. Besides the windmill and solar power system, we hope to take an electric piano and our inversion table as a substitute chiropractor for those in our family who have back issues. We are packing up lots of glass jars for canning, fermenting, and storing food. Our Lifetime stainless steel cookware and cast iron skillets and dutch oven will go, as well as soap making supplies, and hand powered grain mill and meat grinder. As space permits I want to take a few family heirlooms if we can, and items special to the children.

But one hot item on the list is books. Lots of books! I’ve ordered many used ones through Abebooks, mostly biographies and stories about ancient civilizations, our Anabaptist heritage, missionaries and the history of the world, since that is our preferred way to learn history and other cultures. Reference and “how to” books are included, covering herbal medicine, permaculture, intensive gardening, homestead design, food preservation, appropriate technologies, ministering to the poor, and other relevant subjects. Some are bilingual and Spanish books.

 

Sitting around the living room at bedtime reading English/Spanish books purchased at a Goodwill bookstore

Sorting our stuff is exhausting, especially in this intense heat. I thought we had gotten rid of most of our household belongings before moving into our tiny house; and we had. But it still seems never-ending. I’m reminded again how burdensome earthly possessions can be, and how many unnecessary things we have. Though some things are difficult to part with, I am happy to be freeing myself of them.

Photo by Krystle K the Snapmom

If you are in central Florida we invite you to our big sale this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, July 16-18. Prices will lower on most items as the weekend progresses. It must all go!! We appreciate your prayers during this hectic time of change and decisions.

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Blessings,

Note: My appreciation to Silver Oak for editing and critiquing this post. 

Linked w/The Art of Homemaking, Homemaking, Wildcrafting Wednesday, HomeAcre Hop, Old Fashioned Friday, From the Farm Blog Hop, Little House in the Suburbs, Farmgirl Friday, and Simple Saturdays.

Farmer Boy poses by the red barn style shed we are selling. Photo by Krystle K the Snapmom.