Designing, planning, building, and maintaining the structures at Lakewood Hollow each brought their own challenges. Over the past 20 years, I've learned a great deal about these processes, but more importantly, I learned what I'm capable of. I won't lie, it wasn't easy. It took a great deal of thought and an immense amount of will power, but it was without question, worth the effort. This section walks through that process: the choices we made and why, the mistakes that cost us time and money, the methods that actually worked, and how we got from a cleared piece of land to our handmade home and more.

Many years ago, this property was home to a grist mill. Then it was a plum orchard for a time. My parents bought it and cleared the most accessible section of its 11 acres, in the 60s and after that, the land was left to its own devices. We showed up in early 2004 with a borrowed chainsaw and a pair of loppers to clear the land largely by hand. We used a tractor once we could afford one and we have had larger equipment come through upon occassion. Now, as we age and know we aren't as quick as we once were, more often we hire tree services. These articles explain the challenges we faced while building a life on our property and how we work with what we have.

When we decided to move and build here, part of my vision was that we would have a large garden where I can grow our own food. As the years have passed the progression of the gardens has been uneven and often haphazard. Most of the garden beds were created to save us from mowing around tree stumps or difficult topography. These have become the ornamental beds. The exception to that rule is the kitchen garden, which has always been raised beds and therefore looks more formal - at least to start with each year. We now have 26 garden beds. This section will talk about all of them, how they evolved and the challenges we faced. Not to mention, the joy I have found in creating and appreciating them.

This section is about the philosphies and strategies that made all of this possible. Living mortgage-free, building slowly, doing the work ourselves, choosing frugality as a mindset. Its also about thinking things through, problem solving and discerning what will work long term, rather than satisfying our short term desires. Projects for living isn't just about logistics, its about embracing the journey and appreciating every moment.