The farmhouse renovations are nearing completion, at last! It was a much bigger project than we originally imagined renovating the old house, due to quirks in original construction and the need for completely new electrical wiring, plumbing, and HVAC. Although we did much of the demolition last summer, we quickly recognized the need for professional help, and getting tradespeople out to the farm was a challenge at times. But it’s getting close to habitability, and it looks beautiful, inside and out.

In February, 2018, we planted  Virginia Pines to replace trees that died in the past couple of years. We got 100 healthy-looking trees from Oklahoma Forestry Services and planted them on a warmish winter day. They got plenty of rain in the following weeks, so hopefully will be well established for spring growth.

​In March, we built two 4’x12’ raised beds for a kitchen garden. They are ideally located on the south side of the house. We planted seeds for cool season plants (peas, lettuce, spinach, etc.) on March 24th, and covered them with an old screen door to protect them from cold and/or hard rain.

This week, we had a temperature drop of about 20 degrees, with highs in the low 80s instead of high 90s-very unusual for August! We’ve been doing a lot of work around the farm-Miles finished the 7.5-foot tall deer fence that completely circles the orchard, house, and Christmas trees, and we have been clearing out brush and debris from this “production area” inside the new fence.

We had a wet spring in 2017, with multiple flooding events. Here in Democrat Hollow, we have some trees down and debris that washed down Democrat Creek to clean out, and we could use a load of clay and gravel to improve the driveway, but we are uphill from the worst flooding.
We feel lucky compared to our neighbors in the valley. For the second time in the last 5 years, flash flooding destroyed the lower section of Greg and Vicky Schneider’s vineyard at the Railway Winery. Fortunately, the tasting room and upper field escaped undamaged, and the bottling of native Arkansas wine continues. Other neighbors have been out repairing fences that were damaged, and the Highway Department has been working on sections of the road that were washed out.
The historic, one-lane Beaver Suspension Bridge was closed for about a month, cutting off easy access from local communities of Holiday Island and Eureka Springs, but it re-opened in late June.