OK — in an extraordinary feat of patience (aka, not my strongest suit), I’ve been waiting ALMOST A YEAR to share this news with you. The REAL news, instead of the previous *hints* of news. The REVEAL of the Thing We Did. The IF WE’RE GOING TO FAIL, AT LEAST WE’RE GOING TO FAIL BIG announcement.
So here it is:
WE BOUGHT A FARM.
A WHOLE FARM!
Cairns Farm in Newberg, Oregon, in fact, overlooking the Cascade Mountains in the wine country region of the Willamette Valley.
And here are the Most Important Details, in descending order of importance:
1. YOU CAN VISIT. Y’all, this is why we bought a farm. You can read more about our story here on the Cairns Farm website, but the gist is, after losing our church and whole swaths of our community due to our conviction that ALL people deserve to be fully included, affirmed, celebrated, and loved not in spite of who they are, but BECAUSE of who they are, we realized we wanted a space much larger than our individual home to engage in the beautiful, freeing work of welcoming others. Enter: the farm dream and our search for a property that would accommodate a place for folks to gather. That’s it. That’s our grand hope: that our farm will provide a sanctuary, a place to breathe, and a place to play for all comers. I cannot adequately express how excited I am to invite you over.
2. I CAN HAVE ALL THE BABY ANIMALS NOW… MWAHAHAHAHA! Let us pause a moment and say a prayer for Greg who is longsuffering and who promised me a domesticated fox but never delivered for which I shall now get endless revenge.
“Dear Jesus, be with Greg now, in his time of distress and despair. Let him know You are not far from him, and that You — and not the absence of tiny, furry creatures — are from whence True Joy comes. Help him not sprain his eyeballs from rolling them so hard every time we tell him which animals we’re adopting next. In Your Holy Name, Amen.” If you’re not Jesusy, no sweat — please pray to your Higher Power or Send Good Vibes — Greg needs all the help he can get.
So far, we have 10 lady chickens, 6 baby chicks, and, as of yesterday, 4 baby pigs.
😂😂😂
Tomorrow, we’re getting the pigs’ mama, who’s likely already pregnant again, and their daddy, too, so we can have infinite baby pigs (aka, bacon seeds) from now until forevermore. Next on the list are goats, perhaps a lone llama, maybe a miniature donkey, definitely a miniature horse because Greg owes me for the time I got him Not a Miniature Horse as a gift, and other animals to be named later.
3. DO NOT WORRY ABOUT BETTY THE STOVE BECAUSE WE’RE NOT MOVING.
I know it’s weird. We bought a farm but we’re not going to live there. We created the Cairns Farm vision and bought the farm with my brother and sister-in-law, Jeff and Kim, who are living there with their three youngest kids because you helped me remodel my kitchen, and there’s no way I’m leaving Betty. Not ever. Also, Jeff and Kim might be living at the farm for their own farm-loving reasons and not just because Betty and I are True Love Always and Must Not Be Separated. But whatever. They have their reasons; I have mine. Let’s not get judgy about whose reasons are better.
4. I’M SOMETIMES WRITING THESE DAYS ON THE CAIRNS FARM BLOG, TOO, and I’d love to see you there. You can follow us at CairnsFarm.com, @CairnsFarm on Facebook, and @Cairns_Farm on Instagram. The website is brand new and evolving as we go, but there’s a LOT more information over there, as well as ways to follow our progress on projects like renovating the century old farmhouse. Do join us!
In conclusion, and long story short (too late), we bought a farm. You should come visit and bring your people. Greg and I live 10 minutes away with a dog Greg didn’t want, two cats which is actually one cat if you do the math correctly, and a new baby bunny named Niffler we had no choice but to buy because Greg forbid it. And now we get to have All the Farm Animals, too, which is, as Michael Scott would say, a Win/Win/Win, which is different than a mere Win/Win because everybody wins. Even Greg. He just doesn’t know it yet.
With Love… and waving in the dark,
P.S. We’re targeting June or July as our Grand Opening month for Cairns Farm — LOTS of work ahead for us! — but our 3-acre Wood is already available for recreational games and LASER TAG if you’re looking for something fun to do with friends or family. You can check out the Cairns Farm website for more info or contact us by email at info@cairnsfarm.com. Be sure to say Beth sent you! Mostly because I think it’ll be funny when I get messages that say I sent you to me. 😉
P.P.S. In addition to day-long rentals of Cairns Farm, we’re looking to offer educational workshops. You know, stuff like How to Forage for Cocktail Fixin’s. And Baby Pig Cuddling. And Lay in the Big Field, Watch the Clouds, and Breathe. Weird workshops, in other words, that make us laugh and rest and find peace — at least for a while — in our weary souls. Stay tuned for more!
23 responses to “BIG ANNOUNCEMENT: We Bought a Farm, and You’re Invited.”
I just went and read all of the blog posts on the farm website. I must say I am so jealous! It really looks gorgeous!
I also want to say that I hope your SIL is feeling better and that she is great writer, too!
Please, please, please have the grand opening the last weekend in July when I will be visiting family in Salem and then driving to Camus, WA to visit my brother. This is the perfect halfway-ish point to stop. Since I will be traveling with my 13 year old triplets by myself. And I will need the break!
What a fantastic idea!!! You must be so excited! I’m new to your blog so I don’t know what happened with your church but my heart is so grateful to individuals like yourself for being inclusive and kind. Good luck! And I’ll definitely be staying tuned!!
This is beautiful in so many ways! Congrats!
I’m so excited for you (and all of us)! So, this means I can tell you that you sent me, and I can bring my grandsons and my delightful DIL who LOVES chickens and who also takes her toddler to the park to “play with the ducks” which means she actually catches wild ducks at the park and holds them with sweet contentment.
You definitely need some little goats. They are hilarious and joyful…at least baby goats are.
Congratulations!!
Absolutely feeling envious, most grateful, and happy for you and your family. If ever I decide to visit, I will contact you. But I live in Abbotsford, “a city in the country”, B.C., CANADA.
Congratulations! How exciting, I wish I lived close enough to visit!
How did you know we’d all immediately think of Beautiful Betty?
Waving in the 4.19am dark, because I woke up hungry and can’t get back to sleep
This is such an exciting adventure you are creating! The possibilities are endless and the journey magical. See you soon Cairns Farm!
And goat yoga! You’ll be adding goat yoga at some point, too, right??? I live on the east coast, so I likely won’t be making it to say namaste to any goats. BUT, I would still like to see it. And an ostrich. Don’t forget an ostrich.
Congratulations! Just wish you were closer to the east coast. Did cross country last year and it was a long, 3 months, 11000 miles. Suggestion…put a couple of electric and water hookups for people who travel in a trailer. Would really love some piglet snuggling!
FYI – a farm in my area hosts goat snuggling events that sell out every time. Piglet snuggling would be a definite hit!
http://www.caromontcheese.com/events
I’m so excited for you!!!! Also: I’m moving to Oregon this year, so I’ll TOTALLY come visit!!!
I saw the title and immediately worried about Betty! I’m so glad she’s staying!
Yay!!!!!!!
Well. I’m sorry to say this Greg, but rabbits are communal creatures. It is probably a good reason to get another. 😉
YES!
How about Lay in the Field and Watch the Stars? I’d do that every night.
Are you going to do the “writing workshops” you seem to sometimes have that I wanted to go to and not to write just to come and hang out and drink cocktails and eat good food there? Is that a long enough sentence?
This is so exciting.
This is so exciting! And seems so perfect for your family!
Also, the idea of having a sanctuary and a community of people who accept all, sounds AMAZING!
I have felt kind of lost these last several years… and have been hoping to find some type of community!
Beautiful, congrats! I love that you want ALL the animals!
I. Am. Sooooooo. Excited!!!!
I am so excited I will forgive you for making me wait all the way until number three to find out about Betty because she was my first thought, but since she is OK, and you are not leaving her, all is forgiven, and because BACON SEEDS!!!
Did I mention I’m excited for you?
You have a beautiful soul. May you and Greg both be blessed on this new adventure….
Two words, one amazing idea: goat yoga.
It’s yoga. With goats!!