A Vermont dream

Once upon a time there was a very intense Jewish boy (think young Al Pacino, only more menacing than Michael Corleone) who was rebelling against society.  He wanted to live a sustainable, organic life in the country, grow his own food, use only the sun and wind for energy.  He lived in NewYork at the time but on weekends would travel through remote areas of Vermont in search of the perfect piece of land.  He finally found it:  one hundred pristine acres with a view of three states, half forest, half fields, a brook.  The forest was filled with oaks, maples and birch, birds and bats, bears, deer and foxes. 

The land cost very little and the young man wondered why so many fools before him had passed on the purchase.

On the land was an abandoned apple barn, known as the largest barn on all of Vermont.  The roof was shot and the superb oak of the barn was not going to survive the coming winter. Repairing the roof was too expensive, so what to do?  The oak had to be saved.  So the crazy young man with the help of a few other crazies (they seem to abound in the seventies) dismantled the barn with their bare hands. But the barn was really, really big,  and it had been built to last.  It took an entire summer and the special manufacturing of six feet long pliers.  (Correction, the six feet long tools were crowbars.  My husband just read this and he had a good laugh.)

During this time the Jewish boy from the city lived alone in a genuine tippi, making brief, unshaved, unwashed appearances into the village where die-hard Vermonters shook their heads in disgust.  

In the end, the young man ended up with what could be the largest pile of oak board in all of Vermont.

The young man also soon discovered that the land was so riddled with rocks that it could never be tilled. But he had a dream of sustainable farming and was not going to give up that easily.  So he spent months hand picking the stones on over fifty acres of land, building nice muscles and going half insane.

In the end he found himself with a whole lot of rocks.  And a whole lot of oak planks.

So what’s a crazy to do with a lot of land, a lot of stone and a whole lot of oak?

By the time the quarter mile long driveway was built, the stone foundation was laid and the cabin was built, the young man was not quite as crazy anymore, or maybe his dream had changed.  

He found a renter for the brand new house, packed his bags and moved to France. 

There he was to face his greatest challenge yet.  But thing happen for a reason.  His time in Vermont  had prepared him for what he was about to live through.  It had taught him strength, patience and resiliency. 

 Skills that would definitely come in handy… being married to me.

Comments

[nadia]

Oh my- How incredibly beautiful- you do not understand this is like reading my dream...Corrine how lovely, my husband is going to die! do you ever rent it out?...........okay my head is spinning!

[Gretchen]

That's the kind of story I like to read. Thanks for expanding my vision for dreaming of what can come true.....
GK

[AnnieG]

What a fab story! I've always wanted to live in a converted barn.

[sukey]

always like stories about Jewish boys. i can hardly wait for more the this tale. you write so well. thanks.

[sukey]

always like stories about Jewish boys. i can hardly wait for more the this tale. you write so well. thanks.

[karey m.]

YOU'RE HOME!

{all caps means i missed you.}

and i love this love story. so glad it's all yours.}

[TheYoupiTouch]

Sublime endroit et très belle histoire ! bon retour !

[nutella]

Quelle belle histoire ! Si le héros n'avait pas été ton mari, je l'aurais bien épousé ;-)

[muralimanohar]

What an awesome dream...and how much do I love that he managed to save all that oak???? :D Bravo.

[Liberty Post Editor]

Oh, how I missed you. You tell the best stories. xo

[Marnie]

so glad you're back - great story - log by log, stone by stone ...we all build our lives

[Trina]

ah, what a beautiful story and a perfect ending to it. You lucky girl, finding such a wayward wild man with the eye of an artist.
Oh to live in that cabin. My heart would be at peace forever.

[pia]

what a STUNNING property corine, you lucky lass! and great story. will we see more of this? hope so. glad to have you back! px

[anrosh]

when we were in benington, we saw the view - the three states view .. the forests, the greens and the woods and more trees so nice , so beautiful and your story more beautiful ...

[mrs. french]

This story made me smile!