Elephant Pipe

 We have owned 12 acres on the side of a mountain (a very small mountain) in North Carolina since our 25th wedding anniversary. Traditional 25th Wedding Anniversary gifts are usually something in silver....generally not land! 

At the time we bought the property our intent was to use it as a camp. We had an old camper hauled up to a beautiful spot on the hillside, and spent many weekends there as well as time in the summer. We had no electricity (other than the 12 volt lights in the camper), we had no running water, no TV, no Internet, no cell phone coverage. It was a very peaceful place. 

As I was approaching retirement we found a floor plan for a retirement cottage that would be perfect on our property.  The plans were from Canada and had to be redrawn by a US architect. We met with one, shared some changes we'd like,  and were ready to sign a contract with him to prepare the plans. But first, we had to take our younger son to Colorado to visit two colleges.  We all fell in love with Colorado. Our son picked the Colorado School of Mines to pursue his mechanical engineering degree, and we decided to find a home there where we could have horses, and become residents so our son's tuition would be reduced to 'in-state' charges. The NC retirement cottage did not happen.

Our property sat for over 15 years. We would visit it occasionally, working on the ditches on either side of the drive, and cutting down emerging trees, to preserve the roadway, and reminiscing about the enjoyment we derived on the property in the past.  Two years ago we were heading across country in our motorhome and stopped in the area to talk with a realtor. We had decided it was time to put the property on the market.  The Mister arranged for the driveway to be cleared and we were able to, once again, drive to the former camp location. It was love all over again. Everything that attracted us to the property when we were young, still made the property special. We couldn't sell it. So instead, that summer we worked on clearing and sprucing up the land. We hired a logger to remove the large trees in the immediate area of the camping spot. 

Then Hurricane Helene hit. We were no longer able to get back and forth easily. 

Then winter came. Camping in the mountains was not something we cared to do. 

Then we bought a house in Florida with 6 acres, and a long list of improvements we wanted to make. Any improvements we had planned for NC were put on the back burner.

So...now we are back in NC, and faced with our property and so much new growth due to removing its canopy provided by the hardwoods. We have begun clearing...a bit. When faced with what seems like an immovable obstacle I often think of the saying, "How do you eat an elephant?" with the answer, "one bite at a time!" So...as I cut a few saplings, and rake some leaves, and clear one tiny area....I keep thinking of taking one small bite at a time. And I think, where there's a will...there's a way. But a little voice in the very back of my mind, sometimes pipes up suggesting that perhaps all of this is a pipe dream?