A few of you guessed correctly on my last post. We’ve reluctantly decided to take down the 1980’s ranch house and start over. After talking to three builders and an accomplished renovator, there was not a good way to update the house to our standards. Plus, I had an epiphany a few weeks ago: I want to live on that land, so the house really wouldn’t have stood up to my day to day living standard because I’m *hoity-toity.
I know I said before I couldn’t see myself living on that huge piece of land, isolated, but you know, people are wearing on me. It happens.
*When I was about 21 my dad had this ridiculously horrible woman in his life and she called me hoity-toity. Mind you, I’d spent most of my childhood at the bowling alley, the laundromat or in a trailer park, if that gives you any indication on her class rating system. There was nothing fancy about this girl, who worked at Ponderosa & Marshalls while attending Beauty School, but apparently having manners upgraded me to High Class and that bothered her. She was then, and now, if still alive: garbage. One day I need to blog about this person, but I also hate giving any energy to her memory as she caused a lot of strife.
So, the Coach already had a post & beam barn in production, but now we’re downsizing his barn, upsizing and moving the house to the best location which is a bit further up from the previous home. If you’re gonna go big, why not go big and do it right? The bigness/size has been a big discussion between the two of us. I’m afraid I’m gonna lose that battle, but I’ve been assured that I won’t have to take care of all of it; we can hire help. I’m thinking Mr. Belvedere for inside and Rip Wheeler for outside; you know, cows and stuff.
(Stuff=Wrangler jeans)
DAMN IT!
I mentioned before that there is a lovely creek crick going through the property, with plans to damn it, make a large pond and then let the crick continue on; this will happen on the north side of the property.
The crick upclose and personal.
Our guys who have been excavating/cleaning up the property (Wait till you see the new, lovely fences!) found that we have several springs in a low lying area; so a front pond is in the works as well.
Me shouting to my grown children: YOU GET A POND! AND YOU GET A POND!
You can see the cows up on the hill chomping down and some wild turkeys on the side. Poultry, not the whiskey.
EASY GO, EASY COME
Remember me yukking it up about losing so much weight by walking this past week. Well, Peanut and I took two days off from our trails and I put on 135lbs. Peanut is up 3 ounces. It happens.
HOME SHORT TIMER ISSUES
This house. I mean, I love the GA house, but I think it knows we’re on our way out. Our ice maker broke, the a/c stopped working on the main level (we needed it 2x this week) a tree fell and I found six more trees being murdered slowly by invasive beetles. I know, it happens, but dang! All in a 12 day visit?
Have you ever heard the phrase Hoity Toity before?
How do we feel about ponds and cricks? (we always call them cricks for some weird reason)
XOXO
Your friend Suz, who isn’t hoity toity but changes her mind a bit too much.
Happy Mother’s Day to all of you who nurture something or someone.
Busy Bee Suz 
I know envy is a terrible thing, but I have it for you and your beautiful land in spades! Cows and cricks? It doesn’t get much better than that. This is going to be an absolutely stunning place to live. A veritable compound of Suzness. Barns, rolling hills, ponds… and what I know will be a stunning home. You’re living the dream girl. Enjoy every minute.
❤️
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Envy among friends isn’t so bad, so thank you. I do feel like I’m living a dream; I’m so very fortunate!
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It wouldn’t hurt to build a little guest cottage, you know… for random blog friends from Maine who might happen to be in the area.
😈
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Right now, we’re planning on putting in an efficiency apartment in the barn, just for guests! So, YES.
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Perfect.
😉
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I grew up saying “crick,” much to my parents’ chagrin. It’s the right way.
Your plans to start fresh sound fabulous. A place exactly to your liking!
Hoity toity is a fun phrase but I don’t know that I’ve ever used it in real life.
Happy Mother’s Day!
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Crick. It is the Right Way. Thank you and Happy Mother’s day to you!!
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I am familiar with ‘hoity toity’ because like you “having manners upgraded me to High Class” and I needed to be taken down a peg… so sayeth she who dubbed me hoity toity. Haters gonna hate.
I think you’re wise to start over on your land. You researched, you evaluated, and you came to sound conclusion. Sane people change their minds when new information comes their way.
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Haters ARE gonna hate.
I recall she also said out loud to a large group after Coach and I were engaged: “Look how cute Suzanne’s little diamond is!”
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Well, I’m sure it was said with love in her heart for your good fortune… NOT. What a bitch!
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Exactly. And in the end, the only nice things she had were stolen, so there you go.
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Wow! She was, and probably still is, a piece of work.
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How exciting to have a clean slate to create a dream home. i know it will be tons of work and decisions and headache, but just to picture you all on the homestead is so cool. Total goals! Happy Mother’s Day to you but not to your almost step mother, she sounds terrible.
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Thank you, Colleen.
My dad actually married this beast, but he passed away five months later. She could never be my stepmother!
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What an exciting and lovely plan.
Your creek is giving me Creek Envy. It’s a gorgeous setting. So serene and inviting.
Will you stock your pond(s) so that you can fish? It would be worth it just to watch how it’s done–that big hose shooting the fish out.
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Is that how they stock a pond? WOW, What a ride for the innocent fish. 😳
I’m sure, my husband the Fisherman will have some sort of fish in there.
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I’ve never been called hoity toity. I was too busy wearing my shorter sisters hand me down pants and sporting a terrible homespun haircut to be consiered anything fancy. That woman sounds like a real treat.
I love the crick. I tried to build a 2 foot by 1 foot duck pond in the vacant lot behind our house out of scraps of sod and rocks and mud when I was a kid. I never wore shoes and was always covered in mud. Nice that the girls get their own ponds and don’t have to make their own. 😉
This is gonna be epic. I love that you are gonna get to put your own stamp on the house. It’ll be amazing. I can’t wait.
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You and I would have gotten along so well as kids; I loved digging in the muck too! My girls are so spoiled, right? They don’t have to dig their own.
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My mom’s extended family refers to me and my husband as the “hoity toity overeducated couple,” so yeah. I guess that’s who we are!
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It’s weird to accuse someone of being Hoity Toity because you’re educated. I’m guessing some inferiority complexes are happening there.
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I love that you worked at Ponderosa and Marshall’s. I’m very familiar with the term, hoity toity. I remember people I knew as a child thinking that anyone who had a college degree fell into that category.
Good luck on all your land and housing ventures. That’s a lot!
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Thank you! It’s going to be an adventure.
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I MISS PONDEROSA. (The restaurant, not the show) Side note: I think you found the name of your property.
Suz, I’ve never met you in person, but you seem to be the least Hoity Toity person I “know.” And I’ve met my fair share of Hoity Toity’s.
Well, I know my guess is incorrect, but the entire time I was reading, looking at crick (we called it that in Ohio growing up) pics….heh heh, and drooling over the fact that my friend owns LAAAANDDD, I was thinking that a blog conference should be held THERE.
On your Ponderosa Ranch, of course.
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Ponderosa was great unless you were working the Salad Bar. It was neverending. 🙂
Thank you for also thinking I’m NOT hoity-toity. That woman…she was something else.
A Blog Conference. Yes. I’m down with that as long there’s not really a conference but more of a get-together over food, laughter, and maybe some wine.
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Oh, the Ranch is already named Double L Ranch. After our girls, of course. *Imagine my outstretched arms* This will all be theirs one day!
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Ohh, I never considered that perspective….
Yes! That is exactly what I had in mind! I just couldn’t think of the word. 🤣
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Big congrats and Happy Mother’s Day!
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Thank you and you too!
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Tara says crick, and I tease her because clearly it is creek.
I love your property! And here I thought ours was a lot to handle. You might need a couple of riding mowers!
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Clearly, Crick is more fun to say!
I believe I’m gonna need a couple of cows to eat grass and maybe a man to mow the rest of the property. 🙂 .
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There was a farm close to here that went into the cider and wine making business and called their business Hoity Toity. Congratulations on the soon to be new wonderful home on the wonderful acreage! Barn – does that mean a space for animals? You could get pretty chickens and a couple of alpacas!! – Jenn
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I love that name for a Vineyard!
No critters in This Barn. We will have space for future animals elsewhere though, as that is part of the long-term plan. Alpacas would be fun!
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Oh WOW, I will be very interested to see the new build. I’m sure this will end up being just a dream home on a dreamy property.
I know we’ve talked about this before, but we are moving in July to our vacation house which will be our regular house, and it is on two acres. It’s beautiful but also? I like being around people. And while it’s still in the “city” it feels very rural. It’s going to be a big change, is what I’m saying, and I can see this will be a big change for you as well. We are in it together, my friend! xo
PS that woman sounds horrible, but honestly, being hoity toity is probably complimentary given the source! What a garbage woman.
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Oh it’s going to be fun to watch the building of your new house! I can’t blame you for wanting to live on that property! We get weary of people as we get older! Plus the land is gorgeous! Never been called hoity toity myself that I know of anyway!
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