Tranquil Ridge Newsletter 2/19/2012
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FARM NEWS:
Unfortunately this week has mostly been about what we have not accomplished. From reading the past couple of newsletters you should probably know that we have been waiting on frozen ground for the last couple of months so that we could move a house onto our new farm up in Rossville. Last Wednesday morning, we finally got the house across the road and onto our property. But then the frost in the ground gave way and the house sunk into the mud.
By Thursday the Journal and Courier had caught wind and wanted to interview us. By Thursday evening WRTV6 and FOX59 news had called. Then it was picked up by the Indy Star and Chicago Tribune by Saturday. This morning, CNN......Seriously? Of course the jist of most all of the stories is just a farmhouse stuck in the mud.
The true story you ask??
A week ago last Friday we were able to pull the house off of the foundation and get it facing the correct direction. The ground had not frozen yet and the tires began to sink into the ground. Saturday morning we jacked the house back up and put wood under the tires to keep it up out off the ground. We decided to wait until Monday morning when the ground would have a little more frost in it. We began moving with the house mounted on top of the semi truck Monday morning, but soon lost traction on the frozen ground. The rest of the day was spent using a winch on the back of the semi to move it about 150 feet at a time. By the end of the night we had made it a little less than half way. I knew we would not be able to make it the rest of the way with the winch by the time the ground had given way. Monday evening I called Robert Penn a good friend of mine from Camden, which is fairly close to the farm and asked if he could bring his biggest four wheel drive tractor down to help. At this point the house was sitting in the middle of one of three different property owner's fields. We couldn't leave it there. So we hooked up the tractor and watched at the huge 4 wheeler just bounced and spun out...the house did not budge. The farmer whose land we were on went home to bring back his biggest tractor. The tractors were hooked up in front of the house and had a backhoe and small bulldozer on the back pushing. Again everyone was bouncing and spinning out, the house did not budge. After several attemps we started breaking chains, very dangerous. Now it was Tuesday night and rain was coming by Wednesday afternoon. I had a friend here in Crawfordsville who I knew had just got a new very large bulldozer. I called Brad Conner late Tuesday night, he quickly said I will be there in the morning. It was our last hope to move this thing onto our property. He had planned on leaving first thing Wednesday and meet us up there around 9 am. But of course, a flat on the semi that was to bring the dozer up slowed him down. He arrived around 11:30 and hooked up to the house. It was exactly what we needed and the house was rolling accross the field perfectly. We made it to the road, made some adjustments and hooked a tractor in front of him. We crossed the road onto our farm without incident. By this time it is after noon and the ground was really getting soft, we made it about 100 yards and the tires under the house finally sunk through the half frozen ground. Ron Thompson, who we hired to move the house had received a call Wednesday morning on his way out to the farm that his father-in-law had just passed. He would need to be in Virginia for a few days to deal with their loss. Sometime this next week we will resume winching the house the final 300 yards up to the new foundation. We will be able to use plywood under the wheels to help it stay afloat over the wet ground.
There is the actual story of the drama in Rossville. Honestly, I was hoping to fly under the radar on this whole deal. I think it is safe to say that did not happen; just the same way that winter did not happen this year. Who would have guessed that we would have three days with frost in the ground, and only about 4 inches deep. The good news is we are not stuck in someone else's field, and the house and everyone involved are safe.
We cannot thank Ron enough as he has had a very tough, emotional week. We all knew it was our only shot and he went as hard as he could to get us where we are. Our thoughts are with him and his family as they deal with the loss of their loved one.
HERE'S TO A BETTER WEEK!
NATE, EMILY AND JENSEN