There was actually a 4th sort-of farm in between the 2nd & 3rd farms. For 15 years we lived in White Bear Lake, where Farmer Bill taught school. When we'd been there about 2 years, living in a rented house, Bill passed a For Sale sign on a house with a 1-acre lot and knew he had to have it. He drove me past it to take a look; then called the realtor and we did a walk-through. The house was totally uninspiring -- old paint, old carpeting, smelly, cigarette-smoke-stained walls, and cheap paneling in a walk-out lower level. Since it had been on the market for over 2 years, we made a low-ball offer that was accepted. Before we moved in, we pulled out all the carpeting, washed and painted every wall, painted the ceilings, installed hardwood tongue & groove flooring in the dining and living rooms. Over the years we were there, we continued to update and expand. Two years before we moved to Straight River Farm, we did the big expansion I'd been planning and dreaming about since we moved in -- adding a 4-season room and deck off the kitchen, redesigning & updating the kitchen layout, countertops, and floors, and expanding the walk-out level family room.
In the backyard -- the 1-acre lot -- Bill planted strawberries and created a PYO business. We called it Bill's Backyard Berries and it was a pretty successful little business for 10 years, until Bill retired from teaching and wanted something more than a part-time farm.
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