Submitted by Heather Carmona, a Great Lakes Energy member

It was the day we pulled into the driveway and I told my husband “this is it” before we even got out of the car. It’s that feeling you get when you know something is meant to be. That day, 15 years ago, the red farmhouse on Valley Road spoke to me and became ours.

I’m continually reminded of our responsibility not only to the house but the integrity of the land and its history. The original owners homesteaded and farmed the land in Potato Soup Valley more than 100 years ago.

Over the years, history became more apparent and appreciated.

One summer afternoon, a woman and her elderly mother pulled into the driveway. The older woman had grown up in the house and wanted to see it again.

A few years later, extended families of the elderly woman who had stopped by a few summers earlier also came to visit the farmhouse.

I remember the countless times we’ve been snowed in and can’t imagine being anywhere else.

The first time our daughter ran across the field into the setting sun was so joyful. We even planted a time capsule so that 50 years from now, future generations can recall and appreciate the history that continues to be made in this magical place.