What one day of work can reveal...

We closed on the farmhouse Thursday as planned...smooth sailing at the closing table. I ordered our construction dumpster to be delivered, and arranged for our small crew to start first thing Friday morning...we are ready for demo. At least I thought we were ready for demo...boy what a day of work can reveal...termite damage, water damage, mold & mildew, major structural issues, the fact that all of the original exterior of the home (which we thought was under a layer of vinyl siding, house wrap, and insulation) had been removed, and a plethora of other things we weren't prepared for. It's hard for me to focus on the positive when we found so many negatives yesterday. However, towards the end of the day, we began removing the sheetrock from an upstairs bedroom and found all original wood on the walls. There was even a layer of newspaper from 1909 on the walls...some sunshine at the end of a very long day. Numerous neighbors stopped by and wanted to know who the new kids on the country block were...everyone has something positive to say about the "old Dowda place". We also found out that this was one of the only mills in the area that could grind grits, cornmeal, and flour. After our first full day in, there are definitely mixed emotions and lots of major decisions to be made. Perhaps today we will laze by the creek...my husband was able to set up a comfy hammock in the perfect spot. As tiring as yesterday was, I do look forward to seeing what the day holds :)