The Struggles of a Wife’s Whims: When Your Country Property Laughs at Your Plans

The Struggles of a Wife’s Whims: When Your Country Property Laughs at Your Plans Ah, country living. It’s all fresh air, wide-open spaces, and the sweet symphony of birds chirping, right? Wrong. It’s also where the universe conspires to remind you that sometimes, wives (like myself) can dream big, but those dreams can quickly turn into chaotic realities. Case in point: the buried water lines. This year, my ever-practical husband Tanner put his foot down. “No,” he said, with that firm yet sympathetic tone only a seasoned husband can muster. “We’re not doing buried water lines. Not this year. Time and budget are stretched too thin.” And did I want to hear that? Absolutely not. So, naturally, I went ahead and threw a temper tantrum like the reasonable adult I am. SO he came home from work and started the project that I “needed” to be done Little did I know, our country property had other ideas. You see, beneath the surface of our land lies a treasure trove of surprises. Not the exciting kind of treasure. I’m talking about buried foundation parts that we thought we had paid someone …particularly our builder to remove and, oh yes, an entire septic tank we had no clue even existed. If I thought I was over my head before, well, now I needed a snorkel. These delightful discoveries added time, money, and an extra dollop of frustration to a project that was already teetering on the edge. As I look around at the mess, the dirt piles, and the chaos, I sometimes wonder how Tanner hasn’t packed his bags. But then I remember—we can’t afford to get divorced, not after the budgeting fiasco I’ve just thrust us into. So, for now, he’s stuck with me. And some days, I’m a lot to handle. Country living isn’t for the faint of heart, and neither is marriage. But as I stand knee-deep in what feels like never-ending projects, I’m reminded that while I may sometimes bite off more than we can chew, Tanner always finds a way to keep us grounded—even if that ground is hiding more surprises than we bargained for. Here's to tackling life’s messes, one buried water line—or septic tank—at a time.