In 2020 after twenty years in the lawn and garden maintenance business my wife and I sold our home and business accounts and packed what we could of our hopes and dreams into a gutted '98 Bluebird school bus (for which we'd traded a season of lawn cuts) and headed for higher ground. On the 21 acres of forest and pasture that we now call home we’re building a modern homestead and trying to keep our sense of humor, adventure, and literal footing while we groom a trail toward retirement. Daylight is running out.

When we sold our business accounts we kept our website and our name, “Hassle Free Scapes”. My thought was that we could scrub the old content and pivot the brand name to feature this somewhat audacious homesteading adventure - in all it’s ill-planned glory. I thought that by appealing to a broad segment, ranging from Tiny Home-ers to “Schoolies” to Baby Boomers unprepared for retirement, we could somehow generate a revenue stream. I gave up on that.

I maintain this website and blog for the feeling of connection and containment that it seems to bring. The inspiration for the name “highground freshwater blog” was partly in knowing the ancient wisdom of animals seeking higher ground and fresh water when they sense a big wave coming and wanting to seek safety. This is partly how we felt in 2020. Big waves come and go, but the need for connectedness never goes away. We love it here, but it took us a lifetime; Hassle-free is a misnomer, and we are still seeking wisdom.

happy trails and stay safe!

john, of JohnandLiz