Ted Moss, professor of English at Northeastern University lives with his husband Macke in what is definitely more than simply a house. It is a farm full of orchards and a diverse variety of animals including chicken, bunnies and bees. Three years later, with crab apples and strawberries, the place is no less than a natural heaven.
Living at the farm has changed the lives of both Moss and Macke. From learning how to help a goat give birth to finding joy in the simpler things of life, they now lead a life that is close to nature. Moss’ schedule is such that he sets aside time to spend time in his farm even with the busy University profession. The farm also has a fenced orchard where the duo grows a variety of fruits and vegetables.
What is difficult, Moss says, is to understand how to tend to animals and orchards. They were clueless when they started off and tried to educate themselves with books, internet and DVDs. To find the better and easier ways to do things, the best method is, without doubt, trial and error. Over the years he has come to know a wide range of strange information that he never thought he would.
It is when people come with advertisements of newly constructed houses come to them, he says, that he realised they could never live in a house like that because what inspired them is not just the house but the history of the families who lived there. Having bought the house from a family who had kept poultry in the farm, Moss and Macke now hope to make a good home to the animals until the next family comes along to buy the house.
N Malavika Mohan