The Back Forty

My house sits just out of town’s reach on an acre of land groomed with care by my husband every summer for the last three decades. My sister lives further out of town, on a place her family has resided for over half a century. Behind her house are acres of land, lovingly referred to as the back forty.

I was surprised to learn there isn’t forty acres in my sister’s back pasture. Quite a bit less actually. The land is open fields surrounded by inviting woodland, awash with wildflowers in the spring, growing crops in the summer, beautiful foliage in the fall and deer, lots of deer, all year long.

Today, the term “back forty” still refers to the back side of a farm. In 1862, The Homestead Act granted 160 acres of land to U.S. citizens willing to work the land. The back forty literally meant the back quarter section of the farmer’s land, or forty acres.

Times have changed but the name remains.

The back forty is a beautiful blank canvas open to future possibilities.

In this blog, I’ll share my journey as a writer as well as connect with you as a reader. My writing future is full of possibilities, my personal “Back Forty”.