100 Reasons to Live at The Farm
One of our new residents, Christy Parry, recently shared a heartfelt list of the top 100 reasons she loves living at The Farm at Okefenokee.
Christy’s reflections capture the everyday magic of life here — the food, the animals, the people, the land, the peaceful rhythm, and the sense of gratitude that comes from being part of this growing farm community.
With her permission, we are honored to share Christy’s complete list below.
What Christy likes about living here (in random oder):
Incredibly healthy, nutrient-dense, tasty food that’s almost beyond belief
Heritage breeds and heirloom produce
Warm weather
Being in nature so much, right outside my door – screened and unscreened porches, farm cart, walking, biking, biking, swimming, sleeping on screened porch
Learning – everything is new…crops, farming, animals, birds, canning, pickling, and more
Fresh clean air – thanks to the swamp
Fresh clean tap water – from the aquifer like 600 feet deep
Plenty of sunshine for good health - circadian rhythms, mitochondrial function and more
Grounding on the sand/earth barefoot
Wonderful community – neighbors and staff to connect with
Immense gratitude I feel
Like going back 150 years to what life was like…without the hard work
Knowing the rain is going into the ground and filling the aquifer instead of running off into a sewer
Hearing the fun farm background noise – roosters crowing, chickens chattering and the turkeys gobbling
Beautiful 360 degree view of the sky/horizon for sunrises and sunsets, approaching storms with lighting and thunder, the stars, moon, sun
Large poufy white clouds and intense blue sky above the green pine trees
Nighttime darkness
Self-sustaining – don’t have to leave the farm for most needs
Resilient – if power out generator kicks on, food abundance, community, strong cabins, crop watering system, water from wells
Privacy
Cover crops (that include flowers)
Butterflies, grasshoppers, dragon flies, etc.
The Farm makes their own honey, jellies, olive oil
Use of local labor and supplies
Sawmill and smokehouse
Swimming hole – deep, chlorine free, not cold
Birds (bob whites, chuck will’s widow, great-crested flycatchers, blue grosbeaks…)
Frogs
The breeze
Picking produce and picking up already-harvested produce
Collecting the hens’ bounty from the “chic mansion” (my daughter calls eggs ‘butt-nuggets’ lol)
Wonderful staff/builders/farmers/amigos – welcoming, nice, authentic, respectful, helpful
Potlucks
Fishing the ponds for catfish
Yoga outside (rain or shine) at the clubhouse with Jenny
The club house – gathering place, work of art, kitchen, fountain
Farm to table culinary events
Showing the farm to family and friends and seeing their excitement
Living at a vacation destination
New sounds (birds, frogs, etc.)
Peaceful, quiet, solitude
Slowing into the farm rhythm – detoxifying from bigger city life
Beauty of the pine and cypress woods on and in the cabins
Getting to build a cabin the way I wanted
Dog park
Okefenokee Wildlife Refuge (swamp) for many adventure opportunities
Other Swamp entrances for different adventures
Folkston – small town – beautiful caring people
Folkston Funnel Rail Cam – watching the trains; waving at my kids on the cam
The Farm Experience
Adventures within an hour – Amelia Island (Fernandina beach), Jekyll Island, St. Simon Island, St. Mary’s, St. Mary’s river
Jacksonville, Florida
Good cabin insulation
Connecting with the animals (horses, goats, Piney Woods cattle, Meishan pigs, chickens, roosters, turkeys); feeding them treat produce
Standing gardens, market garden
Picking blueberries, blackberries, oranges, lemons, Mayhaws, grapes, olives
Jeff Davis and Doug Meyer – visionaries – making the dreams of 250 cabin owners come true; incredible values, welcoming, caring
Southern accents and culture
Boat trip on the St. Mary’s with Curtis
Future neighborhood plans
Future farm plans – observatory, spa, gym, hiking trail, bee healing room...
Pondcast, other interviews, marketing materials to learn about the farm/the people
Gatherings to make sauerkraut, Mayhaw juice, can, pickle…
Ambassadors to help new folks learn the ropes – Jenny and Curtis amazing
Prayer and gratefulness abounds
No ‘yard’ to care for
Welcome barn concept – farm carts vs cars
Farm cart – fresh air, fun
Low lights to keep sky dark
Animals raised in best way possible
Regenerative farming – improving the soil improves the food and people
Composting
Open to new ideas and suggestions; attentive
Showering outside in my outdoor shower
Quality and beauty of the infrastructure; attention to detail; beautiful design, signs, structures, entrance gardens…
Farm continues to exceed my expectations
Every new neighbor who moves in; a new friend/cog in the community
The scale and execution (words you’ve heard others say)
The Pyrenees dogs protecting the fowl
Curiosity about identifying bugs, overnight wild paw prints in the sand, and wild poop
Not getting in the car
The peaceful drive to town – two lane roads sparsely traveled, lined with pines
Underground electric
The windmill
Farm tours on the wagon
Infrequent grocery trips
Loud chorus of frogs after it rains on Suwanee Canal road and areas of the farm
Seeing the excitement of friends and family when they visit
The excitement from friends and family ever since I said I was moving here
Biking on the farm, and the road to the swamp
Cool farm merchandise and logo
Jenny gave me a hug, Ryan picked me flowers, Judy brought pesto, George and Jamie introduced me to Dixie…
Cattle egrets in the olive orchard and with the Piney Woods cattle
Sun bathing
Rain storms
Not getting in the car
Great cabin windows – let in a lot of light
Move-in goodie baskets…including ripe tomatoes that taste great in APRIL!
Hearing myself say “I live here” (unspoken…”in this paradise”)
The cat door to the screen porch
