In 1985, Amii and Tom Harmon wrote a list titled “Some Day.” On that list was a nearly identical description of the farm they now own, where they offer farm stays, event hosting, baby goat cuddling, and farm goods and crafts from eggs to honey. “Sometimes guests will say ‘you’re so lucky to live here,’” said Tom. “We’re not just lucky. It was a lot of hard work that got us here.”

Here’s the story of Amii and Tom’s journey.

Tom is a 4th generation farmer, growing up on his family’s 2500-acre farm in North Dakota. “I started working on the farm at a very young age, like first grade they gave me a job. I just thought that’s the way everybody lived. It’s just kind of a part of me.” His older brother took over the farm, and Tom, who has a passion for history and Colorado, earned his history degree and began a 33-year teaching career.

Amii learned about living resourcefully and sustainably from her dad and the progressive ways of Boulder, Colorado. “I always wanted to be in the country,” she said. She became interested in running bed and breakfasts and went to college for a hospitality degree. Having horses and a farm was a life long dream.

While living the small town life and focusing on family, Amii and Tom scratched the farming itch by watching a British show together called The Good Life, which portrayed a couple in suburbia England who decide to quit work and live off their land, trying and failing hilariously at all types of farming ventures. They didn’t know it yet, but one day “The Good Life” would become the slogan of their own farm. Tom and Amii had their own comical failure with their first attempt at gardening in a community garden in college. “We were the worst,” laughed Amii, “You have to actually show up and water it. But we planted it then left for a month. So that’s where we started,” she added, “Complete failure, but eager to at least try.”

While they both yearned for the country, they created a happy life in a small town where they raised their three children. Tom taught high school, earning a retirement that would help support them later. Amii worked from home, the kids could walk to school, and their house became the one where all the kid’s friends would hang out. They learned from their mishaps, starting a garden and caring for a few fruit trees on their own ¼ acre in town.

Amii and Tom believe life circumstances come together at the right time. Meanwhile, over the next 30 years they drove by a property they thought was the perfect farmstead. “We looked at it longingly,” said Amii, “and said that’s the place. That’s the dream house.” They never thought it would go up for sale, but one day it did! The timing was right: the Harmon’s kids had left home and they had their finances in order. They purchased the 18-acre property and began to make their country dream a reality.

Making ends meet on a farm is never easy. The Harmon’s knew they would have Tom’s retirement, but they needed more income for the farm to pay for itself. Amii’s skills in hospitality and passion for sharing their beautiful property with guests came into play. The farm is situated within easy driving distance of Fort Collins, Denver, Boulder, Cheyenne, and the Rocky Mountain National Park, making it a convenient resting place for visitors who want to experience farm life. “I come to it with a heart for bed and breakfasts where you meet people, you enjoy them, and host them. I call it a farm stay and people realize this is an experience, not just a stop. I feel like we have a duty to share this amazing property. I remember being a young mom and just wanting to get my kids out somewhere and really appreciating those little dairy tours and things we got to do. So that’s why I built it into more of a farmstay,” explained Amii.

Tom and Amii work hard to provide guests with farm experiences they won’t forget. One of their favorites is goat cuddling, which they offer in the spring when the kids are born. They raise Nigerian Dwarf and Pygmy crosses (a designer breed they nicknamed Dwygmies) as well as Boer goats, selling the young for pets and to other farms, and doing a little milking.

Farm life, however, is not all dream properties and adorable goats. “Some days we’re just like, why are we doing this? This is so hard,” Amii admitted. “Or the horse breaks the fence for the third time or you just got your garden looking so good and the hail comes and in 60 seconds your plants are gone. There is a lot of loss and struggle in farm life, you’ve gotta have a lot of resilience.” There is lots of repair and maintenance, watering, weeding, and manure. Animal husbandry is not for the faint of heart.

It’s common for new farmers to quit after a couple of years. The ongoing work of caring for animals, plants, and soil through unpredictable weather can be stressful, and farmer burnout is real. Tom and Amii have been very intentional about creating boundaries to protect themselves.

“It’s been a long journey towards finding balance,” said Amii. “It’s a lot of learning to say no to yourself, and asking ‘am I making more work for myself? What’s the return on this investment?’” They make a plan for the week each Monday, help each other realize when they are overextending, have clear days off, and focus on prioritizing.  “It’s a lot of putting boundaries on yourself,” said Amii. “And being aware that one ‘yes’ may equal a lot more work than you realize.”

Having so much to do on the farm can also be a blessing. “One of the best things about [farming] is I get up in the morning and I know I have so much to do,” said Tom. “I have friends that retired and they don’t really know what they’re going to do. I wake up and I have 1000 things I can do.”

In addition to raising goats, the Harmon’s keep a flock of chickens for eggs and some years they raise pigs or the occasional sheep or calf. Amii also creates homemade goods to share with guests, including honey ambrosia, goat milk soap, aprons, and beautiful wooden spoons.

A unique revenue stream Amii developed is opening their farm to photographers.  “I did photography myself for like 20 years and you’re always looking for a location,” she explained. Armed with this knowledge, she began offering their scenic farm as a location for models, florists, and photographers to hone their skills. In exchange, she receives high quality photographs of their property that she can use for marketing their farm stay.

Tom and Amii strive for a sustainable lifestyle, which they describe as using what you have to live on your own land while making the land better. “When you look at your own plate and you’re like, we grew all this. That’s when you feel the richest,” said Amii. “That’s the best,” agreed Tom. “You’re drinking the milk from your goats, and you’re eating the salad and the meat that you grew on your own place.”

Prior to the Harmon’s owning it, the farm had been a lamb feedlot. “The person who lived here had really run the soil down over 30 or 40 years. I’m still working really hard at amending the soil in some parts. Amending the soil with a lot of composted manure and native grasses is big for us,” said Tom. They take care to not overgraze their fields, they use solar panels, geothermal energy, and efficient watering systems, and every year they plant at least seven trees or shrubs. Their property is divided in half by a ditch that feeds irrigation from the Rocky Mountains down to Mexico, and the Harmon’s use this divide to split their property into two halves: they farm half their property, but the other half they call the “Wild Side,” which they leave as a wildlife corridor.

For anyone interested in adding more nature to their lives, the Harmon’s suggest going to the farmer’s market and getting to know where your food comes from. “Hands in the dirt, feet on the soil is always a good one,” added Amii. “You can grow mushrooms inside, you can take the end of your celery and put it in dirt, and that celery will regrow itself. It’s just the littlest things. Instead of doing a whole garden, just focus on a salad garden or an herb garden or a salsa garden.”

What do Tom and Amii enjoy most about their days on the farm? “I think the diversity of it,” said Tom, “There is no average day, there are so many different things to do. I can go outside and I can think of 10 things just like that I could do. I like that.” Amii agreed, “It’s the choice and the flexibility. It’s the daily pride at what we’ve accomplished. And honestly, it’s the wide open spaces and the fresh air.” “And we have the beautiful mountains with the sunset,” added Tom. “The sunrise and the stars and the fireflies.” “And the quiet, lots and lots of quiet,” said Amii. “And a horse of course. Yeah, being around nature. We have gratitude all day long, we’re always very grateful because we started a long time ago on this journey.”

The daily gratitude and intentional way that the Harmon’s have gone about building their country life is inspirational. The future for the Harmon’s includes watching their grandchildren grow, traveling a bit, and hiring out a bit more of the farm work.

“This has been my whole life goal,” said Amii, and Tom smiled, “Now we let our roots grow.”