Ton Tenga Season Finale

I am going to miss Ton Tenga. During the years of living in six other countries, Cheryl and I talked and dreamed about having a small farm with a log cabin at some point in our lives.

Over the past 50 years we have lived in many different settings and in many different kinds of structures. We have lived in what some people call the “armpit” of Africa, and we have lived two hours from the Swiss Alps. While living overseas our homes have included an apartment in a picturesque German village and a mud hut at the edge of the Sahara Desert.

Sixteen years ago we were finally able to purchase some land that could hardly be called a farm as I spent hundreds of hours clearing out overgrown briars, scrub brush, and other invasive plants and trees. The farm was christened “Ton Tenga” which in the More’ language of Burkina Faso means “our land” or “our farm.” After a couple of years we were able to build our dream house. We scratched the log cabin idea after discovering all the maintenance that was needed on the logs.

Additionally, we needed much more space in our house than a “cabin.” Our growing family included several grandchildren who now total sixteen. We worked hard to design the house so it would be suited for the side of a very steep hill (people in north Georgia call them mountains). It is a three-level house with lots of windows on the “view” side looking out over the mountain ranges. Cheryl’s brother was a custom home builder in Memphis, but he had never drawn plans for a house. We asked him to draw our plans based on our sketches and ideas, and we were pleased with the results.  

We hired a local friend to supervise the construction work while I served as the general contractor. After nine months we moved into our dream home. That was 14+ years ago. Now, it has come time for us to sell our home and farm and downsize and move into town. When we announced to our family that we were going to sell the farm, our grandson, Collin, asked me, “So, Papa, when did you decide to sell Ton Tenga?” I responded, “Before we ever built our house.” Cheryl and I talked about there coming a time when we felt that we could no longer take care of an active farm and a larger home, and we decided that when that time came, that we would not agonize over making the decision.

Our family and friends have had so many good memories over the years: sitting around a roaring fire;  being snowed in on the side of the mountain; kids cuddling baby goats; little ones playing on the homemade playground by the barn; getting visitors and grandkids to help with errands on the farm; sitting around the bar while Nana prepares a meal for our big family; swinging on the 40 foot rope swing; hearing the grandkids playing and yelling on all three levels of our home; watching the sunset on the deck; feeding the chickens, guineas and ducks; kids playing and making forts in the woods; grandsons camping out, making fires, and building tree houses with their friends on top of the mountain; kids fishing in the pond; and so many more.

Nevertheless, it was a difficult decision to sell our dream home. We are leaving the “our farm” part of Ton Tenga, but our new home will still be “our home,” so in a sense our home, wherever it is, will always be Ton Tenga. In 10 days, we will be moving to Savannah Place in Rome, Georgia. We anticipate making many more memories in a smaller home in a cul-de-sac.

The Lord has smiled on us as all our grandchildren live near us. Three of our four children live within one and a half hours and the fourth lives only two and a half hours away.

I look forward to writing more stories during this next season on Savannah Place.