The Bucolic Plague by Josh Kilmer-Purcell

I can imagine you read that title and thought– What? How inappropriate. Book Barmy toting a book about a plague? But please read that title carefully folks — it’s a ‘bucolic’ plague — not the scary plague.

The very timely-titled The Bucolic Plague is a wonderfully funny memoir about what happens when two New Yorker’s (one an ex-drag queen) do the unthinkable: start over, have a herd of kids, and get a little dirty. (That bit is from the books’ inside cover blurb — but it was too good not to copy).

One autumn Sunday, Josh Kilmer-Purcell and his partner, Dr. Brent Ridge, were headed back to Manhattan after apple picking in upstate New York. They stumbled into the little town of Sharon Springs — where they found their dream home — the historic 19th-century Beekman mansion — complete with a 60-acre farm. And so they bought it — using most of their savings.

And now a brief message from Book Barmy: Ahh, you say, I’ve read this type of book before, city folks move to the country and find their bliss. Trust me, this is NOT that book.

From the Author’s Caution:

This book is not about living your dream. It will not inspire you. You will not be emboldened to attempt anything more than making a fresh pot of coffee. The author reminds you that there are plenty of other memoirs out there written by courageous souls who have broken with their past … and have successfully achieved goals… The author notes that those memoirs are generally full of more s#@* than a barn at the end of a long winter.

Back to our regularly scheduled post: Now our intrepid couple had to figure out how to balance their busy careers during the week (Josh, an advertising executive and Brent a VP for Martha Stewart Living). They envisioned leisurely weekends away from the city as gentlemen farmers. Then Josh hires a live-in caretaker who just happens to bring along his herd of goats. And, well, if they have goats, they might as well have chickens. How about a cow for cheese? And they must have a garden. And then a bigger garden. When they gave friends and family handmade goat milk soap at Christmas – they began taking orders for the soap and soon Beekman 1802 was born and grew into an artisan mercantile company.

Later, after the publication of this book, they launched their own reality show called The Fabulous Beekman Boys (google it) and even had a role on The Amazing Race (they won!).

The Bucolic Plague is the unvarnished story of their journey — as they make their way from hectic Manhattan lives to even more hectic, but bucolic, lives on a farm. They face harsh realities, failures, doubts, and stinky, filthy chores. Just to give you a taste of their new normal — they encountered an invasion of flies (as icky as it sounds), a tricky birth of triplet goats (not for the fainting type), and the perils of food preserving (at least no one got sick).

There are celebrity encounters — mostly with Martha Stewart, who Mr. Kilmer-Purcell regards with a mix of wonder, snark and disbelief. His account of transporting a flock of baby goats into NYC for an appearance on Martha’s television show is downright hilarious.

The couple’s relationship struggles under the financial strains and a schedule that leaves little room for sleep, let alone, togetherness. Throughout The Bucolic Plague, I was rooting for this couple to stay together and make a success of their farm.

Book Barmy pro-tip, do not read this book in bed, as you will irritate your sleeping partner. I was snorting and cackling all the way through the many adventures of Josh and Brent. I had trouble putting it down and tried, with little success, to ration it out, so it wouldn’t end too soon.

Mr. Kilmer-Purcell has written a laugh-out-loud funny, yet moving, account of dreams lost and then realized. And no such journey can be complete without compromise, set-backs, and great heart.

So — you’re hunkered down, staying at home and you want something light- hearted and fun to read, then The Bucolic Plague is highly recommended.

My only complaint is that book didn’t have any photos of their beautiful house and farm. So here you go ~~