In life there is the real and the ideal. In my experience it is possible for the two to come together, but this rarely happens.

When I have an idea for a project, I am still confident that I can somehow make it happen. With this attitude, I don’t give up easily and I explore every possibility I can think of before I throw in the towel.

However, I recently decided, with the support of my family, that I needed to face the reality that the vacation rental we planned to open in honor of my daughter’s dog, Rosebud, was not going to happen, at least not in the foreseeable future.

Our plan was to convert an old building on our farm – the original farmhouse from the 1880s – into a vacation home and donate a portion of the rental proceeds to Make-A-Wish North Dakota. We also wanted to host a camp once a month where a family with a child with cancer could stay overnight and experience a farm experience.

Rosebud, a puppy my daughter Ellen received from the producer of Santa Buddies after she and our family visited the set on a Make-A-Wish trip in December 2008, was Ellen’s best buddy for 14 years, comforting her during her two-year cancer treatment. In the years that followed, Ellen and Rosebud were a team, not only on the farm, but also in raising awareness and funds for organizations that helped children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases in some way.

Contribution

Our family wanted to give back to Make-A-Wish-North Dakota, the organization that granted Ellen, then a 5-year-old diagnosed with leukemia, a wish to visit the set of Santa Buddies in 2008. The wish was further strengthened when the film’s writer and co-producer gave Ellen Rosebud.

We knew that converting an 1880s building with no electricity, plumbing or sewage system into a vacation home and campground called Rosebud’s Retreat would be a costly undertaking, so I did an extensive search for available grants.

It turns out there were plenty of them, but very few that could be used for a private, for-profit business venture. I applied for one, fairly confident that our project met the criteria and that the amount I was asking for was a drop in the ocean compared to the total available.

But then a few large projects were selected for funding and given a lot of money. Although I was disappointed and, I admit, disillusioned with the way the funding process was handled, I was still determined to push ahead with our project and use some of our own savings.

That was the plan until a few weeks ago, when reality hit me again, this time with a fatal blow in the form of the septic tank cost estimate, which was the first step in building the project. Our plan was to install the septic tank, after which the plumbing and electrical work would follow.

As it turns out, the septic tank would cost twice as much as expected, and the rest of the work would probably cost as well. Not only would it use up all our savings, but it would put my husband and I in debt at a time when that would be unrealistic, as I am retired and my husband is retiring in less than a year.

I’ve thought of many fundraising ideas, from contacting Hollywood stars like my favorite Tom Cruise to donate to the project, to asking a famous country singer – Tim McGraw or George Strait are at the top of the list – or Ellen’s music hero Taylor Swift to host a benefit concert at our farm, to holding a silent auction with donations from the former and the latter. However, I’m realistic enough to know that these things only happen in movies.

Speaking of films, I think the quote from Field of Dreams: “If you build it, they will come” applies to this project as well, but the challenge here is in the building. We haven’t found a way to do that yet, so for now Rosebud’s Retreat remains a dream that will not come true, and that is the reality of life.

Ann Bailey lives on a farm near Larimore, North Dakota, that has been in her family since 1911. You can reach her at [email protected].

Ann is a veteran journalist with nearly 40 years of experience as a reporter and editor covering a variety of topics, including agriculture and business. Story ideas or questions can be emailed to Ann at [email protected] or by calling 218-779-8093.