Lisa,
Eight Acres!! Oh my gosh! I had 2 acres in California. After giving it 30 years of love, it got to be too much for me. I understand what you mean though. I thought, after 30 years of cultivation (no lawn, just a forest of trees with every plant I could think to grow in zone 8), just a season of "I can't do this anymore" turned it into a weedy mess.
I am thankful (now, after 3 years) that my husband said its time to move on. I raised my family there, I loved it, cleaned it, took care of it and nurtured it but it was time
.
I know that's not an option for everyone and I can guarantee it took 3 years of convincing before I was ready to let it go. We had a two story house sitting on a bluff above the river plain. There was no place that wasn't up or down. It took until noon everyday for me to make it downstairs - luckily, we lived in an upside down house: kitchen and master bedroom upstairs. And a backdoor onto a deck with access to the yard for the dog (she would have needed a good bladder to wait for me).
But I do have to suggest you grow plants that want to live in your area. The Lavender might be a pipe dream at this point in your life. Maybe just a pot you can drag into the barn in the winter is enough. Make your life easier - you said you had priorities. Figure out what you can live without. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
Daisy
