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'I ditched life as Playboy model for an abandoned farm in the middle of nowhere'

Football September 21, 2024 12:39 AM

An ex-Playboy model decided she wanted a more relaxed pace of life and bought an abandoned farm to renovate.

Catjira, 31, who is known only by her first name, moved to Las Vegas in 2019 where she kept up a high-profile schedule as a popular model and performer. But she found herself overwhelmed with the non-stop workload, having to shoot constantly, take social media pictures and appear in feature shows.

So, she gave it all up and moved from the bright lights of Vegas to the calming views of Nashville, Tennessee, three years ago, in a bid to find a more stripped-back life away from the glitz and glamour. Catjira bought a derelict farm in the south and decided to set up her home in the rural countryside.

Instead of constantly travelling between Vegas and LA for work, Catjira now spends her spare time fixing up the once-barely habitable farm. She explained: "I've been gardening for most of my life, I just wanted to do it on a bigger scale and not be limited to a few potted plants on my patio."

Catjira, who has a Bachelor's degree in business, continued: "I truly have no idea of what I'm doing. I had to hire help to fix the mould and roof issues before I could even move in. Once that was fixed I've been focused on one room at a time and one outdoor project at a time."

"The vegetation was unmanageable; you couldn't even walk through most of the property, all the out-buildings were collapsing," she said. The farm had been destroyed by tornadoes, with structures collapsing and fences needing replacing.

"My big project of 2025 will be restoring my collapsing five-stall horse barn to its original state. It's really important to me to try and preserve what's there rather than tear down and start from scratch," she explained, adding it was the Covid pandemic that inspired her to make the dramatic shift.

And since then, she has been forced to learn a lot of new skills. "I live extremely rurally, so hiring professional help with contractors is super limited - most people won't travel this far out," Catjira said. "I've had to learn how to use almost every power tool, tractor equipment, carpentry, and a ton about growing and landscaping."

"Within the first four months of moving here, I built a large garden that was then completely washed away due to drainage issues during a storm. I've learned the hard way on so many things," she continued. "I think the biggest skills I've learned have been patience, and learning to research and study my property to make sure the projects I've been working so hard on will actually work. Which takes multiple seasons sometimes."

The former model added: "I love growing and preserving food and I want to do something beneficial for the environment. I grow native plants and am very close to becoming a certified wildlife habitat. I hope in the future to create a quaint memorable pumpkin patch though. Some of my best memories were at pumpkin patches and I really love creating something like that."

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