I don't even want to talk about moving. Everyone knows how soul-sucking it is, those last few boxes that really should be labeled "CRAP", the late crazy hours. But to explain, we moved out of our fair city, packed more into the barn than logistically possible, and are living in the airstream while we work on the house/farm. This was my idea, (I know!)...but it felt like it was time to move forward, and it's actually nice to be able to answer the question 'Where do you live?' with one sentence instead of a loopy story of what is up that week. Cops don't like it when you can't explain why your driver's license has one address, you are getting pulled over in another county, but you work in yet another one. Just for example.
There are challenges to living small, but it is a magical lesson in simplicity that I am quite enjoying.
One of the things I feared about moving to the country was that I would sort of diminish from the face of the earth. (Also part of the reason for starting this blog.) It's hard to leave a place where so much 'cool' is happening on a continuous loop. All we had to do was walk out the door, and there would be crazy parades and festivals and all kinds of people and music and food and and and...
I'm having a hard time putting into words to the collective thing that is the flood of deliciousness that has since slayed that fear. It has been nonstop almost...late nights on side porch swings drinking wine, girly days of late breakfasts and thrift store shopping time, a trip out west to a place now so familiar it feels like another home to a gathering of folk from all over the country, (including a poetic and informative reading from the book The World is a Carpet by the author, and a chance run-in to this sweet banjo player we met last May), and a family celebration with more of us in one place since I don't know when...and then the moments in between of simple meals and sunsets and work and making house into home, on a small scale in the shadow of what will be.
In farm/house news, we have good and bad. The good first:
Septic tank!
A fence! Um, I have no photo...it is difficult to get a good pic of an 8' wire fence. But this team of dudes knocked that shiz out in 2 days, and there is a lot of happiness going on the the mr's world because of this.
Water! Out of a functioning well house! Also no picture. I know, ham...no burger.
Power! I can't show the video of the ceremony, as the husband has taken to working in his undies and didn't even put on pants for the event. It is so hot, and what good is living in the middle of nowhere if you can't work in your skivvies? Anyhoo, we had a little moment where we toasted with sparkling water and said a few words about light and love and home and life. And then:
A happy dance followed, to the tune of contemporary Christian beats because that's the only clear station!
The not so great:
An unpleasant moment was the testing and discovery that we do in fact have an entire house of 100 year old wood we want to salvage covered in peeling flaking lead paint. All of the walls, all of the ceilings, all of the rooms. (Well not the upstairs because it's new.) It didn't take 30 seconds for that pink to show up, it took about 2. I know I don't have a baby that's going to be gnawing on window sills but I'm a little overwhelmed navigating what I think should be done (and I'm not the one doing the labor so much), and convincing the one who IS (ahem) to deal with it in a way that seems thorough (to me) and reasonable (to him). So if you have any experience and/or advice with dealing with lead paint removal, I'd love to hear it.
(deep breath...tho not inside the house, ha!)
Ok, so even though we have some views that look like this:
From the same spot with a different perspective there is this:
So I gotta chin up. :)
One thing that is very clear to me about what we are trying to create is that I want MORE PARTIES. Obviously we aren't ready yet, but lots of hoopla and shindigs and shenanigans are intended in the future!
Some family fiesta photos (no pics of the guests of honor, really this is getting embarrassing):
Love this, life.
