Long Lost Blog

OK...serious, serious, serious blagger here. Not sure I even remember how to post ;) Anyhow, last post: May 18th. Lots happened since then. Most notably we moved up to the ridge top paradise of our dreams. Also of Note, Liam had just turned 1 and Raelin was almost 4.

Both the kiddos are doing smashingly up here. Love it much.

I think this entry will mostly be a bunch of bullets filling in the scoop from the last couple of months...perhaps a bit tasky though we'll see ;)

So yup, up on the ridge. Stunning. Beautiful. Quiet. Inspiring. Healing. The place works on me daily in very subtle ways...ways that don't lend themselves to simple words. I just know that I *feel* really good up here.

The place needs a bit of work still to get it to where we want it. Been a busy summer for sure getting it to where it is: new paint on the house and shed, my office set up in the hay loft of the barn, moving stuff to and organizing once it's at the barn. Catching frogs, picking 40 pounds of blue berries. Building a new hen house and coop for 26 (now 25 since the runt didn't make it) new chicks. We got the "meat and egg combo" so half of them will be off to the butcher on 10/4. We've painted most of the downstairs of the house. We've gotten moved in...no small feat with 2 very young kids. Installed a water treatment system for the well. A new washing machine, and new dryer and fridge are on the way (thanks mom and dad!!!!). Also got a chest freezer to hold all the berries, birds, and 1/4 cow from a farm down the road. Also looking to dig a root cellar. Also had a tractor dude come in and mow/rototill our garden beds for next year. Also are in negotiations with our friends to buy the adjacent parcel of land, which includes viewshed from our house, a nice orchard, and generally 20 acres full of knock-your-socks off beauty. Also lucked out of the house or power lines getting hit by lightning a couple weeks ago; the tallest poplar in our yard got nailed instead. Was still *very* loud. Also Kelly started working 2 nights a week as a bartender. Also Bartlebee made the jump up from Down Under for a couple days, though her trip was a bit shorter than planned cuz she slept through her flight. Not slept on the plane, mind you, like was sleeping at the in-laws when she was supposed to be getting on said flight. Raelin did the best job rubbing in the fact that a too short visit had been shortened even more with her incessant "why did you sleep through your flight?" and "next time you need to be here longer." I've simply dubbed her "Brick." However I ended up having to work part of while she was here...bummer. Also, have been out to CA 2 times for work. Also my brother came out for a couple of weeks to help with the initial move and settle in...couldn't have done it without him. Nice to watch him on the land and its effect on him. Also my folks came out for 10 days or so, though I ended up having to work while they were here, too. Bummer. Not sure why visits are seeming to line up with the crazy work weeks...

Enough about the summer hectics, so about that work thing. I must say that I'm flying high with the job, the company, the coworkers. I think that at this point if the honeymoon were going to end, it would have ended. It hasn't. The caliber of people there and the ones that keep getting hired is staggering and humbling. Seem to have made my mark for better or worse there ;)

Been working on getting the shed-to-office conversion done. It's been very slow going as other projects keep getting triaged in. Today, however, I got a big chunk done, though not before bringing down some trees and brush near the barn the exterminator says need to go (we've got a little acrobat ant problem there that needs some attention). I still managed to get over half of the insulation in place for the slab I'll be pouring. Will bang the rest out tomorrow and also hopefully get all the radiant tubing and manifold ready to go. Hoping to get a short load of concrete delivered next week so I can keep on trucking on the project. Winter will be here very, very soon...well, OK, not *that* soon, but you get the point.

Anyhow, on a final note, I'm not going to Burning Man. Was super ultra bummed about it for awhile. Still bummed though I realize the timing's just really bad this year in so many areas. Really hoping to make my return next year...

So that's a catch up post...if you're still dropping by to see if I'll update do me a favor and drop a comment ;)