Countdown begins...

Let's just say the kitchen floor was much easier to remove than the bathroom. We put everything away, as we have been staying at the farm the last couple weekends, and began prepping the floors to be refinished. Last week the wood for the living room floor arrived. J is finishing up by sanding the edges of the rooms, and we will be refinishing them this week. A coat on the floor each night and we will be done by the weekend. Then we will spend the weekend laying the living room floor.

I had painted the kitchen a couple weeks ago what I thought was going to be a lovely light french country yellow. Well, my peepers must not be what they used to be as this was not the color that was on the wall. It had a neon glow and a limey tint to it. Sooo, it was a redo with with "sandpiper", a nice muted tone ala Martha Stewart. While the picture does not do it justice, believe me it was not pretty in the evening under the lights.

I am close to having the painting complete. It would be easier if I was left alone to crank along quietly. Doesn't always happen that way, so lots of distractions, etc. Also doesn't help when the husband decides he can't fix the leaning barn in a snow storm and decides he must sand the floors in the space you are working in. And then asks why you didn't get the painting done and don't I know we have a deadline coming up. The wonders of home improvement with your spouse.

However, he is right, in that we will begin moving in in about two weeks. We put our house in town up for lease for April 1 and we already have two folks interested (in just two days). They were the first two couples to view it. We have three more lined up for showings. It seems like good timing for us, and a 2% vacancy rate in town doesn't exactly hurt.

Garden planning has begun. My seed order from Baker Creek came in. It was like Christmas, but better. When it comes to seeds I may actually be prepared for eternity. I needed a good place to store my seeds, one that is mouse proof. So I went to the local army surplus store and bought some vintage ammo boxes. They are the best and all the packets fit perfect and upright so you can sift through them quickly.

I am in the market now for a lighted grow rack. My one light will not be enough to start all the starters we are planning on. The longing for spring has begun. And, with perfect timing, winter in Colorado has finally decided to come pay us a visit. Snowing heavily two weekends in a row.

A couple weeks ago we came to the farm to find a "hello neighbor" note on the door. It seems there is a community group here that brings together all the far flung folks. They purchased an old school in the 70's, that was built in 1925. They host the local 4H there and also have a potluck once a month. Membership is an extremely modest fee and all you have to do is host the potluck once a year and participate in some cleaning/fix up days. So, we decided to check it out on a very snowy night, and meet the neighbors. In our new neck of the woods neighbors could live 20+ miles away.

We were welcomed warmly and met some great characters. J whispered that this was a glimpse of our future. No bake cherry cheese cake and ranchers teasing each other over home cooked meals and what not. That evening they invited a speaker. He was from one of the local railroads and he did a presentation on railroad safety. While not something I would have chosen for a Saturday night out, it was actually pretty interesting. Especially living in an area with regular in town train traffic. Even with the snow it was a good crowd that ventured out in the cold, and we anticipate meeting even more folks at the next one. I also met some potential livestock mentors as well. Very excited about that.

Thursday night J's mom came in from the east coast to visit, see the farm and stay with us while we still have a guest room. Today we went to the farm after hitting the vintage store (found the perfect bathroom mirror), and painted some trim. She likes the house, which is appreciated. I know it isn't easy to readily see the vision we have for the place. But the view sucks everyone in.

Tonight, I am sleepy, and happy that Monday is a holiday for me. I may actually get all the window trim and doors painted. Then it's just the kitchen cabinets left.

I can't believe it is so close. When we are there I never want to leave. It already feels like home. Like a sanctuary.