Thursday, March 22, 2012

Dog tired...

Today is another day off from the office. The final push to completely clear out the old house. J went into the office this morning and will come by at noon so we can load up the last trailer and haul it all to the farm. Saturday morning will consist of finally moving the chicken coop (the girls will love their new digs) and move J's pool table to a friends house. He decided he didn't want to put it in the new house (due to the small size of the new house) and will wait until we build a proper place for it. I think that is a good idea, although, I know he loves to shoot pool to unwind. Hopefully soon.

I feel spent and have not been on my best behavior lately. I tend to lose it slightly when coming to the end of a long, exhausting project. I saw Sister Monday and she told me I looked good considering all we have going on. Then, as Sister will do, she asked if I was really that together or just really good at covering it up. I told her that I had my moments. Then she asked what one of "my moments" looked like (fyi - no escaping the sharp eye of a Buddhist nun, let me tell you). I told her it looked like me screaming at the top of my lungs (slight exaggeration here, but only slight) "for the love of god please stop talking to me and be quiet." While I can usually express myself, I am not very touchy feely in talking about my feelings, and I tend to work things out in quiet and then talk. Note to all....quiet first. (wink)

Really, it is the imbalance of doing doing doing and not recharging. It doesn't take much. Could be several nights with a book, tea and a hot bath. Walks outdoors and voila, sane again. But, there hasn't been much time for all of that. But, we are hoping with the completion of the move, the pressure will let up a bit and we can make more time for sitting still. However, see previous blog. Projects will be eternal on a farm. Soo..balance is key, as is digging in the dirt (garden coming soon!).

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Presents,or is it presence...

Friday we had a special delivery. A bouncing baby tractor named Massey. I love this new addition to our farm family. J had already graded the caverns in the driveway by the time I came home. I can't wait to till up the garden. We decided to put in a very ambitious garden 300' x 25'. That is not counting the strawberry patch or the fruit trees. YUM.

Yesterday we straightened out the barn with the assistance of our friends Mike and Gary. Mike is an architect and had the equipment we needed. It is amazing to move a building in a matter of a few turns of a wheel. We also put in a new support beam so we can put in a real floor in the loft. Today J is building the new doors so we can start using the barn asap.
I am at the old house packing the last remaining remnants of our life here. The farm already feels like home. Like we have been there forever. Once we complete the finish work we can settle in more and have all our things out of boxes and storage. Probably another month before we say "Ahhhhh, we're done".

But, building a farm means you are never done. We still have coops to build, pastures to heal, fences to tear down and build up, goats to buy, pigs to fatten and the cycle continues on and on. Just my little slice of heaven.

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Compost...

Note to self... never put a compost pile in a place where you will eventually have to move it. At the house in town I had three compost piles. Two of the black plastic kind and a largerfenced in one for yard waste. Today, after I packed my little subaru as much as I could (here's hoping I can actually fit the dogs in now) I emptied the large compost bin. Moved it on top of one of the small raised beds (fit like a glove I might add) and proceeded to layer it with the contents of all three bins. Yes, they were full. I know you were wondering.

Now I am getting ready to head up to the farm and make some nice cornbread to go with yesterday's chili. And then, a nice long soak and I am done for the day.

Have I mentioned how excited I am that we are at the farm. For real. Not just a future hope when we finish this warped speed renovation. It's awesome.

Saturday, March 10, 2012

New digs...

By 7:00 am this morning we were loading up two large pickups and trailers. By we, I mean our friend Gary, J and I. Small crew, but we were able to get all the large furniture in the farm house by noon. Then we feasted on fresh salad with apples, walnuts and grilled chicken. By then we needed it. A few others arrived in the early afternoon to help with the second load. Then it was on to the second feast of spicy chili.

For a much smaller home then the one we are leaving, it seems to be more spacious in some ways. We have a lot more room for the dining table and have both our couches in the living room. My favorite room will be the office with the big fat reading chair, if I can claim it before the dogs that is.
Well, I need to run, as I came back to the house in town to grab some clothes and a couple things we overlooked getting moved today. I just wanted to give a quick update. It's starting to look like home already. Too bad I packed the book I was reading. That chair is calling me.

Friday, March 9, 2012

Update...

11:16 am.

First floor bathroom cleaned out, under the kitchen sink cleaned out, junk drawer (you guessed it, cleaned out), another load to go to the thrift store in my car, bedroom cleaned out, tons of books moved to the front door (geesh, and I got rid of a bunch!), furniture cleared and ready to be loaded in the morning.

Dogs napping at my feet. Ready for one myself.

Now, for a quick trip to the thrift store drop off (no entertaining thoughts of checking things out), bank run and grocery run to get the ingredients for lunch tomorrow.

Again, life is good. And I am constantly struck this morning that I am moving to the farm starting tomorrow. Dreams, they do indeed come true.

Off to a great start...

7:56 am.

Already packed the linen closet, cleaned the bedroom to move the furniture, emptied the drawers in the living room furniture to pack.

J went to the farm for the delivery of our friend's conex.

Life is good.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Gearing up...

*pic from etsy artist JMBarclay 

I have tomorrow off to pack and get ready for moving the big stuff to the farm on Saturday. I cannot contain my excitement. I am also anxious as hell thinking of how many things need to be accomplished in the next month. I am a maker of lists though. Once I put it down in a list, it all seems just a little bit more manageable.

We have some folks lined up to help, big trucks and two trailers. My blessed books are packed in totes and already at the top of the stairs. Priorities first, right. Next will be tackling the kitchen, which I actually don't anticipate being too difficult, despite my affinity for gadgets and fancy appliances (love the kitchenaid mixer and my ice cream maker!)

The single quandry I have is how to move the chickens. I have been cruising craig's list for a second chicken house to a, expand our capacity, and b, make the move of our coop less time sensitive and easier. However, chicken coops have become quite pricey, as have run down sheds. Geez, not always fun when something becomes trendy.

I do look forward to tomorrow, and just wrapping things up in a frenzied whirlwind so we can move as much as possible. We also bought a steel container to store the extra things that won't fit in the house. I think it was a good move. Gives us time to fix the barn so we won't be placing our things in a leaky birdfilled zone. Not so good for longevity.

So, I am now off to cram many things into small boxes so we can move on to the next adventure. Wish me luck.

Monday, March 5, 2012

Moving time...

Tonight was coat two of poly on the hardwood floors. This past weekend we laid the new hardwood in the living room. Looks amazing. This weekend, finish some trim painting and move the big stuff in. It seems surreal.
I must say that the old floors are nicer than the new floor. It's just how I roll. Vintage is always better than new. I love how the floors look with the black cabinets in the kitchen (don't mind the mess! it's still a construction zone)
I don't have too much to say, other than I am so excited to be at the farm full time. Here's hoping we can start staying there as soon as next week.
Did I say I loved my hardwood floors?