Mud and Stress

Mama told me there’d be days like this. (Actually, what she said was more like, “You’re going to have some challenges with that property”, but Van Morrison is just a little more poetic.) Reality keeps interfering with my beautiful plans for smooth and easy development of this land. “Low budget” was also part of my plan, and reality is definitely messing with me on that front. I keep reducing my expectations of what I can accomplish with my limited budget, and now I’m down to postponing

The Grove

While waiting for all the contractors to align so that the big work can get started on the property, I’m jumping into my first DIY project – The Grove. The first time I walked into this amazing circle of old maples, towering cedars, and moss-covered alders, I was struck by the beauty of the space. At the time, I was also struck by a lot of sticker vines and springy branches in the face, since the area had obviously been growing wild for decades. My feet sunk into several inches of decaying

Meeting Jack

I would like to formally state for the record that I don’t know Jack. (In other words, I know nothing.) I don’t know anything about connecting to the electrical grid, nor anything about how water gets from underground into my nice convenient tap. I don’t know anything about septic systems or how they interact with power and water. I don’t anything about developing raw land into a habitable home, but I’m learning. I’m the kind of person who likes to feel competent and in control. (Don’t we