Building Gallery

The progress made in July through October has been downright encouraging. Truly this house is getting its 'guts'- all the things that make it purr and function and tick, instead of just a sturdy shell against the elements.

M took vacay and worked heavily on the house. Our other two mainstays have been our friends G and P. Their dedication to this project has been an act of love and tenacity. They have muscled through crazy designs and materials that no one will ever really know what it took. We're so grateful for them!


See below:

Come along, let's check out the blue house...

Notice the gutters are on! Thanks to J

See that fiddler on the roof?

There he is. This was no small feat. All vents in the house exit here: chimney, radon, plumbing.

And here the fiddler inside the roof. G is making it happen!

Walls really make it look like something!

Exciting: We have our kitchen planned and it includes 2 sinks! (one was $10 and one was free- but they're just what we need)

Keeping it tidy and labled...

Here is where the magic happens!

Miles of wire!

Water shut-offs

Toilet will go in there somewhere...

Choice

A common question we get, naturally, is "When do you hope to move in?"

Well folks I have, what feels like, breaking news!

Nothing has changed...except me- I have.

I am officially taking my horse called Timing out of the house-building race. I'm thinking of entering my other horse, named Patience.

In other words, I have made a choice to continue renting at our current location for another full year. Who knows...it could end up being 2 years more, but before next fall, I don't plan on thinking about the possibility.

The truth is, we're building this house around the edges of life and work and on spare energy, which isn't much! We have at least a year's work to do. Add to that, the design and techniques are unique and thus new for every worker. There remains design work to complete the house. Holes are drilled through steel frames, not wood, increasing the effort needed for the task and the tools. And truly, with a resourceful engineer in the family, we need a shop/garage/barn for tools and machinery.

So instead of racing my horse, I plan to revel in the luxury of knowing where I will live, raise children, host people, and garden for the next year.
(Had I stable housing in the past 4-7 years, I might not even realize what a luxury it is!)

• I hope to plan a trip. 
• I will definitely grow things...in the same plot! 
• I will make and teach and listen to music.
• I might even relax from time to time. 
• I will let contentment bloom. 
• I will invite joy. 
• I will fight resentment. 
• I will build marriage. 
• I will make a plan for spirit and mental healthfulness through the dark winter. 
• I will create home in this borrowed house.
• I will give myself to parenting. 
• I will try to find time to write down poetry.
• I will resist over-committing for me and my family. 
• I will surrender to the Grace of God rather than the moments of desperation.
• I will get light into this poorly oriented house by hook or by crook, even if it's just within my soul. 
• And I will chase the light outside and haul my daughters with me!

And I will move into our new house...when it's ready.

Family walk at evening, down our borrowed farm lane.