...meaning the baby apparently seems to be enjoying its in utero surroundings so much, s/he hasn't given many signs of joining us in the outside world anytime soon. The due date is just one week away and we are so excited. A week may sound like very little time to most people, but when every minute holds the possibility of going into labor and watching our world turn upside down, a week feels like an eternity.
I feel so good though. Good genes? Happy baby? Healthy system? Whatever I might attribute it to, I have been blessed with a wonderful pregnancy that has allowed me to carry on with life as usual only with the added, excited anticipation of meeting the newest member of the family.
On Friday, Chris and I celebrated 5 years of marriage at our realtor's office, signing purchase agreement papers for the sale of our house! We found a buyer, and assuming all goes well with the final inspection this afternoon (happening this very moment), we will be one giant step closer to moving to the farm next month. We would close on the sale Sept. 30, which means our valiant family and friends get to help with one more move soon! The timing is perfect in so many ways (despite having to move with a 4 week old baby), we feel so blessed by how many of these major changes are happening in sync with our goals. We're very close to snuggling up with baby in the wee hours of the morning on our farm deck.
We spent the rest of the weekend at the farm, basking in gorgeous weather, and finishing up projects indoor and out...the oak molding inside is about 90% complete now, thanks to Charis's creative patchwork on a few doorways...the deck benches are treated and waiting to be pounded in, and the cedar hot tub is out of the boxes and waiting for final installation - whoohoo! I am also quite proud of myself for successfully deciphering the sanskrit IKEA instructions for the baby's crib and dresser assembly...it just took a lot of time, two sets of screwdrivers, a piece of Charis's zucchini bread and a piece of mom's mocha pie for me to wade through the Swedish stick figure instructions. I swear, anything's possible with pie.
So, here I sit at work, waiting for the moment I have reason to bolt out of here and get my stopwatch to start timing contractions. In the meantime, I'm reflecting on a phenomenal past few years and anxiously anticipate tonight, tomorrow, next week, next month, next year...
Monday, August 29, 2005
Baby Prefers the Indoors
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7 comments:
Does it take a lot of courage to up and move to a farm? My wife and I live in the Bay Area and are just about fed up with the lifestyle here. She's got a garden this season which was an overwhelming success with respect to pear tomatoes and cuccumbers, and we've been getting to the backcountry as much as possible, but it's not enough. After she gets her grad degree, we're out of here, but we don't know where. I really did stumble onto your site accidentally, but you're bascially describing what my wife and I want to be doing in a couple years. We're thinking Missoula, maybe, or someplace in Idaho. Moscow? It's tough, though--how do you know if you're going to miss things like Sushi? (Doubt it). Anyway, good luck, and thanks for sharing this interestig time of your life.
I don't know what the deal is with all the spam--just wanted you to know that my comment above is not spam, and I am just interested in what it's like to make the transition to a small farm.
Thanks for your interest in our project and blog! We're thrilled to reach people like you and share our vision with the greater community. In one word, YES, it does take a lot of courage to up and move to a farm. However, my husband and I have had the blessing of forging this dream in partnership with my sister and her husband. In fact, this move would not be happening had the four of us discovered our shared vision two years ago and moved on it right away. They moved out to Minneapolis from Portland, OR, (land in the midwest being cheaper than on the west coast) summer 2004, and we happened upon our farm just two months later. We've spent the past year fixing it up on weekends, and finally next month all four (five with baby) of us will be living out there full time (it's 90 miles from the Twin Cities). We wanted property within a day trip from a major metro area to maintain ties with the culture and community of the city (and restaurants and diversity and music and on). Also, so that some of us could keep our jobs, commuting part time to the city. It is financially possible for us to make this move because we have chosen to live communally. However, we have chosen to live communally for a host of reasons--shared lifestyles, family, less environmental impact, increased ability to and encouragement to achieve our ultimate dream of living off the grid. I cannot stress the importance of at least trying to make a dream like this happen if it is deep within you. Montana and Idaho are amazingly beautiful and seem to have good supportive communities for this kind of lifestyle. If you want to read some of our past entries, you'll find some good resources. Otherwise, Google is great for finding sites on "community farms" "independent farming" etc. We'd also be happy to chat anytime! Please keep in touch--
Rebecca Newhouse
You guys are an inspiration. I told my wife about your blog--she read the whole thing smiling. (I think she's the one who left the rhubarb comment on an early post). We're building toward the same dream, saving as much as we can, living as simply as possible, and we'll keep reading here for tips, insight, and your great humor. And because we can't wait to hear what happens next (especially with the baby!)
Brian (anonymous above)
P.S. It's going to be crazy-haired girl (my strange prediction--hope you don't mind)
Ahh, the rhubarb comment! Nice to finally make that connection. No, unfortunately rhubarb leaves are not swiss chard...they're actually quite poisonous, so if you and your wife plant it, enjoy the juicy red stalk only! We've consumed so much this summer, my sister has about 101 rhubarb recipes if you're ever interested.
Your questions, insight and affirmation are so appreciated. I am just so glad that we've reached more people who have similar interests...sometimes we feel like we've just stepped off the mothership, the way some people react to what we're doing. But really, we're city-loving, world-view seeking, reading, researching, challenge-driven learners like most everyone else. Can I ask what inspired you and your wife to move towards a simpler, countryfied lifestyle?
Thanks also for the best wishes for baby (be it wiggly boy or wildhaired girl). If you do check back, you can be sure to find the news as it happens.
Hey Brian! Welcome to our little blogspot. It's great to have you and your wife on board. I adore Missoula - a perfect blend of country and hippie college town. And stunning scenery to boot. Jay and I drove through there on the way out here with our horses from the west coast and we actually stopped for a night. I was very charmed and had a delicious meal there. Other good options on this wavelength are Corvallis, OR and Ashland, OR, though real estate wouldnt' be as cheap.
Come and visit us in WI any time! I just hope you like tomatoes...
Charis Collins
Hi Charis, thank you. We picked another crop of pear tomatoes this afternoon, but our Celebrity tomatoes haven't fared as well. We'll definitely check out Missoula in the next couple years--I'm not sure if I can deal with the cold, though, being a California-raised kid.
Becca, I don't know how we got onto the idea of simplifying. I think it had something to do with the fact that my wife and I moved back here to the SF area from New Mexico (where we met) and were shocked at all the shiny cars and ostentatious wealth and we felt so uninterested. Then I read 'Your Money or Your Life' and started thinking about ways to save money. And then it grew into thinking about sustainable living--mentally, emotionally and financially. And then we thought about what we like to do--hike, run, garden, outdoor stuff--and realized there was no reason we had to live like everybody else. It's still a little amorphic. I don't know if we have what it takes to run a farm, but we wouldn't mind a couple goats and chickens, a river to fish, a little less traffic, a little more weather. We don't know if we're just dreaming or not. I do know that I want to do something different--my career is what it is and I'm happy with it, but I'm ready now to make something more out of the rest of life. Know what I mean?
Anyway, to all of you: again, thanks for sharing the struggle and joy of newfarm. (Oh, I get it--Newhouse, Newfarm!)
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