We’ve officially been here for over a month, and somehow it feels like both the blink of an eye and a crash course in land ownership. This is the first place I've moved into where 90% of my stream of consciousness isn't just filled with ideas about what to do inside the house. Instead, it’s been a steady stream of thoughts concerning inside and outside of the house. What is that plant? How can we deter rattlesnakes? What kind of accent chair should we get? How do we clean this leaf litter up without breaking our backs? What color should we paint the guest room?
Every evening when the light shifts and the trees turn golden, we look around and can’t quite believe this is ours. The land is messy and demanding, but it’s also full of so many little gifts — a breeze that smells like pine, the sound of birds chirping and the creek flowing nearby, the way the sky opens up wider than it ever did in the city. It feels like both a responsibility and a blessing to care for this place, and surprisingly, it’s never felt overwhelming. At least not yet. We know how lucky we are to call it home.
This first month was all about figuring out what needs to be done to make our property as safe as possible — both fire-safe and free of hazardous little critters like ticks, rattlesnakes, etc. (as free as possible at least) — and buying the tools that actually make it possible to maintain.
