OK, I'll admit it...this path we've chosen is NOT an easy one. Heading off into the wilderness (or just 11 acres 5 miles outside of town) to carve out oneself a life has always held a certain romantic appeal for me. Having somewhat of a rebellious nature (in a good way, really!) only fuels my belief that if someone says you can't do it...then you MUST absolutely find a way to do it, just to prove the naysayers wrong! (Just ask hubby...I can't stand being told, "That's just not possible!"...My current conundrum...isn't there a way to use the natural mountain stone on our property for kitchen flooring? Does anyone else think that's a cool idea? Or, how about lining the walls of one of the shower stalls? Wouldn't it be amazing to shower in a "mountain stone shower?")
When one tackles these types of projects, it is inevitable that at some point you realize that you've gotten yourself in a situation from which there is no turning back. Like the time I agreed to make cheerleading uniforms for a local school - over 90 separate pieces of clothing, total. It sounded like a good idea, a challenge, to be sure...and the payoff was satisfying...but when I was sitting in my sewing room surrounded by mountains of white ponte knit, I did pause once or twice to entertain the thought, "What was I thinking?"
Or the time I decided to spackle a compass rose on the ceiling of the school room in our last house. Rich made a tool that I used to texture the spackling...and after transferring my measurements onto the bare ceiling, my "vision" quickly became a reality. I didn't realize until I started to paint, however, that getting paint into all the channels made by the texturing tool required Herculean effort. Many hours, one coat of primer and two coats of paint later, I was quite pleased with the results. Admittedly, there were moments that I regretted even starting. But my stubborness (see...a good thing, really!), would not let me quit.
In the end, though, it is the satisfaction of accomplishment that numbs the memory of pain, much as the sight of a newborn baby erases much of the trauma of childbirth. And, truthfully, if we understood the effort required by many of our endeavors, we'd draw the curtains and curl up in a ball in the corner of the basement. Life is hard.
We have been cutting wood forever, it seems. And there is a lot more to cut before we can start the foundation. We have been blessed by some wonderful friends who have come "armed" with chainsaws, and left with sore arms. Thank you, Joe, Bob, Mike, Jeff, and Jacob! We appreciate you all so much!
We have a long road ahead of us. At times, it does seem overwhelming. We have never attempted anything of this magnitude before, and we're not extremely knowledgeable about much of what we're doing. There will be many long days. Physically and emotionally tiring days. But, I know we'll get there, Lord willing! See, I've been down this road before. And I've already entertained the "What-if's?" But, I also know the rewards of hard word and perserverance. I've tasted the fruit of my labor and it is sweet, indeed.
J-Bird is reading "Do Hard Things" by the Harris brothers, which was written to counter the cultural messages of laziness, aimlessness and hopelessness targeting teenagers today. It is our hope that this whole home-building experience will be a legacy to our children; a treasure-trove of life lessons that will serve them throughout their adult lives. Lord willing, that is our desire.
Enough blathering. Here's a few photos of the culverts after we moved the stone across. In the first one, you can see both culverts. Once we cleared away the weeds, we could see a second ditch, although dry, where water obviously flows in heavy rainy times, so we went ahead and installed a second pipe. Not glamorous, again, but needful. Second photo is just a bit closer.
Next photo is Bob in action:
Stay tuned!
Kris
Has me thinking...could this be something that would influence a pagan religious belief about animal spirits and such? If anyone knows the answer, please leave a comment. It would be an interesting topic for homeschooling discussion. If I find an answer, I'll write about it later.
