The House and The Water

I have lived in the same house less than half of my life. We moved in when I was seven years old, and I moved out when I was eighteen. I moved back in at twenty-five, so that's a total of eleven years in and fourteen out. However, this house was the same one that sheltered my mother and her brothers nearly their whole lives. My gramma bought this house, with its 1.6 acres, for $5,000.

The house she purchased was originally part of the house next door. In fact, our house was the servants' quarters. The house next door, our house and the house 2 lots down the road were all part of the same farmhouse.

I have always loved this place. I always will. My youngest sister and I used to dream of someday owning it and raising our children here. I believe it has one of the most beautiful properties around. I know every inch of it, but there's still something to discover everyday. It sits up from the road, well out of the valley-bottom, so the seasonal floods do not affect us, and never will.

However, as my calling in life has changed to more of an agrarian-based homestead I have come to the heart-wrenching conclusion that this property will not do.

Since it was a farm, I asked gramma (the property owner) about buying the acreage behind us (all of which is new-growth woodlands, and used to be cow pasture). She said that she had asked the property owner (who lives next door to us to the left) to purchase it. He declined and informed her that upon his death the land was going to a state organization that "preserves" natural areas. Upon speaking to my mother about this, she confirmed and added that she believed it was already in the possession of this organization.


(This was taken in early Autumn and looks out from the back of the driveway toward the road.)
How frustrating that prime farming land has been given to the state. I don't know which organization owns it, but most of the state-owned land in this county belongs to the watershed of New York City. My county hosts several of the reservoirs, but the Pepacton holds the largest amount of water of any of NYC's other reservoirs, and provides 25% or more of NYC's daily water usage.

As much as I love it here, the more I think about it, the less desirable my county seems as far as aligning with my future.

This Day

Today is one of those achingly beautiful days that your heart and head can't get enough of. It smells like spring, like new beginnings.

I am so grateful to be alive on a day like today.

After church, the Harvest Dinner was put on. Rachel and I signed up to serve and so during the last song in church we ran out and got ready to serve. Aprons on and gloved-up we dished out potatoes, vegetables, stuffing, and turkey along with sweet potatoes, gravy, rolls and tons of pie!

A Little Fun

Edited to add: Bailey made it! Here's a link to his post.

---

Mom has introduced me to this fun website: Dog Shaming, where you write embarrassing things your dog does and submit them. Most are great and some are down-right hilarious!

Here's the photo we captured of her miniature dachshund, Bailey.


I'm sorry it's fuzzy, the little booger wouldn't sit still at all!

We just submitted the photo to the website and are hoping Bailey makes it on. :)

Fall Comes With Thankfulness

The days are cooler and day light leaves us a full hour earlier. Leaves are turning brilliant colors before wafting to earth. Cycles of life and death continue to cleanse the natural world and change us from a growing season to a sleeping one. Traditionally fall is a time of great preparation for the coming winter. Canning and putting up the last vestiges from the garden, apple pressing and processing, preparing the ground for spring planting.

The work is never done, it just changes.

I wouldn't change where I live for the world. Oh, I'd move to a new property, but never out of this area, and I am very resistant to leaving even my county. I am especially fond of autumn here. The hillsides turn into a patchwork of brilliant colors, incorporating the blues and greens of our pines with the red, orange, and yellow of various other types of trees. The sugar maples take the show though, with their vividness.

Something is in the air here, something intangible and beautiful. A type of peace and a desperate understanding. I use 'desperate' as my descriptor because almost all of us who live here understand the phenomenal place we have. The quietness, the beauty, the undeniable enchantment that permeates the breeze.

Those of us who can't see it, leave. Some of us (including me) leave and then high-tail it back home, where we've always belonged – even if we didn't know it then. Some of us do not return, because this is not where God needs us, not where we are called to serve. Others grew up somewhere else, found us here, and knew they belonged.

I belong, and I finally know it.

Shepherdess

Classes are going well, though I am not enjoying my psychology class. We do almost everything on the computer, and while that's not exactly a hardship for me, it is annoying. We have two different (online) places to look for possible assignments becase she does not go over what will be due next class.

Our yard sale did in fact go well, we made $138 a piece. We cleaned it up Saturday afternoon before I had to leave for work. Just before we closed down though, a lady stopped and she and I got to talking about dogs (of course!) and it turned out she breeds Shetland Sheepdogs (a.k.a. Shelties) just up the road.

We talked and talked and talked, so much in fact that Gramma kind of walked away and started cleaning in spite of the customer.

She had a male seven year old black, tan and white, who needed a new home. So of course I took her phone number. Them I stewed about it. I talked to mom about the possibility of another dog. She seemed indifferent.

The following Monday I called her and asked to come see him. We talked and talked again. He was shy and would only sniff me with my back turned. I made a spur of the moment decision.

Because I didn't think I had enough going on already, I have become a sheltie shepherdess.


He's afraid of everything.

He hasn't lived in a house for years. He is scared by the washing machine, the dishwasher, the cabinets & drawers being opened and shut, people walking by him, and general moving of anything.

When he is frightened, he paces. And drools.

However, someone has worked hard with him because he is perfect on leash, absolutely silent in the house (except when the treats come out), and sweet.

He is reserved, but does come for petting, treats, and walks. He doesn't cuddle or play. He's not sure he trusts me yet.

That's okay though, I know a little about shy dogs.