checking in
Creative problem solving, farm style
We are riding the edge of overwhelmed these days.
As I write this, the sun is not up yet. Wispy clouds edged with pink ride the sky, highlighting purple and yellow flowers in the CRP outside my window. I’m one cup of strong, hot coffee into the day. As I look back through the pics on my phone, trying to choose a couple to share with you, I feel a little shell-shocked by all that’s happened since I last posted here.
A month ago our house was moved onto its new foundation. Since then we’ve been enjoying a whirlwind of cleaning, carpentry, flooring. Amazing friends and family have helped with so many things. Some incredible contractors continue to do their essential work. Electricity is on in the house. Plumbing moves forward bit by bit. We’re not quite ready to flush the toilets yet, but soon. We have a basement floor, and scraps of sawdust and PVC piping adorn it.
We shared our first meal in the house a couple weeks ago, and actually sat down at the table to a full dinner with Lisa’s mom & dad last weekend. Of course, the dishes had to be hiked back to the trailer house for washing afterward. But it was still a milestone. Our granddaughter and her parents helped break in the new flooring last weekend as well.
At the same time, we’ve opened up a bit of space. We returned excess flooring supplies to the store. It felt great to put a few dollars back into our account. The water heater that was stored in the main level of the house for the move has shifted to the new basement. I have to say, having a floor in the basement is revolutionary.
Each day seems to include some new problem to solve, and some new delight. Our flooring volunteers informed us that enlarging that doorway would be much harder once the floor was installed. So what was going to be a 2025 project happened ten days ago, along with rewiring the light switch and building a new header.
New flooring and a door expansion in progress
The whirlwind doesn’t stop just because we’re refitting a house. We continue to work roughly full-time. After a lifetime of civic neglect, I’m on the hook this fall for jury duty both in my local county court and in the US District Court. We have a small family reunion this weekend, which is very exciting. Preparations move forward for our daughter’s wedding later this summer. Life is full and good.
With all of that going on, writing has ground almost to a halt the last few weeks. We had a lovely evening at Chapter2Books in Hudson, WI, and we have a few library events coming up in the fall, as well as the Deep Valley Book Festival in Mankato. But work on my next books seems stalled for the moment.
God is good in the midst of it all. We need to take time for rest and pace ourselves when it comes to projects. I’m confident that in a few weeks, these early morning writing sessions will be the routine again. I’ve missed this time. Thanks for reading!