Room to Move

The move is complete and we are settling into our new casa. This is the back part of the property. Between this wooded area and the house is a shed and an open yard which is soon to become our new produce section. I feel like I can fully stretch my arms and legs for the first time since moving to the city. There is so much room to move and live and play. The new space does provide a lot of new work, but who the heck made the decision that work is bad. Probably some lazy bum who loves the city and cheated his way through life. I say bring on the sweat and blisters. As soon as I finish unpacking all these stinking boxes, I am heading out to get my hands dirty. I also need to build a giant bookshelf, a built in desk, and a drying rack (for cloth diapers) which will be shaped like a little tree. Next, will be burning a bunch of rotten wood and dead leaves (and possibly some cardboard boxes) and then it's time to get ready for some chickens folks. That's right I said it...Chickens. Did I pay the pet deposit? No. Is a chicken a pet? No. There will be chickens. There will be eggs. There will be omelets.

Change

Open my garage and you will smell the winds of change. Well, actually the smell is musty old cardboard boxes dug out of multiple dumpsters around the city, but to me it is the smell of something new and exciting. It is the smell of dead winter plants returning to life under the spring Sun. It is the smell of hot dirt in a new garden. It is the smell of my toddlers sweet sweaty hair after playing in her new giant backyard. I am fired up about this change of address. Almost everything is done - mail forwarded, utilities transferred, and belongings (almost) all packed. This ship sails on Tuesday.

Our Christmas was different but fun this year. We experienced our families annual get together via my brother's web cam on his laptop strategically positioned in the corner of a room. Thus allowing us visual and audible access to all the present ripping and pie eating. Why didn't we make the short five hour journey to be with family during Christmas, you ask? Toddler + 3 week old + wife still recovering from a c-section and unable to lift said toddler + 5 hours in a car x (Toddler + screaming baby + 5 hours in a car) x
poopy diapers ⁿ. It was nice to be a part even if it was through a small impersonal window.

White Christmas

Merry Christmas!

Fishing

Is there anything better than fishing? I think not. I miss fishing. When I was younger I would fish all the time. As you can see from the picture, my father had a rod and reel in these hands as long as I can remember (not only that but what an awesome outfit). Here is a true tragedy: it has been almost 3 full years since the last time I baited a hook and dropped a line in the drink. This is something that needs to be remedied. I hope to log many hours in the years to come fishing with my own children, but for now I have to stop typing and watch ABC videos on SesameStreet.org with the toddler next to me begging for "ADCD, ADCD..." Technology sucks.

Uugg Packing

I have packed up all of my worldly possessions into an ever-growing number of cardboard boxes and moved them to a new residence six times in the past eight years. This move will be number seven. I am going to tell you right now...moving sucks! Wrapping, packing, labeling, lifting, shifting, sliding, straining, grunting, and groaning have worn down my soul to a tissue thin barrier. That tiny barrier between sane and insane is the only thing preventing me from taking all of my crap and throwing it into a blazing fire.

I could just live in the woods. No taxes. No job. No crowded grocery stores and bumper to bumper traffic. Just man, nature, and a homemade weapon for hunting. I'm talking Man vs. Wild combined with Survivorman times forever. If I was single with no kids this would be a very viable option.

Weaning Cupcake

We were sitting at the breakfast table yesterday chowing down on some syrup saturated waffles when we heard Isabel say "Izzy feed!" I looked down the table and there sat my little year and half old with her shirt up and Cupcake (her favorite doll) up to her chest apparently attempting to breastfeed as her mommy does new baby brother. It was hilarious. I don't really remember what we told her afterword but at some point I remember her yelping, "Daddy, Booby Milk. HAhaHAha!" My kid is nuts. She will be the one at school talking about the anatomical terms for usually unmentioned body parts, the one who spoils the idea of Santa Claus and the one who tells her classmates where babies really come from. She is superwoman. She is Einstein. She is Marion Jones minus the drug abuse. She is superior in every way to all of your children - future, past and present. Don't be jealous, just accept it.

Now since we have established that, let us move on to better stuff like the fact that we are moving into a sweet new rent house. That's right people. We got approved. This place is perfect. It is a small little house on one acre - half of that wooded with tall trees. The property is surrounded by property. Everyone around it has multiple acres for horses and such. There is a ton of perfect sunny space for a full garden this spring (most likely in raised planter boxes since most landlords don't really appreciate tenants tilling up their land). The little house has a sweet living room with ceiling to floor windows on three sides looking out over an open field. It has a small deck on the back of the house and a covered porch on the side where much coffee and conversations will be devoured as suns set and stars sparkle. We are really excited about this next phase of life on the Front Porch Farm. Maybe now, being trapped in the city life will be less like a life sentence with no parole, and more like 3 to 5 for tax fraud in a federal penitentiary with tennis courts and knitting lessons. The big move is New Year's Day, so I am off to start packing.