...New Bed...

We are having fun picking out some new items for the house. Since our mattress in on the floor and since we know we are sending our current bedroom set off to bedroom set heaven when we move, ie. Goodwill, we decided to buy a new one. In a departure from anything either of us has purchased before and in keeping with our new modern lofty style we bought a leather bed and matching ottoman.

This purchase is so off our style realm and I am thrilled about it.

There is something really exciting about starting over. New place, some new stuff, new friends, new chances, new outlook, new hopes, new dreams....

NEW!!

I know it is just a bed, but to me it is a symbol of all that is new and exciting about the island and what it has to offer us.

Longing...

I have never experienced the longing for anything like I am longing to be back at our home on the island. I never knew how painful dissatisfaction could be. Oh I know, I know, you can be satisfied with what you put your mind to. I understand that concept in theory but don't really grasp it in practice. I have a sense of freedom there that I have never felt before. I hunger for that. Never before have I felt such a sense of satisfaction from doing things like yard work or painting. I am not even as afraid of bugs and spiders there as I am here. I know, that sounds weird but it is logical really if you think about it. The bug fear an loathing is a worthwhile price to pay to receive such great pleasure. So bring it on bugs. I call you down to a showdown. It is you and me on my home turf.....emphasis on the home. :)

Deer, Deer, & More Deer

So, if it seems like I am on a deer kick, I am. I couldn't get over how many were in our yard on a daily basis. They were so beautiful and majestic. EVERYONE says that we are going to hate them and do our best to keep them away but they are crazy. That is exactly why we picked a spot like we did. We love the nature. Of course, we will build a fence around our garden to keep them out. I am cool with that.

The first morning I got up alone, after SuperMoto had left for D.C. I saw something odd crawl out of the shrubbery. It had a long body and strange legs. This is what it was.

It was an ity baby deer that was newly walking and sort of had a strange crawl that it did that first day.

She fed for awhile.

She was so aware of me standing there and that tree is about 20 feet from the house, so she was so close.

If that weren't enough, on another day there were two young males in the yard. They had the soft, fuzzy antlers. I was so stunned at their beauty.

OH YEAH....on a side note...Do you see how tall the grass is in all of these pictures? The grass got so tall between trips this last time. The majority was in the three to four foot high range but there were sections that were five and six feet tall. We had to cut it all. Of course that is a story for another day.

Imagine all the whining and crying we are hearing from The GeoDog with all of these deer around?

The GeoDog & Deer Stalking

Turns out the GeoDog is obsessed with deer. As you can see, she looks out the living room window at the deer. What you can't see or hear rather is the high pitched wailing whine that seeps from her quivering lips as she watches the deer whilst standing on a pile of hardwood floor that raises her up high enough that she can look out the window happily.

If she is wanting to go outside and play and we are too busy to take her, all we have to do is say, " Is that a deer?" She immediately runs around the house from window to window hunting it, hoping to catch a glimpse of what we suggested but wondering why she isn't seeing it.

Many a time thus far we have heard the high pitched whine and wondered why she was crying only to see a deer appear out of nowhere by way of the bushes or from behind tall grass. Somehow the GeoDog not only saw it but was able to keep track of it long enough to alert us of it's whereabouts.

And if that isn't bad enough, when she isn't standing on the wood pile, she is standing up like a person looking out the window at the deer.

Ok, on a side note, see the lovely owl statue on the railing just outside the window to the right of the photo. Because that is a wall of windows, the previous owners were worried about birds flying into them and devised a plan to scare them away with large plastic owls. We now are the proud owners of two of them. Hmmm..... Should we take bets as to how long it will take me to get those things in the car on the journey to the dump??? For now they stay but soon they go. Craigslist or Ebay anyone? I will sell them to the highest bidder. Any takers?

Time Marches On...and on and on and....

Have you noticed that time seems to just march on by? I am not ready. Really I am not. Slow down, I can't keep up!!

Yesterday my sweet husband said to me that I am like the contractor/scheduler. I am the one who is responsible for scheduling what work needs to get done at the house and by when.

So, are you with me sisters or what? How can I possibly know how long it will take and by when he can get it all done, when he is doing a bunch of stuff for the first time and single-handedly. Please tell me. I LOVE the idea of being in charge but somehow I think it is in name only. (giggle)

Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining! By doing the work ourselves we are able to do a bunch of things that we couldn't do if we had to pay for the labor to have someone else do it for us. On the other hand, I have no idea how long it is going to take him to run new plumbing to the island for the sink. I really have no idea what is it will take to run the water to the ice maker or move all the outlets six inches to the left so they won't be behind appliances. I really can't fathom how long it will take to install the cabinets or tear down the staircase railing and start over.

So here is what my calendar looks like right now...

Notice all those tiny blank spots. YEAH, ME TOO! I am so stressed about it. Too much to do too little time. My man is going to have a broken back by the time he is done. He will have to keep working to relieve him from his retirement. He is such a good sport.

The lesson I am learning in all of this is that we are living a dream together. We are in this together. Cliche or not, "Love Concurs all!" I know we can do this and when we are basking in the afterglow of moving to the island some day in the near future, I am sure we will be so jazzed that we did it all ourselves and get to enjoy it and take pride in it.

LAME EXCUSE FOR A BLOGGER

View From Our Living Room....Ahhhhh...
I have failed at blogging. Who knew this would take so much time. We have been back up to the house twice since I blogged. I never realized how tired I would be when I planned on this blogging stuff. By the end of the night at the house I plop down in front of this view and I don't want to turn on my computer to do anything but watch something mindless like a movie.

I humbly apologize!

This last trip was the first time I was at the house alone. I ended up there for seven days by myself and two more weeks with SuperMoto. Everyone I know has been asking how that was for me, being alone. Well, let me tell you....

I LOVED THE QUIET!

I LOVED THE ISOLATION!

I LOVED THE PRIVACY!

I LOVED WORKING HARD!

I LOVED MAKING FRIENDS!

I LOVED DREAMING ABOUT THE FUTURE THERE!

I HATED THE THOUGHT OF GOING BACK AFTER THIS!

I painted the basement

three colors and then proceeded to put trees on the walls to give it a

whimsical feel and to brighten up the room.

I did my first loads of laundry in the new washer and dryer. That might seem like something lame to get excited about but The GeoDog is a shedder and I am so sick of dog hair. I was thankful to wash all the things that hadn't been washed since we got the place and look forward to more washing there. ( OK, if you believe that you clearly don't know my laundry tendencies!)

Once again SuperMoto saved the day with his hard work. He kicked butt and took no prisoners and we lived to tell you all about it so life is good.

All in all we had a terrific trip. I will try to be a better blogger but until then, be patient with me friends. I am tired.

Day 2 Oh My Husband's Poor Back!

I worked with weights at hand therapy Thursday. 15 reps x 2 of 4 lbs. makes my hand hurt for a few days. 

Have I mentioned that we are hauling up tons of weight and are going to have to unload it ourselves??????

Back to that what were we thinking thing!

I am so excited but I could cry at the same time. 

Oh well, I will do what I can and my husband will bear the burden of making this life choice in the middle of my hand surgeries. I know he is all tough and strong right now but when it is just he and I and the dog on the island with a uhaul full of heavy stuff he is going to be whining. JUSTIFIABLY!

So, SuperMoto, I am sending this appology out into the ether and hopefully it will gently come down to you when you are in pain and are suffering unloading at the new house. 

Thank you and I love you!

Moto

Day 1 What the Heck Were We Thinking??

Ok, so we bought a house on San Juan Island recently. 

"WOW"

If you know us then you are probably saying, "wow" too. If you don't, you soon will and I am sure you will be thinking a lot worse things than wow.

By 'we' I mean my husband (SuperMoto), myself (Moto), and our dog (The Geodog). 

We went on vacation to the Pacific Northwest in November 2008. We were gone only a week. We stayed three nights on San Juan Island. This was the first time we had ever been on the island although we honeymooned on Vancouver Island, so we knew we loved the area. 

I digress.  A Lot!!

We were on vacation on the island. We had made an appointment to look at houses to just get an idea of what the prices would be like. When we went into the realtor's office we had a very firmly stated speech all prepared about how we were just looking and that we had no intention to buy. She took it well. Why? Because she knew us better than we knew ourselves.

The next thing you know we were the proud owners of a house, 

some acres, 

 and are on the adventure of a lifetime!!

Since we live in California full time, and I have just had my 3rd in a series of hand surgeries, and my husband works full time in Northern California you might be wondering what we were thinking buying this island paradise home?

Come to think of it......What the heck were we thinking????

Sure, sure... We were thinking that someday, when SuperMoto retired, it would be nice to end up in this haven called San Juan Island. But... I am pretty sure we weren't thinking about the long drive from the San Francisco Bay Area. I know we weren't thinking about the flight to Seattle and the drive to Anacortes in the car that we have parked where?? I know for a fact we weren't thinking about the Ferry schedules and the fees. And, if all that isn't enough SuperMoto's parents are 93 and 91 and are both suffering from Alzheimer's and have other health problems. They live local and if we go more than a day or two without communication with them they start to lose it. 

Are you seeing the picture more clearly now?

Just about now you might be asking yourself the eternal, "WHY?" I would be. 

Because we couldn't imagine not being on the island. We both felt like we were home more than we had ever felt anywhere else before. That is why.

Now the question is...

 

What are we going to focus on to maintain our sanity? 

WHO SAID WE WERE SANE???

Sanity is to be determined but in the mean time we are going to focus our attention on remodeling. 

Tile, hardwood floor, new kitchen, two new bathrooms, paint everywhere, a shop....

When we aren't doing that we are going to watch The Geodog run free and chase her balls, snuggle under the brown fuzzy blanket in front of the wood stove while we smell the coffee roasting and are anticipating a fresh cup, grow a garden, tend to the forrest, bake some bread, grow some hops, make some beer, dream big and love hard. 

Ahhhh....ok.....when you put it that way...

                     We can do this...

Just Watch Us!!