We had a friend over Friday night, and after staying up late and drinking just a tad too much homemade wine, I slept in very, very late today. I woke up just in time to eat, shower, and meet up with my sister and friends at 2pm for an hour and a half of ice skating. It felt good to be out on the ice, as it had been about a year since I'd last skated. I'm not an amazing skater or anything like that, but the sensation of gliding and building speed and warming up my muscles in the cold air just makes me smile. Afterwards, Honeybunch and I got sushi (a very special treat!) from our favorite place, and not too long after that, I fell back asleep with a heating pad on my back.
Yup, we're party animals over here.
Now I have dough for baguettes rising in the fridge, cats are sprawled across the bed, and Honeybunch is working on hoop stuff at his desk. If we're feeling really crazy a little later, we might watch a movie!!
We have the home inspection scheduled for this upcoming Friday morning, and an appointment with our mortgage broker Thursday evening. Things are rolling along, frighteningly big checks are going to be written in the next couple of weeks, and we're picking out what breeds of baby chickies we're going to raise this Spring in our new home. We're thinking of getting a pair of goslings as well! The possibilities ahead of us are just now starting to feel real.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Thundersnow
When I drove the 45 minutes to work last night at 7pm for my 12-hour shift, it was sleeting and quickly turning to snow, and lightning and thunder were creating a dazzling show in the sky. I managed to vroom-vroom my little Hyundai up the ice and snow covered gravel driveway, threw a shovel in the back, and drove s-l-o-w-l-y on the slippery and hazardous roads. It was a busy night, and when several nurses and aides called out on our floor for night shift, two of the 3-11 nurses volunteered to stay and work double shifts simply to avoid having to attempt to drive home in the blizzard conditions. By 11pm, there was about 9" of snow on the ground, and people were getting stuck on the roads, driving into ditches, etc. It was then that I realized how lucky I was to have been scheduled to come in at 7pm... I would not have made it in had I left even an hour later than I did.
By the time the snow had stopped and I took a break to go shovel out my car, well over a foot of crunchy, heavy snow had fallen over a layer of ice. It was beautiful, calm, windless, and quiet in the pre-dawn darkness. And as I fought my way through snow nearly up to my knees, I made a mental note to shop for a decent pair of winter boots once everything starts going on sale. My little nursing sneakers were soaked by the time my car was clear, shoveled out and moved to a parking space that had been plowed!!
The drive home was hazardous as well, with slush, snow and ice on the smaller back roads that I need to take as I get closer to home. I shoveled my way into a parking space on the street, shoveled my way down the sidewalk, shoveled out the poor terrified chickens peeking out of the coop door as though they'd woken up on another planet. I convinced Honeybunch to work from home while the roads continued to be plowed and he's still hacking up some nastiness. I showered, ate some baked oatmeal, and collapsed my weary self in bed. I am so grateful to have tonight off from work.
Speaking of baked oatmeal, I'll share the recipe while I'm here. This is so delicious, filling, and perfect for a quick but wholesome breakfast or late night snack. The sugar and butter can be cut (I trim both a little bit, but not too much... the level of sweetness is just about right!). I've been making a tray of this every week when the oven is hot from baking our weekly bread, and the smell of it has had my coworkers drooling and begging for the recipe.
Baked Oatmeal
4.5 cups of rolled oats
1 cup sugar
3 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
1 stick of butter, melted
3 eggs, beaten
1.5 cups milk
3 tsp vanilla
Mix the dry ingredients together, then add the wet ingredients. Spread in a greased 9x13 pan, and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until baked through and golden brown. Serve warm. You can pour milk over it when serving to create a more traditional cereal-ish dish, or leave it in its cake-y form and serve with fresh fruit, jam, or applesauce.
By the time the snow had stopped and I took a break to go shovel out my car, well over a foot of crunchy, heavy snow had fallen over a layer of ice. It was beautiful, calm, windless, and quiet in the pre-dawn darkness. And as I fought my way through snow nearly up to my knees, I made a mental note to shop for a decent pair of winter boots once everything starts going on sale. My little nursing sneakers were soaked by the time my car was clear, shoveled out and moved to a parking space that had been plowed!!
The drive home was hazardous as well, with slush, snow and ice on the smaller back roads that I need to take as I get closer to home. I shoveled my way into a parking space on the street, shoveled my way down the sidewalk, shoveled out the poor terrified chickens peeking out of the coop door as though they'd woken up on another planet. I convinced Honeybunch to work from home while the roads continued to be plowed and he's still hacking up some nastiness. I showered, ate some baked oatmeal, and collapsed my weary self in bed. I am so grateful to have tonight off from work.
Speaking of baked oatmeal, I'll share the recipe while I'm here. This is so delicious, filling, and perfect for a quick but wholesome breakfast or late night snack. The sugar and butter can be cut (I trim both a little bit, but not too much... the level of sweetness is just about right!). I've been making a tray of this every week when the oven is hot from baking our weekly bread, and the smell of it has had my coworkers drooling and begging for the recipe.
Baked Oatmeal
4.5 cups of rolled oats
1 cup sugar
3 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
1 stick of butter, melted
3 eggs, beaten
1.5 cups milk
3 tsp vanilla
Mix the dry ingredients together, then add the wet ingredients. Spread in a greased 9x13 pan, and bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until baked through and golden brown. Serve warm. You can pour milk over it when serving to create a more traditional cereal-ish dish, or leave it in its cake-y form and serve with fresh fruit, jam, or applesauce.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Wednesday's Happy Card
This week's summary of ten things that bring me joy:
1. Getting my taxes and multiple professional license renewals OUT OF THE WAY for 2011.
2. Kittens cuddling in a pile at the foot of the bed, complete with dream-induced toe and ear twitches.
3. Mid-winter dinners full of summertime foods preserved at their peak: pierogies, sweet corn, string beans, vanilla cupcakes spread with sour cherry preserves, and raspberry mead.
4. Honeybunch rigging the fishtank up with a remote control operated LED light show.
5. Iron and Wine.
6. Silly chickens roosting the fig tree just because it warmed up to 37 degrees.
7. Making herbal tea for my Honeybunch.
8. Lots of blankets on the bed on cold, cold nights.
9. Baguette.
10. Knowing that after I go back to get my third and final cavity filled, I won't have to return to the dentist for a whole year :)
1. Getting my taxes and multiple professional license renewals OUT OF THE WAY for 2011.
2. Kittens cuddling in a pile at the foot of the bed, complete with dream-induced toe and ear twitches.
3. Mid-winter dinners full of summertime foods preserved at their peak: pierogies, sweet corn, string beans, vanilla cupcakes spread with sour cherry preserves, and raspberry mead.
4. Honeybunch rigging the fishtank up with a remote control operated LED light show.
5. Iron and Wine.
6. Silly chickens roosting the fig tree just because it warmed up to 37 degrees.
7. Making herbal tea for my Honeybunch.
8. Lots of blankets on the bed on cold, cold nights.
9. Baguette.
10. Knowing that after I go back to get my third and final cavity filled, I won't have to return to the dentist for a whole year :)
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
We have a deal.
The sellers accepted our offer on the house! What happy news!
Now if we can just get through the inspections, we'll be walking into our very own home on March 11th.
Honeybunch and I are so happy about this, it's ridiculous. I'm ready to place our order for fruit and nut trees!!!
Now if we can just get through the inspections, we'll be walking into our very own home on March 11th.
Honeybunch and I are so happy about this, it's ridiculous. I'm ready to place our order for fruit and nut trees!!!
Monday, January 24, 2011
Cold!!!
The temperatures over the past few days have gotten down into the single digits around here. I know that many folks live in much colder climates than ours and probably scoff at anything above 0 degrees, but for us, that's really bloody cold! I'm accustomed to temperatures in the 20s and 30s, but once it starts dipping below the teens I get nervous. That kind of cold simply hurts.
I feel bad for the girls when it gets this cold, but they seem to be handling it very well. My fingers ache as I open the cold metal latch of the chicken coop in the morning. I need to thaw and refill their water bucket with hot water by midday. Everyone gets some extra food, a heavy layer of straw bedding in the coop, and a check for signs of frostbite on the more prominent combs and wattles amongst them. Some of them have taken to hanging out inside the coop sometimes during the day, but most of them strut around the yard as though nothing is different. However, Honeybunch noticed that Popcorn, one of our Golden Sexlinks, was standing on one leg, switching back and forth between left and right... it seemed like she was trying to keep her feet off of the cold frozen ground!
They're calling for another storm to hit our area on Wednesday. It's difficult to tell how much snow we'll get... according to the weather service, it could be a nasty slush storm, or it could head out to sea and leave us with only a dusting. I'm hoping for the latter. Driving to and from work in the bad weather is a harrowing experience, and I have to be there Wednesday night. A little while back we got a terrible ice storm, and it took me half an hour to chip through the half inch of ice that coated my car from head to tail. I slid all over the road the next night on my way in as the melt froze again into patches of black ice. Not fun!
Tonight we are supposed to hear back from the sellers in regards to their acceptance of our offer... I'm really hoping it goes through. We secured financing, made a fair and reasonable offer, moved up the settlement date as they requested... now if we can just get the place under agreement...
I feel bad for the girls when it gets this cold, but they seem to be handling it very well. My fingers ache as I open the cold metal latch of the chicken coop in the morning. I need to thaw and refill their water bucket with hot water by midday. Everyone gets some extra food, a heavy layer of straw bedding in the coop, and a check for signs of frostbite on the more prominent combs and wattles amongst them. Some of them have taken to hanging out inside the coop sometimes during the day, but most of them strut around the yard as though nothing is different. However, Honeybunch noticed that Popcorn, one of our Golden Sexlinks, was standing on one leg, switching back and forth between left and right... it seemed like she was trying to keep her feet off of the cold frozen ground!
They're calling for another storm to hit our area on Wednesday. It's difficult to tell how much snow we'll get... according to the weather service, it could be a nasty slush storm, or it could head out to sea and leave us with only a dusting. I'm hoping for the latter. Driving to and from work in the bad weather is a harrowing experience, and I have to be there Wednesday night. A little while back we got a terrible ice storm, and it took me half an hour to chip through the half inch of ice that coated my car from head to tail. I slid all over the road the next night on my way in as the melt froze again into patches of black ice. Not fun!
Tonight we are supposed to hear back from the sellers in regards to their acceptance of our offer... I'm really hoping it goes through. We secured financing, made a fair and reasonable offer, moved up the settlement date as they requested... now if we can just get the place under agreement...
Saturday, January 22, 2011
House update
We still haven't gotten the place under agreement, but we're working on it. The sellers won't take FHA financing, so our initial output of cash is going to be just about double with conventional financing (larger down payment needed, smaller seller's assist permitted). The sticker shock was pretty severe. We don't want to completely wipe out all of our savings (or have to dip into our 401ks) to have the cash we need to get into this house. So, it's going to take some creativity (and major penny-pinching over the next couple of months until settlement), but we believe we can make it work. We're going to move forward and submit an offer with conventional financing, and hope for the best. The encouragement and support of our friends and families has been so helpful... this emotional roller-coaster has been somewhat stressful.
So, we continue to hope and plan and crunch numbers and make many phone calls to our real estate agent and our mortgage broker. It's all going to work out for the best, I know it.
So, we continue to hope and plan and crunch numbers and make many phone calls to our real estate agent and our mortgage broker. It's all going to work out for the best, I know it.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
In which I compare my energy level fluctuation to lactation.
I am a Taurus. By my very nature, I love creature comforts. I believe that if something must be made, there is no reason for it not to be made beautiful. I believe in Good Food. Wine. Massages. Chocolate. LOTS of sleep in a warm bed.
And also, by my very nature, I have a tendency to lean towards laziness. Each night, as I put on my scrubs, I really don't want to go to work. I don't want to get out of bed on time. Half the time, I don't even want to go out to that super fun party in the city because I would rather be at home, cuddled up, reading a book.
Now, this is bizarre. Because I have another side to my personality that is incredibly goal-driven, hard-working, and in love with the feeling of my muscles burning and sweat pooling in the hollows of my collarbone. This part of me makes lists, and delights in crossing tasks off of those lists. This is the me that elects to spend a week camping in the desert, or haul two-ton stones on "vacation", who aspires to complete her master's degree, who chooses to bake her own bread rather than buy, who looks at a 210 year old log cabin and says, "we can totally fix that place up".
These two parts of myself are often at war.
Guess which one is winning during these dark, cold winter months?
I need to get myself out of this lazy rut. And soon. I need to get back out to the woods and run, despite the cold, snow and ice. I need to find new challenges at work that will stimulate me and make me eager to come in for my next shift. I need to take that fiddle out of the case and learn how to tune it, at least. But all I've been able to make myself do, outside of the bare essentials of working, cooking, cleaning, and working towards the purchase of our home, is hoop for a meager 15 minutes each day. That's better than nothing, but it's sure as hell not enough.
It seems like my energy stores run on an on-demand system, like lactation! The less demanding and busy my life becomes, the less energy I have to spend. The more I have going on, i.e. canning, running, working, going to school, travelling, etc, the more energy I seem to have to get done what needs to be done. I suppose it partly has to do with being stimulated, excited, and interested in the things that I'm doing. Tonight, for instance, I am working a 12-hour shift, and I literally have NOTHING to do right now. I have only five patients, and they are all stable and sleeping peacefully right now. Paperwork is done, meds are given, folks are happy. And while I sit here, nearly falling asleep, I dread when I have to get up off of my fattening bum to go check on folks again in a few minutes. The less I do, the less I feel like doing!
I know it's a matter of breaking the cycle and getting the energy flowing. If only I could make myself take those first few steps...
And also, by my very nature, I have a tendency to lean towards laziness. Each night, as I put on my scrubs, I really don't want to go to work. I don't want to get out of bed on time. Half the time, I don't even want to go out to that super fun party in the city because I would rather be at home, cuddled up, reading a book.
Now, this is bizarre. Because I have another side to my personality that is incredibly goal-driven, hard-working, and in love with the feeling of my muscles burning and sweat pooling in the hollows of my collarbone. This part of me makes lists, and delights in crossing tasks off of those lists. This is the me that elects to spend a week camping in the desert, or haul two-ton stones on "vacation", who aspires to complete her master's degree, who chooses to bake her own bread rather than buy, who looks at a 210 year old log cabin and says, "we can totally fix that place up".
These two parts of myself are often at war.
Guess which one is winning during these dark, cold winter months?
I need to get myself out of this lazy rut. And soon. I need to get back out to the woods and run, despite the cold, snow and ice. I need to find new challenges at work that will stimulate me and make me eager to come in for my next shift. I need to take that fiddle out of the case and learn how to tune it, at least. But all I've been able to make myself do, outside of the bare essentials of working, cooking, cleaning, and working towards the purchase of our home, is hoop for a meager 15 minutes each day. That's better than nothing, but it's sure as hell not enough.
It seems like my energy stores run on an on-demand system, like lactation! The less demanding and busy my life becomes, the less energy I have to spend. The more I have going on, i.e. canning, running, working, going to school, travelling, etc, the more energy I seem to have to get done what needs to be done. I suppose it partly has to do with being stimulated, excited, and interested in the things that I'm doing. Tonight, for instance, I am working a 12-hour shift, and I literally have NOTHING to do right now. I have only five patients, and they are all stable and sleeping peacefully right now. Paperwork is done, meds are given, folks are happy. And while I sit here, nearly falling asleep, I dread when I have to get up off of my fattening bum to go check on folks again in a few minutes. The less I do, the less I feel like doing!
I know it's a matter of breaking the cycle and getting the energy flowing. If only I could make myself take those first few steps...
Sunday, January 16, 2011
An offer
We are writing up an agreement of sale. This place is made for us, and all the work it needs is the right kind of work. It's time to seize upon an amazing opportunity, throw what we have to throw at it, and hope for the best!
Friday, January 14, 2011
A $50 owl
The hawk returned to the chicken yard today to inflict more terror and chaos. Looks like it's probably a red-shouldered hawk. Honeybunch scared it away before it could attack, but we had to shut the girls up in their coop on this nice sunny day until we found a solution. I called around to a few hardware stores until I found one that had an electric fake owl in stock. It has motion sensors, turns its head in the direction of movement and hoots. I put it atop the coop, turned it on, and I'm hoping for the best.
In other news, I found out today that I get light-headed when watching people get branded, even when it's just on video. This is a bizarre and unexpected realization. I burn myself on a fairly frequent basis, not just in the kitchen but while performing with my fire tools (melted my bra to my back one time, ouch). I've watched other people, including Honeybunch, burn themselves doing the same. I intentionally paint trails of fire on my body for a show and for fun. I've been in the OR when a cauterizing scalpel is being used, the look and smell of burning flesh has never bothered me. But I watched a video an acquaintance posted on Facebook of him being branded on his wrists out at Burning Man, and it made me nauseous and lightheaded. I guess you never know what will freak you out until you encounter it.
In other news, I found out today that I get light-headed when watching people get branded, even when it's just on video. This is a bizarre and unexpected realization. I burn myself on a fairly frequent basis, not just in the kitchen but while performing with my fire tools (melted my bra to my back one time, ouch). I've watched other people, including Honeybunch, burn themselves doing the same. I intentionally paint trails of fire on my body for a show and for fun. I've been in the OR when a cauterizing scalpel is being used, the look and smell of burning flesh has never bothered me. But I watched a video an acquaintance posted on Facebook of him being branded on his wrists out at Burning Man, and it made me nauseous and lightheaded. I guess you never know what will freak you out until you encounter it.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Goodbye little lady!
We lost one of our Barred Rock hens to a predator today. We're suspecting a hawk given marking in the snow on the roof of the coop that look like a large bird landed there, and no tracks in the snow to indicate a raccoon/opossum. I didn't see the body. Honeybunch said it wasn't pretty. He managed to dig a grave in the frozen ground beneath the fig tree, not far from where little Cerberus was. It's a sad day. There's not much we can do to prevent this from happening. We don't want to fence the girls in to a 5 sided jail cell, and we can't put up bird netting over the whole yard. It's just the price you pay for raising them free range. I'd rather that she had a good 9 months of living as a free bird than 5 years of living in a small fenced pen.
We're in the process of getting pre-approved for the financing we need to buy the farm. If all goes well, we should be in a position to make an offer on Sunday, should we decide to do so. It's terrifying, but exciting.
We're in the process of getting pre-approved for the financing we need to buy the farm. If all goes well, we should be in a position to make an offer on Sunday, should we decide to do so. It's terrifying, but exciting.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Wednesday's Happy Card
Over at http://chickensintheroad.com there was a blog post about writing up a "Happy Card", or a list of ten things that make you feel joy. The point is to have a reminder of reasons to be grateful and to keep your thinking positive when it starts to stray towards your troubles and cares. I have a tendency to be a bit negative... I can be critical, and I can whine, and I can feel sorry for myself. Especially when I haven't gotten enough sleep, or if it's been more than 4 hours since I've eaten (low blood sugar is bad). So, I've decided that I'm going to try to get in the habit of a weekly post with ten things that make me happy, starting today!
1. Dancing silly dances in the kitchen with my Honeybunch.
2. Watching the chickens pour out of the coop like water when I open the door in the morning.
3. Snow moustaches on the neighbors dogs.
4. Clean sheets on the bed!
5. All three cats swarming around my feet and meowing for breakfast.
6. Baking bread.
7. Seed catalogs.
8. Watching the neighbors play with Honeybunch's LED hoops in the snow.
9. Kombucha tea.
10. Our dwarf pomegranate tree soaking up the winter sunlight on the kitchen windowsill.
1. Dancing silly dances in the kitchen with my Honeybunch.
2. Watching the chickens pour out of the coop like water when I open the door in the morning.
3. Snow moustaches on the neighbors dogs.
4. Clean sheets on the bed!
5. All three cats swarming around my feet and meowing for breakfast.
6. Baking bread.
7. Seed catalogs.
8. Watching the neighbors play with Honeybunch's LED hoops in the snow.
9. Kombucha tea.
10. Our dwarf pomegranate tree soaking up the winter sunlight on the kitchen windowsill.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
A second look
We're planning to head back out to the property to take another gander at it. Our dear Good neighbor and friend has made his living first running a home inspection business, and then buying, renovating and renting out houses. We sat down, looked at photos and discussed what we saw. He's going to join us for this trip out to the farm and do a thorough look-over... but has told us that unless there is something very, very wrong with the place that we're not seeing immediately (i.e., septic, water and soil contamination, etc), we'd be crazy not to buy the place at that price. The damage that we saw that appeared to be so scary, it turns out, isn't very scary at all, and is entirely within our skills and means to fix, with a little guidance. Even the asbestos insulation around the pipes in the basement (which I didn't recognize, but he did from the photos we showed him) is something he said should be manageable.
So, this weekend we'll head back out there and he'll get a closer look. If it gets his seal of approval, we'll call up our mortgage guy and get approved for financing. We'll make an offer, with contingencies for the official home inspection, well, septic, and soil tests... and we'll see if the seller will cover closing costs (which would be really helpful, since we'd like to have that cash handy for the work that's needed on the house). We'll get all of the testing done that needs doing, hope that it all comes up to snuff, and perhaps by the Spring we'll be landowners, picking out rich shades of red and olive and amethyst for the walls.
So, this weekend we'll head back out there and he'll get a closer look. If it gets his seal of approval, we'll call up our mortgage guy and get approved for financing. We'll make an offer, with contingencies for the official home inspection, well, septic, and soil tests... and we'll see if the seller will cover closing costs (which would be really helpful, since we'd like to have that cash handy for the work that's needed on the house). We'll get all of the testing done that needs doing, hope that it all comes up to snuff, and perhaps by the Spring we'll be landowners, picking out rich shades of red and olive and amethyst for the walls.
Sunday, January 09, 2011
Hopeful, but sobered.
We went to look at the house today. The location is beautiful, the tract of land is just gorgeous. The barn is huge, and seems to be dry, though it would need some work on the doors and such to keep the animals safe from predators at night. The smokehouse could only be used to store garden tools. The greenhouse need two panes replaced but it otherwise in good repair and is of a decent size. There's a little deck area, a nice pond and the stream runs alongside the property back into the woods, really lovely.
The house itself is charming, but the original portion of it that was a log cabin needs a good deal of work. It would need to be re-chinked, and have insulation added, and we'd definitely want to put in a woodstove as it have fuel oil heat. Up in the attic you can see daylight through the wood boards on the one wall! There is definitely some termite damage visible on the beams above our heads in the basement, but I don't have the eye to tell how recent and/or extensive it is. The basement is a wreck, not sealed up well at all. Some of the windows need to be replaced. We got a snowstorm here over the past 36 hours, so we couldn't very well assess the roof or the state of the ground itself.
We're going to return when the snow melts, with our friend who ran a home inspection business for years. He'll be able to give us a better idea of what we're looking at in terms of cost, and whether the termite damage is bad enough that we'll have to walk away. If we were to move forward, the seller would either have to do the repairs, or adjust the price accordingly. We both feel hopeful about it, but the fever pitch of excitement has passed, thank goodness. That was exhausting.
Viewing the house from the fenced paddock in front of the barn
The rear of the barn
The greenhouse and start of the back of the property from the rear of the barn
The front of the barn
Inside the lower level of the barn
The second story of the barn
The greenhouse
The house itself is charming, but the original portion of it that was a log cabin needs a good deal of work. It would need to be re-chinked, and have insulation added, and we'd definitely want to put in a woodstove as it have fuel oil heat. Up in the attic you can see daylight through the wood boards on the one wall! There is definitely some termite damage visible on the beams above our heads in the basement, but I don't have the eye to tell how recent and/or extensive it is. The basement is a wreck, not sealed up well at all. Some of the windows need to be replaced. We got a snowstorm here over the past 36 hours, so we couldn't very well assess the roof or the state of the ground itself.
Love the look of the log cabin, but not the most heat-efficient structure. A woodstove would probably be put in that corner. The kitchen is to the right, a large main floor bedroom is through the french doors to the left.
The updated kitchen, on the smaller side but likely adequate given pantry space in the basement.
From the kitchen door
A newer half bath off of the kitchen
Uh-oh... termites. Looking up in the basement.
Up in the attic.. yup, that's daylight we're seeing between those boards.
We're going to return when the snow melts, with our friend who ran a home inspection business for years. He'll be able to give us a better idea of what we're looking at in terms of cost, and whether the termite damage is bad enough that we'll have to walk away. If we were to move forward, the seller would either have to do the repairs, or adjust the price accordingly. We both feel hopeful about it, but the fever pitch of excitement has passed, thank goodness. That was exhausting.
Saturday, January 08, 2011
Today we'll know
This afternoon we're heading out westward on the highway to go and see the house. I have such a good feeling about this.
Friday, January 07, 2011
A Home.
Honeybunch has decided to stay at his current job. After accepting the generous offer from the new company, he gave his notice to his current one. They immediately matched the offer, promote him, give him a bonus, etc, in order to keep him. He returned this news to the new company, who said, "give us a number". Honeybunch is an honest man, and a modest one.... and he did not feel comfortable in that situation. He chose instead to politely decline the offer from the new company, leaving the folks there pleased with his professionalism and an open door should he come seeking a job at a later time. His current company is THRILLED to be keeping him. And we are both happy that the ordeal is over, as it was a very stressful choice for him, despite the fact that it was a very good problem to have!
Now that he and I know where he stands with his employment, we can begin to seriously look for our permanent home. I started browsing Landwatch.com, looking at properties in the next county over that are still within reasonable driving distance of Honeybunch's job. I noted a few promising looking listings, copied and pasted them into an email to the real estate agent we've been working with recently. Each of them had its advantages and disadvantages, and I weighed them in my mind as I browsed. But the very last one I clicked on made my heart skip a few beats.
I am trying to not let my hopes get up too high. I only just sent a request for a showing this morning, and it may not be right for us.
But oh my goodness, it feels right. I actually woke Honeybunch up out of a sound sleep to show him the website. He is sleeping beside me right now, and a few minutes ago was murmuring his sleep. I asked him what he was dreaming about, and he said, "buying that house..." before drifting off again.
It is a beautiful restored farmhouse on 5 acres, with hardwood floors, a sunroom, a modern kitchen, exposed beams. The land has open areas of pasture as well as woods. It has a barn with a fenced paddock, a smokehouse, a greenhouse (eee!), a pond, and a stream running through the property. According to Google's satellite images, it is neighbored by a park and open fields. It is in our price range, and its taxes are low.
I think I am in love.
The listing does not detail the state of the bones of the house... the septic system, well, roof, electric, heat, etc. I am preparing myself to be disappointed if those essential systems are in poor repair. But I have hope, as the photos show what looks to be a house that has been lovingly restored, updated and cared for by people whose interests in gardens and livestock seem to match our own. I am hoping, PRAYING that we can get out there to see the house as soon as possible.
I'm already imagining our chickens pecking at worms on the lawn, our young tomato plants getting a head start in the greenhouse, our ewes and nanny goats munching on hay in the fields, our aerials silks hanging from a rig in the trees behind the house, our cats exploring the built-in bookshelves of the living room. It takes my breath away.
Keep your fingers crossed for us!
Now that he and I know where he stands with his employment, we can begin to seriously look for our permanent home. I started browsing Landwatch.com, looking at properties in the next county over that are still within reasonable driving distance of Honeybunch's job. I noted a few promising looking listings, copied and pasted them into an email to the real estate agent we've been working with recently. Each of them had its advantages and disadvantages, and I weighed them in my mind as I browsed. But the very last one I clicked on made my heart skip a few beats.
I am trying to not let my hopes get up too high. I only just sent a request for a showing this morning, and it may not be right for us.
But oh my goodness, it feels right. I actually woke Honeybunch up out of a sound sleep to show him the website. He is sleeping beside me right now, and a few minutes ago was murmuring his sleep. I asked him what he was dreaming about, and he said, "buying that house..." before drifting off again.
It is a beautiful restored farmhouse on 5 acres, with hardwood floors, a sunroom, a modern kitchen, exposed beams. The land has open areas of pasture as well as woods. It has a barn with a fenced paddock, a smokehouse, a greenhouse (eee!), a pond, and a stream running through the property. According to Google's satellite images, it is neighbored by a park and open fields. It is in our price range, and its taxes are low.
I think I am in love.
The listing does not detail the state of the bones of the house... the septic system, well, roof, electric, heat, etc. I am preparing myself to be disappointed if those essential systems are in poor repair. But I have hope, as the photos show what looks to be a house that has been lovingly restored, updated and cared for by people whose interests in gardens and livestock seem to match our own. I am hoping, PRAYING that we can get out there to see the house as soon as possible.
I'm already imagining our chickens pecking at worms on the lawn, our young tomato plants getting a head start in the greenhouse, our ewes and nanny goats munching on hay in the fields, our aerials silks hanging from a rig in the trees behind the house, our cats exploring the built-in bookshelves of the living room. It takes my breath away.
Keep your fingers crossed for us!
Wednesday, January 05, 2011
Addiction
One of the saddest things about addictions is that the people who fall victim to them often have so very little insight into their disease. More often than not they are in denial about the fact that they have a problem, and find a thousand little ways to justify their behavior. It is very rare to meet an addict in the throes of his addiction who has insight into his problem. They usually need to hit rock bottom, or have sobriety inflicted upon them by outside forces, before they realize what a mess they're really in.
For instance, a man in his 40s who I admitted to our unit this past week. He came in for chest and neck pain. His bloodwork revealed that his liver enzymes were elevated. When he arrived to the floor from the ER, I immediately noticed a faint tinge of orange to his skin... one that can only be attributed to jaundice, or to a very bad spray tan. With no documented history of hepatitis, I suspected that he might have a drinking problem. During the admission assessment, I asked him about drug and alcohol use. He said, "I like rum." I asked, "and about how much rum do you drink, on average?" He shrugged, and replied, "about half a bottle per day." I nodded, wrote it down, and continued with the rest of the questions.
A short while later I left the room and spoke to the physician about whether or not he wanted to put him on a Serax taper, or at least write an order for a sedative as needed for the symptoms of withdrawal this man was likely to experience. Further investigation revealed that the man's last drink had been the evening of the day before. Delerium tremens usually sets in within 72 hours after the last drink, and withdrawal symptoms and warning signs can begin long before that. The doctor ordered an "as needed" dose of Ativan. I then explained to the patient what the doctor had ordered and why. He said, "Well that's certainly not going to be a problem" and scoffed at the idea. I said, "okay, but if you do happen to start feeling anxious, or if you notice trembling, sweating, or anything unusual, you let us know right away so that we can help you be more comfortable". He dismissed me as though I were crazy. His denial had him completely blinded to the very real danger he was in. The DT's can be deadly. But he wasn't ready.
I met this man's extreme opposite a few months ago. An older gentleman in his 60s checked himself into the ER because he decided to quit drinking cold turkey (he drank about a liter of vodka DAILY) and started to experience withdrawal symptoms at home. He came to our hospital when he developed pain in his chest, afraid he was having a heart attack. When completing the admission assessment, the questions begin with health history, immediately followed by the questions regarding drugs, alcohol and tobacco. I hadn't yet gotten to the part about substance abuse.
When I asked him, "do you have any other health problems we need to know about?" he replied, "Yes, I'm an alcoholic. I realized tonight that I can't safely do this on my own, and I'm hoping that when I'm cleared medically I can get into a rehab program." I'm sure that my face did not betray what I felt, because I've gotten pretty good at maintaining a neutral, calm demeanor when faced with shocking, horrifying, disgusting, embarrassing, or humorous things (I've seen a lot of teeny wee-wees in my days as a nurse), but I was stunned. It is so rare to meet someone caught in the mires of their addiction who can admit that they're an addict, admit that they can't quit on their own, and recognize their addiction as a HEALTH PROBLEM, not just a social problem. It was beautiful. I left the room with a real sense of hope for that man's recovery.
Today, I think about that sixty-something man who faced himself, and I bow my head in humble gratitude for the people in my life who have survived their own addictions and come out the other side to be some of the most self-reflective and content people I know. I breathe a sigh of relief knowing that my own days of vice, cravings, and discontent are so long behind me... 8 years now, it's hard to believe. And I offer a little prayer of hope for the addicts out there who haven't yet let themselves see the truth.
For instance, a man in his 40s who I admitted to our unit this past week. He came in for chest and neck pain. His bloodwork revealed that his liver enzymes were elevated. When he arrived to the floor from the ER, I immediately noticed a faint tinge of orange to his skin... one that can only be attributed to jaundice, or to a very bad spray tan. With no documented history of hepatitis, I suspected that he might have a drinking problem. During the admission assessment, I asked him about drug and alcohol use. He said, "I like rum." I asked, "and about how much rum do you drink, on average?" He shrugged, and replied, "about half a bottle per day." I nodded, wrote it down, and continued with the rest of the questions.
A short while later I left the room and spoke to the physician about whether or not he wanted to put him on a Serax taper, or at least write an order for a sedative as needed for the symptoms of withdrawal this man was likely to experience. Further investigation revealed that the man's last drink had been the evening of the day before. Delerium tremens usually sets in within 72 hours after the last drink, and withdrawal symptoms and warning signs can begin long before that. The doctor ordered an "as needed" dose of Ativan. I then explained to the patient what the doctor had ordered and why. He said, "Well that's certainly not going to be a problem" and scoffed at the idea. I said, "okay, but if you do happen to start feeling anxious, or if you notice trembling, sweating, or anything unusual, you let us know right away so that we can help you be more comfortable". He dismissed me as though I were crazy. His denial had him completely blinded to the very real danger he was in. The DT's can be deadly. But he wasn't ready.
I met this man's extreme opposite a few months ago. An older gentleman in his 60s checked himself into the ER because he decided to quit drinking cold turkey (he drank about a liter of vodka DAILY) and started to experience withdrawal symptoms at home. He came to our hospital when he developed pain in his chest, afraid he was having a heart attack. When completing the admission assessment, the questions begin with health history, immediately followed by the questions regarding drugs, alcohol and tobacco. I hadn't yet gotten to the part about substance abuse.
When I asked him, "do you have any other health problems we need to know about?" he replied, "Yes, I'm an alcoholic. I realized tonight that I can't safely do this on my own, and I'm hoping that when I'm cleared medically I can get into a rehab program." I'm sure that my face did not betray what I felt, because I've gotten pretty good at maintaining a neutral, calm demeanor when faced with shocking, horrifying, disgusting, embarrassing, or humorous things (I've seen a lot of teeny wee-wees in my days as a nurse), but I was stunned. It is so rare to meet someone caught in the mires of their addiction who can admit that they're an addict, admit that they can't quit on their own, and recognize their addiction as a HEALTH PROBLEM, not just a social problem. It was beautiful. I left the room with a real sense of hope for that man's recovery.
Today, I think about that sixty-something man who faced himself, and I bow my head in humble gratitude for the people in my life who have survived their own addictions and come out the other side to be some of the most self-reflective and content people I know. I breathe a sigh of relief knowing that my own days of vice, cravings, and discontent are so long behind me... 8 years now, it's hard to believe. And I offer a little prayer of hope for the addicts out there who haven't yet let themselves see the truth.
Tuesday, January 04, 2011
Latest sunrise of the year
This morning's sunrise came at 7:22am, the latest sunrise of the year. Sunsets have been coming later for a few weeks now, but now the days will truly feel like they're getting longer as we gain light at both the beginning and the end of the day. It will be enjoyable to feel sunlight on my skin again. I often leave work, look up at the colorful eastern sky and think to myself, "what a curious ball of burning gas there is up there, I wonder what it is called..."
It's a new year. 2010 is over, and what a year it was. I got my first nursing job, traveled to more festivals all over the east coast than I can count right now, and got engaged to my most beloved Honeybunch. I ran a 10k adventure race. I ate strictly local food for a full six months, learned water-bath canning, and tripled the size of our flock of chickens. I saved lives, soothed broken hearts, and bore witness to the most incredible extremes of human strength and weakness. I sit here in awe of my blessings. I am grateful for this past year.
2011 is well underway, and I am so excited to see what it brings. This year, I will marry the man I love most. Together we will find the perfect place to build our home together, and we'll make it our own. Honeybunch has just accepted an exciting new job offer that is to begin later this month. Bright new things are on the horizon for us, and three cats, and our crew of Chickiechickiepeeperpants. The possibilities are endless.
I am grateful for this upcoming year, with all of its risks and unknowns.
It's a new year. 2010 is over, and what a year it was. I got my first nursing job, traveled to more festivals all over the east coast than I can count right now, and got engaged to my most beloved Honeybunch. I ran a 10k adventure race. I ate strictly local food for a full six months, learned water-bath canning, and tripled the size of our flock of chickens. I saved lives, soothed broken hearts, and bore witness to the most incredible extremes of human strength and weakness. I sit here in awe of my blessings. I am grateful for this past year.
2011 is well underway, and I am so excited to see what it brings. This year, I will marry the man I love most. Together we will find the perfect place to build our home together, and we'll make it our own. Honeybunch has just accepted an exciting new job offer that is to begin later this month. Bright new things are on the horizon for us, and three cats, and our crew of Chickiechickiepeeperpants. The possibilities are endless.
I am grateful for this upcoming year, with all of its risks and unknowns.
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