Settled

 

There's no denying that Spring is truly here and with this arrival of flora and warmth, we are finally settled in our new home, this new state, and this lovely community on the Pend Oreille river. This settling is more psychological and energetic than physical. All the boxes with dishes and furniture have long been unpacked, paintings are hung on the wall and we've lived here for almost half a year. It just never quite felt we were here for good, whatever that means...

  

 Shaun and I were quietly tending to our crafts by the fire last night and I realized I finally felt "at home". I mentioned this sudden thought to him and he nodded in agreement having just had a similar feeling wash over him. I'm not sure how it has taken this long to feel like we're truly home- perhaps because the cabin we live in was reconstructed by the couple living in it before us and they made it their own unique abode fitting to their personal aesthetics.  The land was not cultivated in any meaningful way for us and we didn't know many of the folks in our town. I kept the thought in the back of my mind that we could easily resell the place if need be. 

 

But those escapist thoughts are pretty much obsolete now as we see this homestead coming together. Flowers are coming up that Lars and I planted a season ago, the back-40 is becoming more familiar where wild raspberries and nettles are taking over, and we're establishing structures and planting food that will sustain us for the years to come. We can now see there is a life here for us to engage in as we meet more adult friends with similar interests, Lars finds little rascal buddies, and partnerships are developed with neighbors and the local community. I think the sunny days really help with an optimistic disposition as well...

 

In fact, we've been so enamored with our farm work and play that I accidentally forgot to open up the greenhouse on a particularly sunny day and our first little seedlings of the season burned up (the far left container). The Derby Ball cabbage is a hearty little batch though, so at least we'll have sauerkraut this year!

 

I'm not sure our being "settled" is going to change much outwardly. We'll continue to work and play just the same but there is a growing sense of belonging here for our family and we're grateful for that.