I finished with class in Boulder on October 9th and drove back to the farm in Gleason over the next day and a half – taking and extra five hours because I was going north rather than to Madison. Our neighbor, Jerry King, who so often steps in to help us out when we need it was waiting for me in the driveway. I gave him a hug and we inspected the house. I’m sparing you the pictures, really. While we can say there were no holes in the walls and all of the fixtures and appliances that were there when we rented it 6 years ago were still there they also had the added charm of 6 years of dust-grease-smoke and god knows what else all over them.
Before we opened the door …
On October 15th I picked R up in Chicago where we stayed overnight. Once we were back in Madison I arranged for a U-Haul for Friday morning, we cleaned out our storage shed in about 1 1/2 hours and took off for the farm. We had to make a stop at Slumberland because we have no furniture – not even a bed. The guy who helped us put his shoulder to the mattress and stuffed it into the truck with a grunt. When we pulled the door open at the farm it nearly popped out flattening Jerry, R and me.
Cressida and Marius
The Pacific roiling behind us
We were home for a few days then took off for Half Moon Bay for the lovely, lovely wedding of Cressida and Marius.
Once we got back I delayed beginning the painting – I was afflicted by a faintness of heart – but finally got my will going and have managed to finish the upstairs room – huge as it is – and all of the closets. I’m covered in white spots that may become part a permanent part of my “look” as I’ve decided to paint the entire inside of the house white. Everything. Absolutely everything. We’ll see how long that lasts.
Compensations such as this sunrise.
While I’m ambivalent about living “up north” – I miss easy access to friends, coffee shops, entertainment, restaurants – every time I take the time to look at the sky or the trees I find myself saying, “it’s beautiful, so beautiful.” There are compensations.
