July 16

Although it seems like we’re just here on a 2-week vacation, it’s slowly sinking in that we’re not going back.

Cramming 2 households into one small one, has been a feat in itself.  Kari did a great job of selling everything at a fraction of its value. Quite easy to do here on the islands where everything is more appealing if you don’t have to go off-island to get it.

The move was a ton of work (Clay was an amazing help) and I’m sooo glad that it’s over. We’re sort of settled although many things have been made operational in a temporary way, such as our computer setup, which is on a desk made of a bi-fold door on 2 sawhorses, surrounded by a mess of wires.

My new utility trailer is coming in quite handy and it’s only an extra $2.25 each way on the Buckley Bat ferry to haul loads to the dump etc.
We’ve begun to transform the back yard by slowly nibbling away at the blackberry forest.  Once that is done we’ll decide how to counter-attack the intruding neighbors. It will likely be in the form of a fence and/or aggressive growing hedges.  

Ashley has made a friend and they are inseparable at the moment.  Every day she is off to the barn to feed hoses etc.  We also have 7 hen eggs in a makeshift incubator in her room.  As the eggs have to be turned every 4 hours, what was once fun is now a chore.

Possession of the Cedar house is July 28.  We hope to have it back on the market in 4-6 weeks.  This first flip will be a real learning curve to say the least. I’m looking forward to the physical labour (as strange as it seems). Just moving and working around the house, I’ve lost 8 lbs, and it feels great, (except trying to get out of bed in the morning.)

My workshop is taking shape as I grab an hour a day to organize and move some stuff out to the shed, (which I’m in the process of sheeting in). Ultimately I hope to make it my office also… this may be a dream!

I’m hoping to make the blog a weekly or bi-weekly or monthly event depending on whether I’m working or not.