Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Let there be songs to fill the air


Today has been an incredibly pleasant day! Seth woke me up and although the wind was howling insanely, it was so sunny and bright out I couldn't believe the chill! We sat around the stove in the kitchen drinking coffee and listening to the Beatles channel on Pandora until Seth grabbed his guitar.

Our sing-a-long lasted most of the day! We went through most of our "repertoire" and then put some solid time into learning a couple of songs for my Dad's wedding on April 20th. Dad and his fiance Lynn got engaged here in Rock Camp at Pink Moon 3, while Donna Jean Godchaux serenaded them with "Jack-a-roe". I am the"best woman" along with my little sister in the upcoming nuptials. I'm very excited, it's going to be one hell of a party.


Seth has also been teaching me to play the guitar! I have a few chords down and am just starting to get a handle on strumming (I know that sounds so silly!!). I like to practice Standing on the Moon but it's in 3/4 time and I still have trouble with that rhythm. Seth is a phenomenal guitarist and a great teacher, though mostly I just love listening to him play.

After too many rounds of Backwards Down the Number Line and Row Jimmy, Seth got to work cutting up some wood and piling it up on the porch. I cleaned house and puttered around taking care of business. I tried to run a speed test on our Internet (Wild Blue Satellite) and couldn't even load the website. So much for that. My cyber efficiency isn't high, however I make up for lack of speed and tricky access with persistence and CONSTANT VIGILANCE!

More on my social media conquest...I've finally set up Google+ pages for the Pink Moon FestivalRock Camp Productions, and Pinky's Farm! Check em out!

Jake Shrewsbury came up for a little while. It's always nice to have him up, he's a lot of help on the farm, an honest, reliable, hardworking kid. He works at M-Rock (a fake rock manufacturing company) down near Lindside. I absolutely adore him and his entire family. His mother, Cathy made our wedding cake and his sister did my nails for the big day! The Shrewsberry's are just really wonderful people, and definitely a solid part of our little Rock Camp Family.

Now, Seth and I are cozied up on the couch in front of the fire. He is playing Angry Birds one handed with a pack of saltines in the other hand. I'm watching What About Bob? being a bug Bill Murray fan myself. Lucy is asleep at our feet snoring loudly and Ginny and a few cats are curled up next to me. Heaven.

Monday, March 18, 2013

Home is where the heart is

Sethro got a new pump hooked up and running water working in the farmhouse today. Life here is slow and steady, a constant and continual effort to keep everything comfortable and nice. We've yet to get the property completely "together", but we are making progress every day.

While Seth puttered under the house with the pump, I continued on my Spring Cleaning mission. It takes a measure of perseverance and patience to clean this house. It's a four step process: 1. De-clutter/De-trash-ify 2. Organize/Dust 3. Clean (with product) 4. Sweep. Sometimes I get a little overwhelmed, but then I sit down, smoke a cigarette, then get back to it! Today I nearly finished the living room, though there remains on corner to purge. Tonight Seth and I are going to tidy up our bedroom and tomorrow I'm going to tackle the bathroom and the upstairs and downstairs hallways. Which only leaves kitchen (where Seth has already made incredible headway) and the sitting room (which currently serves as the "catch all" for things without a designated place). The sitting room is going to be a real job.

I love this little farmhouse. It's filled to the brim with character, from the holes in the floors to the painted-over paneling...nothing is level, the fireplace/chimney is ancient and beautiful, and every corner, every crevice is filled with love. This place is home...something I have searched for my entire life. Something much more than a house, or a farm, or any dwelling or place...home is a concept, a feeling in the pit of your stomach. There are lots of "factors" that make this place my home...my soul-mate and husband Seth, our dogs and our cats, and yes our house (which was Seth's mom, Pinky's house and home) and all of the love and work and care we've put into it and our family. However, there's more to it than that. There is magic in it. Something I don't even understand, and certainly can't put into words, exists in the world that guides and designs everything. You can call it God, or Fate, or whatever you want...but it is real.

Personally, I prefer to believe that everything is controlled by His Noodliness, The Flying Spaghetti Monster.

Anyway, there's still a lot to do, not only in the house but throughout the grounds. Spring is almost here. We've had a number of incredible, sunny days, although today was very very rainy. Still, flowers are just starting to pop up, the birds and bees are buzzing around, and we go through less than half the wood we did a month ago!