…and that word is: %&#?@! The situation is actually kind of funny, in a way — and a cautionary tale, in another. It certainly highlights my inexperience (and naïveté) with buying raw land. The land I bought — The Boot (my nickname for it, based on its shape from the air) — was listed for…
Category: The Simple Life
reblog: surprising perspectives on invasive plants
“I can take those out for you when the machines come through,” Sam offered. He was referring to two huge multiflora rose bushes at the mouth of the tractor road he’ll be improving for me. Their long, densely-thorned canes claw at my vehicle every time I turn up the road onto the property. “Multiflora rose…
reblog: nc cooperative extension extends my education
The next part of my due diligence period involved learning about what grew on the land.
reblog: a walk with a water witch
I’d heard too many stories about wells gone wrong, so I didn’t want to leave water to chance.
reblog: the quest for home, part 4: the boot
Have you opened your email yet? came the text. I’d heard the notification, but I was still snuggled up with Bodhi, my big red Golden Retriever, and hadn’t wanted to dive into the day just yet. Nope, I texted back. Well, hang onto your hat, came the reply. I just sent you some information from the seller’s…
Reblog: The Quest for Home, Part 3: Follow the Signs
“Found it!” Pat called out to me, waving a piece of paper over his head without taking his eyes from his computer screen. Bodhi, my big, red Golden Retriever, reached him first, all wags and smiles, and Pat reached over to scratch his ears and give him a good thump before handing the paper to…
Reblog: The Quest for Home, Part 2: Usable Mountain Land
“This isn’t going to work. We’re outta here.” We’d just crossed the sixth one-lane bridge between the property we were driving into the mountains to look at and anything remotely resembling a town. Six opportunities to be stuck on one side of a washed-out bridge or the other — going in or, more worrisome to…
Reblog: The Quest for Home, Part 1 – Covenants and Restrictions
“Can I help you?” While the lovely North Carolina drawl riveted my attention, it wasn’t what first attracted it. That dubious honor went to the tall, slender form of its speaker — a silver-haired man clad in jeans and a button-down shirt, emerging with leisurely grace from a silver Mercedes — even before he spoke….
Reblog: A Serendipitous Beer — and the Perfect Realtor
“Do you mind if I sit there?” The speaker, in his late 30s or early 40s, indicated a seat that would require climbing over my dog (lying quietly in the cramped corner I’d specifically selected to keep him out from under other patrons’ feet), then squeezing his hiking-pants-clad fanny through the ridiculously narrow aisle into…
Reblog: The Long Road to Minimalism – Part 2
I took a deep breath and stepped inside what hours ago been the home of a dear friend. The lingering intensity of the smoke smell created the impression that the house was still smoldering. The worn wood floors already warped with the water damage, and the blackened walls, combined with the boards we’d just finished putting…
the unhurried path 