2020 COVID-19 – June 1 It’s been a hectic last few weeks and I’ve given myself the mental space and reprieve to write words into TO DO lists instead of blog posts. Sorry, internet.

The function and journey of moving SUCKS. It’s exhausting, disruptive, flips life like a pancake and is just so tedious. I guess a lot of things in life are like that. The happiness and moments pop up along dusty, arduous horizons.

Yet I count my blessings and privilege in living this life everyday. I am deeply grateful for all of it. Good and challenging. We are immensely fortunate to have moved by choice, with all our stuff mostly intact. (Though, there are many unpacked boxes around so who knows really…)

It is almost three weeks later and most importantly this new house already feels like a home. The first night sleeping here was the most telling. It can be creepy sleeping somewhere unfamiliar, somewhere old, and somewhere different.

But our first sleepover was calm, peaceful and restful. (minus the obligatory wake ups to endlessly feed the baby who would probably wake up to feed even if we slept inside a volcano because he is growing at the rate of wild fire.)

From the very first night, the house gave me a sense that it took the “house role” of providing shelter and protection very seriously. It might be the paint fumes talking, but this house feels like it has a soul. A strong energy of silence that will put a firm shoulder between us and anything that blows through the valley. It feels solid and safe here and right now with the world on a trajectory of spiralling uncertainty, that’s helping my sanity.

We still have miles of work to do to update things, but “Rome wasn’t built in a day”, and this place is gonna look like ALL KINDA ROME when we are done. MARBLE EVERYWHERE! (kidding we can’t afford that shit)

We might have a family of squirrels living in the chimney (squirrels or something very squirrel sounding) The bathroom has tiles that were so fashion forward 30 years ago that they are almost back in style. Kidding, they are horrible and are in hot reverse of anything even close to stylish right now. I can’t wait to afford to replace them so I can smash all the pretty little petals on each intricate overly ornate piece.

The eaves troughs leak, the basement is a damp mystery with a side of “how are we going to fix it.” One kitchen cabinet requires you to simultaneously lean back and move forward in order to access it, like a character from the Matrix.

The garden needs a baffling amount of work and there is a skunk who regularly drinks from the pool. Yes, we have a pool which currently looks like a swamp, because who doesn’t need a massive amount of water sitting in their garden to have to pay strangers to help you care for?!

Claudine almost single handedly (I did one section of brick wall) repainted the living room to completely get rid of dated, tired looking wood panelling in a fresh life restoring coat of white. It was magical to see the transformation. And extra magical because I didn’t have to paint it. She is very good at painting. I am not.

We have started tackling the garden. I found this statue facing out into the forest at the end of the garden. So far the verdict on which deity it is is out, but I put it back in the same position just to be sure. The property is huge and overgrown, but it is beautiful. And I keep discovering pockets of places and things that I love more and more. I didn’t fully realise the depth of my need to trim plants and cut grass had been left so unfulfilled living in a condo downtown all these years.

I also got to do some extremely satisfying pressure washing, which is a life goal and human right to be able to blast grime away with a pressurised water jet. Human rights are to have life, liberty, freedom from slavery and torture, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to work and education, and pressure washing.

This is the sort of house that will be a challenge for our car battery. It’s going to often need a jump start because I never want to leave.

I am so thankful to have a safe place to raise our family. The world feels like it is on fire right now. Everyone deserves a safe space.

I love you all, be kind.