Outside of the House

What is this? Power? Or, at least, a ditch where some sort of power cable will shortly run to the house?

Well that's exciting. Power is a lovely thing to have. 

For example: won't power on this porch at night be nice for welcoming people home?

And power in these rooms when darkness falls (and the windows won't cut it)? (I was there checking on some things as night fell recently. A little spooky.)

And wouldn't power (lights!) be nice for Mike to see by when he's looking around at how house stuff is coming (which is always late because of his long work hours)?

Speaking of how house stuff is coming: It's been exciting, yes. But also a bit discouraging. So often we go over and find work that was done sloppily or altogether wrong. Does this always happen with new builds? Windows placed incorrectly, holes in the cement (for wires to come up through) drilled in the wrong spots, closets done wrong, etc. (Recently an entire, huge, uninstalled window was left leaning in such a way that a strong wind blew it over and shattered it.)

Does nobody measure twice and cut once anymore? 

That part of building has caused us far more stress than I had anticipated. You hate to constantly be complaining, but even more you hate to pay every cent you have and will ever have ... for work done poorly on a place you hope to live in until you die.

But! 

Goodness.

Let's put things back in proper perspective, self.

Even if the entire house blows to the ground as easily as that first pig's house (you know, the one who built with straw). Well. ... We still have all of the farm's outside! :)

And that ain't nothin'!

(The frogs truly are in rare form just now. The kids only have to exert the most minimal effort to catch one.)

(We don't even keep the nets in the barn anymore. They are just permanently left by the pond since they are in use every time we are there.)

(But ohh the light by the pond! I can't believe I will soon be able to have such photos any old time I feel like walking outside.)

(Should you be curious: Those streaks that look like heavenly rays are actually just the stalks of yellow grass I was crouched in while trying to get these photos. I think bits of flowers, trees, or grass up close to your lens add something lovely.)

(Walking from the barn to the house presents you with this charming view. Should the house not end up blowing to the ground at the first wind, it will be a wonderful sight for years to come.)

(At some point we need to dig out the pond and put some type of aerator in it. It has gotten so full of ... whatever it is that grows in ponds that it's become almost impossible to paddle little boats around in it anymore. I just worry that bringing a track hoe in to dig it out will tear up all the lovely stuff growing around the edges and leave it a mess for some time. So. We shall see. One of many projects that we have in mind for the farm.) 

(Sometimes I pull out a little metal ring--maybe an inch long?--that Mike cut for me and take pictures through it. It makes the light reflect in crazy ways. It's too much for some people, I know, but I love the feel of light circling everywhere.)

(Karate Kid?)

(Penny took the camera and took a bunch of photos of me and Mike. Which I will add with abandon since I sometimes fear my kids will have no pictures of me when I am gone--as I am always the one taking them. Not that I plan on being gone any time soon mind. Hopefully by the time I actually do they will be so tired of seeing my face that they won't need any photos anyway. Haha.)

(Mike was not taking the majority of these pictures very seriously. ...)

(It's true that Goldie is sometimes living here (when not at EFY), and Daisy comes home fairly often on weekends, but these are the seven kids who have been living full time at home still these past three years.)