Dreams

The DH and I frequently dream about where we would like to be and what we would like to have around us in 5 years. Currently I think our situation is less than ideal but we make it work nonetheless. But some days are just plain hard and stressful when you know the time and energy you put into living is just much more than its worth.

So some of our dreams are...

To buy a piece of land- a few acres outside of the city, but not in the middle of suburbia either

Grow some of our own food without dealing with pesticides, etc

Chickens and maybe a horse or two- the DH insists we must have chickens which makes me glad he at least grew up with them and knows exactly what to do because it will surely be a learning process for me. And horses are a love and hobby of my DH, but that might be in the 10 year dream!

Build our own small home on that piece of land and use reclaimed materials. I never liked the feel of brand new homes. The character of older, worn materials attracts me and maybe just reminds me of my childhood.

The list goes on but those are just a few of the more frequently discussed. I look forward to making the dream a reality, little by little.

Finding the creative energy within

Its been a long time since I've posted anything. I admit I'd like to create perfect little blurbs about the workings of my mind, but the truth is I just don't find myself being creative in writing (I must have missed that class in high school, just like I missed speech. Public speaking makes my body go limp). I would not say I couldn't do it if I put my mind to it, but if I'm not feeling it then what's the point? But the creative outlet I do find myself enjoying immensely is photography. Ever since I was in high school I wanted to get into photography. I even convinced my parents to help me buy a nice camera at that time. I started taking a class at a photography store but quickly found myself lost in the technical terminology that I was not ready for. I wanted the basics to taking good pictures, eventually I would learn the technical stuff along the way. So what happened? I slowly abandoned that endeavor. It lay dormant beneath all the other interests that had taken priority for the moment. However, gradually my interest has been piqued again and here I am, without a digital camera (apparently I missed the fact that we're in the 21st century or maybe I just haven't been able to afford the one I really want?) attempting to learn the basics. So far I'm content with my progress. I've started a photo blog and I've actually been taking photographs. It makes my heart smile.

Photography is how I can express myself without using words. Its a way of looking, seeing, and capturing what is right in front of us. It allows the details to be seen that might otherwise be overlooked. It captures the essence of that thing. It captures the beauty that some at first glance might think is ugly. Photography captures a piece of life in a single shot. The more photos you take the pieces come together. So I'll keep taking photos.

Yard Work

Today was a good day. We got our new fence in the backyard. Though it would be nice to not have a privacy fence, these days it seems inevitable with our forever barking dogs who dislike the neighbor's drunk friends. We don't exactly care for the drinking or the noise produced by our neighbors either. Eventually one can only handle so much "community". When dogs and drunk people do not mix you know you need privacy otherwise an accident is waiting to happen.

A perk to having the privacy fence is the ability to make it look like our own little haven in the midst of chaos. I'm excited to think of planting a small tree, some flowers, grass (our backyard currently consists of lots of concrete), maybe one day a garden too.

We'll see how we progress.