Must commemorate.

This is the tackiest thing I've done in quite some time, especially since I haven't posted in a while, but people! This Saturday is a Very. Important. Day. So listen up!

Firstly, it's my birthday. Yup. Turning 32, and feeling every bit of it these days... hehe. (send gifts!)

Secondly (and arguably more importantly), this coming Saturday is the anniversary of my leaving my beloved cabin in the woods and embarking upon this wild and crazy adventure that has led me to here. Not specifically laying on the couch in my new half-built space and blogging while waiting for my manfriend to vacate the shower so I can have a post work shower per se, but hopefully by now you know the story.

Let's review, shall we?

September saw The Great Migration, and the clearing of my 'driveway'. Also the ceremonial uncapping of the well.

I met the manfriend in October, we cleared MORE trees, got Melvin (thank you then future manfriend!), got the first shed, cleared the garden site, got a tiller, BROKE the tiller, had the well measured, had a propane tank put in, and went to the State Fair. (that's it? slackers).

November brought a bit of slowness. EXCEPT that I did go to Washington DC, met up with some dear friends of mine from CA, and we went to the Rally to Restore Sanity. There were costumes, beer, and debaucherous good times. I also shed the shackles of the CA license plates and got my NC plate, and planted some bulbs.

December was huge. December saw the advent of electricity at Stoneyhaw, and the famous phone call in which I called my mother both jumping up and down in tears, and flicking a light switch on and off. Yes. Intense. It also saw the advent of Caitlin walking around going "it's SO FUCKING COLD". A lot. (please keep in mind that said Caitlin went to college in Minnesota. Which did NOT prepare me for living in an Airstream in the woods) The ice was gorgeous, and the gentle dusting of snow.... until it turned into giant gobs of snow. Giant gobs. December also brought with it the best Christmas this girl has had for quite some time.

January! The new year! All will be well! All of it! Especially now that I have running water ice! Oh yeah. I spent the month of January basically troubleshooting water issues. Spent a LOT of time at the manfriend's, essentially driving 3 hours to shower and do laundry, too.

In February I continued my tree clearing but I did take time off to make a most awesome birthday cake.  I also got seeds in dirt (holy crap). I also had amazing family pop up and give quite the boost to this girl out here in the woods.

March was a construction sequence of getting garden beds built...

April! Oh April! While it still rained, iced, and froze my butt off, April saw so many wonderful things! Garden beds done, mower purchased, plants in the ground, my mother's arrival, and spring actually springing!

May was possibly the one month I could describe as "lush". Just enough rain to keep things growing, and boy did things take off! And we got the chickens! With the chickens came the chicken tractor, and the chicken palace. Both of which are more or less still in use today.

With June came employment, the departure of my mother, and tons and tons of wildlife. It also melted right into July and August, and we have had droughts, heatwaves, and crazy wildlife. We have lost a few chickens.

And this brings me to August. I have been woefully absent this month, and please let me defend myself by saying I have been busy. Work as been a full time commitment, and the little bit of experimenting with recipes is about the best I have been able to do. 

But here I am. I am in my almost-built living room with my manfriend, with his son 10 feet away in Melvin playing away on the wii. Redneck spawn started the second grade today, and we hope to have Mike gainfully employed soon. While I could give a list of material items I want for my birthday, I can't help but think that I pretty much have already gotten what I want. I have been antsy as hell to get them out here, and now that I have a giant weight has been lifted from my shoulders. Giant weight.

So happy birthday to me. I hope to be spending it surrounded by my man, his spawn, the spawn's sister, and their grandmother, riding out a hurricane. This is the second birthday I've spent in NC in memory, and the second birthday hurricane I'll be enjoying. Thank you my new home state!

Want to contribute to the Stoneyhaw garden or the birthday fun? These make great gifts. Is this tacky? Yes, yes it is. Is it going to stop me? No. No it's not.

Oh! And because having said manfriend and spawn move in wasn't enough change for one day, I got a new dog that day, too. Mostly to keep Zora company in her new outside dog capacity :)

But there's MAJOR CUTENESS!!

Meet Luke, the American Bulldog

Due to some complications, he spent his second night inside with us instead of outside like a 'real dog'. He chose to curl up on Mike's bag.

The Spawn and the Cuteness

He has already perfected the art of lounging. He is 12 weeks old.

Becoming fast friends while lounging.

Henrietta. The prodigal chicken.

Luke is a great little dog, although we are about to enter a world of training as he has managed to kill 2 chickens (we think the third one died of heat). This is not going to be fun. But we'll get through it, and I look forward to having him be part of the menagerie for realsies.