Taking stock

[luzula]

So this is the one-month mark of my move, and I thought I'd sum up how it feels so far. The short version is that it feels GREAT. So far I'm getting along quite well with the two housemates who have moved in. We've been cooking together, which we did very little in my previous living situation, and taking on various projects together, and it just feels like much more of a shared and social community than what I had before.

I'm surprised at how much I'm enjoying the increased amount of physical labor! It just feels so much more meaningful with physical work than working out for the sake of exercise, because you get things done at the same time. Also I find myself working harder, and consequently probably getting stronger from this than from working out. One of my housemates is so enthusiastic about gardening stuff and I really appreciate his ideas and his work.

Various things we have done so far:
- Fetching old silage and horse manure and building a warm compost. And it worked! It got really hot from the decomposition! So cool. : D
- Made 30 liters of apple and pear juice, partly from the neighbors' apples. Some of it will also be made into cider, I hope that goes well. Also made lots of apple sauce, and am picking lots of mushrooms in the forest.
- I have bathed in the lake almost every day! And never once yet used the shower in the house. Let's see how long I can keep this up...the lake is quite cold now.
- Got various fruit trees and berry bushes delivered from a plant nursery, which are not planted yet: two pear trees (interesting and hardy Russian varieties), two Chinese plum trees (Prunus salicina, which apparently have plums the size of peaches!), a saskatoon, three sea buckthorn bushes, three blue-berried honeysuckle bushes, two Japanese silverberry bushes, two rosebushes especially bred to have large and delicious rosehips, and two cherry bushes (one of which is called chocolate cherry, how could I resist). Oh, and a friend gave us two flowering quince bushes. There already are four apple trees, two plum trees, a sweet cherry tree, a sour cherry tree, a neglected Labrusca grape vine, raspberries, black currants, red currants, and gooseberries (some of the trees are still small though). Probably we want more stuff as well! *greedy* But we need to plant these first and protect them from deer etc.

The other major project we want to do this fall is to enclose a part of the field against deer etc, for future vegetable growing, and also plant some of the bushes within that. We are inviting friends for two days on a weekend for a "dugnad" (a Norwegian word for when friends come and help you get things done).

Another change is how much more interaction with neighbors I have. I lived eight years in an apartment building without getting to know any neighbors at all! This is a small village with ten households (of which two are only summer houses); so far everyone seems friendly and we have had good interactions (but what do I know, perhaps there are buried conflicts I don't know about yet). Also I am now the convener and secretary of the local road association, heh, which task I took over from the previous owners of my house. I figured I ought to show some good will as a newcomer.

My major worry so far is that the last housemate is not moving in until spring, and it would be nice to find some temporary person to cover the rent costs that she is not paying. We had two interested people who both fell through; probably we should put out an ad. But it's not like I can't still swing it financially.

Looking back on this post, perhaps it's not so strange that I have been extremely busy this past month, given that I have also been unpacking, doing administration having to do with moving and buying a house, mostly managing to write a little every day, doing my day job (which is mercifully in one of its calm periods)... I'm extremely glad that we have hired a book-keeper in my environmental organization, taking that unpaid labor off my shoulders. Looking forward to when the moving-related things are done, to free up some time. But all in all, I'm so glad I took this leap into the unknown!

Comments

[sanguinity]

Oh, hurrah! Listen to how happy you sound! I'm so pleased that the new place is bringing you so much joy. <3

[luzula]

It is bringing me joy! : D Sometimes I go outside and just smile at how beautiful this place is.

[lyr]

That sounds so lovely!

[luzula]

It is! I wish I'd done this ten years ago.

[trobadora]

Yay, that sounds fantastic! Glad to hear you're so happy with it!

[luzula]

I love harvesting! Today: funnel chanterelles and yet more apples.

[jesse_the_k]

Mmmmm -- how are you preparing the chanterelles? Soup?

[luzula]

Today I made a stew of them, which I wrapped in crepes that had corn kernels added to the batter, and then shredded cheese on top and baked for a while in the oven.

[jesse_the_k]

Mmmm, that sounds excellent! Take pics of your meals for a week and show them to potential roommates—you will have NO problems finding one.

[luzula]

The meal was indeed popular! : )

[seascribble]

I'm so glad for you too, this sounds so wonderful!

[luzula]

I still have some nagging worries (how find housemate?), but it would be strange if there were absolutely none. As a whole, it's wonderful.

[isis]

Oh, yay, I'm glad things are going so well. Will the lake freeze in the winter? That might put a damper on your bathing :-)

[luzula]

It might put a damper on my bathing, but it will enable ice skating and skiing! : D If the ice freezes thick enough, that is.

Ahhhhh

[jesse_the_k]

What a lovely busy time you’re having!

(Where do you store all that apple and pear juice? The house probably has some cold storage designed a couple centuries back.)

I love the idea of a dugnad.

Brave you bathing in the lake — have you taken its temperature or don’t you want to know?

Speaking of temperature, how is your lovely new place heated?

Last question today: are you going to name it? Warm Comfort Farm?

Re: Ahhhhh

[luzula]

Well, we pasteurized the apple and pear juice and put in sterilized bottles, so hopefully it'll keep (though I saw one bottle had gone bad). Also we froze some of it. But yes, there's a lovely room for food storage in the cellar, and also a root cellar for storing potatoes etc in another place.

Hmm, I have no idea of the temperature of the lake--perhaps I should bring a thermometer next time...

We have solar panels (less use in winter, of course) and a downhole heat exchanger bored into the rock, which heats the house via water circulating in the radiators.

You're the first person asking about a name! I have no idea yet...

Re: Ahhhhh

[jesse_the_k]

...and now I'm down a rabbit hole re: downhole heat exchangers, which I would have learned about in drafting school if I'd attended 40 years later.

I'm sure a name will present itself when it's time.

Re: Ahhhhh

[luzula]

They are pretty cool, though high-tech--we could not fix ours by ourselves if it broke. We do also have a wood stove in the kitchen and one on the upper floor, though.

[mergatrude]

The eternal lament of the country gardener - Oh no, the deer! My sister complains about wallabies. :-)

Glad to hear things are going well for you. <3

[luzula]

At least we have no wallabies--I'm sure they're a menace. : ) But yes, I think we have no option but to fence the vegetable field.

[china_shop]

It sounds wonderful. Go you! *\o/* *\o/* *\o/*

[luzula]

Thank you! <3

[chestnut_pod]

I am in vicarious paroxysms of delight over your fruit trees. Wow!!! Oh, your cherries will be so beautiful! I can feel myself sliding into full-on psalmistry as I contemplate the fruits of your yard, O Luzula!

So glad this is going well; can't wait to hear more about future adventures.

[luzula]

Hee, I have been drooling over the idea of these fruits and berries myself. : ) But the conditions look good: I was just digging along the drystone wall where we will plant many of the trees, and it looked like the soil was quite good there, as well as having sun from all directions. I'll post photos later on and you can provide the psalmistry. : )

[abbylee]

This sounds so lovely, I'm so happy for you!

[luzula]

Thank you! : )

[umadoshi]

Just reading this makes me so happy! I'm so glad it's going so well!

[luzula]

Thanks! I just love harvesting, today it's been funnel chanterelles and still more apples. : )

[sylvanwitch]

Ooooh! All of those fruit, etc., trees and bushes sound *AMAZING*! *Does a happy dance for you*

And it's also wonderful that you feel so good about your housemates and your little village community too. You sound so full of energy and real joy, and that is giving me just the most enormous smile!

YAY! *hugs*

[luzula]

It's great to have the SPACE to plant so many fruit trees and berry bushes! Besides the ones in the post, I am also contemplating apricot, mulberry, mini-kiwi, American blueberries, and possibly Pyrus pyrifolia. And perhaps some sort of winter apple (the ones I have are all autumn ones).

[osprey_archer]

This all sounds so amazing. You are going to have SO MUCH FRUIT! Excited to hear about how it all tastes as the trees and bushes settle in and begin to bear. Is most of it going to bear next year, or will you have to wait longer?

[luzula]

So much fruit and berries, yes! \o/ The ones we plant now will take a few years to start bearing, I think. But there are some fairly newly planted ones from the previous owners, and also, I haven't yet tasted the cherries, plums, etc here since I moved in a month ago.

[petra]

\o/ I am so glad you are finding joy in your new place!

[luzula]

Thank you! Yes, a lot of joy. Hopefully the few things I worry about will solve themselves.

[mific]

It sounds wonderful! I'm very envious of all the space you have to plant delicious things. And lake and river swimming is my absolute fave - no need to get all sticky and salty!

[luzula]

Yessss, so much space! Although you seem to be making the most of your gardening space.

I agree--lake/river swimming is the best.

[dolorosa_12]

This sounds both idyllic, and like a lot of hard work! (I'm so envious of all those fruit trees and bushes, and the lake.) I'm glad it's going well so far.

[luzula]

Yes! So far I'm enjoying the physical work, though. Although I'm glad we're three people to share it, and hopefully four people eventually.

[nnozomi]

So so glad it's going so well so far! and omigod, your fruits and berries are mouthwatering ;) Curious to know how far into winter the bathing-in-lake will go. and yay for writing a little every day! <3

[luzula]

It is going well! Today I chopped down two spruces (admittedly fairly thin ones) to make poles for fencing. I aim to keep bathing for the whole of October, we'll see how that goes...

[scribe]

Ah yaaay, I'm so happy for you!!

[luzula]

Thank you! Today new housemate and I planted a plum tree, fetched manure from our neighbors' place, and made a warm compost. : D