23rd September 2009

Man, I have not posted a blog for a month? Yeah, I have been pretty busy. I have now put bids out on 3 houses. The last one was a good/bad thing -- that me and the selling party would not see eye-to-eye on price. It would have worked perfect for me, plenty of acreage, good soil, and a 1,800 sf farmhouse...although I was concerned it was in a 100 yr flood plain, which had not flooded in 70+ years, but I was not too keen about the dike which was the only thing keeping the river from the land. The land was only 6-11 feet above sea level after all. but it would have been nice to have had a major salmon river in my front yard. There was about a $10K difference between us, but the house sold 3 years ago for only $1k more than what I offered and it is in a depressed economy and the roof needs to be redone now and it needs a new septic at the tune of $17,000, so the other party (bank) can keep it and repair the roof before the winter rains hit. I don't feel too bad about losing that one as I think it was meant to be. I REALLY am not comfortable with that dike/water situation.

The other morning when I was driving through fog, I was getting agitated from the feeling I am not ready for winter. No firewood in (no place to put the wood and no woodstove either for that matter), no meat in the freezer, no pantry available (although I have alot in the storage unit I can't reach).. it is just NOT my normal mode of living. Next year.. but in the meantime it feels weird.

Today I am looking at 6 acres in a county I was really hoping to live in originally, so I have to go to the county offices to check out a few more
details on it.

Photo Above: This is the area the 6 acres is in. It is sorta against the base of the hill to the left. If I had a choice, this is the area I would have preferred to move to. It is the county where my 1st and 2nd homesteads in Oregon were.

One of mom's clients called last night and we started gabbing when she knew whom I was and she knows a 80 year old man who just left his farm not far from where I bid on the last house and she is going to talk to him. I think it will probably be out of my price range, but one never knows. She is supposed to call me sometime today. But the house/farm is sitting empty currently. The town is so small, it mentions it online, but has no information. I think the population is about 50-60 souls.

I have been house-hunting about 5-10 hours most days, both online, at therealtor's office/s who I am working with and by driving in areas I am interestedin. Eventually my place will show up.. just taking its time to reveal itself.

The other thing I have been doing ALOT of, is driving 2,200 miles back andforth, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth to Canada for my pre-natalappointments so I can continue my care with the two doctors I started off withas I trust them and my specialist is one of the best there is. I feel like I am on a hamster wheel somedays. I just get back to Oregon and then I am off and gone again. I usually travel with my dog 'Cyrus', but since it is getting closerto the wee ones arrival date, I am now leaving him behind, which is sad as he is
company, although very hairy as with the wonky weather and going fromclimate to climate, he doesn't know to quit shedding. But when the doctor's say it is time that I have to stay up there as I am banned from traveling, I would not have anywhere to put"Cyrus", so he has to stay behind now.

There are added things to my vehicle now. The baby gear, car seat, my regular backpack/sleeping bags/and hospital survival bag. I am crossing the border so much, some of the border guards KNOW me now. Like they say "Hi tenzicut, heading back up
for the baby appointment again? What happened to your dog?" That rather freakedme out, as they remember ME with all the thousands of vehicles that go through that border crossing each day?

My normal routine is, I drive up part way, set up my tent in a campground, sleep there overnight, then head up and stay at a 'hostel', do my doctors appointment and then drive south, reset the tent and camp overnight and then back to Oregon. Occasionally I stay with a friend on an island on the way up, but he is not always at home or has other company there in his SMALL home. One night only have I been rained out
(I am pleased to say it only takes me 5 minutes to set up my tent now) and so when the weather looks really bad, I sleep in my vehicle. And yes.. my doctor says as long as I am up to it, I can continue to drive the distance and to camp. They told me that the next time someone complains about traveling an hour or two about seeing them, they are going to tell them about me *LOL*.

Photo Above: One of my many trips back and forth to Canada and Oregon.
I stay in a tent in good weather or in my vehicle if it is raining. My doctor said I can continue
to do it as long as I feel up to it. At this campground I even can get high speed internet.
"Cyrus" usually accompanied me on most trips. (You can just barely see his head to the right).

Last weekend I drove to a SCA event (medieval reenactment) almost at the Oregon/California border to househunt down that way as well, with 2 human companions. Land is less expensive there and the weather seems to be pretty good. LOTS of sheep and milk goat producers. ALOT of wool shops...so me and my traveling companions to the event spied it, so I turned around and we
went into one shoppe. "B" bought some lovely yarns, although she has LOTS of wool at her house. She and I may be putting on a fiber retreat weekend down at the coast. We are in the talking it out/getting ideas stage. "A" got a book on the history of sheep and she read that on our traveling north again. Better than a book on tape even.

No trains at the area we were at and I SLEPT!!! It is difficult to get a good night sleep here in the 'city'. Another awesome thing for me about that event is that I got to sleep in a REAL medieval style pavilion which was 30x26'-ish. It rained that first night and it was nice to be able to have the
bedroom/livingroom/kitchen all in one DRY place. I do have to admit that I am taking advantage of being in an area with a high SCA populace and I have attended 6 major events in the last couple of months. I really missed that living up north as I used to attend alot of them when I lived down here before.

Photo Above: I got to stay for 3 days in the pavilion on the right, which is owned by "B". Our other traveling companion stayed in her 'wee' (by comparison) orange and silver tent.

Thus far still no complications with the pregnancy, except during the last week with the hot weather and with all my driving  my feet have swollen up twice the size of their original size and they no longer  look like mine (maybe they belong to the giant from Jack and the Beanstalk?).
So I have been sleeping on the sofa with my legs over the back of the couch at night to keep them elevated.

My blood pressure is still good, so we are not worried about that. One day my legs became swollen clear up to my knee. It is rather more
disconcerning rather than hurting, but I have been making impressions with a key or something to see how long the 'dent' will take to go away and it seems to be about 20-30 minutes. Two weeks ago I was 'down' for 8 days as the baby dislocated 2 of my formerly broken ribs. But for being in a high risk pregnancy, I think I am doing as good as a 20-some year old, so I have no complaints and neither does my doctors. They said I have a healthy living style and that is whyI am probably doing so well.

I am pleased if you look at me straight on (in the right clothing), I still have my curves and you can still see my ribs (and a rather large baby bump). It is just when I turn sideways and look in the mirror I am thinking, "OMG, how am I not falling over on my face?!?!?". Oh well, not long now. Most people are surprised I am as pregnant as I am. I feel the size of a barn, but most people think 6 months, not 8-and some. Other than lacking a house, I am prepared for it to be here. For the first 6 months I was thinking girl, but now I am leaning boy. I will know when it arrives. I like when it gets the hiccoughs (4 times the other day -- poor thing.. what did I eat??) as it humanizes it and makes it more real. Usually though, it is most active at 7 am and 7 pm. I couldn't really feelit moving until about 3-4 weeks ago due to the placenta placement and due to my
good abdominals. When I am driving it sleeps alot, probably will know every song Great Big Sea/Janis Joplin/Blues Traveler/Counting Crows/Joni Mitchell ever produced when it is born, know alot of medieval Irish drinking songs and be
shouting "HUZZAH" as its first words. I sing alot when I am traveling. I make upfor the lack of talent with enthusiasm. Good thing I am alone when I sing hehe.

To keep from going completely mad from driving and house hunting, I have been hanging out with my SCA (medieval reenactment) friends and going to a few events, taking classes, doing projects at their homes and 'getting into other trouble'. One of my friends is as much of a fiber junkie as I am, if not more. She sent me some of her lovely indigo dyed wool and I am working on a pair of socks for her. They are a very complicated 12th century pattern, so I have to admit, I unraveled the sock three times. Knock on wood, but I got past the BAD part of the pattern and it is all routine now.

Photo Above: The indigo dyed yarns "B" and I did and I am knitting into
 a pair of socks. I hated the first half of the sock and I unraveled it again!!
This one no longer exists other than in the photograph. hehe I changed it
around and quit following the pattern so I am happy with it now.
I will show you when I get done with it. The socks will be a present for my friend.

I found a source for ink for the printing press and I am SO VERY happy!!! I still can't set up the press yet until I have a home as it is stuck in a storage locker somewhere. But at least that is a worry off my brain in finding a source for it.

This coming weekend I am attending a couple agricultural events which I will report back on later, but they ought to be very fun and educational. I have been popping into many free events both agricultural and mineral. I went to my first rock & gem show a week or two ago. I learned alot about lots of different things there, the people are nice and will answer the dumbest questions from me and just for going, at the gate they gave me a strand of freshwater pearls.

Photo Above: The rock and gem show I attended. There were hundreds of booths.

I have been watering mom's small garden with her peppers, cukes, beans, blueberries, tomatoes, onions -- I need to plant her lettuce -- which I forgot about until now -- Oops! She is gone in Washington, DC at the moment, so maybe I can get it in before she gets back?

tenzicut - off to plant lettuce and sit for hours (probably) at the country government building.