It's been a while since I've sat down and just wrote what's on my mind. I do it in little snippets on my Instagram, and in little snippets here on the blog, but all in one post? That hasn't happened in a long time. Brace yourself.
Last Thursday was the official day where our house isn't ours any more. We went and had a quiet celebratory lunch with champagne, reflecting on everything that happened. Six months ago we had no idea that we would be celebrating Christmas in a new place. Life is crazy! We rented our house back for three weeks, because we need that time to move our zoo to the new place.
I always thought that the moment when we leave our driveway for the last time would be heart wrenching, but to my pleasant surprise, I'm now sure that it won't be. We have said a long, thorough goodbye over the past few weeks, and now we are ready. On Thursday we will get the keys to our new house! I've been packing like a fiend, and there are lists everywhere. It took us quite some time to develop a game plan of how to do this, but now we've got it (I really hope we do, or we are screwed!): Our strategy is to divide and conquer.
One of us will be at the new place (in the beginning that's Rich, because he has to build shelters and make fences), while the other one is at the old place, packing the never-ending boxes and feeding the critters.
I also still have to work five shifts before my vacation, and write an exam on Friday for the CT-course I've been taking. Not the best timing, but who knew, right?
About halfway through we'll switch, with me being at the new place, unpacking and decorating (I'm so excited for that!) and feeding the animals that are already there.
Sounds good in theory, but who knows what will happen. We wait and see!
To give you a bit of an idea what we are dealing with, here is a small assortment of our feathered and furry friends we want to take with us:
Neil and Ghost:
The sheep:
Approximately one gazillion birds:
Not to forget at least one hundred rabbits, the dogs, and a few assorted bits and pieces like our black swans, some pheasants, and a few guinea pigs.
The horses are already there, with the current owner kindly taking care of them. We will return the favour and have two of her horses as house guests over the winter.
The good news is that the two places are only about two hours apart from each other. (Three with a heavy load.)
The not-so-good news is that there is a mountain pass in between them that gets treacherous in the winter. We've been keeping an eye on the weather forecast, and we might just get lucky, with only a few snow flurries hopefully. Keep your fingers crossed!
Starting on Tuesday, we will be driving up and down the mountain pass daily, moving our belongings one load at a time. I've gotten rid of a ton of stuff, either donating it, recycling it or throwing it out. There were also a few magnificent bonfires that have been fed with old, broken-down furniture, school papers that I didn't need any more, and about 200 of Rich's old Feather Fancier magazines. It felt so good!
I've also been shopping for new things: This fabulous rug for our dining area, a desert quilt (to celebrate living in the semi-desert), and a whimsical bear pillow (yes, bears can be whimsical).
Next week I'm going to Ikea to buy a new dining table (I hate our old one), and I'm toying with the idea to buy this crazy desk chair. Too colourful? Naw, no such thing ;-)
On a serious note, I have obsessively been following what's happening in the US. Some people are already getting bored with it, saying that we should simply accept that Trump is president and move on. But we can't move on. We can't!
Not if things like this are happening:
Or the countless incidents of racism and hate that have been happening as a direct result to Trump.
(I found this Trump Hate Map, tracking incidents of hate directed towards Latinos and immigrants, and it's terrifying.)
As many of you know, I grew up in Germany. Part of our history lesson was learning about the world wars, how Hitler came to power, and how the atrocities of the 3rd Reich could have happened. As an idealistic 12-year old, I had a hard time understanding how people could have believed a funny-looking man who was shouting hate at them. How did he get elected chancellor? How did he manage to manipulate millions of people?
I didn't understand how angry people were. Many Germans felt they had been mistreated in the The Treaty of Versailles; millions were unemployed; many people felt hard-done by and wanted someone to blame for their situation. (Having a scapegoat is so much easier than taking responsibility yourself.)
Now it's happened again: A funny-looking man shouting hate, looking for scapegoats. A man who doesn't have the knowledge, wisdom, or temperament to do the job of being president. What he has is an overinflated ego, ignorance, disdain for many (President Obama, the media, facts) - and a worrying amount of support.
I won't turn this blog into a political rant, I promise. But I do believe that knowledge is power, and that we have to be aware of what's happening.
To end this weird rambling post, I'm sharing a couple of videos from the Obamas. They are such a kind, smart, humble, and funny couple, I adore them.
Farmgirl, out!
Last Thursday was the official day where our house isn't ours any more. We went and had a quiet celebratory lunch with champagne, reflecting on everything that happened. Six months ago we had no idea that we would be celebrating Christmas in a new place. Life is crazy! We rented our house back for three weeks, because we need that time to move our zoo to the new place.
I always thought that the moment when we leave our driveway for the last time would be heart wrenching, but to my pleasant surprise, I'm now sure that it won't be. We have said a long, thorough goodbye over the past few weeks, and now we are ready. On Thursday we will get the keys to our new house! I've been packing like a fiend, and there are lists everywhere. It took us quite some time to develop a game plan of how to do this, but now we've got it (I really hope we do, or we are screwed!): Our strategy is to divide and conquer.
One of us will be at the new place (in the beginning that's Rich, because he has to build shelters and make fences), while the other one is at the old place, packing the never-ending boxes and feeding the critters.
I also still have to work five shifts before my vacation, and write an exam on Friday for the CT-course I've been taking. Not the best timing, but who knew, right?
About halfway through we'll switch, with me being at the new place, unpacking and decorating (I'm so excited for that!) and feeding the animals that are already there.
Sounds good in theory, but who knows what will happen. We wait and see!
To give you a bit of an idea what we are dealing with, here is a small assortment of our feathered and furry friends we want to take with us:
Neil and Ghost:
The sheep:
Approximately one gazillion birds:
Not to forget at least one hundred rabbits, the dogs, and a few assorted bits and pieces like our black swans, some pheasants, and a few guinea pigs.
The horses are already there, with the current owner kindly taking care of them. We will return the favour and have two of her horses as house guests over the winter.
The good news is that the two places are only about two hours apart from each other. (Three with a heavy load.)
The not-so-good news is that there is a mountain pass in between them that gets treacherous in the winter. We've been keeping an eye on the weather forecast, and we might just get lucky, with only a few snow flurries hopefully. Keep your fingers crossed!
Starting on Tuesday, we will be driving up and down the mountain pass daily, moving our belongings one load at a time. I've gotten rid of a ton of stuff, either donating it, recycling it or throwing it out. There were also a few magnificent bonfires that have been fed with old, broken-down furniture, school papers that I didn't need any more, and about 200 of Rich's old Feather Fancier magazines. It felt so good!
I've also been shopping for new things: This fabulous rug for our dining area, a desert quilt (to celebrate living in the semi-desert), and a whimsical bear pillow (yes, bears can be whimsical).
Next week I'm going to Ikea to buy a new dining table (I hate our old one), and I'm toying with the idea to buy this crazy desk chair. Too colourful? Naw, no such thing ;-)
On a serious note, I have obsessively been following what's happening in the US. Some people are already getting bored with it, saying that we should simply accept that Trump is president and move on. But we can't move on. We can't!
Not if things like this are happening:
Images found here. Adam wrote an excellent post, it's worth a read.
(I found this Trump Hate Map, tracking incidents of hate directed towards Latinos and immigrants, and it's terrifying.)
As many of you know, I grew up in Germany. Part of our history lesson was learning about the world wars, how Hitler came to power, and how the atrocities of the 3rd Reich could have happened. As an idealistic 12-year old, I had a hard time understanding how people could have believed a funny-looking man who was shouting hate at them. How did he get elected chancellor? How did he manage to manipulate millions of people?
I didn't understand how angry people were. Many Germans felt they had been mistreated in the The Treaty of Versailles; millions were unemployed; many people felt hard-done by and wanted someone to blame for their situation. (Having a scapegoat is so much easier than taking responsibility yourself.)
Now it's happened again: A funny-looking man shouting hate, looking for scapegoats. A man who doesn't have the knowledge, wisdom, or temperament to do the job of being president. What he has is an overinflated ego, ignorance, disdain for many (President Obama, the media, facts) - and a worrying amount of support.
I won't turn this blog into a political rant, I promise. But I do believe that knowledge is power, and that we have to be aware of what's happening.
To end this weird rambling post, I'm sharing a couple of videos from the Obamas. They are such a kind, smart, humble, and funny couple, I adore them.
Farmgirl, out!
Hey there Miriam. It's been a while since I've been here and I'm still catching up with your posts but I just wanted to say hello and that it's really exciting that your move is finally happening. So many horrible things are happening in the world at the moment, it's nice to hear that there is still some good stuff too. Good luck with the move!
ReplyDeleteThank you dear Jane! We have been blissfully distracted from politics by moving the farm, which is challenging yet also quite fun. I hope you're doing well! How's your book doing?
DeleteMy books been on hold for the last couple of months ( I had a family emergency in Australia which everything else was put on hold for ) but thankfully everything is going back to normal now. I'm currently submitting that book to agents as I'm trying to get it traditionally published. I've now gone back to a story I started a few years ago but kept getting stuck on. I eventually put it aside and wrote that other one but I'm now filled with ideas on how to make my original story work. If the story I've completed doesn't sell then at least I've got another one that I'm working on. Hopefully this year will magical for both of us.
ReplyDeleteI just read your post about your dad's illness. I'm so relieved that he made it through!
DeleteHow awesome that you've got new ideas for your story! That's such a rewarding feeling. I keep my fingers crossed that you find a publisher soon! I really hope that 2017 will be The Year of the Book(s) for both of us!