As some folks know, L and I will be moving to Ashfield in October (assuming all goes according to schedule). So we've been packing, moved some things into storage in the barn, rearranging things in the house. L's been painting, plastering, working on window frames, etc. I was able to help with some of the painting later in this past week, and no doubt will get to do more this coming week. We had some help from friends yesterday with washing, packing, carpentry, etc., which was greatly appreciated.
Today we'll choose a place for the new garden, find a spot for the shed to go, and start preparing the land for some of our plants from here in Holyoke. It's been kind of a surreal week, for me anyway. L and I made an extra trip with some of our belongings earlier in the week, and then I made another one by myself, with things light enough for me to be able to move alone (although my FIL W ended up kindly offering his help, which was much appreciated!).
I've been expecting something to happen this autumn for months now and yet, now that the time is here, it still doesn't seem quite real at times. We've lived in this house since the spring of 1996, and have made a good home here. The thought of living elsewhere had become like a dream in that time.
And while there is much to look forward to, I'm going to miss my friends here quite a bit. Not my human friends, who can come visit me or I them -- the sugar maple, the Japanese maple, and the apple trees. I worry about the latter three, hoping the new people will like them and care for them. It's out of my hands, of course -- they're too large to move, and they're used to being here now. But still I feel badly that I cannot guarantee to them that they'll be cared for and appreciated. I can only hope.
No time for weaving this past week, although L and I had both hoped to do so. We'll have to make the time this coming week, even if only for an hour. There is still so much to do, and the realtor is coming Monday morning for a little tour and meeting. After the meeting we'll have a better idea of what is the best order in which to do the things that need doing.
So, I suppose this is all the usual difficulties of moving. Chaos, hard work, joy and sorrow.
***
We went with Cyfnos Gwynt and crew to look at an 82-acre piece of land in Hawley yesterday. We only saw a small part of it, as we were unsuccessful in meeting up with the agent. There's a river on one bound, a bold and brassy fellow, who was beckoning us to adventure. If CG et al end up buying the land, I'll take him up on his offer.
There's a low meadow that looks like it gets flooded at least some years, from the highwater marks on the bridge just outside the property. Apparently there's another open space on a ridge at one end of the land. There's quite a lot of woods on the hill, and as Cyfnos Gwynt noted, there is a lot of wildlife there. Also, we both noted that there's definitely water sources in the hill; I expect it won't be hard to find a good spot for a well. Great potential for the prospective grove and sanctuary, if they're able to get the construction loan/mortgage.
The community is a tempting one for me; after all, it would be great to all live close to one another, work together, and more. And I do know that we will do some sorts of work together, over time. But this place we looked at is too far from Ashfield to live at for us, and too far even for visiting more than once a week, although I can see possible overnight visits if we had something going on there that took a few days. It's about 17 miles between the farm and Hawley.
There is the practical aspect that we're moving to Ashfield to help out at the family farm, but also I think we need to consider that we already have some connections in Ashfield (both people and the land itself), so our efforts are better spent building community there. Wherever the grove ends up being, we will support it of course. But perhaps it's better to have two places of learning, sanctuary, community. In the long run we may have a greater impact. In any case, I don't think we're meant to be in Hawley, at least not in the near future.
Then too, there is the fact that as we spend more time at the farm, that I can feel a familiarity that is from memories from before I ever worked there. And it doesn't hurt that I can visit with my sister the spring in South Pasture, even as I sit here at the PC in our house in Holyoke.
So, we'll bring what we can from our old life here to the new one at the farm. I'm hoping to collect some seeds from the Japanese maple, to try to start a child of hers. And we have one of the sugar maple's children already, in a pot waiting for the move.
Meantime, I guess it's time for me to get moving again, as we're taking another load up to the farm today.
Peace to all,
H
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