Moving Week - The O’s

March 4, 2009

The O Family began bringing stuff over to the new place nearly a week ago now, and spent the first night on Saturday. There’s been quarks to adjust to- like the door corner that knocks Ethan on the head once a day, or the fact that our “bedroom” has no vent for heat, so on. The house is just beginning to look like a home, as the H family brings their pieces and we merge them together, a blending of the epics some would say. I’m spending some time today unpacking, so the slideshow below will showcase rooms full of boxes and misc. decor. Ethan has taken a few with his camera but I don’t have it on me so I’ll upload those another time.

Sensing that too many of us were having bowel problems from lack of a homemade balanced meal, I made a large crock pot of chicken and quinoa stew and some sourdough bread and butter last night, in some ways our “first supper”. Chickens are acclimating beautifully to the new digs, they seem pretty darn happy and are laying two eggs a day in this weather (I plan to find out which hen ISN’T laying and have a little tête-à-tête with her ) Paz spent his first night here last night, mostly hanging in the laundry room windows watching cars go by. And getting sprayed in the face with rosemary water when he tried to come in our bedroom (which has no door… it’s built more like a common room, or something, odd…) Chris and I go back tomorrow, his day off, to the old place for hours of cleaning and painting. A walk-through on Friday turns in our keys and we are officially OUTTA THERE! There are so SO many things I will miss about our first Portland place and its surrounding location- but where one chapter ends, so another begins…

The H family spent their first night last night, which consisted of poor sleep on a half blown up air mattress! After a start of their moving week that included numerous freak car problems, (I’ll let them share that story if they chose to!), I’m really hoping for their sake they can get their comfortable bed to their new room soon!

The neighborhood seems really friendly when Ethan and I take our walks. And we’ve scored a close location to walk to a great coffee shop called North Star that serves Stumptown coffee and the most dense, chocolatey, amazing brownies ever. Oh and tasty coffee cake half the size of my head. Several homes have veg beds in the area, and though I haven’t noticed any chicken coops, we did realize that we share one side of our fence with our neighbors and their 1-2 goats! Gotta love urban homesteading!

I feel like I kinda missed an “intentional community” moment the other day, when walking on the sidewalk between a late 20-something guy with a long, blond, braided ponytail and beard who was out gardening in his veg beds. He was taking a break, leaning against his fence having a friendly neighborly chat with an elderly man out in a “walk” in his wheel chair. They were super friendly (I’m saying friendly way too much but hey, this isn’t an essay!), and they got a kick out of Ethan and tried to chat with us. I was totally unsure how to react and completely failed to introduce myself and get to know them. Arg! This intentional community thing is hard for a shy girl! (Yes, that’s right; I might be talkative, but I too can be VERY shy about things like this.)

Well, more opportunities will come, I’m sure. I’ll walk by that house almost daily so I’m sure I’ll have a chance to connect again. Chris says Lacey and I should make some baked goods to bring to all our neighbors. Hmm… it sounds a little too Wisteria Lane for me, but it could work!

Posted in Community living, The Beginnings