Planning, Planning, Planning

Since almost two weeks we are at Clayton's parents. We are using those days not just for family time but also for planning the construction of our future home in a more detailed way. We are going back and forth between the options for the foundation: ~ concrete ~ rubble trench ~ stone ~ raised (stilts) Concrete is probably the easiest but also most expensive and if we really want a green home concrete is probably not a very wise decision. A rubble trench sounds great but it is very time consuming (but we are sure it is worth it). I am a bit sceptic about a raised foundation to be honest. Well, we are still discussing and thinking about the best decision for our specific need (it schould not take too long, hold up for centuries, be green and not too expensive) and we would be more than happy about comments and suggestions from you! Another thing we are thinking about is our water supply. We are interested in a well and rainwater usage. First we thought we would start with a well and just rainwater barrels in the yard. Then we had the idea of Urging a rainwater tank underneath the roof and having this as our only water source. I think having both (well & tank)would be awesome but to save money we should maybe start out with just one. Your ideas and comments are appreciated on this one as well. Thanks! Then we were giving some thought to some of our appliances inside the house. We were discussing about a rainwater or composting toilet and after realizing what kind of composting toilets are on the market I was easily convinced that this is the smartest and most ecological ethic especially if you are having a farm. I am sure a lot of readers might be thinking "gross&nasty" but those toilets are very advanced and not at all comparable to an outhouse (we will have this toilet in our bathroom indoors). A very close friend of mine told me a few weeks ago that it is one of the silliest inventions of mankind to flush away our urin and poop and we should give back to the earth what we took from her. We were also thinking about kitchen appliances like stove, fridge and freezer and how we can be environmentally friendly and not spend too much on those items. Clayton's suggestion was not to have any ;-) but think we need a stove for feeding a family and a fridge and a freezer if we have a farm that will feed us. With having kids I would really appreciate having a washing machine (not a dryer just a washer) too, cause I just cannot befriend the thought of washing everything by hand. Clayton showed me an old style washer that works with arm muscles instead of energy but I am still not sure if this is something could live with ;-) All of a sudden we realize once more how spoiled we are and how we use so many things that make life easier and faster. I think we still have to do a lot of thinking and any help is appreciated!!!

Leaving is harder than we thought

The last few days were a bit stressful and exhausting. They seemed long but at the same time it felt like time was running away. We started to get ready to move out of our house weeks ago. We posted items on craigslist and started to sell furniture. All of a sudden Pan did not have a bed anymore (which he used more for storing his stuffed animals than sleeping anyways cause he still prefers to sleep between mommy and daddy) and our futon was gone as well - so we did it Asian style and propped up blankets and pillows and ate and relaxed on the floor (which did not bother us at all as we love to dine like that and plan on having a sitting/dining area on the floor in our new house too). Then we put all our unwanted stuff onto the patio and people came to check it out and take it off our hands. We met a lot of nice people and had interesting conversations and most importantly got rid of stuff. Stuff, stuff, stuff...we found out we had definitely more than we needed and we were surprised how all that stuff got into the house in just one year. Well, it felt good to get rid of a lot of unnecessary things. Kind of like a cleansing for our minds. Although we did not as good as expected, because the last three to two days we had some moments we did not know how we would finish all of it and sometimes we did not even know where to start. Pan was very patient but he liked to unpack whatever we packed and he got bored with just packing, packing and packing. We are so lucky to have a wonderful neighbor like Mike who was there for us and helped us packing and moving boxes. Even though he has a son, a job and a dog he always found time to hop the fence and give us a hand. THANK YOU! It was also very nice of him to take all the opened flour, sweets, sauces, nut butters etc ;) The last day we were in the house we had three friends helping and clayton's dad and we finally had everything out in the Jeep or in HaRVey and it was time for me to clean the house. All leftover things were put into the front yard and onto the curb and we hope people came and gave them a new home. To be sure that HaRVey would ride smoothly and without troubles we had a mechanic stop by to give him an oil change on the generator and the engine and check his battery cause HaRVey did not want to start last week. They also fiddled with the altitude adjustment and checked suspension and shocks. We were all set and ready to go after saying our goodbyes and hugging our neighbors several times. I had Clayton back out the Jeep cause I had just my left side mirror to guide me (well and the windshield of course). Clayton went to our mobile home and said while I waited in our car until he would pass me so I could follow him. Well, he never passed. I walked over to HaRVey and saw Clayton fiddling with the driver's door. Our mobile home did not want to make it easy on us it seemed. After trying a couple more times Clayton decided he has no other chance but going through the side door and crawling over all the stuff that was packed (and believe me it looked likes big challenge). He crawled over our bikes and after a few seconds made it into the driver's seat. Again we thought we were ready to go but HaRVey did not start. We knew that our jumper cables were packed and somewhere and found them soon in the back of the Jeep and started HaRVey. I left to bring back some things to the library and Clayton and I wanted to meet up at the gas station. Arriving there Clayton was a bit worked up. When I left HaRVey was running but as soon as I was out of sight he died on Clayton. After a few tries Clayton figured out that he has to step onto the gas pedal before starting the engine - and so he made it to the gas station and we filled up HaRVey. Clayton took of and I followed him. We were heading to south Denver (Parker) to stay with clayton's parents for a couple of weeks before heading to the cold north. The one hour drive turned out to be way more because of road work and so we arrived way past 10 PM at my in laws. But we made it :)