It’s been over five months since we put our first deposit down to build. Over a month since they poured the foundation walls. As other houses are being framed… ours sits. A snow filled hole in the ground with some cement walls. The builder has supplied weekly updates. So unreliable (my kind word for it),…
Jan 21st: Sun and Wood
Perfect day at the beach… for late January in Michigan. Sunny, 40 degrees and windy. Rather amazing how many people were with us today at 2pm. Had a little difficulty finding a parking spot. Meanwhile, over at our new neighborhood to be… we got some of our wood. Three week delay and Eastbrook is saying…
Jan 18th: Ice or no ice?
Lake Michigan is normally about 15% ice covered by now. We are currently under 2%. For us personally, trying to get a new home built, the lack of ice… and snow… is a positive. We have a foundation, but the framing and roofing has been delayed into February… so hoping our luck holds. But what…
Jan 13th: After the Burn (Minimalism) / Rebuild Wiser
So far… Yep, the story of this blog… quit my job, sold our house, gave away our possessions and moved to the beach. Extreme decluttering and minimalism. Happily ever after. Is that the end of the journey? Does minimalism become a lifelong obsession? The benefits of minimalism have been fantastic. Ensuing freedoms cannot be overstated….
Jan 8th: Foundation
We have a foundation! My daughter’s family has windows. Yay! The construction delays due to covid supply shortages and overwhelming new home construction demand have stretched on and on. But my daughter’s four week wait for windows is over. And our foundation is poured. Took the drone up yesterday to get a better view as…
Jan 6th: The Priestly Blessing
“Live long and prosper.” Does anyone on the planet not know this Vulcan salutation from Star Trek? It even has an official emoji. And the proper response being, “Peace and long life.” But wait! How does one accomplish this? Yes, it is an excellent greeting and reasonable goal, but what is the one, most important…
Dec 30th: A day later
The faltering heartbeat of a Michigan winter pulsed alive last night. Yesterday… all clear. Now, we have some snow. Later this week, maybe another few beats of ice… then winter will slumber yet again. Personally, this may be fantastic for us and our condo tales. We have a foundation set. Wood should be coming, perhaps…
Dec 29th: Wallet no more
Since I was 15 years old and received my magical driver’s permit, I carried a wallet. Over the years, it grew thicker and thicker. Piled in pictures, credit cards, debit cards, health insurance, library cards… on and on. And then receipts were smashed in until I’d finally empty them out maybe once a month or…
Dec 23rd: The Storm before the storm
Probably the last warm day for a couple months… 52 degrees, with a strong south wind. Waves pounding the pier. Downtown Grand Haven alive with scrambling masked humans grabbing Christmas presents and food. Christmas Eve, Eve…. with tomorrow being perhaps too late. Nine inches of snow forecast. But with lake effect snow, no one really…
Dec 22nd: Day 1
We have a hole… and footings have been poured. Finally, the new home seems real. Foundation walls will soon follow. I was curious as to when the forms for the foundation would be in place. I googled “How long until….” and Google filled in the suggestion “How long until the Covid vaccine is effective.” OK,…