the energy is changing.

Walking the dog at 5a.m.,the entire town is sleepy quiet peace. I can feel the hint of Spring in the air , despite the recent snow. Green scent wafting on the breeze tickling memories of budding beginnings. Change is coming. Cell memory rejoices at the first twinges of renewal. Excitement for gardens and growing things stirring in my heart. Leaving the dark moon womb of winter and waking into the greening time. I love the change of seasons most of all.

Quiet snow covered street

This is the street where I live. Quiet in the early morning snow. Hushed footfalls as I make my way around the block. Serene. peaceful. beautiful. I love this time of day.

Adventures in renovation or how I learned to love bunnies.

So, I had a few friends over sunday , who are handy type folks. They had generously agreed to help me remove the old shower, and install a new shower in my 160 year old home. Simple . right?
Well ..no , our first issue the old shower ( corner unit) was not installed properly plumbing leaked , and surprise! surprise! mold on the floor and wall . We broke out the bleach and some high hiding primer , settled that. next marking out the new shower (alcove unit) and building a support wall .

Our first obstacle moving the light switch and the outlet so we can build the support wall, that's when we discovered a live outlet on the wall behind the second wall the previous owner's built for the shower, and instead of wire nuts..the wires were soldered together and covered in electrical tape..which we discovered as we were pulling it off was starting to melt. we disconnected the random outlet and made sure the wires had no power and continued on our way. while putting up the wall , we discovered we had to move the light attached to a lath and plaster ceiling...you can imagine how that went ( this is where my handy man type friend began to recite his mantra..i love bunnies) I now have a rabbit hole in the ceiling , but since the bathroom is wonderland I will make it work. 

light moved..wall built..outlet and switch properly wired in new wall. lets cut a hole for the drain...oh wait it's right next to a floor joist ...somehow by miracle or sheer force of will he made it work. ( i think it's because he loves bunnies) base is installed.. now for the walls. let's mark and drill a hole for the faucet handle...so far so good.. try to put it all together ...new shower is farther out form the wall than the old shower...take the side wall out... cut hole in plywood to look at plumbing( beautifully done, and correct...unlike the wiring) we were able to move it forward enough to put a piece of 2x4 behind it thus creating the wiggle room we needed to attach the handle. and tada!! I have a shower.

This whole process took almost nine hours. the only easy part was reconnecting the drain in the basement. 

we still have to do the cosmetic stuff.. like sheetrock , trim , etc.. but I have a working shower and a properly wired light and outlet. and a new mantra for unexpected issues( i love bunnies) 

I am thankful for good friends (my handy man's wife is amazing ) and fun and interesting renovations. I am sure we will all love bunnies again as I have several more projects before the house is complete.

dream messages

So over the last year I have had the same dream about 6-7 times.  I am in my grandparents house( the one they lived in when I was a child) andI am searching for something. I feel an urgent need to find the item , but I have no idea what IT is. Each time I am in a different room . The house is in very poor condition, floors caving in etc. My mother's brothers and sisters keep interrupting me and telling me I have no right to search. It is very strange , but I get the feeling that my grandmother really wants me to find IT. It's all very weird and disconcerting; when I wake up I want to drive there and search the house, but it is not in the family anymore. wondering what it all means.

blessed.

today I am 40 years old. what an awesome age . old enough to get away with being a little weird, young enough to enjoy the freedom. and , bonus, I am 15 years cancer free. so thanks universe for all the many blessings in my life. I have had some pretty amazing experiences. travelled, met some really cool folks, living my dreams into reality. my cup is full . i am happy. i have amazing people in my life. I am not where I saw myself through my child eyes, but I am following the path created for me. here's to may more years of awesome :)