process

My cat Bentley died this month. He was 15 years old. I used to think that if I didn't have the responsibility of pet ownership, I would be more free to travel or move somewhere completely different. Now I am married, I am a Mom, and we have a house half built. I am more stable here than I have ever been, but the cats are gone. Bentley was a very special presence in my life. As my brother said "he had a bigger than life personality." Grief makes me appreciate time. I like to see things change to remind me that life will always keep going with or without my input.

The house looks different with its new standing seem roof. The wind and the snow did not seem to slow down the roofers who worked this week. They put the roof up in great time and it already has a new layer of snow. Tilt had sheet rock delivered. I think he really wants to get it on the walls. His new work schedule and the holidays are slowing things down a bit.

I am working on lighting design and kitchen layout. A couple windows wound up being placed differently than our original plans, so I have to rethink and rework a couple things. It is handy to be able to go upstairs, draw an idea on the sub floor, and see if it will work. The project is fun. It's like doing a jigsaw puzzle, trying to figure out what will work in a space.

I found a sunflower seed on the floor in the kitchen. I have not set up my bird feeder yet, so I am not sure where it tracked in from. It is now a little sprout in my prayer plant. It is nice to see against the blowing snow on the other side of the window.

doors open

The Vet hopes our 15 year old cat is just suffering from stress. The perscription is to keep him in a calm, quiet comfortable space with a regular routine. I would like that same prescription. Even my houseplants have suffered from the stress of moving and building. The work continues on the house as Dad has been putting in regular hours and Tilt works whenever he can. I have done a little painting and site cleaning but mostly I have been working to get our household together while we all get back into a regular routine and rhythm in daily life. We visited Cape Cod for a couple days for Thanksgiving. This was Tilts first break in over 6 months. We had to get back to prepare for the insulatin company.

The insulation of the roof required lots of planning, time, and money, yet there is really nothing to see when it is done! Tilt has informed me that the R-value of the roof is 40 (and that this is a good thing).

After a whole bunch of extra hours we have a real front door. At first it was not centered under the porch roofline. I thought maybe it was just my eye, but when Tilt took a step back to look at it he not only agreed, but he decided he couldn't let it stay that way. So he re-installed the door to get it right. Changing it to open the other way is another days project!

I once read that it takes about 3 weeks to adjust to a new job or a move in life. It has been about 3 weeks since we moved in here and once again it holds true. It may not be calm and quiet too often, but it is comfortable and we are all feeling more settled and adjusted.