Paul said I'm no longer allowed to post videos that start with one of our glorious Rivendell sunrises. He thinks I may have an issue and am in need of an intervention.
I, of course, think this is rather unfair and harsh. Can I truly be held accountable for my irresistible impulse to share this magnificent way to say hello to a new day and all of the potential it brings? I think not.
Days at Rivendell have slowed down as we prepare for winter, a season we've yet to see at the sanctuary. This weekend, we had our first glimpse into a storm as black ominous clouds overhead placed us in halfway darkness and made all kinds of intimidating noises that caused me to look for a safe place should bolts of lightning begin to lash out.
Strange, rain never did ensue. Instead, the bad mood clouds departed nearly as quickly as they arrived and left us with the most beautiful of bon voyages as streaks of color and light broke through.
While the sanctuary days may be slow, demands outside of Rivendell have intensified. Paul spends countless hours reviewing our construction plans, speaking with people, and triple checking timelines and budgets. We are managing two sets of construction, one for our personal home and one for the sanctuary. Their timelines (aka permitting) are intertwined, everything seemingly contingent upon the primary residence permitting and start. The county remains quite the labyrinth for us and we are happy to have engineering and construction teams manage the process.
This weekend, Paul shared he was ready to fast forward to next year.
Me, too.
So, for now, hesitant to build or make changes that will need to be undone during construction, our chore lists remain small. We continue to work on the installation of snake wire around the perimeter of Rivendell, build garden beds, hunt for rocks for the meditation garden, and tackle surprise chores like cleaning up a tree that came down during the last rain. The oak tree that fell straight into the creek almost brought down a large maple tree with it. The maple's pending imperil is being thwarted by another oak, who seemingly reached out a large muscular limb and said, "Here, hang on." They are now intertwined.
We are unsure of how to manage the old oak forest and riparian zone and what we can do versus the need to bring in environmental management specialists. Before we start to tackle the zone and our enchanted forest, we plan on meeting with expert consultants. In the interim, I'm going to be looking for a Chainsaw 101 course as I can foresee heavy chainsaw use in our future.
Every rock I find is placed in the meditation garden. The bench, its steel sturdy but wood in need of a good sanding and fresh coat of paint, was a gift given to me by my mother well-over a decade and a half ago. It has been positioned to overlook the future home of our goats and sheep. As I place each rock with intention, I silently pray that the sanctuary will bring much peace to those lives it touches.
Last month, we received a large donation for the sanctuary's pole barn. The pole barn will be the sanctuary's first large build and has already been donor-dedicated to two special beings who are no longer physically with us but will become a part of the sanctuary through an 'always with us' plaque to be placed on the barn. It warms my heart to know that two such special animals will be watching over our own.
A used, second-hand picnic table now sits in the Shire, overlooking the edge of the forest and creek. When I close my eyes, I can see our loved ones and sanctuary friends enjoying a picnic lunch and ever-present bird song. I can see myself putting oil to canvas. I can also see the needed chores of digging up the old cold metal fence posts and managing the small tendrils of poison oak that grow in little clusters.
Sometimes, I feel as if I am in a perpetual state of preparing for what's to come instead of what is. I made a pledge to myself that this coming weekend, I will not envision myself painting in the Shire, but I will be painting in the Shire.
Always, I am aware of the blessings bestowed to us.
Commentaires