Mine.

And I will write more about this land ownership thing later but right now I'm exhausted.

Exhausted? Why? Well, gathering up three last minute certified checks from three different places just an hour or so before a closing appointment is something else. I felt like I was on an Amazing Race reality show on HGTV. One loan officer even met me with a check in an elevator. I think we were both running in place while we exchanged our "It was nice to meet yous" and then the two of us were off to our next appointment as fast as we could scramble. I would have gotten to the closing appointment on time...and I kind of did...but I was lost in a parking lot for ten minutes and had to call the title company to talk me into finding their building. An agent came out of the building with her phone, described where she was, I described where I was, we both saw a Pepsi truck. When the Pepsi truck started moving she said-"Follow that truck, follow that truck, it's coming in my direction!" I finally found the entrance to the building-even though it was the back entrance. It also helped that the agent was waving her arms at me. And then.....lots of paper signing and those 20.8 acres now belong to me. I think I'm happy about that...... Yes. Yes, I think I am definitely happy this time. 

After all the papers were signed, it started to rain but I decided to go take a look at the property as its new owner anyway. The first thing I saw was a camel cricket which is the one thing I was looking forward to never having in my life again (hateful things, I like or at least can tolerate most insects but camel crickets are right there with flying cockroaches.....eeeeeeugh, I just despise them). That was not an auspicious entry symbol to my new life. I guess the Irish in me can really bring out the superstition but then, but THEN, within seconds of feeling bad about seeing that horrible creature that "greeted" me, I got bumped in the back and it was Aussie Mueller, that sweet red dog from across the street.

So the two of us tromped through what we could tromp through because...did I say anything about the weeds? Seriously, there used to be a creek on the property, I swear...

Good thing I had an experienced guide dog to take me in and lead me out or I'd still be there, completely drenched but sucked dry by ticks.

But at least I'd be surrounded by a lot of pretty.

Staredowns

Meg couldn't use her shovel one day because it was being used by a little frog who was not going to budge. She got a staredown.

I know all about that sort of thing. If Michael wants something, he stands his ground and gives me a goooooood staredown. However long it takes. He will get his way once I figure out what his way is.

I was having issues with some jumping spiders that kept trying to get into the house. I'm not sure why I'm describing it as trying because they did keep getting into the house. And then they had to be guided right back out. I got some staredowns.

They could put on their cute face but they still got escorted out.

Even the ones who used all of their eyes to give me a good staredown.

Stella has always been good with the staredowns to get what she wants or something she doesn't know she wants. She just knows that a good staredown will get you something.

In the next day or so I close on the 21 acres in the country. Twenty one acres. That's a lot of staring eyes. Even so, I'm excited about it and am looking forward to figuring out what all those new staredowns mean.

Oh, that land...

Early May...

Late May...

Very early July...

Sarah says it's a good thing I got to see the land in a season other than spring...that other season known as the growing season! The real weeds are now three times as tall as baby Rex.

So you need someone tall to get you through them.

I have a lot of mowing ahead of me. A lot. 

Because this property has been inspected by Rex and has been approved.

And now I can move forward from what I thought would be a permanent state of fret and regret to something happy and fun and um, weedy.

When the going gets tough...

..the not so tough get sewing.

This land purchase thing has had me in a serious funk. One thing I've learned is that proceeding with courage takes a lot less thinking than proceeding with doubt. And of course, doubt is the approach I have chosen. I keep trying to snap out of it but since I haven't figured out how to do that yet, I pulled out the sewing machine. I'm not happy with anything I've been sewing but at least I can get some input from Violet when it comes to sewing problems. And the financial problems? I've been following her advice on that one too...just take an 18 hour nap. As many naps as it takes.