Enjoy the Silence

We have gotten a few people ask the same question over the last week: "So, are you really bored yet?"

The answer: a booming and resounding, NO!

There has been no other point in our lives where we have been in this situation of total and utter nothingness. No commitments, no work, no mortgage, no scheduled activity, no deadlines, no expectations, and only a far distant end in sight. It is a very beautiful thing, and something we have only ever had in small 7 or 14 day increments in the past, as far as our work allotted vacation would allow. And while we were in traveling around South America and our own country, there was a constant requirement to keep moving, keep exploring and keep finding things to write to you about!

So now we are very thrilled to just sit. Or stand, or kayak, or walk, or bike, or nap...whatever we feel like doing. We are relishing in the beauty of our situation, and making the most of every second of it, however we see fit. There has not been one single moment that we have wished we were some other place doing something else. And we are so extremely fortunate to live in this pristine and beautiful piece of the world, withdrawn into nature and truly nourishing our minds, bodies and souls.

We have been keeping ourselves busy, and in my case, a wee bit too busy at times. While we came into this with no deadlines or other commitments imposed on us, I have somehow managed to rope myself into some. Excited to put this inspiring setting to work through my writing, I searched online for some opportunities to stretch my fingers and maybe make a few dollars doing it at the same time. Well, I found some, and then some more. I applied for a few different jobs and managed to get offered and accepted for everything I put my name to! It has been a little overwhelming to get organized for all these tasks, but I have managed to get a rhythm going for it and I am sure I will be able to do it all in time. While none of these jobs pay very much, I am enjoying the challenges, and getting a chance to try different kinds of writing. Watch for me soon on timepostoffice.com and suite101.com, and others that are to come!

When I'm not pounding on the keys, Pete and I have been cooking up a storm. Buns, cinnamon buns, perogies, hummus, granola mix, coconut cream pie, carrot cake, and cookies so far. We are scouring every online recipe resource to try to come up with "best ever" of whatever we are making. I can't explain this inner "Martha" that seems to be bursting out, but I guess this is just our form of "nesting" that is emerging now, seeing as this is the first place that has really felt like a home in a year and a half. (Thank goodness for the friends that are coming to see us soon, and can help us eat all this food!)

YUM!

Thank goodness, also, for the grand outdoors, and the perpetual autumn of this area that is encouraging us to get outside and get active. The yellow leaves still hang beautifully from the trees, and when it is not raining we have rushed outside to enjoy them. There is no fresher are then what we have here, literally. There are types of lichens and mosses that grow only where there is completely pure air quality, and they grow here, in abundance. There is no industry to emit poisons nearby, no cell phone towers to give off radiation, there is only the pure mountain air. And we try to ingest it every chance we get, and in very big gulps.

Lichen and mosses = clean air!

And then there' s the Tuesday evening drop-in volleyball league! This small town of Burton is home to just a handful of people (similar to where I grew up), and the whole town seems to show up every week for volleyball. The games actually get quite competitive (for us novices, anyways) and it is a lot of fun.


So, as you can see, you don't need to worry about us and boredom. Stop conjuring up images of ax murderers driven insane by the remoteness and silence of our situation. We are busy, we are productive, and we are likely still in our pajamas as you read this.

We have never been happier!