Guess what we built?

We built a garden. This is not just a little tiny flower garden, but in fact, it's a fall vegetable garden. There's no better way to feel more domestic that working the land that G-d gave us.Here, Noah is starting the garden.

Here, I continue to remove the sod from the garden while Kurt contemplates the meaning of life.

This is the garden with compost and fertilizer, before it's been mixed with the soil.

I love our garden, and all the hard work was worth it. If everything goes according to plan, which I've learned rarely happens when building a garden, we should have the follow vegetables this fall: collard greens, chard, spinach, lettuce, mesclun greens, carrots, radishes, cabbage, broccoli and beans. I'll hopefully post some pictures of the sprouts as they become more prominent.

Home Sweer Home (part deux)

I finally made it down to Charlottesville, and this time for good. No more traveling every weekend to see Noah or he to see me; finally we are creating a home together. As glamorous as this sounds, now I am forced to confront my hoarding syndrome. Since I just got here yesterday and Josh and Natalie are coming to visit tonight, I am making myself put away all my things are quickly as possible, knowing that where I put my things may change. However, I have come to the conclusion that I have WAY TOO MUCH stuff. I used to say that the reason I had so many clothes was because I didn't grow much between high school and now, but as we get older, our bodies are changing whether we like it or not. Also, fashion is changing and it's no longer acceptable for me to wear something at 25 that I also wore at 16 (yes, I still have clothes from when I was sixteen). I also keep every piece of paper that contains a memory and books I never look at. I have all my old calendar books back from college.

The great thing about a basement is that I am able to put all the clothes and other items I've ready to pass on down there. Also, sharing your first home with someone (I don't just mean roommates, but sharing a bedroom, and a bathroom and every other space) is that there is no possible way that I can keep everything since there just isn't enough room.

Moving to Charlottesville gives me a new start and allows me to get closer to the simplistic way of life that this city is known for. I'm definitely planning on having a yard sale, or dropping some of these things off to a charity or a consignment shop. I've also stuck to the mantra that if I haven't worn it in the past year (or seven), it's time to pass it on. I’ve already utilized freecycle.org, craigslist, and looked into local consignment shops.

I hope at some point in the near future, the basement will only be filled with items to pass on, and we can fit everything on the main floors of the house. I know this isn't realistic because I happen to be living with someone who goes dumpster diving for inspiration on projects, but a girl can dream can't she?