As it stands now...

I've been dreaming about my office lately.

I'm not really one to do the whole "sacred spaces" stuff, but I do have a real affinity for this little nitch in the woods. Yesterday I was talking to my students here in Italy about it, and ended up showing them photos. They said it looks like a "REALLY COOL treehouse!" WHAT A COMPLIMENT!!

Seriously, it's such an amazing place. In my dream this morning, my husband told me he'd sold the house and was moving to Arizona. I refused to go. I didn't want to leave my shed. And the worse thing was the buyer wanted to tear it down. Ugh. Anyway, It's fun to realize, it was ONLY a dream.

I've gotten good news. I'll have some time in May that I may be available to work on it. I'm really looking forward to that! I just read back through my full blog - what one does in Italy when exhausted and listening to Grace Jones. It was so neat to see everything from the very earliest starts, the "tent office" to this.

It's been good to see the progress, and I smile ruefully to know how much more I have yet to do. And the funny thing is, even though I am working again, I still want to be the one to do the work on it myself. I don't want to hire out the work. I've really come to love the time working on it.

I'm glad I did it. I'm glad I'm doing it.

I'll post the Plastering Party dates when we get closer to them. One thing about Italy is they do some fun stuff with plaster. It's inspirational. Maybe I'll put angels above the windows or gargoyles on the roof. Or, um, oh yeah. Maybe not.

We'll see.

I'm looking forward to getting back to it!!

Not completely gone

Hi Folks!

Sorry to be in absentia for so long. Dad's health took a bad turn - and he needed to be tended to more closely than would allow me to be out working on the "shed". He's with my beloved brother right now, giving me a break.

I did have a magnificent time with the local county permitting office. They finally decided I needed on.

To clarify - when I called last summer, they said "come by when you have your plans together, and we'll get you taken care of."

Well, okay, it's now spring, so what's my excuse?

My plans keep changing.

BUT they wanted something on record, so I went in (3 times) and got the requisit building permits. I had a most wonderful time finding out that my county officials take their jobs seriously and do everything they can to protect the ecology of our area. They had to inspect the site to be sure that I was not building in the riparian zone of the stream that borders our property (I wasn't). Then ANOTHER guy had to come out to check that my building was not impacting the stream with erosion. (It isn't)

When I thanked them for doing this they looked at me like I'd just grown another head. But when I explained that my job is going all over the world helping governments protect their waterways, and that I was so THRILLED to have it in my own back yard. (They nodded, smiled and looked marginally relieved.)

Anyway, I'm now in Italy. (*yeah, life is tough) and I don't quite know when I'll be home.

But that will be saved for another post.

Take care!
M