Grateful

It's a great day. The sky is blue; we had a hearty thunderstorm last night which my tomato plants loved, and a young family of deer crossed the newly mowed meadow when I awoke and first looked out this morning. Yesterday, the electrician arrived, as promised (THAT now is terrific on this island, where everyone is on EdiSLOW time)...so now little Rosy has instant hot water from the Marey tankless hot water heater, which is an amazing little gadget. Hot water! How we take things for granted. This is part of the great lessons of living really simply right now. This experiment is about lightening my energy use, about getting back to a more basic was of looking at the world.

I met a woman, over the next door neighbor's fence, yesterday, too. She is from the Black community and her name was well known, but I had never met her. She is interested in preserving the culture of this island and participates in many of the community forums dedicated to that end. I love the neighborhood of cousins here. There is so much to learn about community.

And, sweet Charlie from the hardware store arrived under darkening skies, on his way home from work, to put together my large black rolling 'cart' for the new mower. What a sweet guy. The thunderstorm proceeded to completely soak us both even under my covered little awning storage 'carport', but after an hour my new cart is ready to roll today. We talked about his new chickens (they arrived he said one day old by mail order) and his children and wife, who also works at the hardware store. What a treat to meet someone smart, reliable and good natured, even as the skies thundered and the lightening flashed.

So this is a great day. Think I will pull the food processor from the shed and make some pimento cheese. To be at the place for creating (food comes just before art, yay) is a good sign. Perhaps the issues of basic survival are nearly complete. To get the washing machine into the shed (the plumber comes next) will make life lots easier (than hooking up the machine each time I need to run it now in the yard!) Besides the visual assault of having the blue tarp covered washer in the yard.... for someone who thrives on beauty, my own little space is yet to be landscaped. That will make me happier yet.

I feel blessed and challenged and grateful. Oh, and the dog's mosquito repellent arrived in the mail yesterday, too. Clean dishes, a hot bath and a happy pup. All is well.

Tic Tac Toe (you win!)

I arrived to stay on June 19th, so I have been on the island for 10 days. Moving is stressful for anyone I suppose in any form and this is a really new adventure. My shelter is the inherited RV that was on the property when I bought it. I have named her Rosy - to keep my spirits high I think. I made a collage of flowers and glitter and it hangs on the wall. It's title is TicTacToe (you win)...it is a feng shui good luck token, and yes, it feels happy and winning looking at it hanging on the brown plastic wall of my bedroom. I am realizing how everything is about attitude. Someone once said that in life, we will have pain, but the suffering is optional. In so many ways this is just the perfect dream. I left behind the water bill, the gas bill, and that big mortgage payment. I have no tv bill for now - internet high speed streams any tv I wish to watch through my little MacBook as of Saturday, and being online that helps me feel connected to the world.

My new neighborhood is on the island, not the beach (the 'town' of Edisto Beach is five miles down the road), which is a whole different world. The island is a mix of Black Americans who are the descendants of the slaves who worked the Sea Island Cotton Plantations before the Civil War, and a few weekender whites, who have waterfront deep water property and docks across the street. Fred, who works for the local shrimper some days and lives in a tiny un-airconditioned house two doors down, walked up the drive the minute my trailer and I arrived and helped me unload the entire thing, washer and all. On the other side is a retired man who has two deep water docks and simply an enormous green 'barn' workshop with every imaginable tool and machine and mower you can dream of. Last night before dark he just drove the big tractor and bush hog over and began to help whittle down the tall grass on the back of my two acre parcel. He has mowed this grass for me while I was away for months as a gift of kindness. I now have my own new Craftsman 42" riding mower, which arrived last week. It has been a wonder and it is really fun to drive - and sure beats the push mower I left at Belle Rive. But last night I could not get it to start. Please sweet God, let her start this morning. I try to mow only inches of the tall grass at a time, but I know it is a challenge for this steel grey shiny machine, who needs a name.

Today the electrician is coming to wire the new little shed for the washing machine which I have been using in the yard (it works!) - the drain is gravity driven - just hold the hose UP while the tank fills! And he will hook up, I hope the tankless water heater I just purchased online. It seems amazing if it will work. Right now little Rosy has no hot water ( a winter breakdown last year of the old hot water heater which flooded little Rose while I was gone - the effects of which are still somewhat of a challenge). Today I am focused on TicTacToe, my blooming rose bush, my four green tomatoes and multiple blooms. I will make a tomato sandwich from the tomatoes Mr. Morrison brought me from his garden Friday night. Sweet God, thank you. I am blessed.

Homecoming, my painting and my life

It is mid June and today, part of this dream of living on my beloved island of Edisto is coming true. It is just after dawn and the days are luckily long. Today my little trailer, carrying my grill and my washing machine, is following me to the island. I have a tiny red roofed house waiting for me to serve as a closet, a wash room, and to hold my tools. The little garden was planted 10 days ago, and I pray my barricades and the rosemary will have held my deer at bay. How I dream for summer tomatoes. A new family will live in my house in Charlotte for a year, taking care of my cedar sided Belle Rive. Last night as I sat in exhaustion from days of packing, I thanked her for her care and asked her to surround this new young family with good, sweet days and nights of shelter.

This will be quite the adventure, these next months. This blog will document what it is like to live the slow life, without clothes dryer, without an oven. Right now, I do not even have hot water! My tankless hot water heater new fangled gadget is in the trailer. Son, E, magical man of skills, is traveling with me to 'hook us up'. Oh God, be on this journey with me. Tonight's moon should be bright. I am so deeply grateful for this journey.