Weekly Update: 11.11.23
This week marks another milestone in our family story. It has been 20 years since we cruised up highway 65 into Missouri, on our way to visit an aunt who lived in Rolla at the time. Our '80s Chevy Beauville van was packed full with all seven of us plus two dogs -- a Border Collie named Calamity Jane, and a Jack Russell named Dot. We had planned to move to Texas, but after three weeks of looking at towns and property, nothing felt right. Feeling discouraged, we decided to go spend some time with my dad's sister and check out Missouri -- a state we had also considered moving to when we left north Idaho.
My mom always talks about the feeling of peace she had driving into Missouri, and I can remember feeling similarly. In hindsight, I can't help thinking it was more than a feeling -- perhaps it was God whispering that we were home.
This time of year always takes me back, as it reminds me of what the Ozarks looked like that fall so long ago. It wasn't my first time to see them -- we visited twice when I was very young. But it was when I began to know these hills, to become familiar with the place where so many of my ancestors settled. The plethora of deciduous trees was both delicious and novel to me, coming from the coniferous forests of the north. The climate seemed mild and welcoming, as I was used to Novembers draped in snow. As we explored southern Missouri, the twisting roads and oak-covered hills, we knew this was the place we wanted to settle.
Coincidentally, next week marks three years of owning our little slice of the Ozarks. After years of searching, when we found our place in 2020, it seemed so -- right. It was like a renewal of our Ozark dedication, after seriously considering moving to Appalachia. But God had quietly reminded us that we were already where we belonged.
Both those memories have been in my mind this week. The truth that we are at home in this place has draped over our activity, as we enact the truth in tangible ways -- building walls, installing windows, and pausing to celebrate autumn and each other.
On Saturday, we got about half our interior walls up -- well, at least 8-feet up. The rake portion we will finish as we find time. Our brothers Levi and Jeremiah made quick work of raising the walls while I worked ahead of them, cutting lumber and marking layout.
Bonnie-Jean stayed busy watching over the sick German Shepherd pups -- both of whom have continued to have Parvo symptoms all week. In between caring for the pups, she helped Grace prep for our annual family harvest party on Sunday -- dubbed "Pumpkin Party" by my niece when she was very little. When I got done helping the guys, I helped with some of the cooking. We made a few autumn treats -- pumpkin dip with ginger snaps, caramel dip with apples, Rice Krispie treats, and some new no-bake pumpkin cookies.
My mom organized a treasure hunt for the kids -- something she started doing when we were young. And our youngest brother Jeremiah organized a Survivor challenge-style treasure hunt for the grown-ups, complete with buffs, clues, prizes, and impossible riddles. He teamed us up to make it more fun (and doable). This year, Bonnie-Jean and Grace were the victors, as they found all their mini-pumpkins first, unscrambled the phrase on the back, and used the phrase to discover the number to open the treasure chest. Jeremiah presented them with a trophy he made to memorialize each year's winner.
Unfortunately, Dad and Levi both came down with some sort of cold or flu on Sunday, so they had to take it kind of easy. As the week went on, it started to work it's way around other family members. Between sick people and sick dogs, we didn't have as much help on the house this week, but we did what we could.
One day, Grace and I prepped for putting up more walls. Grace worked on sanding the water damage off of the floor while I cut jack studs, headers, and Ts for the rest of the interior walls. We had fun and got a lot done. We had a small mishap when poor Grace actually sucked the belt-sander cord into the machine. She thought she had broken it, but Jeremiah was able to repair the cord, and we were back to work in no time.
Levi and I spent a day installing windows. It felt so good to get a cross-breeze going through the house -- as it was quite warm and stuffy during those warm days early this week. Dad, Grace, and I put a door in. It was tricky, but we finally got it shimmed square and closing properly. On Friday, most of the adults were working, sick or still trying to recover, so I spent most of an afternoon by myself just cleaning and organizing the build.
As of the end of the week, we have several sick people and dogs that still aren't back to normal. We hoped for a fun and productive weekend -- we have lots to do, including a belated birthday dinner for my niece. We plan to muddle through as best we can. Even though it's a difficult week physically, we have so much to be thankful for. I'm thankful our German Shepherds seem to be pulling through. I'm thankful that our human germ, whatever it is, isn't anything worse. I'm thankful for the good weather we have had -- sunny days make life so much easier for us. I'm thankful that, in spite of everything, we have still been able to make progress. And finally -- twenty years later, I'm so thankful we moved to Missouri.