Weekly Update: 11.9.24
Tuesday morning dawned cold and wet, the world still drippy from days of rain. We hurried through our morning routine before the short drive to Dadeville. We pulled into the community center parking lot just after 8 a.m., where we were greeted by the smiling faces of the election volunteers. It felt good to cast our ballots for the first time in this local community we are slowly getting to know. We drove home with gratitude, thankful to live in a country where we can make our voices heard -- whether on ballots or hay bales, as our neghbors have done for weeks.
When we arrived home, we all felt at peace. We had all voted our consciences, and we trusted God for the outcome. We celebrated with an extra cup of coffee and slices of a paleo chocolate cake. Then we turned our attention to the bunkhouse.
This week, Grace and I focused on the living room walls -- particularly those adjacent to the soon-to-be hearth. We love the way our walls are turning out, even though hanging the siding is a time consuming process. We are improving, not only in our pace but also in our technique.
We finished most of the walls on Tuesday. We spent the rest of the week getting ready to paint -- sanding off any unsightly stamps and vacuuming the walls. Grace also cleaned our ceiling, as there were water marks from earlier in the construction phase.
While we have been busy with the walls, our dad and Levi worked on other fronts. Levi began prepping the woodstove for painting. Our dad finished installing our water heater. When he filled it, though, it started to leak out of the side -- near an element. After talking to the company, we opted to return the water heater and purchase another at Home Depot. It worked out that our new sink was there ready for pick-up, so Dad and Levi made the exchange Tuesday afternoon.
Levi and Dad made the trip to Springfield on Tuesday right after voting. On the way home, they picked up a couple Papa Murphy's pizzas -- a family favorite we haven't had since moving out here. It felt especially festive, baking them in our oven the first time. We sliced pizza and cheesy bread in our tent, just as the election results started to come in. It was a moment I don't think any of us will ever forget -- a celebration of our freedom, no matter what was about to happen in the election. After dinner, we all settled in to watch the results. Grace crocheted. I nervously beaded earrings. We waited, and we prayed. We were up until well-after midnight, until the outcome seemed fairly certain. Then we all let ourselves doze off -- thankful that our nation voted for change.
And change is coming. I was positively giddy to hear that the likes of Joel Salatin are going to be involved with Trump's cabinet. Other big names in sustainable agriculture are being tossed around as well. RFK has been vocal about his desire to help change our food industry. It is an exciting time to be starting a homestead. While I have friends who were disappointed by much of Tuesday's outcome, I hope that we can find common ground around stewardship of the earth. For too long, we have accepted food and agriculture habits that go against God's design -- and against what is good for our planet. Though our country is divided about so much, perhaps we can find commonality in our rootedness as creatures and in our dependence on creation. Though we differ in many abstract ideals, maybe we can find understanding around the concrete realities of the table.
