West Virginia 'Lasts"

Weeks and weeks have passed since my last post, mostly because I haven't uploaded pictures often and think there should be pictures every time I write something new. I only follow a few blogs and I'm always aching for the pictures. Yes, I am transferring my expectations onto you. So. We move in less than a week! Today we have: haircuts for everyone except Eliyah, trip preparation errands, a going-away party hosted by the neighborhood, and a tiny bit of boxing-up stuff. TINY, you say? YES! Eric's new practice pays for movers. The kind who pack. and carry everything down the stars. and again down the stairs to the street. Collective Sigh of Relief, friends and family--not one of you will be carrying a dresser or bookcase or making 34 trips to a moving truck.

I'm aware of all the moments of "this is the last time that . . ." We'll miss this house and our neighbors and friends. We'll miss the milder WV winters, at least I will. But we are so excited to move to the place we plan to put down roots. (Literally, we have many potted trees that will be making the 2 day drive with us.) We're excited about Eric's new job and the people we already like there. We're eager to live life with a new community of Jesus-people.

And our new land! oooooh! This is a picture of a picture of the house (a ranch-style house to the lower-left of the flash reflection), barns, shed and most of the land. There is some more woodlands and pasture area not pictured to the left of the photo. The North edge of our property is along the ridge at the top of the big tree line. The big white road (Old Hwy 80) is the southern property line. Hwy 80 is on the southeast. That strip of cultivated land down the center was planted in corn. In a few years that whole plantable area will be restored to SW Wisconsin prairie. We're planting fruit and nut tries along the road, getting more chickens, some goats, and bees.