My First Birthday on the Property
If you have been following along you know that I had, a little while back, a big goal of living on my property by my birthday. Welllllllll … as life had it … that didn’t happen. However, I decided that I could still be on the property for my Birthday! So, I plotted it by moving client calls off the day, getting myself some gifts and making sure I had the camping gear and supplies ready. On my Birthday morning (Saturday) I packed Athie, the Jeep, grabbed Gracie, the Yorkie, shut down the ringer and alarms off on my phone and headed off to Freedom Acres.
The weather was going to be rain-free … yeahhhhhhh … and I was all set! I drove there singing 90s dance music at the top of my lungs and dancing in my seat with the top off Authie. I arrived at Freedom Acres the normal hour and 45 minutes later. As I pulled through the gates I was singing “Happpppppppy Birthday to Meeeeeeeeeeee, Happpppppppy Birthday to Meeeeeeeeeeee ….”. I was soooooo happy that I was little-grrl giddy! Here I was … on MY property for MY BIRTHDAY!! Last year, on my birthday, I had NOT even seen this property yet.
Once on the property I knew I needed to get the tent up first. The first, and only other time I did that before, it had taken 4 hours (yep, you saw that correctly … go ahead & laugh). So I pulled Authie up and started unloading the truck bed and got out the tent bag. Away I went … BAM … I cut the time in half … it only took 2 hours this time (OK, so keep laughing but I kept repeating “Progress vs. Perfection, Progress vs. Perfection …”).
I gotta admit I did a much better job all the way around. It was fairly straight except for the awning (coz’ the pole kept leaning LOL) AND I managed to do it while keeping the mesh windows and door mostly shut so it was flying-buggie free inside. WhoooooooooHooooooo! Not only that but I set up a tarp outside where Gracie and I could handout and I could easily place supplies I would need. All way before sunset!!! I wanted to set up a fire pit but opted to just hang out instead coz’ …. wellllll …. it was my Birthday!
It was a beautiful day, a little overcast and a little cooler. Gracie and I took a walk and I got to ooooooo & awwwwww at all the beauty around me and reflect on how blessed I was. As the sun started to lower in the sky I was able to watch as the entire property kept changing with the lighting from the sky and I sat feeling accomplished and proud of myself for all that had happened in this past year. No matter how slow it seemed things had moved (& are still moving) here I was … on MY property … something I had not even manifested a year ago.
I finally pulled out my gifts to myself for the property. I had been waiting for this moment. I decided the property needed created sounds. I also have been researching the property to find out “whose land was this??” (as in originally before the Europeans came here claiming everything as if it was theirs). The other research I have been doing is about Women’s circles and Native American women elders and their relationship to the land and all beings (Grandmother Moon, plants, rocks and creatures, etc.).
So somewhere along the way I was called to buy Native American style drums and a flute. I got two drums: a shaman drum and a water-fall or ocean drum (well, it is more like a percussion instrument)* I also got a Native American style flute**.
I sat for a while admiring them in their simplicity and with their beautiful sounds. I couldn’t play the drum worth a darn, and playing the flute was painful to my ears …. but I will learn. As for the water-fall instrument … it was so perfect … I have no bodies of water on the property. I do miss the sound of the ocean after living on it for 12 years. This beautiful instrument allows me to make sounds that sound like waves of water at the shore or any kind of water for that matter. So peaceful and relaxing. I will learn more about how to play that too. It was the EXACT Birthday I wanted! Eventually Gracie and I crawled up in our tent and curled up and fell asleep … content!
Now, I know cool vs. cold is relative to each of us individually. I am, after all, a Florida grrl. I like warmth and anything below 60 feels cold to me. Just how it goes – no matter wimpy it sounds. I can take a lot of heat and humidity … although working in it has posed a problem LOL … but I can go to hot more comfortably than I can go to cold. It got down to 55 overnight. I kept layering and Gracie kept snuggling closer so she warmed a few inches of me. We somehow managed to stay in the tent vs running to sleep in the cab. The great news is I wasn’t as scared of every little noise as I had been the last time so I got to enjoy the sounds in the quietness of the land.
We woke early and caught the sunrise and took a fresh walk. It was so still and amazing in the early morning. I invited Birdie, the drone, to fly around some and she even followed Gracie and I on a walk. The whole family was up for the experience.
The rest of Sunday I cleaned up some trash left by the well drilling folks, reorganized my containers of tools on the property and began creating my 36″ fire pit area (so I would have it for next time). I still need to install the fire ring but I cleared the area for the circle and dug a hole to be able to put the firewood in. The 100 gal rainwater collection tank was almost half full when I checked … yeahhh! It was a pretty chill day. Oh, the tent take down was only 30 minutes (just in case you are wondering – also 1/2 the time it took before)!
As usual, I have posted videos of this week on the Freedom Acres YouTube Channel. There are videos of my afternoon walk, me playing with my birthday gifts, the sun setting and rising, the morning walk and some Birdie drone footage. Feel free check them out by clicking HERE. Also, feel free to subscribe and you can get notified when new videos go up! 🙂
The game this week is to get Duke energy to get me drawings and an invoice so we can start the clock ticking to the 4-6 week install time. I am also waiting for the 4-6 weeks for the survey company to do a topographical survey I need as the last piece of getting the overall permits into the county. All of this begins to sound like wait and then rush in mid-late November. Game on still!!! I will keep trusting the Universe. As always I welcome any prayers, good MoJo, light, etc. sent in our direction, for Freedom Acres, Gracie and I for all of the continued progress. It is so much appreciated!!! I send you love and freedom til the next week!!
NOTE: For any inquiring minds that want to know more about my amazing new instruments:
* Drums Created by Alex Nazar @NazarDrumsWorkshop
** Flute Bought from Jonny Lipford @JonnyLipford & Created by Stellar Flutes @StellarFlutes
