Today marks two months since we closed on our new home. It’s only half furnished and the garden won’t go in until after the first few frosts. Yet, I already feel completely at home here.
Our thrilling birds eye vantage is energizing and mentally expansive. It reminds me to take the long view (when it soooo tempting to be short-sighted and rush to get things done).
Up here, my thoughts wander to the eons it took to form this incredible landscape and the (almost) five decades of living it took me to meander my way here.
And now, every day, I am blown away by this breathtaking work of visual wonder.
As the sun rises over the distant peaks, flooding the valley first with fog, then with golden light, my human worldly worries burn away and I become part of this miraculous skyline.
As the only human witness to this bucolic frolic, my thoughts saunter out to pasture, feasting on ideas of intrinsic value and inherent worth.
I am like a the cows all around — hungrily grazing upon this scene until my soul fills with the satisfying sense of purpose that I am here to witness this eternally evolving work of art.
My life is but blade of grass to this monumental mountain range (even though we bought the land and mortgaged the view). Yet, I am nature-made and invested with intrinsic and natural right and responsibility to engage with this play of light, air, space, and matter.
Inhabiting this landscape imbues me with all encompassing awe and gratitude.
Animal appreciation
Our animals, too, have come to appreciate our new setting.
They have been taking full advantage of the serenity and spaciousness inside and outside of our home.
The cats have a developed a profound fondness for the wide windowsills and our more plentiful plush, pillowed surfaces.
For all there is to celebrate, in our new space, there is also some learning to love to do.
Delighting in Dormers
Our gabled dormers, for example (so popular in country homes) are things I never wanted. They obstruct waterflow and create more risk for water damage in major weather events. They can also be big energy losers if poorly installed.
Until we found this place, I was specifically looking for dormerless dwelling. But after discovering this skyline stunner –so otherwise exceptionally well-suited to our needs and wants — I cast aside my distaste of dormers.
I have managed to make dormers part of the dream by embracing their inner beauty.
Inside, these overhanging alcoves feel like balconies (not roof blemishes). The largest dormer has become home to my easel paint supplies. The smaller one will soon be a book nook. And I can see myself enjoying the views from the comfort of their cozy confines come winter.
It is too soon to tell if these dormers will be drains on our roof security/electricity budget. But for better or worse, I am delighting in our dormers.
La Piscine
With our slow fall/extended summer conditions, my current favorite amenity is the backyard pool (which is now pristinely inviting thanks to Matt’s mastery of pool chemistry).
Whether swimming, reading, or reflecting, much of my (limited) free time is spent à côté de la piscine.
Frankly, I’ve longed for a pool of my own for decades. My fantasy version looked just like this, only it sat in the South of France overlooking vineyards, olive groves, and lavender fields. But I am even happier to have it here, in the gorgeous Appalachian highlands.
Speaking of French fantasies, come true, I’ve been living out another one since our move…
Brocante
This French word means second-hand. But it embodies the concept of questing for the perfect patinaed pieces to imbue a new home with historied character.
Generally, I abhor shopping. But brocante isn’t shopping! It’s a treasure hunt targeted at giving new life to old things through passionate possession. It’s romantic revitalization through fresh appreciation. And it’s far more fun and affordable than buying all new.
My first quest led me to find two perfect bedside tables – lovely pieces that had whole other lives, in separate homes, serving entirely different functions — before they blended seamlessly into my evolving guest bedroom landscape.
My most satisfying quest began with the hopeful anticipation of finding of an appropriately scaled, one-of-a-kind, conversation-starting coffee table to fill the cavernous void in front of a new semi-circular sofa. And the piece I found delivers with handmade, rustic, practical, artful elegance.
The surprise piece, the one I wasn’t looking for but had to have — an antique rolling filing cabinet, turned humidor holder — added so much interest and life to an awkward bit of blank wall.
One thing I didn’t have to buy was more garden furniture. All my old treasures are equally at home here in our new setting.
There is much to enjoy about moving into a new home and making it feel more personal. But the more meaningful work of making this space more energy sustainable and self-sufficient is still to come.
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