Taproot

At some early point in my science learning, I was taught about taproots. If I remember right, a plant with a taproot has a single, thick, deep root with fine, fibrous roots fingering their way into the surrounding earth. If the plant in question is a weed, you're in luck because the taproot shape makes it quite easy to get the whole root system out with a single tug.

It was this teaching that I pondered this evening while pulling weeds on my new brick patio. Many of the weeds were equipped with the handy taproot system which made for ideal removal. And I learned something this evening: I like weeding.

There are a few things I miss about our "yard" at our old apartment. I miss the bunnies and the sky-fuls of fireflies. I miss the cemetery and my Thinking Rock. I miss the stone wall and the gate and the raspberries and the hawk we saw there once.

But at Euroclydon, our new home, I love my yard. I love the flowers. I love the patio. I love the mowing and pruning and weeding. I love the morning birds and the nighttime "birds," the bats. I love our shed, our driveway, the Russian sage behind the house, the big maple tree, and the butterflies. I've found my inner hobbit, in love with things that grow.

My roots are growing deep already, but they're not taproot. I think pretty soon it will take more than a single tug to pull me out of this ground I'm starting to love. My roots are spreading wide, deep, and tangled. I think I'll grow well here.

New Priorities

We've moved! Hurrah!

We are totally and completely in love with our new home and getting used to being homeowners. It's been awesome, but then again, the first bills haven't arrived yet...

Life at our new house has changed a few priorities for us already. Here are a few homeownership keys we've learned in the past week:

1. Use cold water. I used to wash dishes in hot water. No more. That oil cost us a fortune! I'm not heating up water unless I have to.
2. Yardwork. Trimming, mowing, pruning, cleaning up... We're now responsible for this little .2 acre of ground and we're gonna treat it right!
3. Hospitality. God has been so unbelievably generous to us with the gift of this beautiful home. It is our joy to take advantage of opportunities to share it with others.
4. Go outside. After two years of living in a small upstairs apartment, it is so delightful to be able to open a door right off the kitchen and breathe fresh air! I spend as much time going in and out of our doors as possible.
5. Soak up natural light. Do I care that the sunshine came in my window on this Saturday morning and woke me up before 6:00? No. I do not care. I can't get enough of all this natural light and I'll gladly be woken up at dawn for the pleasure of seeing sunlight.
6. Say "Hi." At the farmhouse, we didn't ever get to know any neighbors. Now, at our new home, this town is our town and we hope it will be so for a long time. We want to be a friendly presence in the neighborhood.

It already feels like we've lived here forever. We love it.