Settling into Gualala

Pictures speak words so here you go.

Last Monday I started working at the water company as an administrative assistant.  Soon I'll migrate more into assisting (maybe leading) projects but for now I'm learning accounting and the ins and outs of water service.

On my second day I got to use a type writer. The office manager rolled her eyes and me when I told her she'd have to show me how to use it.  

We have gotten two Oz Farm CSA boxes so far and both have been stellar.  The variety is amazing.  One night we had a salad bar of CSA goodies, to which I added non-CSA chicken, tomatoes, and dressing, along with some of Papa's apricots. 

The window replacement that was SUPPOSED to be done before we moved up here is obviously not done yet. It didn't even start until after our move and it's getting more and more extensive because of the discovery of extensive water and termite damage. It's been said that houses that are not lived in just die.  It's true.  I'm so glad John has decided to get this work done...I just wish it were already done.  This picture is the first room Dave and I started out in.

And this is a picture of the second room we were in (having had to move out of the first one). We finally retreated to the office since it was done years ago and won't be touched this time around.  Rooms that are not being renovated are being used for storage--remember this house was already furnished and we moved all OUR stuff here, too.  YIKES is right.

Dave was gone for 4 days to work on some final things at the Davis house. So I got to deal with a lot of this in the mornings and evenings.

I have canned, dried, jammed, and frozen so many gallons of apricots that I've nearly lost count. This weekend I branched out and made a birthday apricot pie for Papa John.  

Long days at daycare take their toll on Eddie Pie sometimes.  He sure loves his new daycare, though!

I took the dogs on a walk for our morning errands and got to pass by the Gualala Nursery's fun dino statues.

You can hardly see the Point Arena Pier through the fog in this picture.  I went down there after yoga this morning because I heard that there was a place to drop off non-redemption recycling stuff.  Indeed there is one and they even take cardboard--thank goodness because we have a teetering mountain of if it in our laundry area.

I have started doing yoga 3-4 times a week and I love it.  Honestly, I had no idea it was so much work.  Ouf.  It's deceptively calm looking but it's just the mind that is calm; the rest of the body is really working hard.  I'm also running a few times a week to replace the cardio I've lost from my Davis bike commute.  Running more than a mile at a time is still torture for me, but I'm hoping to increase it bit by bit, especially since Edward, Jennifer, Dave, and I registered for the Gualala River Run in October.

We've settled into the Gualala lifestyle quite nicely I think.  Besides the chaos that is the house situation, most other aspects have been sorted out, at least temporarily.  So far I'm 100% in charge of making all meals and driving Eddie to/from daycare.  Hopefully the commuting part will be shared with Dave in the future.  It's clear that I'm able to settle into my new routine and surroundings much more quickly than Dave is able to accommodate our presence; it makes sense since nothing much in his life has changed in terms of scheduling and stuff.  So my expectation that my life would not be easier up here, just more complete is manifesting itself so far, which is fine (just exhausting).

I've made a bit of progress on my first chapter and I aim to send it off to my professor by the end of this week.  Then I'll have to plunge into data analysis (the WORST PART of research in my opinion) for the next chapter.

Until next time...!