life right now

Living in an airstream isn't conventional by any means. There are so many aspects that require extra planning and extra time, like making sure our personal items are put away in their little 'homes' every time we use them (toys included), putting away the kids' beds for the day - and then getting them back out again, heating water to wash the dishes after every meal and then drying them and putting them away (we only have one set of dishes for each of us), making sure we have everything we need in the shower bag on shower day, making sure to dry out rubber boots every night after a full day of play in preparation for another, the list goes on. But going through these simple routines creates a rhythm to our days that is satisfying in it's own right and that requires us to live more intentionally. We spend even more time outside than we used to, and more time together as well. There's not really space to get away from things, and so differences and even underlying tension is dealt with right away rather than put off and allowed to fester.

Life is good, we are all thriving and have this feeling of finally having solved our personal 'mystery of home' - "a set of feelings focused on the desire for and the experience of being in the right town or area, being connected with the place in which we live, and being enchanted by the sensation of home the place provides" (Thomas Moore).

Laundromat life - fun and exciting for at least two members of the family. Despite the inconvenience of having to drag our laundry down to the laundromat, I like having it all done in an hour and folded on the big folding counter, ready to take home for the next round of wear.

Showers with an audience - the kids are bathed at home in a little plastic tub and only shower with us at the Washboard (our local laundromat) about once a week, so usually they just play on the floor while we're there. 

Kids sleeping arrangements: Riggs on the couch and Raina on one side of the dinette. We leave the table set up and just take the back cushion off. She usually nurses at 5:30a and spends the rest of the morning sleeping with us. Riggs usually wakes up around 7:30 or 8, depending on how late he went to sleep. Steve wakes up around 6a, and both kids usually sleep through his morning routine of making coffee, reading, walking the dog, and packing his lunch. 

Dishes ready to be washed after dinner. I've been putting them in the dishpan instead of the sink lately until I have a moment to wash them. I usually wash dishes twice a day during the week and then three times on the weekends when we're all home. We only have one fork and spoon for each of us, same with plates and bowls, so they have to be done in order to eat the next meal. We aren't using the water system in the camper right now, so we fill water jugs at Safeway (they have free potable water) and then heat it as needed.

We built this outhouse when we bought the property in 2006, boarded it up when we left Homer later that year. We've been using it since we've been back at our property and aren't using the toilet in the Airstream at all so we don't have to drive it down to town and empty the tanks. Making a door is one of the next things on our list - it will be a 'dutch' door with an old salvaged window incorporated into the upper part of the door (the same type of window we used for a door in the chicken coop at our Palmer house).

We spend most of the time outside, and use what would typically be 'inside toys' outside whenever we have the chance. The kids have a little reel now that Steve brought home from work that they play at, but a sheet of plywood was great for a while to set up train tracks on and use for coloring as well. My nieces have come over a few times to play, plus Grandma too.

Most of the time our 'yard' looks like a construction zone, with tarps and lumber and tools and buckets and totes everywhere you look. But it's productive chaos, and it makes me happy to see a little progress being made everyday.