After 14 loooong hours in a slow moving u-haul we are here and we are ecstatic to be here!
We arrived Sunday night and got going on the unpacking early Monday morning. We’ve been unpacking since then so I’m taking a short break to write this.
Alison started school at Enterprise Elementary on Monday and absolutely loves it! She has not stopped talking about it since then. On Monday and Tuesday it was non-stop talking the moment she walked in the door til’ her head hit the pillow. She’s already made a couple friends, one of them with the name of Jordan. We think that’s cool since it’s such a great name! Her school week is only 4 days long here. The short week gives the kids a chance to work on their family farms and ranches and for there to be family time. It’s so great!
I’ve already accepted a job at Double Arrow Veterinary Clinic here in Enterprise. I start next Tuesday and I’m pretty excited. All of the vets here are both large and small animal so I’ll get to learn all about cows and sheep and goats and horses of course! It’s going to be new for me.
Jordan actually took a job today as a temporary ranch hand. He was feeding cows this morning and driving tractors, fixing fences, etc. Can you believe it? I got a text a little while ago letting me know that his view of the mountains was fabulous and that he was having a fantastic time driving the tractor and working outside. He also has a few mechanic jobs lined up. Hopefully he will be able to get a good reputation reasonably fast and can start to work for himself.
Our house is coming along quite nicely. We still have a long way to go to finish unpacking, but it’s so nice to have our belongings out of storage and boxes and in an actual house. The house is very old, but it gives it character. I’ve taken a few (bad) photos as you can see. One of our dining area, the creek in the back yard and the view from our front window. It's been gloomy out the past few days, but I'll work on getting better pics.
For now you can see a few pictures at http://www.flickr.com/photos/koabean/
The weather hasn’t been so bad. It’s cold and it’s even snowed a couple times, but it’s a dryer cold. The cold doesn’t seem to affect me like the wet cold of the coast. Our house is also very cozy with great insulation and a good wood burning stove that cranks out a lot of heat. Inside you would never know that it’s cold outside. We have a community park a block away from our house and they are in the process of putting together the annual ice skating rink. I think I’ll have to try it out and acquire a new outside sport!
This morning Alison and I investigated a little more of the town of Enterprise and Joseph and found that it has all the comforts of California shopping….at least for me. There is a local grocery store called Ruby Peak Naturals and they are like a mini Whole Foods. They have lower prices of course, but everything up here is much more inexpensive. Jordan and I have found that the Safeway O organic line here actually goes for less than the other brands! Can you believe it? Maybe there isn’t the demand here like there is in California so they keep it at a lower, more reasonable price so people will buy it??? Anyhow back to Ruby Peak…. They carry a small amount of produce which is mostly local (yippeeeee!) and carry some of the other food brands we enjoy that you can’t find at the local Safeway. They also have a nice line of bulk foods which is great! Eco-friendly soaps and detergents are also available there. Makes me happy.
We also found a small store in Joseph that sells inexpensive organic (made in the USA) cotton clothing. I’m calling it the hippie store for now because I can’t remember the name…BUT the hippie store was another place I know I can go if I’m looking for anything “earthy” or “natural.” This also makes me very giddy inside.
Of course along with these two stores there are the outdoor, sportsman, "hunter" type stores where you can buy camouflage and guns til’ your heart’s content.
There is a great eclectic mix of people here. You have the ranchers and farmers, the church goers, the hippies, hermits, Buddhists, the folks like us, who wanted to get away from the rat race…it’s a nice melting pot for the size of the community and it makes for a nice, well rounded group of educated and different people. Everyone is soo freaking nice too! They smile and wave to you when you drive by. When you enter a store everyone smiles and is happy and helpful. It’s so different. The rushed, fast-paced lifestyle does NOT exist here and you can tell. There is not one stop light in this county and I don’t believe the speed limit goes above 45…. AND there is no reason to go any faster. Time goes slow here and life is slower. Of course this is my evaluation of only a few days, but I don’t think that will change. We’ll see!
I’ve also noticed that most people here are animal people! Especially dogs. You see people all day walking their dogs and driving their dogs around. I’ve found home. =)
Well back to un-packing. It’s never ending it seems.
Write more soon!
XO
We arrived Sunday night and got going on the unpacking early Monday morning. We’ve been unpacking since then so I’m taking a short break to write this.
Alison started school at Enterprise Elementary on Monday and absolutely loves it! She has not stopped talking about it since then. On Monday and Tuesday it was non-stop talking the moment she walked in the door til’ her head hit the pillow. She’s already made a couple friends, one of them with the name of Jordan. We think that’s cool since it’s such a great name! Her school week is only 4 days long here. The short week gives the kids a chance to work on their family farms and ranches and for there to be family time. It’s so great!
I’ve already accepted a job at Double Arrow Veterinary Clinic here in Enterprise. I start next Tuesday and I’m pretty excited. All of the vets here are both large and small animal so I’ll get to learn all about cows and sheep and goats and horses of course! It’s going to be new for me.
Jordan actually took a job today as a temporary ranch hand. He was feeding cows this morning and driving tractors, fixing fences, etc. Can you believe it? I got a text a little while ago letting me know that his view of the mountains was fabulous and that he was having a fantastic time driving the tractor and working outside. He also has a few mechanic jobs lined up. Hopefully he will be able to get a good reputation reasonably fast and can start to work for himself.
Our house is coming along quite nicely. We still have a long way to go to finish unpacking, but it’s so nice to have our belongings out of storage and boxes and in an actual house. The house is very old, but it gives it character. I’ve taken a few (bad) photos as you can see. One of our dining area, the creek in the back yard and the view from our front window. It's been gloomy out the past few days, but I'll work on getting better pics.
For now you can see a few pictures at http://www.flickr.com/photos/koabean/The weather hasn’t been so bad. It’s cold and it’s even snowed a couple times, but it’s a dryer cold. The cold doesn’t seem to affect me like the wet cold of the coast. Our house is also very cozy with great insulation and a good wood burning stove that cranks out a lot of heat. Inside you would never know that it’s cold outside. We have a community park a block away from our house and they are in the process of putting together the annual ice skating rink. I think I’ll have to try it out and acquire a new outside sport!
This morning Alison and I investigated a little more of the town of Enterprise and Joseph and found that it has all the comforts of California shopping….at least for me. There is a local grocery store called Ruby Peak Naturals and they are like a mini Whole Foods. They have lower prices of course, but everything up here is much more inexpensive. Jordan and I have found that the Safeway O organic line here actually goes for less than the other brands! Can you believe it? Maybe there isn’t the demand here like there is in California so they keep it at a lower, more reasonable price so people will buy it??? Anyhow back to Ruby Peak…. They carry a small amount of produce which is mostly local (yippeeeee!) and carry some of the other food brands we enjoy that you can’t find at the local Safeway. They also have a nice line of bulk foods which is great! Eco-friendly soaps and detergents are also available there. Makes me happy.
We also found a small store in Joseph that sells inexpensive organic (made in the USA) cotton clothing. I’m calling it the hippie store for now because I can’t remember the name…BUT the hippie store was another place I know I can go if I’m looking for anything “earthy” or “natural.” This also makes me very giddy inside.
Of course along with these two stores there are the outdoor, sportsman, "hunter" type stores where you can buy camouflage and guns til’ your heart’s content.
There is a great eclectic mix of people here. You have the ranchers and farmers, the church goers, the hippies, hermits, Buddhists, the folks like us, who wanted to get away from the rat race…it’s a nice melting pot for the size of the community and it makes for a nice, well rounded group of educated and different people. Everyone is soo freaking nice too! They smile and wave to you when you drive by. When you enter a store everyone smiles and is happy and helpful. It’s so different. The rushed, fast-paced lifestyle does NOT exist here and you can tell. There is not one stop light in this county and I don’t believe the speed limit goes above 45…. AND there is no reason to go any faster. Time goes slow here and life is slower. Of course this is my evaluation of only a few days, but I don’t think that will change. We’ll see!
I’ve also noticed that most people here are animal people! Especially dogs. You see people all day walking their dogs and driving their dogs around. I’ve found home. =)
Well back to un-packing. It’s never ending it seems.
Write more soon!
XO
2 comments:
Nikki! Sounds like you found your place in the world. Im impressed withyour blogging, makes mine look like nothing! Well Im glad everyone is adjusting well and that Al is happy. Thailand is beautiful, lots of bugs, but really, I cant complain! If you ever get the chance you must come here, A real tropical paradise Give my love to Jordan, Al, and the pups! :)_m
Where is our invitation? I thought you were staying in Petaluma. i want to move so bad. I am good at unpacking !
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