Well, that's today's harvest. Things are slowing down dramatically but hopefully in a month or so, I'll be getting the greens and lettuces. The orange things are not infant carrots, they are tabasco peppers which are still going crazy. I pick a pocketful every time I'm out there. I don't even know how many pepper vinegars I have going in the refrigerator right now. The Seminole pumpkins are still coming along, swelling, and growing ripe.
Here's another fence-hanger. I did indeed cut and clear some of the vines but not any with pumpkins that showed a strong indication of a good chance at reaching maturity.
I found my real, true dream house this morning while perusing Facebook. There was a post on one of the Roseland/Sebastian groups that I follow about a beautiful old house right across the street from the Indian River and just a short distance from where that river joins up with the Sebastian River which, as we all know, is MY river. Here's a picture of it which shows the railroad bridge that crosses my river right by where Granny and Granddaddy's house was.
Can you see my bridge there at the upper left?
And it would suit Glen fine too as his favorite fishing spot, the Sebastian inlet, is almost directly in front of the house, just a little boat ride away.
That's the inlet.
And the house? Well, it's a lovely little jewel, built in 1910, sitting on over an acre of property.
Here are two pictures of inside the house.
Lots and lots of cypress.
Oh Jesus. Well, it's already under contract and besides that, we'd have to sell everything we own and we'd still need to put in a bedroom and bath downstairs and of course- a pool out back. Oh! And a dock for Mister Sweetie.
If you want to see the whole listing, you can find it here.
Perhaps ten or twenty years ago this would have been a possibility but as I told Glen, that ship has sailed and we are not on it.
Sigh. A million sighs.
And I am not unaware of the fact that I already live in my dream house, it's just that it's not on the river, not in Roseland or Sebastian or that vague area called by both those names. I still feel so connected to that place where I really only lived for about seven years during my childhood. And I don't think I will ever quite know why that is except to say that as horrible as so much of what happened in those years, there was a magic there made of river, ocean, trees, sky, the funky smell of low tide, the strange and unusual influences of artists and writers and a crazy man with long hair and a beard who drove a tractor down the main street with children and dogs following him and sold turnip greens door to door, and old, old ladies whom we would address as Aunt, who would sit on their porches and tell stories of living there when the Indigenous people shared the river that was the only highway then, and wild cats peeked into their windows at night, along with sea creatures that not many children are apt to ever see except on videos or in aquariums, and citrus fruit and guavas and mangoes and mulberries, right there, free and ripe for the taking. All of that fed me and my hungry imagination and comforted me as little else could have done, realizing that there was so much more to this life then what I was experiencing, and I give credit to all of that and more for the fact that I am still here, sane as I am, able to love and be loved, still loving the sky and the trees and the things that grow, still able to see things in my imagination, still able to imagine things and people who lived right here, so long, long ago.
And I would suppose that is why I am so emotionally bound to that place.
Mr. Moon is back in Gainesville where, despite all of the most up-to-date equipment and lab facilities, and dedicated doctors and staff, they still cannot truly give A. a diagnosis. I find this unbelievable and yet, it's the truth. I loved Glen up good this morning, held him as tightly as my arms could hold him. I called him my good, big, beautiful man and told him how much I love and admire him.
As he was about to leave, buckled into the very, very brown Subaru, he said, "Why am I such a good friend?"
"Because you were born that way," I told him. "And there's nothing you can do to change that."
I kissed him again and off he went.
I have gone to Publix again to buy ingredients to make Lily's requested Mommy Made Cake which is a doozy. A coconut, lime birthday cake with pineapple, lime curd.
I have already made the curd and will finish the cake up tomorrow.
We are having an Owen/Vergil/Lily/August birthday taco bar party here on Saturday so there's a lot going on. The weather forecast calls for it to be 64 degrees tomorrow morning and 57 on Saturday morning! Definitely something to look forward to although highs will still be in the 80's and even the high 80's by the end of next week.
This is Florida. It gives me great comfort to know there are still pockets in places where time has managed to, if not stand still, then to gently refuse to join in the madness of over-development so that it is still possible to listen to the stories being told by the wind in the trees, over the water, in the quiet, whispering voices of those who came before.
That's all I have to say.
Love...Ms. Moon








this is a deep and heartfelt post that made me cry. But.that is not a bad thing at all. You can sure write it so that we can feel it! I'm sorry to hear about A.....but..as we know, even a diagnosis may not be *key* at this point in time. I would wish that it were, but I also know that it might not be. And that house you sent link to...yes..it is lovely....but so is yours...and yours has *history*....YOUR history....and that is what makes it perfect.
ReplyDeleteSusan M.
Oh, I know. I love this house with all my heart but I think we all keep a little dream inside of us about a house in a place...
DeleteAnd the funny thing is, I believe Glen has come to really love that area too. Such good fishing!
I am absolutely clueless as to what the doctors are thinking in Alan's case. He got another major test to screen for all sorts of different things today.
The first photo is very lovely, and Lily's birthday cake sounds so delicious I acn almost taste it!. I hope the day goes very well. Sad they can't find a diagnosis yet, but A has only been there a day or so....🤞🤞 Glen is a true friend, a true Angel in disguise. Off to look at that house now.
ReplyDeleteDo not even talk to me about that cake. More to follow.
DeleteA.'s been at Shands since last Monday or Sunday. Not sure.
Glen is a good man.
Okay, I looked. I saw a lot of cracked and peeling varnish that needs to be sanded off and the wood properly refinished, or even painted. Some colour that isn't wood colour might be nice in some of the rooms. I saw water damage in the tiny bathroom, though the bigger one appears to be okay. I saw decent sized rooms, a good location near road and river and a pleasing exterior. A place to raise a family and then welcome grandchildren, just like your place is now. On my side of the globe I have also found my dream house. Several times. Each different from the previous dream house. And nothing at all like the tiny one bedroon flat I live in.
ReplyDeleteOh, River, I know. That house needs so much work and Glen and I would never take it on at this point in our lives. But there is a lot of beauty in it and the location is incredibly desirable down there. You can't believe it. I am just so afraid someone will buy it and destroy the old Florida charm and tear it down, cut all the native plants, and put in something new and tacky which does not belong there at all with a golf-course lawn and a few artfully arranged palms.
DeleteWouldn't that be a crying shame!
DeleteBeautiful post...Happy Birthday to all and I still keep Mr. Moon and his friend in good thoughts.
ReplyDeleteThank you e. So much.
DeleteI add my hugs and admiration to Mr. Moon! I’ve lived in some great places and had some great homes, but I have no deep in the heart connection with any of them, nor do I have a dream house. I try to imagine what that all feels like. I suppose that’s why it’s so easy for me to pack up and move. Happy birthday to your wonderful gang! That first photo is wonderful and so is the last.
ReplyDeleteYou've lived in some houses that many would think of as a dream house. The Spanish-influenced style house you and SG lived in in California is one I would lust after. I have that house right, don't I? The one with the stove in it just like the one I had.
DeleteI've never considered the fact that some people don't get attached to specific places and how that would, indeed, make packing up and moving someplace else so much easier. You've given me something to think about.
Oh, yeah. The 1924 Spanish-style California Craftsman. That was a wonderful place.
DeleteThose roses are so beautiful! So is that house, but honestly, I think the house you're currently in is a dream house too.
ReplyDeleteOh, it definitely is, Jennifer. I believe it's more the location of that house than anything.
DeleteI thought I had a dream house, but I have discovered my tiny little house is exactly what I was wanting all along.
ReplyDeleteAnd I can totally understand that. Indeed. And there is so much of you and Tim in that house. Your blood, sweat, and tears. And your joy and pride, I would think.
DeleteThis post was very moving for me to read. Your description of those 7 years reminded me of my childhood home. I spent the first 18 years of my life in this little town in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains in way upstate NY. I did not have the greatest of childhoods at all. I won't go into all of those details, but suffice it to say that it was not always a happy place for me. But your writing this morning reminded me also of the good times I had there. Whenever I go home in the summer, I sometimes get a bit melancholy remembering all of this stuff. But the "North Country" as it is called is in my blood and will always be. It is home.
ReplyDeleteYes. There is a melancholy, isn't there? Such bittersweet moments. My best memories from that time in my life come from when I was alone, mostly, and almost always outside. It was when I was inside the house and certain people were around that the painful memories arise from.
DeleteI am having a Tom/Herman birthday party here tomorrow - Tom, my youngest son who will be 40 and Herman, my BiL who will be 78. I am making a large crockpot of chili because I have my grandsons' soccer games during the day so I won't have time to fuss in the afternoon.
ReplyDeleteHope your cake turns out great. I bought pies for our dessert! :)
You are such a good grandma! A crockpot of chili is a fine thing! And so are store-bought pies.
DeletePardon me for pointing out that that house is all brown wood on the inside just like Glen's cabin. It's a cool house but I'd be painting all those walls.
ReplyDeleteThe magic of childhood (minus the abuse you endured) especially the time when we grew up, free range children exploring the world. Kids are so over protected these days it's a wonder they know how to function when they become adults. Apparently many don't. I lived on the edge of the city surrounded by piney woods, empty fields, and the bayou a five minute walk down a neighbor's driveway and through the woods. That's all gone now, swallowed up by the city. Except the bayou is still there.
Yes. You are right about all the wood. However, it's cypress and lighter in color and there are far more windows. As I keep saying, it's more the location than anything.
DeleteIt is quite ironic to me that despite the fact we kids were allowed to run free in places where there were so many possible dangers, we seemed to never get truly hurt. It was in the house with people who supposedly loved and protected us where we were in danger.
The writing about Roseland reminds me of Pat Conroy and "The Prince of Tides". I don't feel that way about anyplace I've lived which makes me a little sad I guess. I wonder if the southern states are just so different that they bring out a longing in people. I don't know. Alberta is a difficult place to live, hot summers and cold winters. I'm always amazed anybody homesteaded here. Or maybe it's because my people didn't come from here, again I don't know but I love this piece of writing.
ReplyDeleteSending hugs to both you and Glen.
I think people from many different places feel connected to them. And sometimes, people discover those places when they're grown and go to a new place. It's almost as if some people were born to live in the mountains and yet, grew up in a flat land place but who felt like they'd come home when they traveled to Colorado. Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, the author of The Yearling and other beautiful books about Florida, grew up in Washington and Maryland but found her real home when she moved to Florida and bought an orange grove. She wrote about this phenomenon in one of her books. A feeling of being someplace you've never been and suddenly knowing you are home.
DeleteHappy B-day to your gang. September is a big month in your family and having everyone together for a celebration sounds great.
ReplyDeleteI do love the location of that house. Water views and access are the ideal for me. 800+k is not a bad price. Location comes with a price, right? The cost to update it to meet your particular preferences would be lots of time and work. That, for me, is the issue. I'd rather buy land and build new to get exactly what I want right out of the gate.
Like you, I am very fond of my current home (I built it). It meets all my needs with lots of land into the woodlands. The one thing missing is the Atlantic ocean.
Susan
You are so right about the price. It might have been more expensive if there were no home on it at all. Not that many people are as into "old Florida" as some of us are. I hate the thought of someone buying it and tearing down the house and building some monstrosity on it and then only stay there a few weeks out of the year. That happens all the time. When I pass those places I yell, "Fuck you! I hate you!"
DeleteNice, right?
How lovely you were able to build your own home in the woodlands. That is a beautiful thing.
Your first veggie picture is a beautiful still-life!
ReplyDeleteI like that picture too, Marcia. Thank you.
DeleteHouses and design are my passion and yet, I have never fallen in love with a house. One came very close several years ago but the location was a big NO.
ReplyDelete