On July 28th, 2021, Alan and I sold our home in Bayfield and began this adventure. We are now 2 years in. We still call it an adventure, although we now consider life at 4Fords more an experiment. While there have certainly been times we want to throw up our hands, the land pulls us back in, and in a good way. The unique beauty of this canyon inspires us to try harder, dream bigger, be more creative. Necessity forces us to be more resilient and self-sufficient. Witness Alan’s learning plumbing from scratch, or me doing old-style stucco work. You can teach old dogs new tricks after all.
I do feel that the big projects, the ones that both cost a lot and are real challenges to manage are coming to a close. By next year, the hope is that we can focus on things we love to do rather than on what we have to do: gardening and landscaping for me, finish work and electric stuff for Alan. But more than anything, we see ourselves getting out more: backpacking, camping, and learning about this wonderful new state we live in. There’s a fine line between doing just enough (Lagom, in Swedish), and thinking we always have to do a little MORE. Our capitalist society that worships constant growth makes it difficult to say “this is enough!”. Do I really need more outlets? A hot tub? Hot running water? A new kitchen? Where do you draw the line? How much “comfort” is really comfortable? I watch my favorite YouTuber, Itchy Boots, travel through Africa (most recently Togo and Benin) and see how happy and welcoming the people are to her, and how much they love their land. It is humbling to watch them welcome her into their simple homes, which are completely comfortable and functional. Low tech in action: https://unseenbenin.wordpress.com/2014/03/22/tata-somba-traditional-fortress-in-northern-benin/
Having 2 young and highly active Blue Heelers also tie us to the land. These are not dogs you can leave at a kennel to go travel the world. Very few people would be willing to take them in, even for a week. That limits our travels to places where Clair de Lune and Zane Gray are welcome and can get exercise (like Abiquiu Inn, where we enjoyed a delicious dinner last evening). Luckily, many of our family and friends have been very generous in opening their homes to our 2 little Bundles of Chaos, and we thank them heartily. Even some National Parks are mostly off-limits to us, requiring leashes everywhere.
Instead of bemoaning that, we are trying to reframe this limitation to push us to explore the out-of-the-way trails, campsites and areas that are less travelled. And, amazingly, these spots end up being even more awe-inspiring and fun than the usual! Tonto Basin was a wonderful place to play and relax last winter. The South San Juans are little visited and awesome. As we plan to take off again for at least a couple months this winter, I’m sure that we will go further and find even more exciting places. No airplanes or reservations required. If I never get on an airplane again, it will be too soon.
I am still teaching, which has been a blessing as it offsets the ever-spiraling costs of a rebuild. But I DO want to retire at some point, maybe next year when all these big projects are completed. Amazingly, I enjoy teaching inmates in the Colorado prison system most of all. They are motivated and engaged and engaging, and they keep me from simply doing the same old thing every semester. A good wake-up call at the end of a long career.
Alan is still doing a little electric work but less and less, as the distances required make the days very long. I think he gets extra pleasure from getting this place wired up creatively and efficiently. We love our solar array! It is Lagom.
As The Wander Women (@wanderwomenkristyannette5021) like to say:
Find Your Wild
Get Outside
4Fords Journal 