Celebrating Our 4th Homestead Anniversary

On this day four years ago, we moved from Juneau to our homestead. With each passing year, the joyful memories outweigh the unhappy ones.For all the planning that went into it, we had a pretty hectic move. The “wild card” in the whole process was selling our house in Juneau. We didn’t get a lot of communication from our Juneau Realtor about what would happen when in the sale process, so we ended up making a mad scramble to get our stuff out of the house and leave it reasonably clean. We camped out at friends’ houses for a while before our ferry sailed. The move itself, with our sailboat, Selkie in tow, held terrors of its own.

And yet, the first of our new neighbors that we encountered after crossing the bay met us with enthusiastic hugs (we’d met before) and arriving at the cabin was even sweeter than it had been on all the previous visits, because on this day, for the first time, it didn’t just feel like home, it was home. As it is today.

The day, like all good celebrations, calls for a special dinner. Who knows right now what it may be? Perhaps I’ll catch a fish. Maybe we’ll have fresh “bumbleweed” pesto from the garden. Or, if we’re very lucky, a fat porcupine will wander through!

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4 Responses to Celebrating Our 4th Homestead Anniversary

  1. Helen Harris says:

    Oh what memories! I’m wondering if you ever had another porcupine or if we participated in the one and only. Michelle’s bumbleweed pesto was very special. We have weeds but they all seem to have broad leaves and I doubt they would be as good as yours. I saw photographs of some white mushrooms on your site recently. Were they edible?

  2. Mark Zeiger says:

    Mom! So glad to learn that you read the blog!

    We’ve only had that one porcupine, although today I thought I had the next one. Michelle and Aly were in town for Aly’s internship; I had the door open, and I heard someone or something come up to the front door. Spice heard it too, and went out on the porch to look. I heard what sounded like gnawing, and thought maybe we had a porcupine chewing on one of the axe handles. I went out, hoping for porcupine pie for our anniversary dinner, but nothing was there. It must have been the wind . . . .

    I think any weed, or anything else, including shredded cardboard, would taste great with the amount of garlic and basil we use on the bumbleweed pesto.

    I’m not sure which mushrooms you’re referring to, but if I posted photos of them, they are edible. We’re having a great mushroom year so far here.

    Love you! Can’t wait for your next visit to the homestead!

  3. Joy Sutton says:

    Dear Zeigers,
    I am a single mom, working hard and studying nights to be a teacher. I dream of living life to a fuller degree. My heart yearns for a cabin in the woods with view of snow capped mountains and a big stonefire place. I stumbled on your website, while perusing places in Canada..surfing…dreaming… Thanks so much for inspiring me even for a moment to dream big, step out, life life more fully.
    Do you only get in and out via boat for groceries and things?
    Any advice for an older student/single mom yearning for something more and getting closer to nature?
    JOY

  4. Mark Zeiger says:

    Hello Joy, we’re glad your found our site.

    We boat gear to the property when we can, but most often we haul it in on our backs.

    We’re always glad to provide inspiration for those, like you, who seek a lifestyle similar to ours. Our best advice would be to look for an opportunity like this one, whether it be buying, renting, or care taking. I understand that there are still some lighthouse keeper positions available in the world. Lehman’s Web site used to feature reports from a family who kept lighthouses on the British Columbia coast.

    Properties like this remind me of something I read about pianos: they’re extremely expensive, but if you’re in the right place at the right time, you can get one for very little, or even free. Cabins in the woods are rare, but they’re out there, and are often not attractive enough to the average person to command a high price. Keep your eyes and heart open, and be ready to work your tail off to realize your dream!

    Remember, though, that it’s unwise to wait for that perfect property before living life to a fuller degree. It’s trite, but “bloom where you planted” provides pithy wisdom–Nature is all around us, whether one lives in the big city or the forest. It’s there to be appreciated and to nurture us if we only let it.

    That’s the basics. The rest of our advice is found throughout the blog. Enjoy!

    Mark

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