I got the next phase of drawings for the house. I went to the home show a few weeks back and got a bunch of cool ideas. I learned about solar panels and HVAC units. I learned about water reclamation and pondless waterfalls. I learned about engineered surfaces and screen enclosures. I added a whole satchel of brochures to my “book”. I also added a stained glass artist to my list of craftsmen and artisans who I will likely use in the project. I went to the Kanapaha Garden Festival last weekend and added dozens of plant and species names to my garden list. Chickasaw plums, Florida rhododendron azaleas with a flame orange bloom, native blueberries with tiny berries like wild Maine varieties, olives and chestnuts and figs. I talked native bamboo. It was wonderful to be thinking about gardens again.
Tonight, I spoke to my first builder. I have a meeting next week. The property will get surveyed in the next few weeks. And the baby steps start.
I am anxious to plant things. I want to drill my well so I can start planting things, maybe have a small summer garden. I will definitely have blackberries galore, as the property has a large, hearty bramble.
Last night, I dreamed of rolling thunder and summer afternoon rain storms. There is a particular type of thunderhead native to this peninsular state. They collect and condense in the late afternoon in the west and roll eastward, lightening strikes leading the front. I was sitting on the porch off the master bedroom as the rain started. I could smell the static electricity in the air, that sharp, almost metallic scent that comes just before a thunderstorm. And then the fat rain drops started. I sat and listened and watched the lightening strike all around me. As the storm passed, the sun was setting. And then the heat lightening started, silent cobwebs illuminating the sky.
With each step, the house becomes more tangible.