Our Homestead

What is a Homestead? Well the American Heritage Dictionary thinks it is " a house, especially a farmhouse with adjoining buildings and land. Property designated by a householder as his home and protected by law from forced sale to meet debts. Land claimed by a settler or a squatter, especially under the Homestead Act. The place where one's home is and to settle and farm land, especially under the Homestead Act."

The Homestead Act is an act passed by Congress in 1862 promising ownership of a 160 acre tract of public land to a head of a family after he had cleared and improved the land and lived on it for five years.

So this is our Homestead! By the time this home is complete, we would have spent more than 5 years " clearing and improving" the land. It took us about 3 years to find the land, almost 2 years to research the materials and work with Cary Kipp, Architect, to develop the plans. Construction began in early June 2010 and will finish by the end of this year, 2011. Our Hill Country Hacienda is a "farmhouse with adjoining buildings". The 3 "casitas" adjoining the Main House are for our 3 children and their families. Each has a sleeping main room, a second room for study, play, or a growing family, also a kitchenette, large bath and a weekend closet. These "casitas" are designed for rest and privacy.

The Main House is for gathering: A Master Bedroom Suite, Mud Room, Gallery for Art, Preparation Kitchen, Open Great Room for food service, dining and gathering, an Exercise Room, Study for Bill and several bathrooms for our guests. The outside areas are as important for gathering as the inside space: Front courtyard will have a firepit and a prayer garden, the back veranda will hold an outdoor kitchen, bar, 2 TV's and comfortable furniture for gathering. Below the veranda is the swimming pool and another larger firepit...and more important, a beautiful view of the Hill Country, Enchanted Rock and the Texas Sky. Who could ever believe that this would be the result of our efforts when we started this project more than 5 years ago?

Building OUR HOMESTEAD...



OUR HOMESTEAD: a farmhouse with adjoining buildings called OMESA.

Front courtyard and the barn in the distance....

At Home in the World

At Home in the World is a book written by John Hill, Jungian Analyst and lecturer at the Jungian Institute in Zurich, Switzerland. I love what he says in his introduction, " to encourage those who are in search of home to continue the quest, for ultimately you are searching for the ground of your being". There's an old Italian saying " dimmi che casa hai e ti diro chi sei" Tell me about your house and I will tell you who you are. In his wonderful book he goes on to descibe the complex relationship between home and identity. His book explores the interweaving between the inner and outer home as encountered in the symbolic space between self and the world.

It has always been interesting to me that Bill "carries his home" like a turtle carries his shell. He walks in and out of the home I created but doesn't really take ownership to it. His home is where ever he is and therefore it seems easy for him to move about often and quickly. For me, I want to curl up onto the couch and just be. To me my home is protection, safety, beauty, consistency, love and maybe a false sense of stability. NOTHING IS STABLE, constant.

So it brings me to this moment in time. Joe Cross, Landscape Architect, told me yesterday that everything will look chaotic before it looks beautiful. I reminded him that all change is chaotic before the new is created and that I am okay with this. Truth is, it is rather uncomfortable. At the moment, I don't have any photos to share because everything looks chaotic, unfinished, dusty...just doesn't look good. For the next month, the dozier operator, Nolan, will be pushing dirt around for landscape preparation. I selected the pool bottom which will be a type of "chip" that will change with the color of the sky but for the most part will look torquoise. I picked this color to companion with the outdoor furniture fabrics. The courtyard fountain is only halfway complete, the barn is up but without a roof, the hardwood floors are down but covered to protect them while the tile setters begin laying the tile floors in the hall/gallery and bathrooms. All in all, it looks like there's alot going on but nothing getting done. TYPICAL of this time in the building process.

A Drought...breaking records

I haven't written in such a long time,.... just didn't feel like it. Then my mind started wondering to the weather, it's hot, hot, hot, dry, dry, dry, so hot and dry that it is dangerous. Hmmm...interesting, isn't it? I have been feeling dangerously DRY myself...haven't opened my journal, missal, devotional or prayer book in a very long time. Hmmm....the weather here is at dangerously dry weather, no burn band, and fires are being ignited just by small welding sparks. I guess this is what happens when we aren't balanced with WATER. Dehydration is dangerous...I am dehydrated....oh my...

I will be doing a rain dance for the rains to come...tomorrow, I will start my day with a bit of Holy Water on my brow and ask for my Lord Jesus and his Holy Mother to find my hand...not sure where I lost them on the hot and dry path.